Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz / Diary of a Madman documentary

Been on an Ozzy kick this week and had to post this great documentary on the 30th anniversary of Ozzy's classic first two solo albums, Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman



There is some great footage of Ozzy and friends listening to album tracks and looking back on the making of these classic records which helped launch Osbourne's solo career. 

Unfortunately, this clip totally glosses over the musical contributions of his rhythm section and album co-writers, Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake. It's disappointing, but no big surprise given the history of lawsuits and fighting over unpaid royalties and missing songwriting credits on these records. 

While the original rhythm tracks have rightfully been restored to the 30th anniversary album remasters, it seems the Osbourne camp preferred to focus on Ozzy's and Randy Rhoads' musical legacies for this retrospective. 

Having said all that, the spotlight on Randy Rhoads' playing is incredible, and you can see that Ozzy & Co. are all still floored by Rhoads thirty years on. Just watch Ozzy's reaction to the studio outtakes and you'll see the amazement in his face, eyes bulging out behind the purple shades.

I'm still amazed as well. Enjoy the music and the footage. 

Want the albums? Click the links above for the 2011 remaster editions.