The latter could so easily have been a cheesy Saxon-style bullet belt singalong, but is instead a heartfelt personal love song and pledge of commitment to rock'n'roll. The two stand out tracks are Flying High Again and You Can't Kill Rock n Roll. The songwriting and vocal delivery reminds me of Sabotage at times which is high praise. Ozzy sounds as good here as he ever has, and Randy Rhoads' guitars offer a sublime backdrop (as well as taking centre stage themselves). John Davidson: You can't judge a book by its cover (although I often do) and the same is true of music albums.ĭiary Of A Madman portrays Ozzy in pantomime horror make-up, giving the impression of equally daft and schlocky music. Then the outtro – when Rhoads' furious riff is accompanied by a chorus of spiritual voices that escort his very last performance on record to a bone-chilling end." ( Classic Rock Review (opens in new tab)) That traverses through a few haunting verses and a very haunting mid section. And what an eerie finish indeed, with the haunting title song. "This album is undoubtedly Rhoads' from start to finish. As far as unintentional swansongs go, though, nearly anybody could do a lot worse than Rhoads did with Diary Of A Madman, and the album's placement at the top of the Ozzy mountain is a fine testament to his short, great legacy." ( Metal Storm (opens in new tab)) "There is an understandably high amount of nostalgia for the first two releases, and questions of "What if?" will always surround his career. It's not uncommon to find fans who prefer Diary to Blizzard, since it sets an even more mystical, eerie mood, and since Rhoads' playing is progressing to an even higher level." ( AllMusic (opens in new tab)) “Am I just a crazy guy?” Osbourne sings."Even if parts of the album don't quite live up to the band's previous (and incredibly high) standards, they're by no means bad moreover, the production is fuller, and the instruments better recorded this time around. The guitarist’s astonishing dexterity and neoclassical leanings are on full display on the thunderous “You Can’t Kill Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Hearing how much Rhoads energized Osbourne’s own performances adds a surprising poignancy to Diary of a Madman’s potent blend of metal brio, pop immediacy, and cheeky malevolence. ![]() More tragically, this was Rhoads’ last studio recording with Osbourne before his accidental death in 1982. Under pressure to record a new album only a few months after the release of Blizzard of Ozz, Osbourne, guitarist Randy Rhoads, bassist Bob Daisley, and drummer Lee Kerslake rose to the occasion with a set that balanced the brute force of rockers such as “Over the Mountain” with the subtler likes of “Tonight,” Osbourne’s strongest ballad since Black Sabbath’s “Changes.” Yet Daisley and Kerslake were fired before the album’s release, resulting in them initially being denied credit for their contributions. Though Osbourne himself would fly high through the decade to come, Diary of a Madman marks the end of the band behind his initial solo success. It also set the pace for a new generation of hard-rock upstarts who were revitalizing the genre by ramping up the speeds and maximizing the hooks. Thanks to high-velocity standouts like “Flying High Again” and “Little Dolls,” Diary of a Madman proved Osbourne could compete with his ex-bandmates, who were having their own renaissance after recruiting Ronnie James Dio. ![]() Two years after his departure from Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne cemented his status as a heavy-metal superstar in his own right with this action-packed second solo effort.
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