Ozzy Osbourne--Blizzard of Ozz (1980)
Rating--9.1
Ozzy's first musical venture after parting ways with Sabbath, and it is an extremely impressive
one. The sound is much sharper and NWOBHM-tinged than his darker Sabbath tunes, and also introduces guitar whiz-kid
Randy Rhoads to the mainstream metal community.
An album which contains a number of songs destined to become
Ozzy (and metal in general) classics, its one shortcoming is a somewhat stiff recording and sound job. It's not too bad;
the drawbacks become more evident after hearing the next release.
Highlights include every song on the disc, with the most popular
standouts being the rolling "Crazy Train," "Suicide Solution" with its paced rhythm and the dark and enhanced "Mr. Crowley".
HOT CHOPS: The young Rhoads shows off some blistering riffs at the beginning of "Crazy Train," as well as in the middle
of "Revelation (Mother Earth)" when the tempo picks up. At the same time, his classical training shines through on ballad
"Goodbye to Romance" and acoustic instrumental "Dee."
TRACK LIST: I Don't Know/Crazy Train/Goodbye to Romance/Dee/Suicide Solution/Mr. Crowley/No Bone Movies/
Revelation (Mother Earth)/Steal Away (The Night)
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