Great Metal Albums of 1982: Ozzy Osbourne- Diary of a Madman
With former band Black Sabbath riding high, after Ozzy’s departure with two successful studio albums and one thrilling live album, Ozzy Osbourne was not about to disappear in a puff of smoke. He let the world he was still around and still able to rock with his second album, “Diary of a Madman.” In fact, when people talk about this album today, it is often in the same breath as his fantastic debut album, “Blizzard of Oz.” Many go on to boldly declare that these are his two best albums ever! Even though I’m inclined to agree, I won’t enter into that debate but what I do know is that “Diary of a Madman” made my 1982 that much nicer.
What I find so great about this album is that every song has something to like about it. As much as this has been stated about so many albums, there literally is no song to dislike on “Diary of a Madman.” Hell, there isn’t even a mediocre song on it. “Over the Mountain” lets you know that this is going to be a great album, so prepare for the ride. “Flying High Again” gave me that “I remember that song and it was cool” feeling and brought back memories to when I used to rock to it back in the day. “You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll” could have and should have been used a statement against the anti- rock movement that would manifest itself a couple of years down the line. Oh, I’ll go into that much more when the time comes. “Believer,” “Little Dolls” and “S.A.T.O.” all show what a great guitarist Rhoads was although he works his six string magic all over the album. “Tonight” is the token ballad and it is done very well and with the title cut closing out things, the result is one brilliant album from Ozzy. His first two solo albums alone are plenty of reason why he should be knighted.
Track Listing:
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
Ozzy Osbourne- vocals
Randy Rhoads- guitar
Bob Daisley- bass
Lee Kerslake- drums
Like Black Sabbath with “Live Evil,” Ozzy’s band would have similar problems during the recording of “Diary of a Madman.” Bassist Bob Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake would be fired from the band when they approached management about not being paid. From what I’ve heard and read, that may have been down to new manager, Ozzy’s wife Sharon, stamping her authority. However, the biggest blow would be the loss of guitarist Rhoads and that is something that I feel needs its own post. But whatever went on behind the scenes, this album is a sure fire cracker.
Next post: Judas Priest- Screaming for Vengeance
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This entry was posted on July 3, 2015 at 3:10 pm and is filed under 1980s, Heavy Metal, Heavy Metal and the 1980s, Music, Rock, Uncategorized with tags Black Sabbath, Blizzard of Oz, British, Classic Rock, Diary of a Madman, Guitarists, hard rock, Heavy Metal, Heavy Rock, Ozzy Osbourne, Randy Rhoads, The 1980s. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
11 Responses to “Great Metal Albums of 1982: Ozzy Osbourne- Diary of a Madman”
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July 3, 2015 at 4:03 pm
It’s so kismet that I read this today as I’m listening to Crazy Train my theme song. Excellent post, I agree Tonight was a wonderful ballad on a heavy metal album. Like you said 80’s metal man, you can’t find a bad song on either album no matter what the controversy went on behind the scenes of the making of it. ππΆβ€οΈ
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July 3, 2015 at 5:15 pm
Thanks jsackmom and I’m glad that the Gods of rock brought this post to you while you were listening to another classic great Ozzy song. I had forgotten just how great this album was.
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July 3, 2015 at 8:27 pm
You’re welcome, I believe the right music comes to you at the most divine time. π
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July 3, 2015 at 9:30 pm
It does indeed.
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July 4, 2015 at 12:56 am
It’s a blessing. ππΆβ€οΈ
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July 3, 2015 at 8:35 pm
I’m not a huge fan of Ozzy’s 80’s solo stuff – its the production I think, but I do really like this one. ‘Flying High Again’ is just immense!
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July 3, 2015 at 9:29 pm
It is that. It was the song I remembered most when I listened to it again after so many years.
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July 5, 2015 at 3:05 am
This was one album that convinced me that their was a musical career for Ozzy after Black Sabbath. Great post!
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July 5, 2015 at 8:52 am
Thanks, I thought the same thing with this one and “Blizzard of Oz.”
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July 19, 2015 at 10:41 pm
Ozzy was cool. I think Alice Cooper was the first to use the make up and to be theatrical on stage. Is that right? I am not sure.
I really love Alice Cooper. Have you ever heard him interviewed? I was very surprised the first time I heard him talking about things.
He is very different than you would expect. The stage was just acting. He is amazingly intellectual.
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July 21, 2015 at 7:51 pm
I agree totally, Alice is amazingly intellectual. I have heard him interviewed and he is very knowledgeble about many things.
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