Yo everybody, 'zup? It's been a while, since last year actually oh HA HA... I suck at this.
... Anyway, I'm in quite some Ozzy period right now. Ozzy Osbourne is the Godfather of heavy metal. Everybody knows that for a fact. What people don't know is that he's kind of my Godfather as well. See, it was Ozzy who got me into metal. It was back in 2002 when I heard a couple of tracks that I really fell in love with his music. The two songs in particular that caught my attention was "Bark at the Moon" and "Hellraiser" (especially). Believe it or not, but "Crazy Train" was a song I actually was never too fond of. I always thought of it as highly overrated, you know? I never liked the poppy gallop-y verse riff. It's grown on me over the 13 years that I've listened to Ozzy, but I still roll my eyes a little bit every time I hear its verse. The chorus is cool, though!
I'm not gonna count compilations, singles, EPs, live albums or the cover album "Under Cover" on this list. Official studio albums only. Anyway, let's list this (good) shite!
10. Down To Earth (2001)
On tenth and last place is this sucker. This is very much not the Ozzman's (or Zakk Wylde's, for that matter) best effort to date. Actually, I think this is the opposite. It's by no means a bad album, but it's just somewhat dull and weak compared to Ozzy's other albums. Especially the older ones. What really makes this album one of his weaker is the repetitive and occasionally uninspired-like material, accompanied with a very muddy, stiff and boring production. It just sounds lifeless and none of the band members really get to shine here. There are, however, a few cool tunes here like "Gets Me Through", "No Easy Way Out", "That I Never Had" and "Alive". Of course "Dreamer" is quite nice, too. I don't listen to it very often, though. I also dig the B-side "Black Skies" from this album. That one should've replaced any of the unmentioned tracks, because the remaining album sounds very much like filler material.
09. Scream (2010)
Well, it wasn't too long ago since this came out. Or, yeah, it's almost five years so I guess it's quite some time, but I remember it like a month ago. Zakk Wylde had been let-go of and replacing him was the supposed power metal guru Gus G. (I never heard any of his other work). Ozzy wanted to change his sound away from Zakk's own band Black Label Society, and I can respect that. However, fans all over the world were quite disappointed with the result of this album - there's pretty much no musical difference to this album or any of the more recent Ozzy albums with Zakk (or BLS). This sounds like it's written by/with Zakk, and played by him as well apart from the many missing squeals. However, that was not the only disappointment with this album - the fans also thought it was pretty bad. I for one actually kinda like(d) this album a lot. It's certainly not bad, but once again not nearly Ozzy's best album. It's got a flow going, no fillers, no particular killers either, but a fine line of average to good quality tunes (for Ozzy's standard) throughout. One still standing disappointed for me, however, is Gus G. - I expected more from him after all the fuzz and Ozzy's wishes to change the sound. He's the most boring and characterless of Ozzy's guitarists to appear on an Ozzy album. Ozzy should've gotten Jake E. Lee back, or just as well kept Zakkie.
08. Black Rain (2007)
And here it is: the most perfect example of how unnecessary the trade from Zakk to Gus G. actually was. This album and Scream pretty much sound like brothers to me, musically. I guess I would say that this is somewhat darker and more swinging due to Zakk's squeals and overall more aggressive guitar playing. I think these songs are also slightly better then those on Scream, but to be quite honest: it was hard chosing which one of them to get this spot - they're pretty much at the exact same rate. What this album has most in its favor is its B-sides. The B-sides from this album are the best, in my opinion, from any Ozzy album. The song "Nightmare" is simply amazing and should've been on the regular version, no doubt. I don't know why it isn't, but it's one of my absolute favorite modern-era Ozzy tracks. This album has got some neat rockers overall, and the "fillers" are actually quite overlooked tunes by fans if you ask me. This is a good album. Ozzy looks awful on the album cover, though, but I like the title and concept of it.
07. Ozzmosis (1995)
I know what y'all probably thinking right now. Something like, "yeah, of course...", and yeah, maybe you're right. I'm the typical Ozzy fan, favoring all of his old albums before his newer stuff. I let the music speak for itself there. This album, however, is a real fan-base splitter. Some people tend to really (almost hate this and) place it last of all Ozzy albums, while some enjoy it a whole lot more, maybe even holding it rather close to their hearts. I'm somewhere in the middle. I don't think Ozzy has succeeded this album with any of his albums since Ozzmosis, but it's his worst up album until that point. It's also been a grower on me, for sure. What's perhaps hard about embracing this album, today, is it's very dated 90's feel and sound. Apparently this was a record company-controlled album in many ways where they wanted Ozzy to sound like Soundgarden at the time, while Ozzy had started off with this album as more of a "continuation" of No More Tears. That was a bad but ultimately interesting idea by the RC, I think. This is unarguably Ozzy's most experimental work and it's kind of interesting in that way, but it falls a bit short on delivering the real goods. My faves are "Thunder Underground", "See You On The Other Side" and "Tomorrow".
06. Bark At The Moon (1983)
This is perhaps Ozzy's most overrated albums ever. I will leave that up to debate with the next album on this list, but they together are his most overrated albums, no doubt. Anyway, this album is still a classic and important piece of 80's heavy ... metal, and a bunch of other stuff. Yes, that is the problem here - this album hasn't really got a red thread holding the material together. This album is not really experimental in that sense, but it's "all over" the place. I mean, we have some true heavy metal thunderstrucks like the classic title track and "Rock 'n' Roll Rebel", while we've got some weird attempts at keyboard-oriented gothic 80's metal in the otherwise cool and overlooked track "Waiting For Darkness". "Slow Down" is somewhere towards an AOR sound with it's silly-sounding chorus and, well... I don't know. It's all over the place. It goes into ballad territory as well, of course, with the excellent "You're No Different" and the instead awful grandma-loves-this-tune "So Tired". It's not a bad album, just not very solid either. There is one great thing about this album, though - the then-new guitarist Jake E. Lee, whose work with Ozzy I really like. Underrated and overlooked guy that not too many people, sadly, seem to remember or talk about.
05. Blizzard Of Ozz (1980)
Maybe this is more likely to be Ozzy's most overrated album, or maybe it isn't at all. I know many people love it and praise it, and so do I in many ways as well, particularly the talent of Randy Rhoads. The reason that this album isn't really my favorite, however, is the musical quality delivered here. What I can never understand with the praising of this album is how people tend to completely forget rather bland tracks like especially "No Bone Movies" and pretty much "Steal Away (The Night)", too. Those two tracks certainly don't help this album become a flawless masterpiece, even less Ozzy's best moment. Apart from that, there isn't much to discuss about this album. It's got Ozzy's most recognized tune "Crazy Train" and the fan favorite "Mr. Crowley", which is my favorite off this album as well. Randy Rhoads guitar work also stands the test of time - I love his playing - his tone, squeals, solos, classical overtones, and riffs. This is a very good album, without a doubt.
04. No More Tears (1991)
Times were a-changin' in the early 90's within the Ozzcamp, but maybe not really that different? This album is one of those critically acclaimed and fan favorited Ozzy albums, and I do see why. It was most likely very fresh in its time and packed with great tunes. It was the second album where Zakk Wylde handled the guitar duties and my guess is that he had more (of southern rock) input this time around. It's a very dynamic record, going from rockers to ballad-esque tracks to real heavy metal. What I really dig about this record is its variety and how it manages to still sound like an 80's Ozzy album, but with that early 90's attitude, feel and touch to it. Think maybe Ozzy's early solo stuff combined with early Alice in Chains and stuff. It was a winning concept nonetheless, as Ozzy was the only one, together with Metallica and (the) Red Hot Chili Peppers, amongst the 80's artists/bands who managed to remain successful and go multi-platinum in the new decade. But at the end of the day, I still miss something in this album. It hasn't got that special mystique that some of Ozzy's older albums have, or material quite up-to-par. Whatever this album has and hasn't got, it still is a quite unique Ozzy album as none of of his other stuff sounds like this one. And what else can I say? No other than Lemmy co-wrote four songs on this album, and like the best ones at that. This is an album that ages very nicely, and some of my absolute fave Ozzy tunes is on here: the title track, "Hellraiser", "Desire" and "Mama, I'm Coming Home". A very balanced, perfect all-around sounding middle-era album that combines the best of two worlds: what Ozzy did in the 80's and what he would later do up till this day.
03. The Ultimate Sin (1986)
One of Ozzy's more complicated albums, The Ultimate Sin has ever since it came out in '86 divided fans opinions all over the place, I believe. There seems to be a constant debate about where this album actually lies quality-wise. I wouldn't go on to call it underrated, overrated or misunderstood really, because most people seem to have given it a listen at some point at least. What I can feel about it, however, is that it's perhaps "wrongly accused". Some people bash this for being a sell-out album by Ozzy, which I can understand in one perspective - as it being a glam metal album released in the heydays of glam metal, but in any other perspectives, I cannot understand it. Ultimately I don't think it is an overly commercial album. I think it's still a bit too heavy compared to Mötley Crüe or Ratt, which were big glam acts at the time, and I still think it has more metal elements than those bands. It also sold "only" two million copies in the US, not really a too large amount compared to other glam metal bands. Some people also tend to think the material on this is simply weak, with no actual hits or memorable tunes present. I oppose them all. I think these songs are all great, even the ones generally considered "filler" (for instance - "Fool Like You", "Never") which are among my very favorites. It also spawns a few fan favorites, besides the obvious hit and classic "Shot In The Dark", which are the great "Secret Loser" and "Killer Of Giants". But what I think I dig the most about this album is the guitar playing by Jake E. Lee. The album cover is also my favorite one among Ozzy's albums.
02. No Rest For The Wicked (1988)
"What album did you say?", yes? This is like a mighty pearl thrown to the swines - a forgotten, totally underrated and overlooked heavy metal album. This truly is the one and only Ozzy album I can truly considered underrated and overlooked. Despite selling two million copies in the US alone, people seem to have genuinely forgot all about this one. Perhaps it's because it totally lacks anything called a "hit single", but perhaps it's just peoples ignorance as well. What this album is probably most (and sadly, only) remembered for is that it was the first album featuring a very young Zakk Wylde, and you can immediately recognize him and his style. This is very much a pure heavy metal album - a very dark and heavy one at that. I mean, in my opinion, this is without a doubt Ozzy's heaviest and darkest album ever. There is an eerie and sinister feeling throughout the album, with Zakk Wylde-ified Black Sabbath-y riffing and pentatonic scales all over. He just plays with an intense hunger and energy, and he sure had got the chops already at that early age. Ozzy's drummer at the time, the late Randy Castillo, also really shines on this one. To me, this album is the best Ozzalbum drum-wise. I really appreciate this album as a whole without really trying to pick any favorites, but I would totally call "Breakin' All The Rules", "Miracle Man", "Bloodbath In Paradise" and the epic ballad-esque track "Fire In The Sky" classics in Ozzy's catalogue. The Japanese bonus track "The Liar" is also when of Ozzy's better (piano) ballads to my ears.
01. Diary Of A Madman (1981)
Maybe this was a bit foreseen and obvious of a choice, but one cannot deny the greatness and epicness of this true masterpiece. This album is totally something purely outstanding that Ozzy had never done before, or would do again. It's just something that was done right at the perfect time. This album has been closest to my heart out of all albums featuring Ozzy (inc. the Sabbath catalogue).
There is something dark and strange going on behind the musical curtains that you cannot quite see or understand, you can only hear it being present through these tracks. I don't know much about the recording of this album, but I wouldn't be surprised if they recorded parts of it, or at least composed/rehearsed these tracks, in a haunted or possessed place. The album's magnificence is largely because of the guitar work by the late, great Randy Rhoads. I just truly believe Ozzy did find the ultimate musician in him, because his playing rules this album, and you do understand the fuzz and legend about him when you hear this album.
I don't think you can compare this and Blizzard Of Ozz. It's two similar records but yet so different from each other. That one is really more of a "basic" album made of album tracks and hits, I'd say, while this is very epic and more complex. This is where Randy really pushed his creative boundaries, which is most notable in the amazing title track, which ends this masterpiece just perfectly.
Believe me, I cannot express in words what this album is for me. It's like a journey you have to join yourself in order to understand, but that is certainly something that can't quite be said about any of the other Ozzy albums. This is one the one, the magnum opus, the flawless masterpiece.
