Ozzy Osbourne No Rest For The Wicked CD

Additional Tracks

Personnel: Ozzy Osbourne (vocals); Zakk Wylde (guitar); John Sinclair (keyboards); Bob Daisley (bass); Randy Castillo (drums).
Additional personnel: John Sinclair (keyboards).
Producers: Keith Olsen, Roy Thomas Baker
Reissue producer: Bruce Dickinson.
Recorded at Enterprise Studios and Goodnight L.A. Studios, Los Angeles, California. Originally released on Epic (44245).
Includes liner notes by Phil Alexander.
Digitally remastered by Brian Lee and Bob Ludwig (Gateway Mastering Studios, Inc.).
Personnel: Ozzy Osbourne (vocals); Zakk Wylde (guitar); John Sinclair (keyboards); Randy Castillo (drums).
Audio Mixer: Keith Olsen.
Liner Note Author: Phil Alexander.
Recording information: Enterprise Studios (??/??/1988/06/04/1989); Goodnight L.A. Studios, Los Angeles, CA (??/??/1988/06/04/1989).
Photographers: William Hames; Mark Weiss; Ross Pelton; Bob Carlos Clarke; Randee Saint Nicholas.
Things start to improve for Ozzy on No Rest for the Wicked, as Zakk Wylde replaces Jake E. Lee on guitar and Osbourne comes up with his best set since 1983. Again, it's not quite up to the level of excellence his Blizzard of Ozz band achieved, but Osbourne sounds somewhat rejuvenated, and Wylde is a more consistently interesting guitarist than Lee. Highlights include "Miracle Man" (in which Ozzy gloats about the downfall of the TV preachers who had long attacked him as an agent of Satan) and the MTV hits "Crazy Babies" and "Breaking All the Rules." ~ Steve Huey
Although Ozzy Osbourne received enormous commercial success with 1986's THE ULTIMATE SIN, his detour into glam metal proved unsatisfying for both Osbourne and his fans. Osbourne spent most of 1987 readying his postponed live album with Randy Rhoads for release, TRIBUTE, and pondering his future musical direction. He elected to return to the kind of music that got him where he was in the first place--loud, unapologetic heavy metal. He also decided to replace guitarist Jake E. Lee with a young newcomer from New Jersey, Zakk Wylde, for 1989's NO REST FOR THE WICKED. Wylde had been a lifelong Ozzy/Sabbath fan, and resembled Randy Rhoads both in appearance and in playing style.
While the album is not on par with such past classics as BLIZZARD OF OZ and DIARY OF A MADMAN, NO REST FOR THE WICKED did represent a return to Osbourne's roots (thanks in part to longtime Queen producer Roy Thomas Baker). Osbourne tackles a range of subjects throughout, such as crooked televangelists ("Miracle Man"), serial killer Charles Manson ("Bloodbath in Paradise"), and even his own struggle with alcoholism ("Demon Alcohol"). Also included is the concert favorite and popular video, "Crazy Babies."
Things start to improve for Ozzy on No Rest for the Wicked, as Zakk Wylde replaces Jake E. Lee on guitar and Osbourne comes up with his best set since 1983. Again, it's not quite up to the level of excellence his Blizzard of Ozz band achieved, but Osbourne sounds somewhat rejuvenated, and Wylde is a more consistently interesting guitarist than Lee. Highlights include "Miracle Man" (in which Ozzy gloats about the downfall of the TV preachers who had long attacked him as an agent of Satan) and the MTV hits "Crazy Babies" and "Breaking All the Rules." [The 2002 reissue adds the bonus tracks "Liar" and a live version of "Miracle Man."] ~ Steve Huey