It was the spring of 1980 and the legendary Ozzy Osbourne was in the midst of a decade-long bender of epic proportions. Jettisoned from his former band Black Sabbath, the wayward frontman was at somewhat of a career and personal crossroads– his musical longevity was uncertain considering the massive amounts of cocaine and alcohol he was consuming, and at one point he famously remarked “This is my last party, because after this I’m going back to Birmingham and on the dole”.
But then magic happened. Determined to prove his resilience and creativity, he assembled a new group with the legendary guitarist Randy Rhoads, bassist Bob Daisley, drummer Lee Kerslake, and keyboardist Don Airey. The ensemble crafted a fresh sound blending heavy metal with classical influences. Despite financial constraints and skepticism from the industry (in part due to Osbourne’s increasingly erratic and unpredictable behavior), the combination of Osbourne’s relentless drive and the sheer brilliance of Randy Rhoads guitar-play led to one of the greatest heavy metal albums of all-time with Blizzard of Ozz and cemented Osbourne’s place as a heavy metal legend.
This album of course has Ozzy’s defining work “Crazy Train”, which is one of those songs is immediately recognizable across multiple generations of music lovers. One of my favorite clips of this is from about a decade ago when Ozzy listened back to the raw unmixed version of Rhoads’ classic solo for the first time. The way he jumps out of his seat as those first few notes hit is pure nostalgic magic, both for the loss of his friend as well as for the respect for one of the most iconic guitar solos of all-time. It’s a song and album that will stand the test of time.
Standout Songs: “Crazy Train”, “Mr. Crowley”, “No Bone Movies”
