The shadow Black Sabbath cast over everything in its path after their ascension to the highest ground of rock royalty, eventually eclipsed the voice that powered it. Ozzy’s first solo record after his ouster was a blind pursuit to rise from that shadow. The history of rock n’ roll is full of lead singers trying to make a go of it without the band that propelled them to stardom. Whether the fracture was from ego, irreconcilable differences, or the hubris of the job, there aren’t many instances where the results were anything but a feeble attempt to capture glory faded.
Compelled to compete with his former band, and armed with a then unknown Randy Rhoads, Blizzard of Ozz would ultimately go platinum 5x and feature one of the greatest guitar tracks of all time, “Crazy Train.” More than metal, but most decidedly that, Ozzy expanded his range ever so slightly into the areas of prog-rock, performance art, and American rock primed for the arenas of the eighties. The record would lay the foundation for a career that continues in one form or another to this day. It would also be his most popular album, showcasing Ozzy’s undeniable frontman prowess and a sage grasp of what his Sabbath fans wanted to hear in addition to a crafted sound that grabbed a whole new audience.