Ozzy Osbourne – Blizzard of Ozz (1980/2014) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Ozzy Osbourne – Blizzard of Ozz (1980/2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 50:49 minutes | 1,10 GB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Epic/Legacy

Blizzard of Ozz is Ozzy Osbourne’s debut solo album. The record was originally released in 1980, a year after the heavy metal vocalist was dismissed from Black Sabbath. The record had major commercial success, was certified 4x Platinum in the U.S. The single “Crazy Train” peaked at number 9 on Billboard’s track list and has since become one of Osbourne’s signature songs.

Ozzy Osbourne’s 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. 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. 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.

Tracklist:
01. Ozzy Osbourne – I Don’t Know (Remastered Original Recording) (05:17)
02. Ozzy Osbourne – Crazy Train (Remastered Original Recording) (04:56)
03. Ozzy Osbourne – Goodbye To Romance (Remastered Original Recording) (05:35)
04. Ozzy Osbourne – Dee (Remastered Original Recording) (00:49)
05. Ozzy Osbourne – Suicide Solution (Remastered Original Recording) (04:19)
06. Ozzy Osbourne – Mr. Crowley (Remastered Original Recording) (05:02)
07. Ozzy Osbourne – No Bone Movies (Remastered Original Recording) (03:52)
08. Ozzy Osbourne – Revelation (Mother Earth) (Remastered Original Recording) (06:09)
09. Ozzy Osbourne – Steal Away (The Night) (Remastered Original Recording) (03:30)
10. Ozzy Osbourne – You Looking At Me, Looking At You (Non-LP B-Side) (04:14)
11. Ozzy Osbourne – Goodbye To Romance (2010 Guitar & Vocal Mix) (05:47)
12. Ozzy Osbourne – RR (Outtake From “Blizzard Of Ozz” Sessions) (01:14)

Personnel:
Ozzy Osbourne – lead vocals, backing vocals
Randy Rhoads – guitars
Bob Daisley – bass, backing vocals, gongs
Lee Kerslake – drums, percussion, tubular bells, timpani
Don Airey – keyboards

Producers: Ozzy Osbourne, Randy Rhoads, Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake
Recording engineer: Max Norman

Download: