Blizzard of Ozz – Ozzy Osbourne (1980)

October 18, 2024

Oh, Ozzy. Poor, sweet Ozzy. After a ten-year run with the founding fathers of heavy metal, Osbourne was out on his ass. The other members of Black Sabbath had finally had enough. Although the entire band had been hitting the drink and the drugs extremely hard, guitarist Tony Iommi described Ozzy as being “on a totally different level altogether.” So due to the declining quality of the music, along with Osbourne’s substance abuse issues and declining work ethic, the original lineup of Sabbath was finished. Ozzy understandably took the news hard, and has since said that his plan was to drink and snort the money he got for his share of the band name and then go back to Birmingham and get on the dole. But fortunately for him, he was signed by Don Arden of Jet Records, who sent his daughter Sharon (yes, that Sharon) to look after him. And in addition to getting Ozzy back on his feet as his manager, guardian angel, and eventually his wife, Sharon did his ex-bandmates a solid and suggested Ronnie James Dio as a fitting successor for the frontman role in Sabbath.

Ozzy being Ozzy

Back on his feet and ready to turn things around, Ozzy teamed up with former Quiet Riot guitarist Randy Rhoads and journeyman bassist Bob Daisley to form a new group called The Blizzard of Ozz. Unfortunately for Rhoads and Daisley, it was later determined that their collective work would be billed to Ozzy as a solo artist with Blizzard of Ozz as the title of their inaugural album. Despite the fact that Rhoads and Daisley were doing the vast majority of the songwriting and arrangements, Ozzy’s starpower won out and they were forced to accept their fates as playing second and third fiddle to the Prince of Darkness. But despite any lingering resentment and hurt feelings, the trio put together a fantastic album that successfully blended Ozzy’s Sabbath roots with the flashy new iteration of hard rock music that had begun to emerge in the late 1970s with the growing popularity of bands like Van Halen and AC/DC.

What is clear from many of the tracks on Blizzard of Ozz is that Osbourne was deeply wounded by his dismissal from Black Sabbath. Despite his lovably oafish, boozy persona, songs like “I Don’t Know” and “Goodbye to Romance” show a surprisingly vulnerable and hurt version of the frontman, who was clearly having a difficult time coping with being left behind by his friends. The latter in particular shows Ozzy’s ability to pull off a legitimately pretty and well-written ballad, and is easily one of the most underappreciated songs of his solo discography. In addition to the brooding nostalgia, the album includes two tracks that have gone on to become classic rock staples and critical to Ozzy’s legacy as a successful solo act – “Mr. Crowley” and, of course, “Crazy Train.” In addition to being a certified Ozzy banger, the former would contribute to the Prince of Darkness mystique that had become paramount to Osbourne’s reputation, with lyrics directly referencing famed occultist Aleister Crowley, who had been a pillar of fascination within the rock and roll scene for years. “Crazy Train,” which is best known for Ozzy’s maniacal laughter, Daisley’s killer opening bassline, and Rhoads’ all-time classic guitar riff, has some surprisingly thoughtful lyrics about the role that politicians and the media played in the mass hysteria and simmering fear of annihilation that had spread across the globe throughout the Cold War. And on top of hearing Ozzy and company providing their thoughts on the geo-political conflicts of the era, we also get “Revelation (Mother Earth),” which presciently compares the apocalyptic scenes found in the Book of Revelation with the lasting damage that they saw being done to the environment.

The Dynamic Duo: Osbourne and Rhoads

You really have no choice but to give Ozzy credit for taking the L on his Black Sabbath dismissal and rallying to create an extremely successful first record and kick off a decades-long solo career. While undoubtedly made possible by the business advice and emotional support of Sharon, along with the distinctly memorable distorted guitar sounds emanating from Rhoads, Ozzy was able to silence the doubters and prove himself as his own man. It makes one wonder what it is that makes Osbourne so magic, as he’s notably a non-musician and has never been praised for having particularly strong songwriting abilities. But despite that, he went on to have far more success in his solo career than his ex-bandmates did in the Dio era of Sabbath. And even beyond its popularity and commercial success, this album’s lasting legacy is tied to the fact that it would serve as an early example of the hair metal sound that would dominate the rock landscape throughout the 1980s. Maybe it’s something about his haunting, unique voice. Maybe it’s the Prince of Darkness persona and infamy gained from stunts like biting the head off of a bat. Whatever it is, he is inarguably one of the most notorious and successful rock stars of all time, who has managed to maintain cultural relevance for over fifty years and create a lot of excellent (albeit sometimes cheesy) metal music along the way. He’s a man that knows how to surround himself with talent, listen to good advice when he hears it, and take advantage of the spotlight when he has it. If that isn’t the very definition of a true rock star, I don’t know what is.