Diary of a Madman [Bonus Track] [Remaster] (CD - 1981)

Personnel: Ozzy Osbourne (vocals); Randy Rhoads (guitar); Bob Daisley, Robert Trujillo (bass); Lee Kerslake, Mike Bordin (drums); Danny Saber (bells).

Producers: Ozzy Osbourne, Randy Rhoads, Max Norman.

Engineers: Max Norman, Thom Panunzio, Herman Villacota.

Includes liner notes by Phil Alexander.

Digitally remastered by Stephen Marcussen (Marcussen Mastering).

Personnel: Ozzy Osbourne (vocals); Randy Rhoads (guitar); Lee Kerslake, Mike Bordin (drums); Danny Saber (tubular bells).

Audio Remasterer: Stephen Marcussen.

Audio Remixers: German Villacorta; Thom Panunzio.

Liner Note Author: Phil Alexander.

Recording information: Ridge Farm Studios.

Photographers: Mark Weiss; Greg Maston; Neal Preston; Tony Harrison; Fin Costello.

Released three years after his departure from Black Sabbath, DIARY is Ozzy's second solo album. A true metal masterpiece, the record features Randy Rhoads (previously in Quiet Riot). DIARY and its successors showed that Ozzy could not only make it on his own, but exceed his former bandmates in popularity.

"Over The Mountain" rumbles in and features the often imitated-never duplicated soloing of Randy Rhoads. The man is arguably the most influential guitarist in heavy rock besides Eddie Van Halen. "Flying High Again" follows, and is Ozzy's ode to non-stop partying. "Tonight" is a wonderful ballad, showing Randy's tasteful restraint. "S.A.T.O." is vintage Osbourne, with metal riffage only he can deliver. The title track begins with beautiful electric and acoustic guitar overdubs, and concludes the record with bombast. It is clear the Ozzman is at his peak on this album. Ozzy will never be considered a "singer's singer," and his penchant for biting the heads off live animals may overshadow his musical abilities. But albums like DIARY show why he will forever be the Godfather of Heavy Metal.

Ozzy Osbourne's second solo album, Diary of a Madman, its title drawn from a book by occultist Alistair Crowley, was recorded at the same spring 1980 sessions that produced his first one, Blizzard of Ozz, and also featured his Blizzard of Ozz band, consisting of guitarist Randy Rhoads, bassist Bob Daisley, and drummer Lee Kerslake. It would be fair to say that the best tracks from the sessions were chosen for the first album, since the songs here were much less distinctive. Blizzard of Ozz told a story of despair and redemption in personal terms for Osbourne, but Diary of a Madman, despite allusions here and there to the same sort of subject matter, was far more generic, at least as far as lyrics went. Nevertheless, Rhoads continued to impress with his gothic guitar playing, and the band jelled as well as it had the first time around. This reissue, released just over 20 years after the original LP, has been spiffed up considerably. Osbourne has replaced the bass and drum tracks with overdubs by his later bandmates Robert Trujillo and Mike Bordin, and the whole disc has been remixed and remastered. The bonus track is a live version of "I Don't Know," the lead song from Blizzard of Ozz, which was released originally as the non-LP B-side of the single "Flying High Again" in 1981. Despite the refurbishing, the new Diary of a Madman still isn't as impressive an album as its predecessor (which underwent much the same process for a reissue released on the same day). But fans who love Blizzard of Ozz still will like Diary of a Madman. ~ William Ruhlmann minimize