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Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard Of Ozz (1980)
Cover Front Album Cover Back
Artist/Composer Ozzy Osbourne
Length 39:19
Format Vinyl to CD
Genre Hard Rock; Heavy Metal
Label Jet Records
Index 346
Collection Status In Collection
Packaging Vinyl Record
Track List
01 I Don't Know 05:14
02 Crazy Train 04:50
03 Goodbye to Romance 05:36
04 Dee 00:50
05 Suicide Solution 04:16
06 Mr. Crowley 04:56
07 No Bone Movies 03:58
08 Revelation (Mother Earth) 06:09
09 Steal Away (The Night) 03:30
Personal Details
Album Lookup1 O
Details
Spars DDD
Rare No
Sound Stereo
Notes
Ozzy Osbourne's 1981 solo debut Blizzard of Ozz was a masterpiece of neo-classical metal that, along with Van Halen's first album, became a cornerstone of '80s metal guitar. Upon its release, there was considerable doubt that Ozzy could become a viable solo attraction. Blizzard of Ozz demonstrated not only his ear for melody, but also an unfailing instinct for assembling top-notch backing bands. Onetime Quiet Riot guitarist Randy Rhoads was a startling discovery, arriving here as a unique, fully formed talent. Rhoads was just as responsible as Osbourne - perhaps even more so - for the album's musical direction, and his application of classical-guitar techniques and scales rewrote the rulebook just as radically as Eddie Van Halen had. Rhoads could hold his own as a flashy soloist, but his detailed, ambitious compositions and arrangements revealed his true depth, as well as creating a sense of doomy, sinister elegance built on Ritchie Blackmore's minor-key innovations. All of this may seem to downplay the importance of Ozzy himself, which shouldn't be the case at all. The music is a thoroughly convincing match for his lyrical obsession with the dark side (which was never an embrace, as many conservative watchdogs assumed); so, despite its collaborative nature, it's unequivocally stamped with Ozzy's personality. What's more, the band is far more versatile and subtle than Sabbath, freeing Ozzy from his habit of singing in unison with the guitar (and proving that he had an excellent grasp of how to frame his limited voice). Nothing short of revelatory, Blizzard of Ozz deservedly made Ozzy a star, and it set new standards for musical virtuosity in the realm of heavy metal.