Today in 1980 Ozzy Osbourne released there debut album Blizzard of Ozz Birmingham, England Heavy Metal Status:Active Years active: 1979-1980 (as Blizzard of Ozz), 1980-present John Michael Ozzy Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer-songwriter. Throughout an extraordinary career, which has so far spanned four decades, Osbourne has made major contributions to the worlds of music and popular culture. Osbourne rose to prominence as co-founder and lead singer for pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath (1970-79, 1997 to 2008) he was, in effect, one of the chief architects of the genre, creating the powerful new sound and provocative performance style that would forever expand the definition of rock music. As a result he is known as the Godfather of Heavy Metal, and, because of some of his material, the Prince of Darkness, and eventually achieved a multi-platinum solo career which revolutionized the heavy metal genre. In the early 2000s, his career as a celebrity hit a new zenith when he became a star in his own reality show, The Osbournes alongside wife/manager Sharon and two of their three children, Kelly and Jack. In August 2008, Osbourne stated in USA Today that he intends to retire from his music career after two more albums. Osbourne was born in Aston, Birmingham, England. Osbourne is also known for biting the head off of a bat a fan threw on stage during a concert. He was sent to the hospital for a rabies shot and claimed he thought the bat was fake. In 1980, Osbourne debuted as a solo artist to widespread popular acclaim. Over the next two decades, his career continued to gain momentum with a continuous string of multi-platinum albums, and he has brought his notorious live show to sold-out arenas in virtually every corner of the world. As a solo artist, Osbourne has sold more than 50 million records worldwide, bringing his cumulative sales to more than 90 million albums. Blockbusters such as Black Sabbaths seminal Paranoid and Ozzys solo albums Blizzard of Ozz and No More Tears are 4x platinum and still sell thousands of copies each week. As the founder and star attraction of his annual Ozzfest festival tour, now in its 10th year, Ozzy continues to win over legions of new fans while at the same time building the hard rock audience by introducing standing-room-only crowds to emerging artists in the genre. The number of multi-platinum bands (which include Incubus, System of a Down, Limp Bizkit, Godsmack, Slipknot and Disturbed) that got their start or broke through due to their visibility on Ozzfest is staggering. Ozzfest, which was launched in 1996, is the longest running and most successful music festival of its kind and since its inception has sold over five million tickets for a total of more than $100 million dollars in revenue. The tour spawned the successful Battle For Ozzfest, Ozzy and Sharons weekly MTV series, which pits hungry young bands against one another for a shot at performing on OZZfests worldwide tour. Ozzy Osbourne could be seen weekly on the Emmy Award-winning series The Osbournes (now complete). The show is so popular in part because wife Sharon and children Kelly and Jack provide Ozzy with a nuclear family life that one would not normally associate with a star who is sometimes referred to as the The Prince Of Darkness. On November 17 2000 Ozzy also had an appearance in a dark comedy movie Little Nicky. Little Nicky (Adam Sandler) is the good son of the Devil and lives in Hell. Ozzy is cast as a powerful angel of God that saves the earth from evil. The influence of Ozzy Osbourne could be felt just as strongly, if not more so, in 2005 than it was in the Seventies, Eighties and Nineties. In thirty-five years in the music business Ozzys popularity with die-hard music lovers has never waned. In fact, it only seems to have become greater. From his days as a member of the legendary rock band, Black Sabbath and throughout his tremendously successful solo career (and now, television popularity) Ozzy has transcended all boundaries and categories and is truly among the elite few who can lay claim to being called a true rock icon Jet Records Ozzy Osbourne – lead vocals, harmony vocals Randy Rhoads(R.I.P. 1982) – guitars Bob Daisley – bass, backing vocals, gongs Lee Kerslake – drums, percussion, tubular bells, timpani Don Airey – keyboards 1. I Dont Know 5:17 2. Crazy Train 4:55 3. Goodbye to Romance 5:36 4. Dee 0:50 5. Suicide Solution 4:20 6. Mr. Crowley 4:57 7. No Bone Movies 3:59 8. Revelation (Mother Earth) 6:10 9. Steal Away (The Night) 3:29 All tracks by Osbourne, Rhoads, Daisley except 7. by Osbourne, Rhoads, Daisley, Kerslake and track 4. written and performed by R. Rhoads In the UK, this album was released on September 20, 1980 and on March 27, 1981 in the USA. Remastered in 2002 under Epic (EK 85247) with drums and bass re-recorded by Mike Bordin and Robert Trujillo, respectively. This version also includes one bonus track: 10. You Lookin at Me Lookin at You (4:20) Blizzard of Ozz is the debut solo studio album by British vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, recorded in Surrey, UK and released on September 20, 1980 in the UK and on March 27, 1981 in the US. The album was Osbournes first release following his departure from Black Sabbath and marks his second effort to begin a solo career (his first being in 1978 with members of Necromandus using the name Blizzard of Ozz ). Blizzard of Ozz is the first of two studio albums Ozzy recorded with guitarist Randy Rhoads prior to Rhoads death in 1982. Blizzard of Ozz was a commercial success and was certified 4x Platinum in the U.S., (a feat Osbourne would again achieve with the release of No More Tears). The album has sold over 6,000,000 copies worldwide, making it Ozzys best-selling album to date. In the UK, it was the first of four Osbourne albums to attain Silver certification (60,000 units sold) by the British Phonographic Industry, achieving this in August 1981. It also ranked 13th on a Guitar World readers poll. Two tracks from the album, Crazy Train, and Mr Crowley, were also released as singles in 1980. Crazy Train went on to peak that year at number 9 on Billboards Top Tracks chart. Nearly 30 years later (January 2009) the song achieved 2.00x Multi-Platinum status. Crazy Train has become one of Osbournes signature songs and a staple of classic rock radio. Blizzard of Ozz was re-released in 2002 with the original bass and drum tracks removed and replaced by new recordings by Robert Trujillo and Mike Bordin; however the original bass and drum tracks were reinstated for the 2011 release. The release date[clarification needed], initially announced to be 31 May 2011, actually occurred on 11 October 2011. A box set featuring both re-issued albums, the Blizzard of Ozz/Diary of a Madman 30th Anniversary Deluxe Box Set, was released, featuring both CD re-issues, 180-gram LP Vinyl versions of both albums (original album only), the Thirty Years After the Blizzard DVD Documentary, over 70 minutes of additional rare live performances and interviews, a replica of Ozzys iconic cross, and a 2 sided poster. Chris Tsangarides was originally hired to produce the album, with Max Norman to serve as studio engineer. Osbourne and the band were very unhappy with Tsangarides production; Osbourne fired him and Norman stepped in to complete producing and engineering for the album. Normans production work on Blizzard of Ozz is uncredited, though he did produce all of Osbournes albums prior to The Ultimate Sin. youtube/watch?v=jut6H2EMMxs
Posted on: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 20:17:59 +0000
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