Ozzy Osbourne Album by Album Thread.

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Yam Graham, Dec 7, 2013.

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  1. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    Crazy Train has been overplayed; and in some ways, it has been its recent overexposure that contributes to that idea. That said, just focusing on the music, it still is apparent to me that it is tremendous track. It contains one of the greatest riffs in rock and roll with a killer tone. Rhoads dazzles throughout with exciting guitar fills and runs. And that solo is mind-blowing. I can still remember the first time I heard Crazy Train -- I have never been that impressed with a guitar performance of first impression as I was when I heard that studio master on the radio.
     
  2. The Hud

    The Hud Breath of the Kingdom, Tears of the Wild

    What all is on the old Japanese cd?
     
  3. pool_of_tears

    pool_of_tears Searching For Simplicity

    Location:
    Midwest
    Just the actual album...it's a 1980's Sony/Jet disc 25DP 5220. :)
     
  4. Yam Graham

    Yam Graham 2023 Thread Starter

    Location:
    West Midlands, UK.
    [​IMG]


    Diary Of A Madman

    Released November 1981

    1. Over the Mountain 04:31
    2. Flying High Again 04:44
    3. You Can't Kill Rock and Roll 06:59
    4. Believer 05:18
    5. Little Dolls 05:39
    6. Tonight 05:50
    7. S.A.T.O. 04:07
    8. Diary of a Madman 06:15

    43:23


    Wiki...
    Diary of a Madman is the second solo studio album by British heavy metal vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. It was released on 7 November 1981, and re-issued on CD on 22 August 1995. An altered version appeared in 2002 with the original bass and drum parts removed and re-recorded. In 2011, a Deluxe 30th Anniversary Edition was released with all original parts restored. To date, the album has sold over 3.2 million copies worldwide.

    Overview
    Diary of a Madman is the final album recorded by guitarist Randy Rhoads, who perished in an airplane crash in early 1982. It also represents drummer Lee Kerslake's final appearance with Osbourne. Although bassist Rudy Sarzo and drummer Tommy Aldridge are credited in the liner notes and pictured on the inner sleeve, it was bassist Bob Daisley and drummer Kerslake who performed all bass and drum parts on the original release. Aldridge has stated of the album, "I think it's pretty obvious that it's not my drumming on that album. I have never taken credit for that recording and have always given Lee Kerslake, whenever asked or interviewed, the credit he rightly deserves."[1]

    Recording
    Daisley provided significant contributions to the album's songwriting, having written some of the music and most of the lyrics. Drummer Kerslake claims to have also had a substantial hand in the writing of the album, even performing lead vocals on some of the original demo recordings. ""Flying High Again" was one of my ideas, "Over the Mountain" was another. The basic tracks were just Bob's words, my vocals—though some of the words I wrote—and Randy's playing. It was unreal. And then we got Don Airey to come in and do the keyboards", he stated in 2009. Kerslake says he used a piano in the studio to write many of the songs with Rhoads.[2] Daisley and Kerslake were not given credit for their performance or songwriting contributions, a situation which resulted in a later lawsuit.
    During the album's recording, Kerslake says the band members were given no money to live on, prompting them to approach management. Shortly after, both Kerslake and Daisley were fired. "Everything was working fine. It was only when Sharon came in that we had a problem. When she started managing—taking over—she wasn't the manager until Diary of a Madman. Before that was her brother, David. He didn't really want to handle it. He had too much to do for Don in the office. So she came in and it started to get edgy. But we never suspected a thing until we went away on holiday. Next minute, they're rehearsing with Tommy Aldridge and Rudy Sarzo, and going to America."[3]
    According to a 2005 interview with Daisley, although Don Airey is credited as keyboardist on the album, it was in fact a musician named Johnny Cook (who had worked with Daisley in Mungo Jerry in the 1970s) who actually recorded the keyboard parts, as Airey was on tour as a member of Rainbow at the time and was thus unavailable.[4]

    Reception
    Reception of the album was generally quite positive. In particular, the neo-classical guitar work of Randy Rhoads has received much praise. Steve Huey of Allmusic stated that "it's not uncommon to find fans who prefer Diary to Blizzard, since it sets an even more mystical, eerie mood, and since Rhoads' playing is progressing to an even higher level".[5] BBC referred to the album as "a classic rock record in every way", "lifted out of the ordinary by the legendary rock axe God, Randy Rhoads".[7] J. D. Considine of Rolling Stone was less than enthused, however, writing in 1981 that "the songs here are little more than riffs with a vocal line pasted on top" and referring to Rhoads as "a junior-league Eddie Van Halen – bustling with chops but somewhat short on imagination".[6]

    Re-issues
    2002 re-issue controversy[edit]
    The 2002 Diary of a Madman reissue was derided by fans due to the removal of Daisley and Kerslake's original bass and drum tracks. The re-issue featured re-recorded bass and drum tracks contributed by Osbourne's then-bassist and drummer Robert Trujillo and Mike Bordin. The move was suspected of being retaliatory in nature, as Daisley and Kerslake had successfully sued Osbourne and his wife/manager Sharon in court, winning songwriting credits and royalties for their contributions to Diary of a Madman.
    Sharon later stated that Ozzy and not herself was responsible for the decision to re-record the parts, stating "because of Daisley and Kerslake's abusive and unjust behavior, Ozzy wanted to remove them from these recordings. We turned a negative into a positive by adding a fresh sound to the original albums."[8] However, Osbourne contradicted his wife's claim in his 2009 autobiography, stating that the decision to re-record the original bass and drum parts was strictly Sharon's decision, and that "I didn't have anything to do with that decision."[9] He said his wife "just snapped" and had it done without his knowledge.[9] He also stated that "a sticker was put on the covers telling everyone about it",[9] though in fact the sticker was not initially placed on the re-issue and was only placed on the covers at a later date due to fan outcry over the altered recordings.
    Deluxe 30th Anniversary Edition[edit]
    In May 2011, Sony Legacy released its Deluxe 30th Anniversary Editions of Diary of a Madman and Blizzard of Ozz with the original bass and drum tracks restored. These releases also featured bonus tracks and previously unreleased live material featuring guitarist Rhoads – Diary of a Madman features a second CD entitled Ozzy Live, featuring an entire previously-unreleased concert performance from the Blizzard of Ozz 1981 US tour.[10] A box set was also released which included the remastered editions of both albums on CD as well as vinyl, and a DVD documentary entitled Thirty Years After The Blizzard.

    Personnel

    Ozzy Osbourne – lead & backing vocals, production
    Randy Rhoads – guitars, production
    Bob Daisley – bass (uncredited)
    Lee Kerslake – drums, percussion (uncredited)

    Additional Personnel
    Johnny Cook – keyboards (uncredited)
    Louis Clark – string arrangements on "Diary of a Madman"
    Robert Trujillo – bass on 2002 reissue
    Mike Bordin – drums on 2002 reissue
    Rudy Sarzo – credited on original release but does not appear; bass on 2011 reissue's live disc[11]
    Tommy Aldridge – credited on original release but does not appear; drums on 2011 reissue's live disc[11]

    Production
    Max Norman – Production, engineering[12]
    Brian Lee with Bob Ludwig – remastering (1995 reissue)
     
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  5. Yam Graham

    Yam Graham 2023 Thread Starter

    Location:
    West Midlands, UK.
    Diary Of A Madman (1981)

    Masterpiece.

    There I have said it.
    Generally I think a lot of albums are called just that when they are plainly not !!

    For me way back in the tailend of 1981 this albums quality was something of a surprise. As I said earlier, I found Ozzy's debut solo album to be a good if somewhat mixed affair. My metallic palette prefering the more blues less force of Priest , Maiden ect I found Blizzard a little 'old fashioned' in parts.
    I'd heard Over The Mountain on the Friday Rock show and that convinced me to buy the album instead of avoiding or taping off a mate (as we all did back then).
    Loved the garish album cover. I suppose it was what was to become typical Ozzy persona as the decade wore on.

    Over The Mountain kicks things off superbly and straight away I is liking the sound and production much better than Blizzard. More full bodied, crisper...just better. Randy's solo is 'other worldly' during this, but the riffing is just amazing as well.

    Flying High Again tells us of Ozzy's renewed confidance and although of a slower pace than the force 1 opener it's still a steller track, with great vocals.

    You Can't Kill Rock N Roll initially missed the target for me, but the tracks sheer class and call to arms so to speak won me over. I like this song even more as time goes by.....'You Can't kill Rock N Roll, it's here to stay....' indeed.
    Brilliant solo again.

    Believer kicks in next with a great bass intro. I have always loved this track, something a little different for me.
    Randy's riffing mid song reminds me of Priest's Saints In Hell and that, is high praise indeed as far as I am concerned.

    Little Dolls again for me is not 'A Typical' Rock song and all the better for it. Another gem. Great melodies here.

    Tonight was the only tune I never took to at first, but just like a fine wine I have grown to like it more over the years. Ozzy's melancholy vocals are great here, and where as I used to skip this song years ago, now I no longer do.

    S.A.T.O is the hidden gem on the album. Jawdropping gutar and bass work going on here. Is Rhoad's playing that guitar or torturing it ?

    Diary Of A Madman closes the album brilliantly. it's just an amazing song.
    Weeping acoustic intro, that build's to a thrilling song end.

    Max Norman deserves a lot of credit here. The sound is much better than the debut and it all add's up to one thing IMHO.

    Classic. Masterpiece.

    10/10
     
  6. antonkk

    antonkk Senior Member

    Location:
    moscow
    Grea review though IMHO it's not better than Blizzzard, simply because nothing is. Another record from the above.
     
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  7. antonkk

    antonkk Senior Member

    Location:
    moscow
    Once again you just can't review those records. When Moses was given the 10 Commandments did he take his time to write a cool review? No he did go down and did the right thing. Hail
     
  8. ModernDayWarrior

    ModernDayWarrior Senior Member

    Diary is IMO a great leap from Blizzard in terms of composition and production and even Randy's technique. The solo in Flying High Again is IMO one of the greatest solos laid down to tape. The hidden gems Little Dolls and SATO are some of my favorites. The title track is classic and one of the greatest closers to any album. Every time I hear the song Diary of a Madman I get a lump in my throat thinking of what Randy would have done had he lived. I'm grateful we got at least 2 great albums out of him. Long live Randy...
     
  9. pool_of_tears

    pool_of_tears Searching For Simplicity

    Location:
    Midwest
    Weak comparison. Moses vs. Ozzy? Come on ;)

    We are reviewing these albums. Diary raises the bar set by Blizzard and I believe it's a far better record. The and songs are tighter and the production is far better. Ozzy's never reached the same heights as this album. There's not a weak song on the album. I have a soft spot for "Tonight". Randy's solo on the fade out...it just keeps going. I'dlove to hear the solo isolated on the session tapes
     
  10. Pavol Stromcek

    Pavol Stromcek Senior Member

    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    Whereas I've always thought Blizzard was slightly uneven (containing several genuinely brilliant tracks interspersed with some mediocre filler), Diary is more consistent from stem to stern, but its highs aren't quite as brilliant as Blizzard's, IMO. Diary does benefit from a better production, however, and the band turns in an awe-inspiring performance.

    Over the Mountain - A phenomenal, driving, battery of unadulterated metal. One of the finest moments of Rhoads-era Ozzy. Powerful stuff.

    Flying High Again - Catchy, fun.

    Can't Kill Rock and Roll - This track contains intriguing twists and turns aplenty, with lots of beautiful melodic flourishes as well as some scorching solos, but I think the song overstays its welcome by a minute or two.

    Believer - Dark, sinister, heavy - just the way I like it. That sublimely tortured lead melody that precedes each verse is spine tingling. One of the album's standouts. I love some of those clean melodic flourishes he throws into the transition that leads into that bridge section that sort of bookends the guitar solo. The skill this song displays in terms of composition and arranging is just staggering.

    Little Dolls - Another standout with verses that stomp like an at-at walker fused to an infectiously catchy and melodic chorus, along with some other fascinating twists and turns. Brilliant.

    Tonight - Meh. Not my cup of tea. The album's one real dud.

    SATO - Not bad, but there's something a bit trite about the main riff here. Not a favorite, but not something I'd skip.

    Diary - This is more like it - very creative, nice dynamic between soft/melodic/mysterious and loud/heavy. This kind of song aptly demonstrates Rhoads' versatility. A great way to end the record.

    This phase of Ozzy's career was tragically cut short, as we're all aware, but Blizzard and Diary represent an amazing one-two punch. In my personal opinion, Ozzy would go on to struggle to match the high quality of these two albums.
     
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  11. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    Diary is another masterful hard rock/metal album by the Blizzard of Ozz band. High quality songwriting, very melodic song structure, great riffs, and brilliant soloing (unfortunately Rhoads did not have a chance to replace the guide solo on Little Dolls).

    The expanded edition for Diary was not as big as a blunder as the botched Blizzard release, but at the last minute, fans were shortchanged with the removal of a few bonus cuts of the studio masters with extended outro solos. The live set is interesting, if not somewhat bizarre. Yes, Ozzy's vocals are a bit rough in places (an historically accurate presentation versus the overdubbed Tribute vocals), but the songs clearly come from various sources and at time Rhoads does not seem to be playing as clean as he was capable of. Still, it is very cool to hear more officially released live recordings with Randy Rhoads (how did it take this long?!), but in some ways, this live disc is a bit of a disappointment.

    With regards to Rhoads' future involvement; the historical record indicates that he was looking for a way out. Sarzo suggests Randy was under contract for one more studio album and Aldridge has indicated that Randy asked him about referrals to attorneys to see if there was a way to break the contract. Certainly there is a good chance Rhoads would have collaborated on one more studio album with Ozzy (along with a live album), but most likely, that would have been the end of their working relationship (unless Rhoads was asked to return years later for a big payday). Rhoads was clearly an extremely gifted and talented guitarist; and it is hard to imagine where he would have gone with his future musical endeavors assuming he would have left Ozzy.
     
  12. SizzleVonSizzleton

    SizzleVonSizzleton The Last Yeti

    Diary of a Madman didn't hit me at first like Blizzard of Ozz did, and thus didn't get too many spins from me. Once I got destroyed by Tribute, Diary kind of became that album with Flying High Again and Believer on it. What a mistake on my part.

    All these years later Blizzard remains special to me while I realize that Diary of a Madman is a much better album. A classic!

    I would be hard pressed to think of a better side of heavy metal music than side two. Little Dolls, Tonight, SATO and Diary of a Madman!? Yikes, if that's not the peak of metal, it's at least the Hillary Step!!

    Not much to say about the songs, though I'd like to single out SATO. I let way too much time pass without really listening to this song. It is just so good! Randy would have ripped the **** out of it live, and I love the bass when it goes into the "I can't conceal it" part! Easily in the top 5 songs that Ozzy ever did!

    And the title track is a WOW of epic proportions!!!!

    Ozzy would never reach these heights again, and not just because of the tragic loss of Randy Rhoads! Even if Randy had lived, I think the following album(s) would have been lesser for the removal of Daisley and Kerslake! I know Daisley would come and go from the Ozzy camp post Diary, but there's something to be said for a band, not a bunch of hired guns!
     
  13. ModernDayWarrior

    ModernDayWarrior Senior Member

    Was it ever determined what dates/sources the bonus live disc on Diary came from?
     
  14. Yam Graham

    Yam Graham 2023 Thread Starter

    Location:
    West Midlands, UK.
    This is correct as from what I remember.
    You gotta imagine what it must have been like touring with Ozzy back then......and he was really starting to play up to his cultivated wild man image.

    March 19th 1982
    It was all over....

    Wiki..
    Rhoads played his last show on Thursday, March 18, 1982 at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum.[13][14] The next day, the band was heading to a festival in Orlando, Florida. Osbourne recalls his final conversation with Rhoads that night on the bus involved the guitarist admonishing him over his heavy drinking.[15] The last thing Rhoads said to him that night was "You'll kill yourself, y'know? One of these days."[15] After driving much of the night, they stopped in Leesburg, Florida, to fix a malfunctioning air conditioning unit on the bus while Osbourne remained asleep.[15] On the property there was an airstrip with small helicopters and planes. Without permission, tour bus driver and ex-commercial pilot Andrew Aycock took a small Beechcraft F35 plane registered to a Mike Partin.[16] On the first flight, Aycock took keyboardist Don Airey and tour manager Jake Duncan.[15] He then landed and a second flight took to the air with Rhoads and makeup artist Rachel Youngblood aboard. During the second flight, attempts were made to apparently 'buzz' the tour bus, where the other band members were sleeping.[17] Aycock succeeded in making two close passes, but botched the third attempt. At approximately 10 AM, after being in the air for approximately five minutes,[16] one of the plane's wings clipped the top of the tour bus, breaking the wing into two parts and sending the plane spiraling out of control.[18] Rhoads and Youngblood were thrown through the plane's windshield by the initial impact.[15] The plane then severed the top of a pine tree and crashed into the garage of a nearby mansion, bursting into flames. The plane was approximately ten feet off the ground and traveling at approximately 150 mph when it struck the mansion.[5] Keyboardist Don Airey was the only member of the band to witness the crash, as the rest were asleep in the bus.[5] Rhoads was killed instantly, as were Aycock (36) and Youngblood (58). All three bodies were burned beyond recognition, and were identified by dental records and Rhoads' jewelry. According to Sharon Osbourne, who was asleep in the bus and awoken by the crash, "They were all in bits, it was just body parts everywhere".[18] Though all were quite distraught, the remaining band and crew members were forced to remain in Leesburg for an additional two days, checking into the Hilco Inn,[5] until the investigation was complete.[18] Rhoads' brother-in-law flew from California to Leesburg to identify what remained of the guitarist's body.[18]
    The band were scheduled to perform at an outdoor festival called Rock Super Bowl XIV later that day in Orlando. Though the event was not canceled, promoters offered refunds to all ticket holders.[5]
    Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake, who had recorded Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman with Rhoads and had been recently fired from Osbourne's band, were together in Houston, Texas with Uriah Heep when they heard news of the accident. "I was already sitting at the bar when Bob Daisley came into the bar", Kerslake recalled in 2002. "I turned and looked at Bob and said, '****, you have gone all white. What is wrong?' Bob said, 'Lee, there was a plane crash this morning and Randy was in it... and he is dead.' That was it. Oh God, to hear that - I just turned and cried my eyes out. Bob and me were crying our eyes out over him, cause we loved him. He was such a lovely guy."[19]
     
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  15. Yam Graham

    Yam Graham 2023 Thread Starter

    Location:
    West Midlands, UK.
    Diary tour band late 81'/early 82'.

    [​IMG]
     
  16. S. P. Honeybunch

    S. P. Honeybunch Presidente de Kokomo, Endless Mikelovemoney

    If I had to ride on a bus with Sharon, I'd steal a plane too.
     
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  17. phoenixhwy1982

    phoenixhwy1982 The Last Cowboy

    Location:
    Chicago
    wow, so it was stupid **** like that, not a mechanical malfunction as i'd previously thought (for some reason, i guess because i'm not a fan of planes)...
     
  18. pool_of_tears

    pool_of_tears Searching For Simplicity

    Location:
    Midwest
    I'm not sure it has been determined. Only two shows from 1981 were recorded (King Biscuit Flower Hour) to my knowledge:

    • May 11, 1981 Cleveland, OH...the bulk of "Tribute"...from I Don't Know to Paranoid, ecxept for the solo in Suicide Solution
    • July 28, 1981 Montreal, QC...the guitar solo in Suicide Solution on "Tribute" is from this show.
    And, of course:

    October 2, 1980 Southampton, UK
     
    Last edited: Dec 14, 2013
  19. bare trees

    bare trees Senior Member

    I agree. The band sounds even more confident on its second release after playing together on the road for some time. It's too bad Daisley and Kerslake were fired before the album was released. The production is more defined as well.
     
  20. ModernDayWarrior

    ModernDayWarrior Senior Member

    I'm thinking this time maybe they used the bulk of Montreal but I never compared the bootleg I have with the official release. It has been determined that a lot of board tapes exist but I don't know how many shows were recorded on multitrack.
     
  21. pool_of_tears

    pool_of_tears Searching For Simplicity

    Location:
    Midwest
    It could be Montreal. The live disc certainly sounds like it was sourced from multi-track tapes.
     
  22. Efus

    Efus Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    The band had only toured in the UK for about 6,7 weeks around the time BOO was released in September of 1980, until right around early November.
    They were back in the studio in England, February-March '81 to record DOAM.
    It was during this time Daisley/Kerslake starting asking for money for living expenses etc, as BOO was starting to really rack up sales.
    They were held off, and following the recording of DOAM, they were cut loose, as the "new" band went to America to start their first American tour in April of 1981.
     
  23. Pavol Stromcek

    Pavol Stromcek Senior Member

    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    Yeah, that's what makes the whole incident all the more appalling, that it was the result of sheer stupidity that totally could have been avoided.
     
  24. Efus

    Efus Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    I worked the Miami outdoor show, held in the Orange Bowl on March 21, the day after the Orlando show.
    It was a beautiful day, if a bit warm, even for that time a year. As I remember it, no refunds were offered for the show.
    It was one of the strangest vibes I can ever remember at a rock show. I think it was a Sunday, and the show started around 11 am, and was finished by 6pm, in broad daylight (very un-rock and roll)
    The crowd was fairly somber, not much into it. It wasn't shock, I'd say, but more like it hadn't really registered yet that there had been this accident, and one of the hottest acts in rock music was at that moment done.
    Not one of the bands acknowledge the accident from the stage that day.

    The headliner was Foreigner (touring on "4", not good, big silly inflatable jukebox on "Jukebox Hero"), Pat Travers, filling in at the last moment obviously. I believe Travers was based in Orlando.
    He also played at the Orlando show the previous day. UFO, who was running on fumes at that point, touring "Mechanix", and at the time, an unknown Bryan Adams, who was imo was the best act of the day.
     
    Last edited: Dec 14, 2013
  25. Rapid Fire

    Rapid Fire Hyperactive!

    Location:
    Mansfield, TX, USA
    Wow! What a great album Diary of a Madman is.
     
    Pavol Stromcek likes this.
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