Everytime I try to think of the next album to bring to the blog, I realize that there are ALOT of albums that are faves of mine. I am not doing them in any particular order, just ones that come to the top of my head that particular day. There are obvious ones for me for sure, and then then there are the ones that maybe I haven't spun in awhile. I always will be sticking with ones that have meant the most to me over the years. Today pick is Ozzy's Diary Of A Madman from 1981.
This album was actually a gift from my Mom when she went on a trip in the Spring of 1982. She knew what music I liked and asked the dude at the record store what was new that her son might like. He gave her a copy of this. I wasn't overly familiar with the first album, and knew some old Black Sabbath, so this one was really my true introduction to Ozzy.
I'm gonna say it now, the first two Ozzy albums stand up against any of the classic Sabbath stuff. Period. This is not the Oz we know now, this was a younger, hungrier Ozzy who had something to prove...and that he did.
It goes without saying that Randy Rhoads is the secret weapon here, but the performances and songwriting from the entire band are excellent on this album. So many great songs to pick from, but my two faves are Over The Mountain, Believer, and the massive title track (possibly Ozzy's best). I have often wondered what the follow up to this would have been like if Randy had not died. Bark At The Moon was a solid follow up, but one can only imagine the heights that would have been reached with another record from RR.
Among hard rock fans this is an absolute classic. For the casual fan, they may only know Flying High Again, but this is a record that brought more depth and class to an already budding solo career for Ozzy. Check out Rudy Sarzo's excellent book Off The Rails for some true insight into the original Blizzard Of Oz. For now, here is a classic clip of Ozzy from the era. I'll see you all soon! Enjoy!
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