Pros: Great songwritting, features the genius of Randy Rhoads
Cons: the production is a little dry
The Bottom Line: This album is a milestone in heavy metal history. If you like Ozzy this is defenitly one of is greatest record, along with diary of a madman.
roxie_tranny's Full Review: Blizzard of Ozz [Bonus Track] [Remaster] by Ozzy O...
Hi everyone!
Well it was defenitly a good thing to kick Ozzy out of Black Sabbath! The band had released a mediocre album (Never say die), an album that showed that the chemistry was defenitly gone from Sabbath. But after Ozzy left, both parties got a second life: Ozzy went solo, hired Randy Rhoads and released two great and revolutionary metal records (blizzard of ozz and diary of a madman) and Black Sabbath hired Ronnie James Dio and released two excellent records (heaven and hell and mob rules). So now let's review Blizzard of Ozz track by track:
I DON'T KNOW
The album starts in a great way with this excellent rocker. Features a great and catchy riff by Rhoads and a very well-builded, melodic and brilliant guitar solo. Ozzy does a great job, providing a realy cool vocal melody. There is also an interlude that is reminiscent of Sabbath's "backstreet kids" from the technical extasy album. Well this is a great song. 10/10
CRAZY TRAIN
Well, this is one of my favorite songs of all time! The riff is one of the best guitar riff ever and the vocal melody is so catchy! The chorus is absolutely incredible. Once again you've got a brilliant guitar solo by Rhoads. Randy Rhoads was the perfect combination of melody and technical prowess, his solos being fast and impressive but very melodic at the same time. And there's also great lyrics! Ozzy talks about mental illness and confusion, and also about the unfairness of life. I particuliary love the line: "I'm living with something that isn't fair!" Well an absolute masterpiece 10/10
GOODBYE TO ROMANCE
A cool piano ballad. It's not as good as "mama i'm coming home" but it's still great. Again the guitar solo is so great. It is defenitly one of Ozzy's finest ballads. The melody is nice and the song is well-builded. It adds a bit a variety to the album. a good song 8/10
DEE
A short classical guitar passage. Rhoads defenitly had a incredible sense of melody, you'll find yourself humming along! It is very well written. It's got a feeling of tenderness, it is a piece that Randy wrote for is mother. The sweet feeling of love and tenderness of the piece make it very special. great! 10/10
SUICIDE SOLUTION
A cool mid-tempo rocker. Some people consider this to be a classic but I dont think so. It's good but it is nowhere near "Crazy Train", "Revelation" or "Mr. Crowley". A serious Downpoint is that there's no guitar solo on this song! But the melody is nice, the riff is moving and crunchy and the lyrics are quite bright. The song talks about alcoolhism and contains some wordplay, like the title itself. A good song 8/10
Mr. CROWLEY
Another great classic! The songs begin with some scary organ melodies. The vocal melody is so great! It is incredibly catchy and it sounds so sad. (I'm a great fan of sad-sounding melodies :)) The guitar riff is really nice, but the solo is absolutely incredible! It is my favorite Randy Rhoads solo, it is so melodic and memorable it will stick in your head for days! Rhoads's love for classical music influenced is playing greatly, is solos being incredibly melodic and original. It is far beter than the pointless and melody-less blues soloing that most guitarist do. Another masterpiece! 10/10
NO BONE MOVIES
A mid-tempo party song. The guitar work is quite good and the melody is nice too. The particularity of this song is the sense of humor present in it, both the guitar riffs and vocal melodies contains an humorous feeling. The songs talk about masturbation ;) Well this song is a successfull party song, but party songs are not my cup of tea. but it's not bad 7/10
REVELATION MOTHER EARTH
Well once again you've got a masterpiece! It is a classicaly-influence ballad with really melodic classical guitar accompaniment. The vocal melody sounds desperate and sad, and is very catchy. There is also a cool piano interlude. Once again the guitar solo is absolutely brilliant, with a rather egyptian feel to it! A really great progressive metal song! 10/10
STEAL AWAY THE NIGHT
Another party song. This one is fast-paced and features a cool guitar solo. It got a great load of energy and is really moving. This is defenitly a great metal song, even if it is not really original. Even if it is just another "party metal song" it's still has a kind of special feel to it, something unique that only Randy could bring. A good song 8/10
Well this is the album that changed guitar playing forever. If you're a fan of heavy metal or a guitarist (or both ;)) you absolutely needs this album! Rhoads wasn't the first nor the last to play classicaly influenced guitar solos but he was defenitly the best. (before him you had Ritchie Blackmore, but he used is classical influence not very often. After you got Yngwie Malmsteem but most of his solo are just about playing 16 notes per second without any sense of melody.) The combination of Rhoad's genius and Ozzy's impressive vocal melodies made this album a classic!
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