An ambitious, six-minute epic, that ends the album in grand styleĪll of this would be over-shadowed by what happened next, but 40 years on, the music remains.ĭiary Of A Madman is the sound of a timebomb ticking, the crazy train coming off the rails – and of a band at the peak of its powers. In between there was the menacing Believer, power ballad Tonight, the voodoo symbolism of Little Dolls, and the mysterious, riffy, SATO.Īnd then there was the album closer: Diary Of A Madman. If You Can’t Kill Rock ‘N’ Roll showed a softer side to the band, the lyrics were no less heavy, as Ozzy and Bob Daisley took aim at what they saw as the lies of the music business. You don't need a ticket to fly with me, I'm free, yeah" "I heard them tell me that this land of dreams was nowĭon't need no astrology, it's inside of you and me The guitar solo by Randy Rhoads, meanwhile, was like a gauntlet being thrown down to the guitar players of the 80s.Īlbum opener, and the second single from the album, Over The Mountain sounded heavy but came with a positive message about finding the magic in yourself. “Daddy thinks I'm lazy he don't understand On one hand, the song seemed like another of Ozzy’s drug anthems – and throughout this time he was indeed being 'a bad, bad boy' – but it could also be seen as a triumphant two fingers to everyone who had written him off. The title of the first single from the album said it all: he was Flying High Again. Ozzy was no longer in the shadow of Black Sabbath, but a solo star in his own right. Ozzy’d had the Diary Of A Madman idea in the back of his mind for years, a loose concept that came from the madness in his life, and a genuine fear that he was losing his mind.Īfter months of touring, the band were on fire, and with all four band members contributing to the songwriting, the album came together quickly.
Less than a year after they recorded Blizzard, the band were back at Ridge Farm studios to record the follow up: Diary of A Madman. By the time they’d finished, Blizzard of Ozz had sold a million copies and Guitar Player magazine voted Randy Rhoads Best New Talent of 1981. When it came out in the states the following year, it went to 21 in the Billboard charts, while standout single, Crazy Train, went to no.9. Released in September 1980 in the UK, it went to number 7 in the charts.
He was a little guy who had a thing for polka dots and played in an upcoming band called Quiet Riot. He was called Randall William Rhoads, known to the world as Randy Rhoads, one of the greatest guitar players of all time.ĭebut album Blizzard of Ozz was recorded at Ridge Farm Studios in England. In London, Ozzy met Bob Daisley, the bass player for Rainbow. They auditioned drummers and settled on Uriah Heep’s Lee Kerslake. Finally, they flew out a guitar player Ozzy had met in LA. “Once she was in the picture, things got rolling, y’know? Sharon absolutely deserves credit for getting that album out of me.” “One morning, Sharon just came round and told me: ‘Get your shit together. Sharon Arden, the daughter of Don Arden, Black Sabbath’s manager, convinced him to put a band together and offered to become his manager. I just got fucked up every day for three fucking months. “I really did think: ‘This is the fucking end for me,’” he admitted to Classic Rock, decades later. Fired from Black Sabbath, his marriage falling apart, some people said that Ozzy’s career was over. The story of Diary Of A Madman really began back in April 1979.
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