Blizzard of Ozz (.)

by

Ozzy Osbourne

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This is a MASTERPIECE. A Classic featuring the best playing of the time. Rhoads at his best, a ripe Ozzy and a nice Keerslake/Daisley rhythm section.

Unfortunately... it was RE-RECORDED lately and re-issued with Mike Bordin and Robert Trujillo taking places over the original bass and drums tracks. The result being horrible, not because of bad playing, but of a very poor production work, ends up being unnacurate, poor sounding, and not tight at all.

Being a musician myself, and understainding Ozzy's position regarding lawsuits, I must admit this is a step towards non-beligerant options regarding the issue of the two first Ozzy-as-solo-artist records. However, even tho I respect a lot Bordin's and Trujillo's work (they are both fine musicians), I find the end result on this reissue simply disgusting. And not being Bordin and Trujillo's fault precisely. There is a SEVERE lack of precision in the production work, being that there are less-than-discreet differences on sound, on TIMING and what was originally played. It is harder to copy or re-create a work done twenty-something years ago on a note-by-note basis, but what else do fans expect? I mean, nobody ever imagined (or wished) a classic album should be re-done on this fashion, but if you EVER had the original recording, and have a little bit of attention paid to the work here, you will find lots of flaws and missing things, or a loose rhythm section "following" the pre-recorded guitar work, instead of it being the basement for the rest of the music (as it should be...).

Unfortunately, it is difficult to tell this reissue from the original one if you're trying to buy it "new and used" over a website. I got the reissued re-recording instead of the 1995 edition (with the small artwork over a big blue background) since the seller seem not to notice the difference between them, and am severely dissapointed. A clever example of what should never be done to a classic...

I've always liked Blizzard of Ozz. It's a nice and solid collection of songs. Some of the tunes are quite imaginative. Not to mention, Randy Rhoads does a great job with the guitar playing. The album is in a hard rock direction. The overall musicianship is tight, energetic, and skilled. This re-mastered version is much better than the original version. The sound is thicker and meatier. The songwriting is also good. The album contains nine tracks. My favorite songs are "I Don't Know," "Goodbye to Romance," and "Revelation (Mother Earth)." "Dee" is also a very nice guitar piece from Randy Rhoads. I also enjoy Bob Daisley's bass guitar work. You can really hear him well in the mix. Ozzy doesn't disappoint with the vocals, either. His vocals on the ballad "Goodbye to Romance" and "Revelation (Mother Earth)" are really good. Don Airey does a skillful job with the keyboard work. His playing on "Goodbye to Romance," the intro to "Mr. Crowley," and "Revelation (Mother Earth)" is impressive. The keyboard intro to "Mr. Crowley" is foreboding and unforgettable. Also, his keyboard work on "Revelation (Mother Earth)" is very good and moving to listen to. The album's lyrics are interesting. The lyrics to "No Bone Movies" are a trip. Every song on this album is listenable. The photos in the CD booklet are cool. Blizzard of Ozz is a solid album. Worth a listen.