Blizzard of Ozz

Untitled

Blizzard of Ozz is a heavy metal album by Ozzy Osbourne, recorded in Surrey, U.K. and released on September 20, 1980 (see 1980 in music) in the UK and on January 15, 1981 (see 1981 in music) in the US. This is Osbourne's first solo album and one of the two studio albums he recorded before guitarist Randy Rhoads' death in March 1982. The tracks 'Crazy Train' and 'Mr. Crowley' were released as singles. The former peaked at #9 on the Mainstream Rock Charts and has remained a staple of pop, hard-rock, and classic-rock radio for more than 25 years; it remains easily Ozzy's most-recognizable song. The album reached at #21 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart, and is in the list of the top 100 best-selling albums of the 1980's. It is somewhat unique for having achieved multi-platinum success even without the benefit of a Mainstream Top 40 single. Blizzard of Ozz remains Osbourne's highest-selling album to date, shifting over 5.3 million copies in the U.S. alone.

Controversy

The song "Suicide Solution" has been criticized for its lyrics that allegedly encouraged suicide, and was cited as a direct cause in the October 1984 suicide of John McCollum, a fourteen year-old fan who shot himself while listening to Osbourne's records. The boy's parents sued Osbourne and CBS Records for "encouraging self-destructive behavior" in young persons who were "especially susceptible" to dangerous influences (McCollum et al. v. CBS, Inc., et al.). In his defence, Osbourne said that the song was really about the untimely death of AC/DC vocalist Bon Scott, who perished due to alcohol-related causes just months before Blizzard of Ozz was released. Bassist Bob Daisley, however, contradicts this, claiming that he wrote the song about Osbourne's own dangerous abuse of alcohol and drugs.[1] The McCollums' complaint was dismissed on the grounds that the First Amendment protected Osbourne's right to free artistic expression.

In 1986 (see 1986 in music), Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake sued Osbourne for unpaid royalties, eventually winning songwriting credits on Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman. The 2002 reissues of these albums are derided by fans due to the substitution of the original bass and drum tracks of Daisley and Kerslake for new ones by Osbourne's current drummer Mike Bordin and bassist Robert Trujillo. Fans and critics generally felt the move was dishonest, especially as no indication of the changes appears on the exterior packaging or sleeves of the altered albums. Osbourne's wife and manager, Sharon, explained the re-recordings in a press conference: "Because of Daisley and Kerslake's abusive and unjust behaviour, Ozzy wanted to remove them from these recordings. We turned a negative into a positive by adding a fresh sound to the original albums." Daisley and Kerslake deny the allegations of "abusive behaviour" and continue to battle for royalties owed them for their work on Blizzard of Ozz.

Track listing

All songs written by Ozzy, Randy Rhoads, and Bob Daisley except where noted.

1. "I Don't Know" – 5:16
2. "Crazy Train" – 4:56
3. "Goodbye To Romance" – 5:36
4. "Dee" (Instrumental) (Randy Rhoads) – 0:50
5. "Suicide Solution" – 4:21
6. "Mr. Crowley" – 5:02
7. "No Bone Movies" (Ozzy Osbourne, Randy Rhoads, Bob Daisley, Lee Kerslake) – 3:53
8. "Revelation (Mother Earth)" – 6:09
9. "Steal Away (The Night)" – 3:28

2002 Bonus Track

10. "You Lookin' At Me Lookin' At You" – 4:16

Personnel

• Ozzy Osbourne - Vocals, Harmony Vocals, Producer
• Randy Rhoads - Guitar, Producer
• Bob Daisley - Bass, Gong, Backing vocals, Harmony Vocals, Producer
• Lee Kerslake - Drums, Percussion, Bells, Tympani [Timpani], Producer
• Don Airey - Keyboards
• Max Norman - Engineer
• Robert Trujillo - Bass on You Lookin' At Me Lookin' At You
• Mike Bordin - Drums on You Lookin' At Me Lookin' At You