Blizzard of Ozz is the debut studio album by the 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. Blizzard of Ozz is the first of two studio albums Osbourne recorded with guitarist Randy Rhoads prior to Rhoads' death in 1982.
Two singles were taken from the album, "Crazy Train" and "Mr. Crowley"; the former peaked at No. 49 on the UK singles chart. The album was subject to controversy over the song "Suicide Solution" and its alleged role in a teenager's suicide in 1984. Despite this, it has received critical acclaim and in 2017 was ranked 9th on Rolling Stone list of "100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time".
Background
Ozzy Osbourne had been the frontman of Black Sabbath from 1968 to 1979, during which time the group had released popular and acclaimed albums such as Paranoid and Master of Reality. However, Osbourne's drug problems caused tension in the group and ultimately resulted in him being fired in 1979. After being fired, he signed to Jet Records and put together a solo band.
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.
Composition and recording
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, with Osbourne's friend Barry Scrannage temporarily filling in on drums.), "Crazy Train" (the most performed one 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. Its lyrics were written by Daisley to express his dislike for porn films. "Revelation" discusses climate change, using biblical imagery to criticize humankind's damage towards the planet. 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.
At the time of the album's recording, the band itself was billed as "The Blizzard of Ozz". In fact, when the band appeared at the Reading Festival in 1980 they were billed simply as "Ossie Osborne's New Band". 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." 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. 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. 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." 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. 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. In January 2009, the song achieved a 2× Platinum certification status.
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The album has received critical acclaim since its release, and is today regarded as a classic of the heavy metal genre. Writing for Allmusic, Steve Huey would write, "Ozzy Osbourne's 1981 solo debut Blizzard of Ozz was a masterpiece of neo-classical metal that, along with Van Halen's first album, became a cornerstone of '80s metal guitar," concluding his review by declaring the album, "Nothing short of revelatory, Blizzard of Ozz deservedly made Ozzy a star, and it set new standards for musical virtuosity in the realm of heavy metal."
Blizzard of Ozz was ranked 9th on Rolling Stone list of "100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time". and 13th on a Guitar World readers poll of the "100 Greatest Guitar Albums of All Time".
Reissues
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.
On 18 September 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.
Controversies
"Suicide Solution"
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, The McCollums' complaint was dismissed on the grounds that the First Amendment protected Osbourne's right to free artistic expression.
Songwriting credits
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." However, Osbourne contradicted this claim in his 2009 autobiography I Am Ozzy, 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. He said his wife "just snapped" and had it done without his knowledge. With regard to the reissue, Ozzy stated to The Pulse of Radio, reiterating a conversation with Sharon, "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.
Track listing
All songs written by Ozzy Osbourne, Randy Rhoads and Bob Daisley, except where noted.
Personnel
- Randy Rhoads – music composer, guitar riff composer, guitar
- Bob Daisley – lyrics, bass guitar
- Lee Kerslake– drums, tubular bells, timpani, vibraslap
- Ozzy Osbourne– lead vocals
2002 reissue
- Ozzy Osbourne– lead vocals, harmony vocals
- Randy Rhoads– guitars, classical guitar
- Robert Trujillo– bass
- Mike Bordin– drums, percussion, timpani, gong
- Danny Saber– tubular bells
- Mark Lennon– backing vocals
- John Shanks– backing vocals on "Steal Away (The Night)"
Production
- Produced by Ozzy Osbourne, Randy Rhoads, Bob Daisley, and Lee Kerslake
- Max Norman– engineer
- Chris Athens– mastering at Sterling Sound, New York
- Thom Panunzio, Germán Villacorta– reissue engineers
- Stephen Marcussen– reissue remastering
Charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
! scope="col"| Chart (1980–1981)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
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{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
! scope="col"| Chart (1986–1987)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
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!scope="row"|Spanish Albums (AFYVE)
| align="center"|34
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
! scope="col"| Chart (2021)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
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{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
! scope="col"| Chart (2025)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
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! scope="row"| Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)
| 36
|-
! scope="row"| Norwegian Albums (IFPI Norge)
| 30
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! scope="row"| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)
| 34
|-
|}