Blizzard of Ozz

Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |Template:Short description|noreplace}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template other Template:Category handler Template:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=Ozzy Osbourne Live E.P.1980studioBlizzard of Ozzblizzard_of_ozz.jpgOzzy Osbourne Template:Start date<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>22 March − 19 April 1980Ridge Farm Studio, Rusper, England*Heavy metal

hard rock39:31Jet*Ozzy Osbourne
Randy Rhoads
Bob Daisley
Lee Kerslakex|2=</?t[drh][ >]|nomatch=}}|Template:Main other}}Template:Main other}}

Template:Music ratings Blizzard of Ozz is the debut studio album by English heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne, released on 12 September 1980 in the UK and on 27 March 1981 in the US. The album was Osbourne's first release following his firing from Black Sabbath in 1979.<ref name="I Am Ozzy">Template:Cite book</ref> Blizzard of Ozz is the first of two studio albums Osbourne recorded with guitarist Randy Rhoads prior to Rhoads' death in 1982. In 2017, it was ranked 9th on Rolling StoneTemplate:'s list of "100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Composition and recordingEdit

Much of the album was written by guitarist Randy Rhoads, bassist Bob Daisley, and Ozzy Osbourne while staying at the Monnow Valley Studio near Monmouth, Wales,<ref name="daisley_holygrail">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> with a friend of Osbourne's named Barry Scrannage performing as the group's drummer.<ref name="daisley_holygrail" /> Scrannage was never considered as a candidate to be the group's permanent drummer and was not involved in the songwriting process at all.<ref name="daisley_holygrail" /> The band recorded demos of the songs "I Don't Know" (which became Osbourne's second most-performed song<ref name="MHtracks">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>), "Crazy Train" (the most performed one<ref name="MHtracks"/>), "Goodbye to Romance", and "You Looking at Me Looking at You" in Birmingham in early 1980 with ex-Lone Star drummer Dixie Lee. They had hoped Lee would be a permanent member but "he wasn't the final piece of the puzzle", bassist Daisley recalls.<ref name="daisley_holygrail" /> After auditioning several drummers, ex-Uriah Heep member Lee Kerslake was hired as the permanent drummer. The completed lineup retreated to Clearwell Castle in Gloucestershire for six days to rehearse and give Kerslake an opportunity to learn the new songs.<ref name="daisley_holygrail" /> A week later, they travelled to Ridge Farm Studio to commence recording.

The first track written for the album was "Goodbye to Romance". Osbourne has stated that the song was his way of saying goodbye to his former band Black Sabbath, as he had thought his career was over after leaving the band.<ref>"Thirty Years After the Blizzard" DVD interview.</ref> After performing a show in Birmingham, the band hastily returned to Ridge Farm to remix "Goodbye to Romance" for a single. The next morning they were informed that their label Jet Records instead wanted a brand new song to release as a single.<ref name="daisley_holygrail" /> Rhoads, Daisley, and Kerslake quickly put together the song "You Said It All", with drummer Kerslake performing the guide vocal at soundcheck while a drunken Osbourne slept under the drum riser.<ref name="daisley_holygrail" /> The song was ultimately never recorded, though a live version was released on Ozzy Osbourne Live EP in 1980.

The final track written was "No Bone Movies", which was originally intended to be used only as a B-side but was added to the album in order to give Kerslake a writing credit, as all the other material had been written before he joined the band.<ref name="bwbk">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Its lyrics were written by Daisley to express his dislike for porn films.<ref name="MHtracks"/> Keyboardist Don Airey claims that parts of "Revelation (Mother Earth)" as well as the intro to "Mr. Crowley" were written by him in the studio, though he never received writing credit for these contributions.<ref name="airey">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> "Revelation" discusses climate change, using biblical imaginary to criticize humankind's damage towards the planet.<ref name="MHtracks"/> The instrumental "Dee" was written by Rhoads as a tribute to his mother, Dolores.<ref name="MHtracks"/> "Steal Away (The Night)" was left as the closing track because, according to Osbourne, "I've always liked the idea of ending the album with an uptempo song, like ending the live set with 'Paranoid'."<ref name="MHtracks"/>

Chris Tsangarides was originally hired to produce the album, with Max Norman to serve as studio engineer. Osbourne and the band were very unhappy with Tsangarides' production and he was fired and replaced with Norman, who stepped in to complete producing and engineering.<ref name="maxnorman">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Norman's production work on Blizzard of Ozz is uncredited, though he did go on to produce all of Osbourne's albums prior to 1986's The Ultimate Sin.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

At the time of the album's recording, the band itself was billed as "The Blizzard of Ozz".<ref name="daisley_holygrail" /> The band members were expecting the album to be credited to the band with Osbourne's name in smaller print, just as it appeared on the "Crazy Train" single released several days prior. The back cover of the first pressing of the "Crazy Train" single stated that the track came from a forthcoming Jet Records album entitled Ozzy Osbourne/ Blizzard of Ozz Vol. 1.<ref name="landry">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In fact, when the band appeared at the Reading Festival in 1980 they were billed simply as "Ossie Osborne's Template:Sic New Band".<ref>Metal Evolution – S01E04; Produced by Banger Films – Directed by Sam Dunn and Scot McFayden</ref> According to Daisley, "When the album was released the words 'Ozzy Osbourne' were in bigger print than 'The Blizzard of Ozz' which made it look like an Ozzy Osbourne album called The Blizzard of Ozz. Randy [Rhoads] was never one to rock the boat. He knew he was in a situation which was a good opportunity for him being relatively unknown, so when Lee [Kerslake] and I were ousted, Randy had no allies and the act became 'Ozzy Osbourne' and no longer a band."<ref name="daisley">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Rhoads felt that he and Daisley were contributing the vast majority of the songwriting and arranging, and he had little interest in performing in a backing band for someone he felt wasn't contributing as much.<ref name="bwbk" /> Drummer Kerslake has maintained that Rhoads almost left the band in late 1981, due to this displeasure. "He didn't want to go [on tour with Osbourne]. We told him we were thrown out. He said he was going to leave the band as he did not want to leave us behind. I told him not to be stupid but thanks for the sentiment", the drummer later recalled.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Entertainment attorney Steven Machat, who was involved in the deal Osbourne signed with Jet Records, said in his 2011 book Gods, Gangsters and Honour: A Rock 'n' Roll Odyssey that Osbourne's soon-to-be manager and wife Sharon Levy was not happy with the level of creative input that Rhoads, Daisley, and Kerslake had in the Blizzard of Ozz album and did not want them to share the credit.<ref>Machat, Steven (2011). Gods, Gangsters and Honour: A Rock 'n' Roll Odyssey. Beautiful Books. Template:ISBN.</ref> Album producer Max Norman concurs that Daisley and Kerslake made considerable songwriting contributions during their time in the band, while also noting that the Osbourne camp "might want to dispute that now."<ref name="maxnorman"/>

Although Sharon has said that the recording of Blizzard of Ozz was one of the best experiences of her life, she was in Los Angeles during recording and not yet involved with the band. Osbourne's then-wife Thelma was present at Ridge Farms Studios for much of the recording.<ref name="bwbk" />

ReleaseEdit

The album tracks "Crazy Train" and "Mr. Crowley" were released as singles in 1980. "Crazy Train" made number 49 on the UK Singles Chart<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and was moderately successful in the United States, reaching number 9 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart and the single peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart in 1981.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Though it received little radio airplay upon its initial release, "Crazy Train" has become one of Osbourne's signature songs and a staple of classic rock radio playlists over the ensuing years.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In January 2009, the song achieved a 2× Platinum certification status.<ref name="RIAA"/>

The album was a commercial success, being certified 4× Platinum in the US in 1997, a feat Osbourne would not achieve again until No More Tears was certified in 2000.<ref name="RIAA"/> In 2019 it was certified 5× Platinum.<ref name="RIAA"/> In the UK, it was the first of four Osbourne albums to attain Silver certification (60,000 units shipped) by the British Phonographic Industry, achieving this in August 1981.<ref name="BPI1"/> It also ranked 13th on a Guitar World readers poll of the "100 Greatest Guitar Albums of All Time".<ref>Template:Cite journal A copy can be found at {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Deprecated source In his autobiography, Osbourne readily admitted that at the time the album was being recorded, he felt he was in direct competition with his former band, Black Sabbath.<ref name="IAmOzzy">Template:Cite book</ref>

File:Ozzy Osbourne Cardiff 1980.jpg

Osbourne performing in support of Blizzard of Ozz in Cardiff, Wales, 9 October 1980

Blizzard of Ozz was controversially re-released in 2002 with the original bass and drum tracks replaced by newly recorded parts from bassist Robert Trujillo and drummer Mike Bordin; however, the original bass and drum tracks were reinstated for the 2011 release due to public outcry. The 2011 release was certified Silver by BPI in 2013.<ref name="BPI2"/> A box set featuring both re-issued albums, the Blizzard of Ozz/Diary of a Madman 30th Anniversary Deluxe Box Set, was released, featuring both CD re-issues, 180-gram LP Vinyl versions of both albums (original album only), the "Thirty Years After the Blizzard" DVD Documentary, over 70 minutes of additional rare live performances and interviews, a replica of Ozzy's cross, and a 2 sided poster.<ref name="playdirect">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On September 18, 2020, Osbourne released an expanded edition of Blizzard of Ozz including the bonus tracks and outtakes included on previous reissues (i.e. the 2002 reissue and the 2011 expanded edition) as well as seven live recordings from the Blizzard of Ozz tour and one additional live track.

ControversiesEdit

"Suicide Solution"Edit

The song "Suicide Solution" has met with its share of controversy, most notably the October 1984 suicide of 19-year-old John McCollum who shot himself in the head. McCollum's parents alleged that their son had listened to the song immediately prior to killing himself, and they sued Osbourne along with CBS Records for "encouraging self-destructive behavior" in young people who were "especially susceptible" to dangerous influences (McCollum et al. v. CBS, Inc., et al.). In his defence, Osbourne stated in court that when the song was being written the words "Wine is fine but whiskey's quicker" came to him suddenly and were a reflection not on the merits of suicide but rather on the death of AC/DC vocalist Bon Scott, a friend of Osbourne's who had recently died of alcohol-related misadventure. Bob Daisley, who claims to have written the majority of the song's lyrics,<ref name="daisley" /> has stated that he had Osbourne's own substance abuse issues in mind when he composed the song.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The McCollums' complaint was dismissed on the grounds that the First Amendment protected Osbourne's right to free artistic expression.

2002 reissueEdit

In 1986, Daisley and Kerslake sued Osbourne for unpaid royalties, eventually winning songwriting credits on Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman. Subsequently, a 2002 reissue was made of these albums which replaced Daisley and Kerslake's original bass and drum parts with new parts recorded by Osbourne's then-current drummer Mike Bordin and bassist Robert Trujillo. The 2002 reissue also included new backing vocals from singers Mark Lennon and John Shanks.

Osbourne's wife and manager, Sharon, claimed at the time that it was Ozzy, not she, who was responsible for the decision to re-record the parts, stating "because of Daisley and Kerslake's abusive and unjust behaviour, Ozzy wanted to remove them from these recordings. We turned a negative into a positive by adding a fresh sound to the original albums."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> However, Osbourne contradicted this claim in his 2009 autobiography, stating that the decision to re-record the original bass and drum parts was Sharon's decision, and that he "didn't have anything to do with" it.<ref name="osbourneautobiography">Template:Cite book</ref> He said his wife "just snapped" and had it done without his knowledge.<ref name="osbourneautobiography" /> He also stated that "a sticker was put on the covers telling everyone about it",<ref name="osbourneautobiography" /> although 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.

In 2003, Daisley and Kerslake's lawsuit was dismissed by the United States District Court in Los Angeles. This dismissal was upheld by the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> With regard to the reissue, Ozzy stated to The Pulse of Radio, reiterating a conversation with Sharon,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> "You know what, whatever the circumstances were, I want the original thing back." The 30th Anniversary release of Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman contains the original recordings, not the 2002 remixes.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Dead link</ref>