Back to an all-time classic this week, the debut solo album from Ozzy Osbourne. It was originally supposed to be a band package presentation but instead it would be the launch for the successful and controversial solo career of the Prince of Darkness.

Ozzy Osbourne – Blizzard Of Ozz

Released March 22, 1891 (US release) via Jet Records

My Favorite Tracks – Steal Away (The Night), Mr. Crowley, Revelation (Mother Earth)

The premsie behind the album is pretty simple – Ozzy had been fired from Black Sabbath and thought he was done with music. Don Arden was the record exec who not only fired Osbourne from Sabbath but also got him lined up with a solo deal from Jet Records. Don had his daughter Sharon oversee Ozzy, who was in a dark mindset after being axed.

After some twists and turns, Ozzy would form a group with guitarist Randy Rhodes, bassist Bob Daisley, drummer Lee Kerslake and Don Airey on keyboards. The group was named Blizzard Of Ozz at first, but when it came time to release the first album things were re-done so Ozzy had solo billing.

The decisions over the band’s billing would also bleed into writing credits. Rhodes and Daisley were primarily responsible for the music on the debut album and were credited as such. Kerslake received a credit for No Bone Movies, while Ozzy was credited on all songs. The Arden management clan would subsequently decide that they did not want other musicians getting songwriting credits, something that would start a chain of lawsuits, buyouts and other legal wrangling down the line. Things were fairly conventional for the first release, but the specter of Sharon soon-to-be Osbourne was looming large already over the reigns of Ozzy’s solo career.

The album was released in 1980 in the UK and 1981 in the US. It bears 9 songs with a runtime just shy of 40 minutes. I won’t get into any of the myriad other editions with bonus tracks today, though I’ll discuss one infamous re-issue version a bit later.

I Don’t Know

The opener is a blistering metal track that sets the early tone for this phase of Ozzy’s career. The lyrics are about the plague of self-doubt, presumably what Ozzy felt after the Sabbath firing. And while everyone sounds in fine form here, it is the guitars of Randy Rhodes that jump out here. Everything is set here for the creation of a new guitar god – the tone, the writing perfectly for the song with riffs that stand out, and the solos that very few could even hope to imitate.

Crazy Train

Up next is the lead single and what would become Ozzy’s signature song, even though it didn’t crack the Top 40 on release. It’s another crazy riff from Rhodes and a catchy melody and chorus that put the song over the top and cemented it as one of metal’s most-known songs. Crazy Train has been inescapable since then, played on the airwaves far and wide. Someone would have to be born yesterday not to know this one.

Goodbye To Romance

A somber ballad here and one with a pretty 70’s bent, this is another exploration of Ozzy’s down feelings after being sacked from Sabbath. I’ve always like a sad song and this is downright depressing, so it ticks the boxes for me. Not quite what anyone was expecting but a nice song nonetheless.

Dee

A brief instrumental passage from Randy Rhodes here. It’s named in honor of Randy’s mom.

Suicide Solution

And next is the infamous track that would lead to a lawsuit over the influence music has on youth. But before that, this is a slamming heavy metal tune with a riff Rhodes had re-calibrated from his early Quiet Riot days on Force Of Habit.

The song’s message is one of caution – beware of the destructive influence of drugs and especially alcohol. It’s origin is less clear – Ozzy claims he wrote the lyrics after the drinking death of Bon Scott, Bob Daisley claims he wrote the lyrics after observing Ozzy’s own crazy behavior.

But notoriety would come calling – in 1984 a teenager committed suicide, and the parents sued Ozzy and the record label on the basis of the song causing dangerous influences. The case was dismissed on First Amendment grounds, but this and other infamous heavy metal lawsuits would take their toll on the musicians and the scene as a whole.

Mr. Crowley

Another heavy metal standard here as Ozzy jumps into wondering about infamous occultist Aleister Crowley. Ozzy has stated that he had no clue about Crowley and the song was based on not knowing anything about him, though segments of the public would interpret the song as praise of the occult and label Ozzy a satanist. Ozzy was one of the central figures of the Satanic Panic, both this and the lawsuit were key in that casting.

Regardless of the nonsense, this song is wicked in the best way possible, with sublime work especially from Rhodes.

No Bone Movies

A heavy rocker that gets into the subject of “bone movies,” or as we commonly call it, porn. A pretty quick and simple romp through the degeneration of someone who is addicted to the flesh on screen, which back then you had to go to a theater to watch. Now you can log on from home and find out what your teacher or your mom gets up to after dark.

Revelation (Mother Earth)

While Ozzy was branded a Satanist, murderer by proxy and who knows what else, one thing he apparently actually was could be called an environmentalist. This song is the first of a handful over Ozzy’s solo career that tackle the issue of man-made environmental destruction. It personifies the Earth as “mother” and showcases the assault upon her by greed and complacency.

Beyond the song’s message is one absolutely gorgeous tune. This is splendid work by all involved, of course again highlighting Randy Rhodes and his sublime guitar work. Easily one of the best of Ozzy’s solo career.

And now between two songs we have perhaps the most interesting space in recorded music. Revelation ends on a jam that picks up a bit and then closes on a note that indicates more is to come, and that more would be the album’s last song which kicks off right away. After playing this album thousands of times, it feels perfect to have the next one come in right away and it feels wrong when it doesn’t. It is one of the disheartening parts of digital music that this transition often gets cut out by automatic time gaps between songs, or passed over altogether with shuffle features. Those who don’t regularly listen to full albums would be advised to investigate this passage further.

Steal Away (The Night)

The album’s closer is another barn burner that sees Randy shredding away and Ozzy out on a dark journey with some young, impressionable gal probably. It is my favorite song from the album and one I talked about previously here.

Blizzard Of Ozz would be a solid success for Ozzy. While neither single became a hit, at least at first, the album moved copies pretty quick and eventually wound up 5 times platinum in the US. It did also place 21 on the Billboard 200 as well as 7 in the UK and 8 in Canada.

The album would help kickstart Ozzy’s solo career and both his legacy and infamy. It would also establish Randy Rhodes as a top-tier guitarist, something we would all soon be robbed of in a tragic accident.

This album was reissued several times over the years, in 2002 it was redone in very controversial fashion. The powers that be decided to remove the bass and drums that Daisley and Kerslake had originally done, both were suing Camp Osbourne over unpaid royalties from the album. The parts were re-recorded with Robert Trujillo and Mike Bordin, Ozzy’s band members at the time. Also, Suicide Solution was edited to remove sound effect bits that some had suggested were subliminal messages that encouraged suicide.

The reaction to this new version was extremely negative. The execution was not good and the reason behind it, greed, was transparent to most everyone as the stories about the lawsuit were common in metal press. Later reissues worked with the original music and this version was swept under the rug.

Whatever the management of Ozzy’s career would take, no doubt the music itself was spectacular out of the gate. This is a stellar album, performed well by all parties involved. Ozzy would have a second act to his career and Randy Rhodes would become immortal through his work on the early Ozzy stuff. Millions of budding metalheads had a new album to shred out to, and the “moral majority” had a new enemy.