Diary of a Madman

This is the last studio album from the 80s by Ozzy Osbourne for me to review. I did not save it until last for any special reason but I realized once I began to write this that so much of the paradoxical issues I have with Ozzy can be streamlined here. He is always the least sophisticated person on any album he appears, yet always found a way to stand out in the minds and ears of the consumer against musicians with more talent at what they do in bowel ejections than Ozzy ever will at what he does. He realized he had something special in Black Sabbath, how sometimes people luck into paradigm shifting happenstance, so it is no surprise the group he formed could be named a supergroup. Bassist Bob Daisley from Rainbow, drummer Lee Kerslake from Uriah Heap, Ozzy from Sabbath but it would be a misnomer as while Randy Rhoads did come from a famous band, they only achieved success after Randy had left the Earth in an avoidable tragedy.

"The light that burns twice as bright, burns for only half as long."

Despite this review mostly focusing on the one stealing the spotlight, it is also the unfortunate swan song for Randy, so I see it only fitting I begin with some words on the man and his status. Perhaps the sole aspect of an artists greatness that could be objective instead of subjective is longevity. No artist will ever remain consistently popular and marketable forever, so remaining relevant is the real testament to victory. Popular public response to all artforms ebb and flows like a pendulum, so what is in vogue today could be decidedly passe tomorrow. So just like other artists who tragically died after a very brief career, there is no way of knowing if Randy would have remained popular, or if he would have had the capacity to evolve with the changing trends. It is widely known that all of the members of Ozzy's initial band were at wits end with his erratic behavior both in the studio and on tour, with various contemporary reports of Randy considering a departure. It stands to reason then that Randy could have left after the next album since he was under contract for only three. What would he have done? Gone solo? Joined another band? We will never know how he would have handled, both personally and professionally, being yesterdays news. One of music histories biggest, and deepest, losses. None of this is to discredit Randy and his abilities in anyway of course because that would be just silly but, ironically, his tragic death immortalized him more than any of his four musical endeavors did. I write that because there was something very important holding back all four albums Randy appeared on during his life. Held back enough to where I think this might be his best offering and I'd barely recommend it. The two he made with Quiet Riot were hindered by horrible cost-minded production, weakening even his best moments; the two made with Ozzy may have brought him fame and more opportunities but were impeded by the horrible vocalist behind the microphone.

Ozzy had still not mastered singing in tune during a slow song, where his vocal melody is expected to stretch the length of whole measures, which is ironic considering Sabbath were masters at the slower, plodding tempos, so perhaps it was the complete shift in musical voicing and production. Whereas Sabbath usually had a warm and wet, reverb drenched sonic style, the band members ( the ones who actually wrote these songs ) were not using that same production value. Here the sonic space is colder and drier, more compressed and contained, just like the first album. Contrast these two albums and their drier production to the next two albums with Jake E. Lee as main songwriter, where the production was fittingly wet and drenched in warm synthesized soundscapes. From the perspective of the ballads nowhere is this better exemplified than when listening to his passionate and sorrowful performance on the next albums Bark At The Moon's ballad You're No Different then listen to this albums lone ballad Tonight. On any ballad composed with Lee as principal songwriter the vocals are a lot fuller, with more open air, but also breath control leading to much superior dictation; mostly due to the music often being more energetically melodic, but with "Tonight" the music is flat and lifeless. Another example of how much better Ozzy got on the two following releases is when comparing another musical idea tried here You Cant Kill Rock & Roll and the attempt from The Ultimate Sin, its centerpiece Killer Of Giants. The latter is musically complex with sophisticated and eloquent acoustics, first to clash then interweave with the crunchy and meaty riffs. A circuitous and substantial lead break, complete with three separate sections and speeds. Meanwhile the composition makes the most out of Ozzy as a performer as he bemoans global warfare with another flair for the dramatic, yet does so with a taste and tact hardly ever associated with the singer. The former is just as musically complex with sophisticated finger-picking acoustics, first clashing and then interwoven with crunchy and meaty riffs. Only an abridged lead break ensues and never builds to a separate speed, meanwhile the composition is rendered almost mute by the total diarrhea of each verse this song has. By the third vocal stanza it sounds like an auditory castration and the editor must have also been wasted drunk or suffering from brain damage since the song inexplicably has back to back refrains once Ozzy's voice was shot. These vocals have none of that grace, tact or poignancy and are, instead, just an insufferable waste of a rather good musical composition.

The downward trend continues on Believer, which starts with a nice bass lick and harmonics, but once the start songs and you realize that tempo is never going to reach breakneck territory, those with self-respecting ears tremble at the kind of performance about to be unleashed from the bottom of the barrel. Never or even Tattooed Dancer this will NOT be. Despite a slight increase in tempo there is that first, dreadful, lyric line: "Watching the time go and feeling belief grow." Damn it is so awful. No Ozzy my belief did not grow, it died a swift death once you opened your mouth. Ozzy is so nasally out of tune here that Country singers of every era cringed in unison by association, it is that terrifyingly dreadful; as if his nostrils were closed by clothespin. He even has the audacity to exclaim during the songs horrendous interlude, "I cant believe they stop and stare, and point their fingers doubting me." - We have to though Ozzy, in sheer morbid curiosity as to how you could sound so bad and ruin your own bands hard work. The production values on this song could be considered a highlight by overproduced sound effects but they are really presented just to try and mask those awful vocals, especially considering half of them are synthesized vocal melodies.

The single worst part about Believer however is that after its 5+ minutes of suck, the band literally repeats the same song, an almost paint by numbers affair, the textbook definition of filler. Opening again with a singular instrument - this time with a nice performance by Lee Kerslake - before going into primitive riffs. Whereas Believer's elementary level riff was melodically driven, this Little Dolls atrocity is plodding power chords in a slight staccato voicing and it is so boring, but where the songs truly fails is that ear assault that is the awful refrain. It is so ironic that it contains the words pins and needles since I would rather have pins and needles shoved forcibly into my ear canals, risking deafness and possible brain death since that would make this embarrassing and painful song go away. I suppose the skip button works as well.

Now I gave this album a 70 rating and only gave the debut a 60%, so something has to be good here, right? RIGHT? Well there is actually, exactly half of the albums eight songs. After the abysmal and uninspired debut album that somehow ended with three quality or fun songs, one would only hope Ozzy and company continue the high esteem and, to its credit, it does build upon the debuts conclusion by opening with a killer one-two punch.

Over the Mountain and Flying High Again are two of the most esteemed songs in Ozzy's entire catalogue, the inspiration is heard from the opening drum explosion. Just over 9 minutes of killer metal music, with only the slightest pop flirtation. The opening song proves everything I have ever said about Ozzy as a vocalist. This performance is not necessarily a quality one, he does go out of tune several times, a couple being painfully obvious, but the music is so upbeat and by the throat that one can enjoy when along for the ride. Randy's shredding solo here, much more than his flat mediocre solo in the overplayed Crazy Train, should be the one touted as his most distinct and artistic soloing moment.

I want to highlight Flying High Again for two reasons and the first is purely anecdotal. Despite becoming a metal fan in 1979 I did not discover Black Sabbath until 1983 with the release of the Born Again album and then also heard Heaven and Hell before ever hearing a single Ozzy era song. However before ever hearing a single second of any Black Sabbath song, with or without Ozzy, I purchased a compilation album entitled Nu-Rock in 1982 and its final song was Flying High Again, thus my introduction to the man. The second reason is its funky groove throughout, highlighted by a special performance on bass by Bob Daisley, channeling his best Geezer Butler here and is one of the reasons I say people are mistaken when naming Believer as the most Sabbath like song present. This song sound sees the most inspiration to Ozzy's past with Sabbath, particularly the Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Sabotage variety, most especially in the vocal and musical energy. When one considers those were the two strongest releases of Ozzy's time in Sabbath, it is impossible to hate this track. The absolute highlight of Ozzy's voice on the album, perhaps of his entire time with Randy. I can not hear anyone but Ozzy singing this song, it is so distinctly him.

Unfortunately all the fun dies an immediate death the second the opening notes are heard from You Can't Kill Rock & Roll and remains there for the next three songs, but the quality inexplicably returns in spectacular fashion with the one-two punch to conclude this chapter. S.A.T.O. and the title track could not be more different, the former a return to the speed metal of the opening track, complete with a breakdown that has every reason to fail, as if everything lost the tempo at once, but this counterintuitive tercet proves this album's madness. Another track to demonstrate the importance of Bob Daisley, one lost in the notoriety of the two front men, providing Randy a full minute of backbone so to show off truly special chops while concluding that break by running the notes right alongside him. The title track is a testament to what traditional metal can achieve when composed by classically trained masters of their craft. Randy's most complete contribution to the world might be more about Ozzy but is such a shame it was his last. While Ozzy's voice is still nasally strained, it works here for some inexplicable reason, allowing Randy to shine. Just like on Revelation(Mother Earth) from the debut, when not trying to write passages Ozzy could sing to, the supergroup behind Ozzy's ego could write some incredible moments. The melodramatic interlude here has every reason to fail, it is where Ozzy is usually at his worst, but something about his delivery, combined with the Folk elements as it builds to a heavy smashing riff and then ethereal solo is top notch songwriting. The coda even feels triumphant, which is lyrically and tonally opposed but this song could not be more aptly titled. Almost every aspect of it is what normally holds this brief lineup back but the madness is that it somehow works.

So there you go. A total of 1 pretty instrumental and 16 full songs ( 17 with "You Said It All" from an EP companion for the debut album ) by this far too brief lineup, which would not even see the supporting tour as Ozzy behind the scenes was as difficult to work with as the bands compositions around his mostly dreadful performance. Of the 16 songs from the first two albums, only 7 of them feature a competent vocal performance, whereas the instrumentals, with the exception of 2 or 3, all rock as hard as any contemporary release. Take the pretty instrumental and final three awesome tracks from the debut, then combine them with the first two and last two songs of this follow-up, sequence them to your own hearts desire, and you would have the best offering to ever bear Ozzy's name; solo that is, since any re-sequencing would still not compare to Ozzy's best efforts in Sabbath. Just like behind the scenes where he drove half his band away, and soon his treasured guitarist, on the records he either sounds really magnificent or dreadfully awful; there are only these two extremes with Ozzy since he could never be described by anyone, much less himself, as ordinary. He is a dichotomy, a madman indeed.

R.I.P. Randy Rhoads. You Deserved Better

Highlights: Flying High Again, S.A.T.O., Over the Mountain, Diary Of A Madman
Lowlights: You Can't Kill Rock & Roll
Embarrassments: Little Dolls, Believer & Tonight

All of Ozzy Osbourne’s solo eras can be broken down by who’s on guitar (for the most part), and within the Randy Rhoads days, I find the sequel of the pair to be the superior work. Diary Of A Madman sees the excellence of Blizzard Of Ozz realized into a tighter set of songs with a fluid stream from track to track. They both use the same structure of “a couple radio hits,” “a couple deeper digs,” and “a ballad or two,” and it’s really like taking something amazing and expanding upon it.

For one, the energy throughout is immaculate, layering basic, in-your-face heavy metal rhythms born out of the late ‘70s and placing a unique touch of solo progression on top. Not a single song goes by without the Van Halen-like insertion of swift licks between the smallest gap in the vocals. Even the radio-oriented “Flying High Again” has this all over the place, raking in a chorus, bridge, and spot for Rhoads to shine. Without paying close attention, this would surpass any unseasoned listener.

But looking past all of the neat tricks like this, the songwriting itself is just top-notch. Acoustic guitars and soft licks are implemented better than any album Ozzy ever did, namely the submersion of the intro of “You Can’t Kill Rock ‘N Roll” into a heavier buildup, without letting go of the foundation. The title track, of course, did this to an even heavier degree, letting in minor tones and trading sadness for unsettlement. Hell, even “Believer” has a doomy presence, especially with that bassline, perhaps an ode to the Black Sabbath days under a flashy, early ‘80s touch. Opener “Over The Mountain” casts this cadence in a faster motion, looping the drawn-out rhythms into a fret-filled lead guitar attack.

Amidst all of this emotion, there’s room for the cute little “Tonight,” likely an early look into the balladry that would smoke the whole decade. But even with piano and warm vibes, the riffs themselves allow this to not feel out of place. The surrounding “Little Dolls” and “S.A.T.O.” sandwich it nicely, as the former has lighter, easy going momentum while the latter is a borderline speed metaller that unfolds nicely into the aforementioned, haunting intro of “Diary Of A Madman.”

I can’t find a single thing to complain about on Diary Of A Madman. I doubt many people hold this in as high of regards as I do, but I really think it’s collectively Ozzy Osbourne’s best non-Sabbath work, and Randy’s best overall. No discredit to Bob Daisley or Lee Kerslake; they fit the shoe wonderfully, but it was the other two’s time to shine, one of them for the last time.

R.I.P. Randy Rhoades, 1956-1982

Originally written for ToothAndNailed95.blogspot.com

Ozzy Osbourne may be one of the most polarising figure in the world. Although his career with Black Sabbath is considered legendary by both fans and to some extent even the detractors, his solo-career upon which he would embark after his departure from Black Sabbath, is not as highly-regarded as his previous venture with Black Sabbath. Even though there are a lot of people who hate on Ozzy for selling out and becoming kind of a media whore,you cannot blame the guy for not trying to do the edgiest shit one could think of. One has to keep in mind that this album was released in the nineteen-eighties, people weren't as desensitised as they are now, with a lot of hardcore shit being available at the press of a button. During the nineteen-eighties, a lot of people involved in the arts were reaching their peak.

Horror movies were becoming more violent and gory by the week. Heavy metal was gaining a real boost in terms of appeal due to the rise of hait-metal and its appeal to the distraught teenagers living in the eighties who couldn't handle Metallica or Slayer because they were too extreme. A lot of conservative and right-wing nuts were trying to censor every single work they could get their filthy hands on. Video-game programmers were creating their first games through which they could vent out frustration and show violent scenes which would try to mimic the dark reality reflecting the general economic and social mood prevalent throughout the eighties.

Diary of A Madman is a perfect example of nineteen-eighties counterculture becoming so appealing that it was about to become popular culture in its own rite. The messages conveyed in this album vary from songs dedicated to Ozzy's love for Rock n' Roll to songs which talk about the infamous Aleister Crowley, the founder of the Thelema which is itself a branch of "magic". The music and riffs on this album are really catchy and radio-friendly, however, I fail to imagine these songs becoming as popular today, as they would have in the eighties, simply because society has changed and the shallow shock-factor of albums such as "Diary of A Madman" have lost their effect.

Throughout the eighties, metal was exploring itself and evolving into various different forms of musical expression. Europe was one of the most fertile grounds for such scene, except for the Bay-area scene which is the birthplace of the genre we nowadays call "thrash metal". Hellhammer, King Diamond, Death SS, Tormentor, Master's Hammer, these bands were all coming up throughout the period during which Ozzzy's solo-career was reaching its climax. Diary of A Madman is an epic showcase of professional musicians combining together to help push one single character, which is Ozzy. Ozzy holds the keys to the dungeon with his epic voice which remains unparalleled even to this day.

Ozzy's solo career holds a special place in my metal heart as he was my gateway artist into this world. A feature I proudly and snobbishly hold above all the idiots who got into this music through Slipknot, System of A Down, Ratt, Poison and a thousand other false ones. But even back when I was a super fanboy, I always thought this was a lower tier album. I think people are only calling this albums best album because he hasn't overplayed it live and on the radio. Well this might be a shocker to some of you folks, but sometimes things are overplayed on the radio because they're great. Sometimes tracks are not overplayed on the radio because they're not very good. Sorry guys, not even Randy Rhoads can't save inconsistent songwriting. Even the albums supposed high points like Flying High Again are marred by the lack of a real intro riff. As a kid I remember being vastly frustrated why this was the chosen live staple over the vastly superior Over The Mountain. On bad days, I just didn't want to hear Flying High Again and was frequently annoyed at its "overplay." I've warmed up to it since, but its still no Over The Mountain. To be fair, very few metal songs in general are Over The Mountain, which is easily in the top 3 Ozzy songs, and I wouldn't really argue against it's position if some list placed it at #1.

Again, a big problem with this album's staying power in my opinion was the lack of live performances. Some might call that unfair, but really, what else could one play live from this album that would go over well that hasn't already been done (for the record, that's the title track, Flying High Again, Over The Mountain and Believer)? Of what's left from those choices, I'd say the only real choice is SATO, but even that has a clunky start and takes a while to get going. (I've always been convinced that the next album's Slow Down was written to succeed where SATO failed, and IMO, he succeeded). Little Dolls is ok, though I think that drum intro was done much better by Des Kensel in Fertile Green. The chorus is one of Ozzy's better of such, but I definitely remember skipping this one a lot as a kid for lack of a killer riff.

Another weak point with this albums is the ballads suck. I'm in the minority in that I think Ozzy has more good ballads than bad ones (at least he did during his classic era). Goodbye To Romance, Killer of Giants, Road To Nowhere and yes, Mama I'm Coming Home all rule. But Tonight? It's just not worth sitting through such boredom to get to one of Randy's somewhat better solos. Like I said, Randy can't save this one on his own. You Can't Kill Rock & Roll fares a little bit better, but fadeouts are one of my biggest pet peeves and for that to go on for seven minutes is beyond stupid. Bob Daisley likes to claim he, Randy and Kerslake hammered out most of this album while Ozzy was out getting drunk and the three of them put together couldn't come up with a proper ending?

Don't take my criticisms as reasons to stay away from the album (again, I have this ranked pretty high). When this album is on, it definitely cooks. Killer tracks like Over the Mountain, the brilliantly Beethoven title track, and Believer (the most Black Sabbath-esque track he did up to this point) are metal staples and proof that Randy could go note for note with Eddie Van Halen. The album is worth getting to study up on Randy Rhoads, just don't expect the album to be better than Blizzard of Ozz (or Bark At The Moon, or, No Rest For The Wicked)......

Has Ozzy Osbourne ever been a good singer? When he sung on 'Black Sabbath', was he actually skillful, or was he merely doing something different that all the freaks and nobodies gravitated towards? I'll admit that he sounds creepy and menacing on that very first heavy metal song back in 1970, and that's great, but when he transformed himself into a stadium metal singer with his solo work, he just didn't have the skills to pull off that kind of atmosphere. Thus, it comes down to the albums on which Ozzy does alright and his band do very well to decide when his solo career prospers and when it fails. This one has the same problems as every Ozzy album, though the general quality is a little higher.

First thing's first, I'm not the guy who is going to sit here and go easy on Randy Rhoads. I mean, he's great on this album, but he can't make a song like 'Tonight' fun to listen to. The super-slick likes of 'Over the Mountain' and 'Believer' have awesome licks and skillful playing that bounce and zip between sections and support Ozzy, letting him do his rather plodding or semi-crazy stylings over the top without really disturbing anything. As riffs go, he doesn't often begin with anything too complex, but the simple riffs accrue fills and embellishments that use the one guitar setup to its full advantage and doesn't leave anything missing. The solos are pretty good, though sometimes too generically hard rock to be interesting, as if his creativity was clamped down on by the songwriting. The points when he really shows what he can do are a little rare: perhaps 'S.A.T.O.' is an indicator of the speed metal and NWOBHM directions that were beginning to flourish at this time and is captivating for its length, while the title track is more of an exercise in displaying new ideas, partly on acoustic and partly on electric guitar - at times it reminds me of Pentagram, at times something on the fringes of the extreme scene, and it predates both.

As for the other instrumentalists, Bob Daisley's bass is clearly audible at all times and plays a key part in most of the slower songs, giving at least something to listen to in the awful drone of 'Tonight' and forming the sinister opening of 'Believer'. The drums are rather soft and sometimes lack attack, even if Lee Kerslake is doing his best to stand out. From his point of view, the more energetic songs work much better, such as 'S.A.T.O.', which races forward of its own accord. The keyboards are a notable presence in about half the songs, and add a little, though they annoyingly drive the ballads (two of them, God wept!) closer to soppy Broadway territory, and we're really not here for that.

The quality of songwriting is higher here than on most Ozzy albums, but there are still three poor songs out of eight, which is a distressing percentage. 'Little Dolls' is too Status Quo and footstomping to be anything more than amusing, 'You Can't Kill Rock and Roll' is an average Ozzy ballad, and 'Tonight' is an execrable one that should never have entered the studio, let alone left it. These are also the slowest songs, which the embattled singer struggles the most with, since his band can do less to help him with momentum and their instrumental power. The two openers are perhaps best, with 'Over the Mountain' an out-and-out classic, while 'S.A.T.O.' is the band's most challenging song and actually seems forward-thinking compared to the others. The reason I'm a little harsh on this album is that it just sounds so dated now, and not really because of the recording quality or the instrumental tones, but because the ideas have been left so far behind and have long since entered the hallowed halls of rock and roll cliche. Thus, whatever its celebrated status, 'Diary of a Madman' is just decent at best.

Madmans Legacy:

Osbourne sure delivered a message with this trail of thought. The little above average playing of the guitar God Rhoads did work for the relatively young Ozz fanbase. Recorded back to back alongside with the solo debut Blizzard..., Diary concealed the unseen talents of the bassist Bob Daisley. Madman rages through with some dramatic and tragic guitar passages all toward the mad, doomy and sadistic dimensions of this album. This album was done with passion.

Little Dolls starts with an occultistic drum intro and is about voodoo and other sick and lunatic bleeding and conjuring. Tonight is filled with romantiscm and positive aura, while Over The Mountain just blasts through the madmans cellar hallway. Flying High Again has the most fantastic guitar solo and is always listened with fond memories. Believer is too negative for being one of the highlights, but showcases Ozzys evil persona. The songs are made with the dummer Lee Kerslake who truly was the greatest musician skill- wise. In Little Dolls, to me, the real experience of Diary Of A Madman starts. The songs are more metal and less silly. Less commercial and more melancholic.

First half of the songs are rock offers as the ending is full of mainstream metal. Ozzy, or his band, snatched only the rock classics from this album to go for the live album( Tribute ) of the Diary Of A Madman tour. The first half which has the Blizzard lookalikes, are almost pure rock anthems. Lee Kerslakes vibrant and deviant persona is showcased in the joyful spirit that he brought to the whole Diary Of A Madman, unlike to Blizzard, in which he didnt contribute a lot. The other half is conjured by pure metal classics with some psychosis- like athmosphere. The album is mostly uplifting, melodic and hypomaniac, but the finish off song Diary Of A Madman just depresses like hell, not that it is good anyway. A true Ozzy gem remastered or not.

Now, that’s more like it! What an improvement this is. The debut was not very good but this one is way better. Obviously this time Ozzy has taken advantage of the experience he gained through Blizzard of Ozz and knows what it is that fans wanted to hear. Pure-fucking-heavy metal! The rest of the band has come to know each other, they contribute more to the song writing and composing and finally things turn out pretty well.

Ozzy was named as “the madman of heavy metal” from the music press and he cleverly uses that to his own benefit giving his second album the title Diary of A Madman. Sarcastic is he? Maybe. But insane; as never before, slaying chickens on stage at his gigs.

If you liked Roads’ guitar work on the previous album wait ‘till you hear what he does in here. The guy is playing his ass off! He delivers electric guitar seminars once again. His plying is a bit more melodic but keeps its’ heavy attitude and feeling. He also shows a tense to experiment on the riffs and solos without however ignoring the fans and what they expect from him. His loss was a tragic event not only for the band but for metal in general.

The drum intro in Over the Mountain, which opens the album gives a straight-forward punch in the stomach and prepares us for what is about to happen. This song is a killer, fast and heavy to the bone. The production is much better and allows the bass and drums to sound more on the front line and not so background as in the Blizzard… album. And the solo will definitely kill you.

Flying High Again is more mid-tempo and its’ steady, solid rhythm keeps it quite interesting. It is just another Ozzy classic. You Can’t Kill Rock n’ Roll enters peacefully but in no time it turns heavy and has many fine breaks throughout the seven minutes it lasts. The lyrics are quite explanatory of their beliefs: “…’cause rock n’ roll is my religion and my law”. They sure love what they are playing. The solo part is particularly heavy. This one may be seven minutes long but not dull at all.

Believer is yet again a very heavy track with sharp guitars and drums. Generally the whole album is filled with hot, streaming heavy metal. I must admit that Ozzy’s singing is somewhat different here. I almost like it. Little Dolls is a small step back in the album. It does not possess the strength and intensity as the rest of the songs; still it’s okay and easy to hear.

Diary’s ballad, they had to have one, is called Tonight and surprisingly is awesome. It is much heavier at times from those in Blizzard… and much cooler. By no means think of it as cheese. Randy Roads unfolds his skills and plays an incredible solo. Doesn’t he always do? This ballad gives you the time to relax before the heavy metal dynamite by the strange title of S.A.T.O. explodes. The song that causes the hardest headbanging in the LP, four pure metallic minutes.

Ozzy saves another great song for the end. The self-titled one is not so heavy and furious but its’ mystique feeling is sure to thrill you. Te melodic acoustic themes and marching drums are accompanied by fine keyboard lines and the result is too good to ignore as a sense of paranoia floats in the air. It is the most suitable way to end.

With Diary of A Madman Ozzy establishes himself as a solo artist in the hearts of metal fans. He throws away the label of the Sabbath singer for good and becomes a leading face in the heavy metal scene.

Yes, only two bad songs can be found here and they really aren’t bad enough to ruin the entire album. There are too many classics here to ignore this album.

The powerful opener ‘Over the Mountain’ has remained one of my favourite Ozzy songs all these years. It is one of his faster songs with simple (by Rhoads standards that is) but very heavy riffs and a memorable vocal line. ‘Flying High Again’ is an old school rocker (with a more than excellent solo) which is decent on the album but came more to life on the 1987 album ‘Tribute to Randy Rhoads’.

‘Believer’ is a slow paced song that strongly refers to the darkness of Black Sabbath. It’s actually so good it would have been a Sabbath classic had it been released by the doomsters themselves. Yes, it truly is a highlight in Ozzy’s solo career. I’ve never understood why a lot of people specifically mention ‘Little Dolls’ when talking about the bad songs on the album. It’s not one of the best here, but it is simply decent. The main riff is way too obviously inspired by early seventies pounding Van Halen material but that doesn’t make it a bad album. It’s just more rock than metal.

The last two songs are close to genius here. ‘S.A.T.O.’ starts off clean but then proceeds with the best riff on the album and a Sabbath-ish vocal line. The bass lines are also memorable here, sounding slightly like Steve Harris on Maiden’s ‘Piece Of Mind’. Closing title song ‘Diary Of A Madman’ has some good acoustic guitars, diversity, great dynamics and an above average vocal performance by the prince of darkness. Even the violin during the middle section of the songs falls perfectly into place.

So which are the two bad songs? That would be the ballads ‘You Can't Kill Rock & Roll’ and ‘Tonight’. I’ve never been too fond about any of his ballads save a few. But these aren’t exceptions. They’re just there to fill the space and possibly to appeal to arena-rock-fans and radio stations. I honestly think an icon like Ozzy doesn’t need this kind of material.

Ohw, by the way. The album cover is so bad it actually becomes brilliant. And that, of course, is very metal!

Top songs: ‘Over the Mountain’, ‘Believer’, ‘S.A.T.O.’ and ‘Diary of a Madman’

Not more than one year after Ozzy and newfound idea reservoir Rhandy Rhodes hit the charts with “Blizzard of Ozz”, they offered a follow-up that would prove to be one of the most successful releases of the early 80s. It is evident that a sort of war or wills had erupted between Ozzy and his former band mates in Black Sabbath, and once again he found himself getting quite a bit more notoriety despite the lack of a superior release to up stage the fits of genius pumped out by Ronnie Dio and Tony Iommi.

While Ozzy’s voice obviously has improved little in the time between this album and the last, Rhandy has made some impressive leaps in terms of song writing ambition. His riffs have become much more focused, his solos are still technically impressive but have much more polish, and the pace of every song has been better measured to avoid redundancy. While the other instruments, particularly the keyboards, are used much more ambitiously here the focus is still on Rhandy, the source of strength for Ozzy’s newfound formula.

“Over the Mountain” is another classic up tempo track cut from a similar mold as “I don’t know”, already hinting that there is a clear method to Ozzy’s newfound madness. This one has deserved all the praise it gets, the riffs are powerful and the solo definitely sticks in your memory. “Flying High Again” has a principle riff comparing heavily with AC/DC, although song structure and feel wise it seeks a happy atmosphere similar to what was heard on “Crazy Train”.

“Believer” has plenty of evil sounds produced by both guitar and synthesizer alike, although the atmosphere surrounds another riff driven rocker. “Little Dolls” has an interesting tribal sounding drum intro, although the rest of the song flows a bit similar to the first two tracks, although the bass work is a bit more present and reeks of Geezer Butler influences. “Tonight” is probably the only track on here that doesn’t rock hard enough, sounding almost like a Cinderella Power Ballad with heavy keyboard presence and Ozzy doing the vocals. “You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll” is a bit longer than it needs to be, but thankfully doesn’t fall short in the energy department, despite being another ballad.

“S.A.T.O.” has a weird acoustic guitar and keyboard intro, followed by some good old fashioned metal cut from the earlier glory days of Sabbath, mostly resembling material found on “Sabotage”. Rhandy uses his licks tastefully, yet still takes enough liberties to give it the feel of a live performance, especially when the guitar solo takes over. Our grand highlight of the album, however, proves to be the long and musically ambitious title track. The opening acoustic guitar line is actually a quote from Leo Brouwer’s 6th Etude Simple, one that I personally had a tough time with when at West Chester (the Rhodes quote is a simplified version). The rest of it is a rather interesting set of musical twists and turns that remind heavily of middle 70s era Sabbath, some sections actually almost sounding like quotes of “Supertzar”.

This is, by all standards, a shinning gem and should be heard by all fans of his solo work. If you have one of his greatest hits collections, I still recommend getting this album because chances are you’ve never heard half of the songs on here. Fans of shred guitar oriented metal and Sabbath should also get this release, as it draws heavily from both. Sadly this would be the last chapter in Rhandy Rhodes’ brief tenure as a metal guitarist before his tragic end. People often ask why he is always heralded as a revolutionary; he didn’t do anything that others hadn’t already done before. To this I simply answer, look at the songs he wrote, look at the riffs and solos he penned, they are neither the fastest nor the most insane but they speak to the ears with a truly unique voice, one that was silenced before it had a chance to fully realize it’s potential.

The second 'solo' album from the expelled Black Sabbath frontman would sadly be his last with guitarist Randy Rhoads, whose tragic death in a private plane accident would remove the neoclassical influence and bodacious guitar solos from Ozzy's material. The singer would subsequently choose, presumably as a result of these early albums' consistent theme of madness, to pursue a 'hair metal' glam direction.

The lyrical focus on insanity throughout much of the album makes it almost an accidental concept album, while also indicating a lack of creativity in deriving on what was basically the message of the band's earlier hit 'Crazy Train.' Ozzy and company's second release of 1981, 'Diary of a Madman' is in all respects a perfect example of a rushed sophomore slump, recycling ideas from 'Blizzard of Ozz' and failing entirely to recapture the high quality and simplistic charm of that predecessor. Then again, this rapid release allows a final swan song for Rhoads, less memorable than his work on the first album but still serving as the main highlight of a release sparingly peppered with fantastic solos and the occasional strong lead riff.

Only serving to further prove the desperate stretching of ideas, the first two songs not only deal with madness, or more specifically an alternative and criticised point of view, but are also, and this is the regrettable but admittedly ironic part, about flying. Planes have been a consistent subject in heavy metal, from Iron Maiden's appreciation of the Spitfire experience to Queensrÿche, and more recently Edguy, celebrating stewardesses. A drum intro leads into a great melodic guitar riff from Rhoads, before Ozzy's legendary voice (not for all the right reasons) harks back to the glory days of several months earlier, with the previous album. Deserving special attention is Bob Daisley's bass guitar, wrongly credited to Rudy Sarzo in the booklet, which makes its presence felt on both of these early albums more prominently than many similar bands would attempt, especially in the slower, and more blues-based songs like 'Flying High Again,' strongly reminiscent of the earlier material of Ozzy's Brummie brethren Judas Priest. If Ozzy’s ‘mama’ here is intended to be his wife as rumoured, the ‘flying’ is likely yet another lazy metaphor for drug use. These opening songs are catchy and almost up to the standard of the previous album, but even Randy Rhoads' excellent solos, at their best here, can't disguise the tired formula.

The third track, re-using the structure of the previous album, is the obligatory part-acoustic ballad, only this time it's a tribute to rock and roll, placing it immediately ahead of 'Goodbye to Romance.' The acoustic guitar sounds nicely but derivatively Mediterranean, but this is more likely due to early eighties production than anything intentional, as the same sound can be found in Iron Maiden's 'Prodigal Son.' The chorus is the most uplifting so far, pre-empting heavy metal bands' obsessions with celebrating heavy metal through lyrics in the eighties, particularly in the self-aggrandising work of Manowar, and it's hard not to empathise with the Ozzman. Nevertheless, the very next track 'Believer,' a middle-of-the-road song like most of the remaining tracks, marks the exact point at which Ozzy's wails became irritating to my ears, and I was disappointed that the song wasn't the controlled instrumental jam it initially hinted towards. The frustration continues with 'Little Dolls,' in which he sings a poorly conceived duet of sorts with himself, the primary reason seemingly to fit more into each verse than would be possible without overdubbing a different vocal take in-between. I've never been a fan of the high register Ozzy shifted into after performing perfectly well with a dingy monotone in the first four Black Sabbath albums, but I presume it has something to do with attracting the radar of bats, which he can then decapitate with his teeth.

'Tonight,' as can probably be deduced from the title, is another power ballad, but on that's heavier on the guitar noodling this time, eventually being forced to fade out on Rhoads' neoclassical mania in a similar manner to the earlier classic 'Mr. Crowley.' Daisley's bass is at its best here, driving the slow song along, and even Ozzy tones down a little, although this song is far from impressive or necessary by this point. Fortunately, the album pulls the 'strong beginning and end to disguise the weak middle half' trick, and the final two songs return to the speedy rock of the first song, climaxing in the excellent 'Diary of a Madman.' This song immediately hits the listener with the best riff on the album, but it's still only the forgotten middle brother between 'Crazy Train' and the later, inexplicably popular hit 'Bark at the Moon.'

I've spent the majority of this review slagging this album off in comparison to 'Blizzard of Ozz,' and considering the close proximity of the releases, and the essential fact that this an inferior copy of that classic album, it is entirely the right thing to do. The live 'Tribute to Randy Rhoads' album features the best of these songs amidst much better earlier material, with a couple of Sabbath classics thrown in to fill up the set-list of the burgeoning band, and for all but the die-hard Ozzy or Rhoads fan, 'Diary of a Madman' is the first piece in Ozzy Osbourne's back catalogue that can be justifiably ignored, along with almost everything the band would release thereafter in its many incarnations right up the present day, the exception being the single song 'Perry Mason' from 1997's Ozzmosis album, which is a great return to form, and is about Perry Mason.

Choice cuts from 'Diary of a Madman' are the title track, 'Over the Mountain' and, if you're feeling dreamy and a little cheesy, 'You Can't Kill Rock and Roll,' which the band thankfully didn't choose to title 'You Can't Kill Randy Rhoads.' I don't know what I'm talking about. The album clocks in at under forty minutes, so it won't take up too much of your time, and extensive re-releases of Ozzy Osbourne's back catalogue make it readily available in all places. Nevertheless, it would be wise to avoid the recent re-issue which replaced the original bass and drum recordings with those of Ozzy’s more recent band members due to legal disputes and, more generally, Sharon Osbourne.

Ozzy Osbourne’s solo material is infinitely lacking compared to his work in Black Sabbath, but this is the one album that makes you forget that. Ozzy’s finest solo moment, as well as Randy Rhoads finest performance, is virtually without fault, if one can accept its over rated vocalist.

First off, the primary focus on either of Ozzy’s first two albums must be on Rhoads’ playing. On Blizzard it was phenomenal, but on Diary, it’s transcendental. His riffing is darker and heavier, except when it’s a clean riff, and even then it’s masterful and tactful. Atmosphere is a huge part of this album’s appeal and Rhoads’ delivers, in that department as well, though the keyboards aid in this as well. His soloing is even more technical and expressive than on the previous album and one can only imagine the heights he would have achieved in another album or two. This album really makes you miss Rhoads, especially considering the sordid state Ozzy currently resides in.

The songs, in general, are held to a much higher standard than those on Blizzard, except the throwaway ballad “Tonight,” which I don’t even think is that bad, mainly because of the cool keyboard work. “Over the Mountain” is a notable rocker, fast and actually quite catchy. “Diary of a Madman” is very dark and features some of Rhoads’ coolest riffs. “Believer” is atmospheric and evil-sounding, with a particularly cool solo from Randy. Even the power ballad “You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll” is fantastic, with amazingly melodic guitar work and memorable vocals from Osbourne. The absolute beat-all standout track is undoubtedly “S.A.T.O.” Faster than any other song on the album, well-endowed with vocal hooks and great lyrics, and peppered with Rhoads’ fantastic lead fills, it’s arguably the best song Ozzy’s ever put out. It’s also notable as the first song of Ozzy’s to be an acronym, something that would be abused on his later albums.

If you can only own one Osbourne album, make it this one. Despite your feelings about Ozzy himself, Randy Rhoads playing here should not be ignored on his account. It’s not the heaviest album out there, but it’s incredibly memorable, which is a far less common album characteristic.

Yup! This is Ozzy's best solo album in his career. Blizzard Of Oz was amazing, but this one is much better. The production is good and everything seems to be fine on this record.

The songs are great like "Over The Mountain" starts with a fast tempo and the solo is great. This is like one of Ozzy's popular songs. "Flying High Again" is the album's first single and it's great but when Ozzy sings "I Can see it" sounds so dry. "You Can't Kill Rock and Roll" is kinda boring and it has cheesy lyrics. Then, the killer "Believer" sounds like a Black Sabbath song to me starting off with great bass part, this is like one of the highlights of the album. "Little Dolls" is an interesting track and weird in a way, and the song has been structured well here, and I liked the intro. "Tonight" is a ballad and most of listeners say this is the worst track on the album, but it's like okay and soft but not so strong. "S.A.T.O" is just amazing and it is as heavy as fuck and Ozzy's vocals is great on this track. Then the title track "Diary Of A Madman" is my personal favorite on this album and sounds spooky. I think this is some kinda an epic and it sounds eerie and nice. The solo in this song is great but bit short.

If you didn't like any Ozzy's releases then this one will change your mind. It's a classic album and Ozzy did a great job delivering good music on this release.

Highlights: Over The Mountain, Flying High Again, Believer, S.A.T.O, Diary Of A Madman

This is easily my favorite Ozzy album, and among what I consider his 'three greats.' That is, of course, Diary of a Madman, Bark at the Moon, and The Ultimate Sin. This was Randy Rhoads last album, and this (along with Blizzard of Oz) prove his amazing skill at guitar. Diary of a Madman has a lot of classical bits in it, but of course has metal as only Randy Rhoads and Jake E Lee could play it. I'm sorry, but Zakk Wylde isn't nearly as good as everyone says.

Over The Mountain starts things off great. Awesome guitar riffs, great solo, some cool lyrics, and Ozzy's banshee wail, as always.

Flying High Again is the next song, and it too is pretty good. The lyrics aren't the greatest; I dislike the use of "mama" in so many damn Ozzy songs. Seems too...country, should I say? Otherwise, it's a good song, with another amazing guitar solo.

You Can't Kill Rock N' Roll is a great song. The lyrics, and vocal lines, are among my favorites on the album. This song just builds and builds into the chorus, which features some of Ozzy's best vocals and some sweet guitar riffs. Another song similar to this is "Killer of Giants." YCKRNR is a great track.

Believer is the next song. The bass at the beginning, though rather simplistic, is pretty damn infectious. The opening guitar bit is pretty good, and overall, this is a pretty good song. Not amazingly good, especially not by DOAMM standards, but I like it.

Little Dolls starts out with some cool songs, has some good lyrics and good riffage...but why in the hell is the song so happy at times? It kind of gives things a awkward sound...either way, I still like the song, because the vocal lines are still good, despite not really fitting the lyrics.

Tonight is a filler. I don't like it, except the solo which is, as always, a kick in the ass to todays horrid guitarists.

S.A.T.O. is great. The riffs are some of Randy's heaviest, and the solo is most magnificent. The lyrics are some of Ozzy's best, and the instrumental section in the middle is some of Randy's best. Overall, this song is one of Ozzy's all-timers.

Diary Of A Madman starts with some great classical work by one of the various gods of guitar, Mr Randy Rhoads. The distorted riff that follows the soft acoustics is astonishingly heavy for such a soft part of the song, and it fits perfectly. In fact, I pay tribute to that in one of my bands songs, "Battle Axe of the Gods." It's not quite finished yet, but I do some similar stuff to that, tributing Randy. The instrumental guitar part is great, and the 'choir' at the end of the song just sums the album up.

All in all, a great album with a few weak points. I think it kicks the shit outta Blizzard, and Blizzard is a bit overrated. This right here sure beats Down to Earth and Ozzmosis, though.

Diary Of A Madman is, while it has a few killer tracks, very disappointing compared to Ozzy's great solo debut Blizzard Of Ozz. As I said, some tracks are killer, but overall it comes off as very inconsistent, and for an album with just 8 tracks, inconsistency will pretty much ruin it.
Randy Rhoads delivers a truly amazing guitar performance on this album, just as one would expect him to do.
The drumming is pretty good, it has very nice flow to it. The bass is quite bad, too loud and muddy.
Ozzy's vocal style hasn't really changed; he's still the same guy. He isn't a great singer by any means, and he hasn't got a very wide range, but he's good when he stays within that range. When he tries to sing out of his range, well... Let's not get into that, shall we?

The music on Diary is overall a little more straightforward and less atmospheric than on it's predecessor, and most of the songs go on at a quite slow pace, and it's mostly the slower paced stuff that makes this album worse than it could've been. On Blizzard, the slower songs were better and more inspired (See: Suicide Solution), while the slower paced material on Diary is uninspired and sometimes really boring (See: Little Dolls).


The best song on this album is also the first, that being Over The Mountain. A decent drum intro kicks into a wicked, heavy and fairly fast guitar riff.
This is indeed one of the heaviest and fastest songs on the album, but it's quite slow compared to his later stuff, for example Miracle Man. Still, it's quite fast considering this is one of his older albums.
Oh yeah, the drumming on the chorus is pretty damn insane.

Flying High Again is a bit slower paced, but the best of the slow ones. Catchy, occasionally cool lyrics and of course nice guitar work, and some really good basslines.

You Can't Kill Rock N' Roll is a quite good ballad, one of the better ones he ever did. It's not as uninspired and dumb as Goodbye To Romance, and has a quite cool, pretty fast chorus. Although it's good, it feels a bit overlong, reaching 7 minutes.

Now we have reached Believer, and here it all starts going downwards. It's not all that terrible though. The guitar riffs are quite nice, though the bass is quite repetitive and annoying, and it really gets on my nerves.
It's a midpaced song, with decent verses but an incredibly stupid and uninspired bridge, ending with nothing less than: "O.K. Baby"....Right.
The second bridge on the other hand is a bit better and more melodic.
The guitar solo is absolutely amazing, that must also be mentioned. But all these facts aside, there song is overall very lacking.

Little Dolls next. My first comments about this song would be: Crash and burn.
My first complaint: The lyrics are damn evil, while the song is the happiest damn thing ever. What the fuck, everything sounds so wrong and out of place.
Also, the bass is damn annoying. It's pretty much a simplified version of the damn boring guitar riffs.
Nope, this is definitely one of the lowest points in Ozzy's entire career. Damn, this sucks!

Tonight is another fairly crappy song. The album's second ballad, and this one is much more uninspired than the first.
The bass is incredibly annoying (I'm starting to see a pattern here...) and the guitars aren't very noticeable, except for on the guitar solo, which is totally amazing. It seems like the best solos Randy played were on otherwise shitty ballads (See: Goodbye To Romance).

S.A.T.O next. This is another great song, and it is also the fastest on the album. Really sweet guitarwork, great drumming and finally a nice bass performance again. It's not too loud this time, which it has been the last few songs.
And let's not forget yet another amazing guitar solo. Randy Rhoads was truly amazing! Nonetheless, I must admit I prefer his work on the debut to this album.

Diary Of A Madman is a decent but a bit overlong closer. It has some cool, haunting moments, some nice melodic verses, a nice heavy guitar riff in the middle, and a cool climax at the end. It's not great, but not bad either.


Overall, most songs on the album are pretty good. But, even the good or better songs usually lack something. May it be inspiration, may it be energy, may it be a good vocal performance, throughout nearly the whole album, there is always something missing. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is simply not good enough.

I don't care if you founded the band, if you suck, you suck. Look at Virgin Steele - Jack Starr founded the band, but DeFeis had no qualms in kicking him out because he, Dave, wanted to write more than party anthems.

So yeah, the riffs are somewhat better on this album. The opening track, they realise that they can't go too fast, so they have a midpaced efficient-speed hammering riff in "Over the Mountain". Nice solo too - that's really what this album comes down to. Nice solo, over and over again.

"Flying High Again" - too much emphasis on the vocals. The guitars drop away far too often, unless you're in the solo. Believe me, Sucky Suckbourne's vocals are not something that should be emphasised in the mix. The song finally gets going in the middle section, but even that is really overly cheesy. Rule number one of song writing. Don't ever make snide comments on your own song (the Ray Charles Rule, as exemplified by his "oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about" interjections) - here it's Ozzy going "I can see it! I can see it!" in response to "if you could see inside my head..." Yes, that's great. We're not asking you, you motherfucking senile bitch.

"Believer". Boring. "Little Dolls". Boring. "Tonight" - Fucking puke-tacular horse-feces, this doesn't just give metal a bad name, it brings down the worth of our entire goddamn species. I swear, when the Vortrons come and get us, I will point to shit like this as the reason why.

"SATO" is pretty damn cool. Also known as Sailing across the Ocean. Why do bands always have songs that are initials? Not confident of your spelling skills or something? Uhh, how do you spell "teh" again?

Then the title track - too damn slow and plodding and the guitar is not present in the aural space nearly enough. That's what's REALLY wrong with this album... the solos are amazing, but the riffs are missing, buried, or just nonexistent. And the vocals suck, but you knew that already.