Freak369's Full Review: Mama, I'm Coming Home [Maxi Single] by Ozzy Osbour...
Ozzy Osbourne has been a staple in the rock world since his roots with Black Sabbath. His outlandish costumes, bizarre antics, over indulgence in drugs and alcohol and surprisingly enough his own television show have led him down a very twisted road with more than a few forks and obstacles. While most people hate to admit it, his saving grace has been the presence of his wife and manager Sharon and motley brood of offspring [Louis, Aimee, Kelly and Jack]. I’ve always admired his bold and hearty zest for life and consider myself a pretty big fan of his music. Over the years I’ve had the chance to see him grow, mature musically and eventually find his own groove in the rock world.
While some people only see the Ozzy that’s featured on the MTV reality show, I like to think that there’s more to the “Oz Man” than stammering around the kitchen, cleaning up after dogs and wondering how to work the remote control. It goes without saying that a lot of ‘youngsters’ are only seeing part of Ozzy’s talent and it seems a complete shame that they’ll never get to know the balls to the wall, bat head biting crazy baby that “we” grew to love over the years.
The Tracks
Mama I’m Coming Home
Don’t Blame Me
Party With The Animals
The Talent
Ozzy Osbourne - vocals
Zakk Wylde - guitar
Michael Inez - bass
Randy Castillo - drums
John Sinclair - keyboards
Mama, I’m Coming Home
A true staple of Ozzy’s darker and softer side, if you are event he least bit into Ozzy then you’ll be familiar with this track. Yeah, you may have heard it – but have you really stopped to hear it? I mean really sit down and listen to the lyrics? OK, while they aren’t anything that will change the world – they are a stunning testimonial to his own ‘coming of age’ transformation. He pushed aside the drugs and alcohol [for the most part] to put his wife and family first. While Ozzy hasn’t exactly earned a golden halo from his efforts he has toned down the partying from the good old days. If nothing else, this track sums up the closing of one part of his life and the opening of another. As much as I despised Sharon when her and Ozzy married [who wants to see an icon ‘get married’?] she is the one that ultimately saved his life.
Times have changed and times are strange
Here I come but I ain't the same
Mama I'm coming home…
Don’t Blame Me
Holding on to the traditional “Ozzy type” rock slant, this track combines several of Ozzy’s styles of music – pop and rock. The guitar work is nice but there isn’t nearly enough of it to make it really impress me. Sure the track picks up a little during the rather long break between verses [read: overkill] but it still seems flat and uninspired to me. While I hate to say that this flat out sucks, it does leave a lot to be desired when you look at the other two songs its stacked up against. The introduction is probably the best part of the track – and usually when that is said – it’s not a great sign. Ozzy’s vocals feel incomplete and a little too rough around the edges – not something that I say very often about the self-proclaimed prince of darkness. Consider this a pure filler track or piece of crap – however you choose to define it – it just isn’t up to snuff.
Don't try living in the past
If you want your dreams to last
Don't hide behind the mask of lies…
Party With The Animals
The hardest cut off the maxi single, this is one of Ozzy’s defining tracks – taking the alpha and the omega of his career and smashing it into a four minute song. His vocals are spot on perfect and yes, the guitar work does manage to rise above the cream and steal the spotlight. When you look at the other stellar tracks that this one had to contend with [No More tears, Time After Time etc] from the No More Tears release, it’s surprising that this made any headwater with ‘rock’ fans. It’s certainly harder than most of the other fodder off this CD and was easily dismissed as too ‘off the beaten track’ or hard core.
Dancing with disaster is a part of me
I’m never gonna let it go
Don’t know what I’m after I’m deserting me
The secret that I’ll never know
Things To Know
There are several different versions of this CD maxi single currently on the market. The one that is the hardest to find but most sought after is the European promotional copy that was released in 1991 and again in 1993. This contains four tracks - Mama I’m Coming Home, Don’t Blame Me, I Don’t Know and a live version of Crazy Train. The 1991 release was only on vinyl and due to demand it was pressed again in 1993 only in CD form. Another version worth checking out is the American version of the above mentioned promotional copy. This one only had two tracks - Mama I’m Coming Home and Don’t Blame Me and just like its European cousin, it was released in 1991 on vinyl then again in 1993 in CD format. If you are going to try to track down the maxi single that I’ve reviewed please make sure that you are getting the correct copy. Same goes for the promotional copies that I’ve added. While it is a sad fact, not all online music sites have accurate information – moreover – people who are auctioning off releases may accidentally misrepresent which version they are offering for sale.
The Bottom Line
If you are a hard-core fan of Ozzy’s then you’ll want to have this in your collection but casual fans and listeners will more than likely not be all that impressed with this maxi single. While I’ll admit that I haven’t really gotten into Ozzy’s recent stuff, I am a sucker for this older stuff and consider this to be a great find. Barring the sucky Don’t Blame Me, this is a great maxi single but if you want a real treat hunt down the picture discs, European import or extended maxi single to really get your rocks off.
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