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Released: September 1980


Rating: 4.056 (average of 9 ratings)


Genre: rock > metal


Quotable: “a cornerstone of ‘80s metal guitar” – Steve Huey, All Music Guide


Album Tracks:

  1. I Don’t Know
  2. Crazy Train
  3. Goodbye to Romance
  4. Dee [instrumental]
  5. Suicide Solution
  6. Mr. Crowley
  7. No Bone Movies
  8. Revelation (Mother Earth)
  9. Steal Away (The Night)


Sales:

sales in U.S. only 4 million
sales in U.K. only - estimated --
sales in all of Europe as determined by IFPI – click here to go to their site. --
sales worldwide - estimated 4 million


Peak:

peak on U.S. Billboard album chart 21
peak on U.K. album chart 7


Singles/Hit Songs:

  • Crazy Train (9/13/80) #49 UK, #9 AR
  • Mr. Crowley (11/15/90) #46 UK


Awards:

Rated one of the top 1000 albums of all time by Dave’s Music Database. Click to learn more.
Blizzard of Ozz
Ozzy Osbourne
Review:
“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. Upon its release, there was considerable doubt that Ozzy could become a viable solo attraction. Blizzard of Ozz demonstrated not only his ear for melody, but also an unfailing instinct for assembling top-notch backing bands. Onetime Quiet Riot guitarist Randy Rhoads was a startling discovery, arriving here as a unique, fully formed talent. Rhoads was just as responsible as Osbourne – perhaps even more so – for the album’s musical direction, and his application of classical guitar techniques and scales rewrote the rulebook just as radically as Eddie Van Halen had. Rhoads could hold his own as a flashy soloist, but his detailed, ambitious compositions and arrangements revealed his true depth, as well as creating a sense of doomy, sinister elegance built on Ritchie Blackmore’s minor-key innovations” (Huey).

“All of this may seem to downplay the importance of Ozzy himself, which shouldn’t be the case at all. The music is a thoroughly convincing match for his lyrical obsession with the dark side (which was never an embrace, as many conservative watchdogs assumed); so, despite its collaborative nature, it’s unequivocally stamped with Ozzy’s personality” (Huey).

“What’s more, the band is far more versatile and subtle than Sabbath, freeing Ozzy from his habit of singing in unison with the guitar (and proving that he had an excellent grasp of how to frame his limited voice). 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” (Huey).


Review Sources:


Last updated October 7, 2008.