Long before MTV made Ozzy Osbourne a comical household name with the reality show "The Osbournes" he was best known as lead singer of the heavy metal pioneering band "Black Sabbath."
In 1979 Ozzy left "Black Sabbath," hooked up with a young guitarist named Randy Rhoads and unleashed two all-time classic albums "Blizzard Of Ozz" and "Diary Of A Madman." To celebrate the 30th Anniversary, Sony/Legacy has yet again re-released these classic albums in deluxe and expanded formats.
If you are an Ozzy fan you know that this is not the first time these albums have been released on CD. In fact, it is the 4th time. They were released first in the late 80's when CDs were originally introduced, second in 1996 when Ozzy's entire catalogue was remastered, and then again in 2002 with bonus tracks. So why are they being re-released a 4th time??
The answer is simple. The 2002 releases were marred with controversy as the original drums and bass tracks played by Lee Kerslake and Bob Daisley were removed and re-recorded by members of Ozzy's touring band, drummer Mike Bordin and bassist Robert Trujillo.
Most fans purchased the 2002 CDs because they contained unreleased bonus tracks only to find themselves duped upon reading the CD liner notes and discovering the original music they have loved had been tampered with.
So, here we are almost 10 years after the re-recorded debacle and I must say that Sony Legacy has finally replaced the albums to their original glory!!
The new reissues are sonically the best these albums have ever sounded. "Blizzard Of Ozz" still sounds as vital and fresh as the day it was released and holds up better than most of Ozzy's mid 80's material -- proven by the fact that Osbourne still plays more than half these songs live on tour.
Bonus material on the expanded reissue includes a non-LP b-side called "You Looking At Me, Looking At You" which is so good that I have no idea why it was left off the original release. The other 2 tracks are for the diehard Randy Rhoads fans and include a new guitar and vocal mix of the ballad "Goodbye To Romance," plus an unreleased Rhoads guitar solo simply titled "RR." That, plus lyrics and updated liner notes, makes this the definitive version of this much-loved CD.
"Diary Of A Madman" also receives the same treatment as "Blizzard" with all original drums and bass restored. But since this CD is released in the "Legacy Edition" format, it also includes a bonus live CD. The live CD was recorded during the "Blizzard Of Ozz" tour but is probably paired up with "Diary" because it includes live versions of the songs "Believer" and "Flying High Again," two tracks that had yet to be released at that point and would eventually end up on the "Diary Of A Madman" album.
The live CD is the best recorded Ozzy concert I have ever heard. The band, comprised of Randy, drummer Tommy Aldridge and bassist Rudy Sarzo are in peak performance. Ozzy is also in rare form with one of the best pieces of stage patter I have ever heard as he asks the audience: "What the fuck's wrong with you dummies?"
If you're like me and you've purchased these 2 classic albums once, twice or even three times before & do yourself a favor and buy these definitive versions. I promise you will not be disappointed.
Drumroll please: 10 out of 10 headless bats!!
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