Ozzy Osbourne – Scream – 2010 This is, I believe, the 63rd review in this series. I’ve never tried anything like this. I can’t believe I got through it. And thanks to everyone who helped (you know who you are). We traveled the journey of Heavy Metal by way of Continue Reading
Ozzy Osbourne
Listening Post: Purple Sabbath – Ozzy Osbourne – Black Rain
Ozzy Osbourne – Black Rain – 2007 “I’m not going away!” Ozzy screams amidst the post-metal industrial backing and siren wail of Zakk Wylde’s guitar. He’s pretty earnest about it. I believe him. After turning himself into a reality tv clown, rocket-fueling his wife’s talk show career and turning his Continue Reading
Listening Post: Purple Sabbath – Ozzy Osbourne – Down to Earth
Ozzy Osbourne – Down to Earth – 2001 I’m going to be extraordinarily kind to Oz right about now. At this point he’s the only one standing from the original metal bands.Sabbath is over.Dio is a cartoon version of what he THINKS metal is turning into.Deep Purple is a funk/prog Continue Reading
Listening Post: Purple Sabbath – Ozzy Osbourne – Ozzmosis
Ozzy Osbourne – Ozzmosis – 1995 It’s been a few years since No More Tears but that hasn’t changed Ozzy’s 90s era attack. Loud. Big guitars. Heavy production. Ozzfest would start the next year, so I guess this is the album that kicked that off. But, where Tears was a Continue Reading
Listening Post: Purple Sabbath – Ozzy Osbourne – No More Tears
Ozzy Osbourne – No More Tears – 1991 Xylophones and toys are scary. Let’s face it. Ever since Poltergeist we’ve known that. That’s how No More Tears starts out. The hyper-demonic “Mr. Tinkertrain” sets the table with a song from the perspective of a child abuser and the album never Continue Reading
Listening Post: Purple Sabbath – Ozzy Osbourne – No Rest for the Wicked
Ozzy Osbourne – No Rest for the Wicked – 1989 For the most part this record was co-produced by one of my favorite producers, Roy Thomas Baker, he of The Cars, Queen and The Darkness among many many others.Ozzy also has a new guitarist, kicking Jake Lee to the curb Continue Reading
Listening Post: Purple Sabbath – Ozzy Osbourne – The Ultimate Sin
Ozzy Osbourne – The Ultimate Sin – 1986 I swear to god, “Secret Loser” sounds like Ratt’s “Round and Round”. And that’s the problem with mid-80s metal. By now all these bands are starting to sound like each other. I don’t know whose fault it is, I put the blame Continue Reading
Listening Post: Purple Sabbath – Ozzy Osbourne – Bark at the Moon
Ozzy Osbourne – Bark at the Moon – 1983 Randy Rhodes died. And that’s pretty much the whole story here. Jake Lee is hired as his replacement and it almost works. The title track is great, energetic, shreddy. The rest of the album is….like carbon paper.If Diary of a Madman Continue Reading
Listening Post: Purple Sabbath – Ozzy Osbourne – Diary of a Madman
Ozzy Osbourne – Diary of a Madman – 1981 Blizzard of Ozz part 2. this one actually follows the same pattern laid down by Blizzard. Great opener “Over the Mountain”, blistering follow-up “Flying High Again”, power ballad “You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll”. And so on. Instead of “Mr. Crowley”, Continue Reading
Listening Post: Purple Sabbath – Ozzy Osbourne – Blizzard of Ozz
Ozzy Osbourne – Blizzard of Ozz – 1980 “Daddy, I want music, not talk!” my four year old daughter shouted to me as we were on a run to the pharmacy last night. “You got it!” I said and fired up Blizzard of Ozz, which was next on the Listening Continue Reading