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Trollheart · 08-24-2011, 10:38 AM

Diary of a madman --- Ozzy Osbourne --- 1981 (Jet)

Ah, Ozzy! Back in the days when he was just a rock singer and not a reality TV star! This was the only solo Ozzy album I ever bought, not because it was terrible --- it's actually really good --- but somehow I just never felt the urge to follow it up. I liked him in Sabbath, and solo he was okay too, but never one of my favourite performers. Truth to tell, I preferred Sabs under Dio, but then that's another story. This was his second solo album, and the last to feature guitar supremo Randy Rhoads, who was tragically killed the following year.

There are no huge surprises on this album. It's Sabbath, it's Ozzy, it's heavy metal. Opener “Over the mountain” sets the scene well enough, great guitar from Randy Rhoads chugging along at a decent lick, Ozzy's inimitable vocals well suited to the material for the most part. Much better though is “Flying high again”, where Rhoads gets to really express himself and give us a glimpse of the musical talent he was heading towards becoming.

The longest track on the album at just under seven minutes, “You can't kill rock and roll” starts off very similar to Iron Maiden's “Prodigal son” from “Killers”: a nice semi-acoustic guitar intro to a song which becomes something of an anthem as Ozzy sings ”Rock and roll is my religion/ And my law.” Indeed. The guitar throughout this song is something special, some of Randy Rhoads' best work, given that his career was so cruelly cut short.

There's not a lot you can say about Ozzy's singing. You may love or hate his style, but basically he's the same as he was in Black Sabbath, which is no surprise, so if you didn't like him in that band then don't come here expecting anything different. I've always found his singing to be a little on the whiny side, but that's just me, and it didn't stop me buying this album, nor “We sold our soul for rock and roll”, “Sabbath bloody sabbath” or “Paranoid”.

“Believer” is the first of the slower tracks, though not by any means a ballad. This is more in the vein of the likes of “The wizard” or “War pigs” --- what I like to term a “cruncher”, with a slower, more insistent and pounding beat and guitars more thumping and grinding than screeching or squealing. Ozzy's never going to win any accolades for original lyrics: ”I'm a believer/ I ain't no deceiver/... Destiny's planned out/ I don't need no handouts.” Ah, rock and roll!

There's only the one ballad on the album; “Tonight” is driven on a piano line with guitar backing, but to be honest it seems a little tacked on. Ozzy is at his best when freaking out on hard rockin' tracks, and I don't really think his voice is suited for the slower, more tender end of the spectrum. Still, he tries. A great guitar solo fades out the track, but it never really recovers. Then we're back to what Ozzy does best: headshakin' metal, with the enigmatically titled S.A.T.O, which in fact comes across as the best track on the album with its pounding beat, singalong melody and excellent solos with Ozzy back on the top of his game, then it's on to a big finish with the title track.

Introduced on an almost classical guitar passage, it soon kicks into high gear with Iron Maidenesque axework from Randy Rhoads and we get a peek into Ozzy's tortured soul as he reads us a page from his diary. This is a long song, at six minutes plus the second-longest on the album, and it really is a tour-de-force, going through a few changes as the song winds on, the classical theme retained throughout and giving it a very epic and dramatic feel. It's like Ozzy and the band pulled out all the stops for this last track, and it really works, especially the choir at the end. Very gothic.

As an album this is not bad. There are a few low points, and as I said it's never going to win any prizes for innovation or original thinking, but it's not a Black Sabbath album, that's for sure. And sometimes that's all a solo artist can hope for, when he or she spreads their wings and explores new avenues.

TRACKLISTING

1. Over the mountain
2. Flying high again
3. You can't kill rock and roll
4. Believer
5. Little dolls
6. Tonight
7. S.A.T.O
8. Diary of a madman

08-24-2011, 10:38 AM	#173 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	Diary of a madman --- Ozzy Osbourne --- 1981 (Jet) Ah, Ozzy! Back in the days when he was just a rock singer and not a reality TV star! This was the only solo Ozzy album I ever bought, not because it was terrible --- it's actually really good --- but somehow I just never felt the urge to follow it up. I liked him in Sabbath, and solo he was okay too, but never one of my favourite performers. Truth to tell, I preferred Sabs under Dio, but then that's another story. This was his second solo album, and the last to feature guitar supremo Randy Rhoads, who was tragically killed the following year. There are no huge surprises on this album. It's Sabbath, it's Ozzy, it's heavy metal. Opener “Over the mountain” sets the scene well enough, great guitar from Randy Rhoads chugging along at a decent lick, Ozzy's inimitable vocals well suited to the material for the most part. Much better though is “Flying high again”, where Rhoads gets to really express himself and give us a glimpse of the musical talent he was heading towards becoming. The longest track on the album at just under seven minutes, “You can't kill rock and roll” starts off very similar to Iron Maiden's “Prodigal son” from “Killers”: a nice semi-acoustic guitar intro to a song which becomes something of an anthem as Ozzy sings ”Rock and roll is my religion/ And my law.” Indeed. The guitar throughout this song is something special, some of Randy Rhoads' best work, given that his career was so cruelly cut short. There's not a lot you can say about Ozzy's singing. You may love or hate his style, but basically he's the same as he was in Black Sabbath, which is no surprise, so if you didn't like him in that band then don't come here expecting anything different. I've always found his singing to be a little on the whiny side, but that's just me, and it didn't stop me buying this album, nor “We sold our soul for rock and roll”, “Sabbath bloody sabbath” or “Paranoid”. “Believer” is the first of the slower tracks, though not by any means a ballad. This is more in the vein of the likes of “The wizard” or “War pigs” --- what I like to term a “cruncher”, with a slower, more insistent and pounding beat and guitars more thumping and grinding than screeching or squealing. Ozzy's never going to win any accolades for original lyrics: ”I'm a believer/ I ain't no deceiver/... Destiny's planned out/ I don't need no handouts.” Ah, rock and roll! There's only the one ballad on the album; “Tonight” is driven on a piano line with guitar backing, but to be honest it seems a little tacked on. Ozzy is at his best when freaking out on hard rockin' tracks, and I don't really think his voice is suited for the slower, more tender end of the spectrum. Still, he tries. A great guitar solo fades out the track, but it never really recovers. Then we're back to what Ozzy does best: headshakin' metal, with the enigmatically titled S.A.T.O, which in fact comes across as the best track on the album with its pounding beat, singalong melody and excellent solos with Ozzy back on the top of his game, then it's on to a big finish with the title track. Introduced on an almost classical guitar passage, it soon kicks into high gear with Iron Maidenesque axework from Randy Rhoads and we get a peek into Ozzy's tortured soul as he reads us a page from his diary. This is a long song, at six minutes plus the second-longest on the album, and it really is a tour-de-force, going through a few changes as the song winds on, the classical theme retained throughout and giving it a very epic and dramatic feel. It's like Ozzy and the band pulled out all the stops for this last track, and it really works, especially the choir at the end. Very gothic. As an album this is not bad. There are a few low points, and as I said it's never going to win any prizes for innovation or original thinking, but it's not a Black Sabbath album, that's for sure. And sometimes that's all a solo artist can hope for, when he or she spreads their wings and explores new avenues. TRACKLISTING 1. Over the mountain 2. Flying high again 3. You can't kill rock and roll 4. Believer 5. Little dolls 6. Tonight 7. S.A.T.O 8. Diary of a madman __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018