Ozzy Osbourne Blizzard Of Ozz CD

Personnel: Ozzy Osbourne (vocals); Randy Rhoads (guitar); Don Airey (keyboards); Bob Daisley (bass, gong, background vocals); Lee Kerslake (drums, percussion, tubular bells, timpani); Mark Lennon, John Shanks (background vocals).
Producers: Ozzy Osbourne, Bob Daisley, Lee Kerslake, Randy Rhoads.
Recorded between March 22 & April 19, 1980. Includes liner notes by Phil Alexander.
Digitally remastered by Stephen Marcussen (Marcussen Mastering).
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. ~ Steve Huey
After the quiet implosion of Black Sabbath, the wise money was not on former vocalist, Ozzy, being the one to redeem himself musically. However, with shrewd management by his wife and a hotshot Californian in the shape of ex-Quiet Riot guitarist, Randy Rhoads, he reinvented himself and his musical persona, and created a startling debut album. Combining Rhoads' impetuous flurries of heavily stylized guitar, his own series of lyrical caricatures--"Crazy Train" and "Revelation (Mother Earth)"--and a healthy dose of controversy, citing renowned satanist Aleister Crowley as the subject matter for "Mr. Crowley," he ensured himself acclaim and commerciality in equal measure.Uncut (8/02, p.112) - 3.5 out of 5 - "...Surprisingly melodic..."
Kerrang (Magazine) (p.53) - "[A] work of genius....[With] some superb songs, many of which are now regarded as timeless classics."