Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman

The second album of Ozzy Osbourne's solo career, Diary of a Madman was his last to feature the talents of guitarist Randy Rhodes, who died in a plane crash soon after the disc's release. While it's not as furious as Osbourne's first solo album, Blizzard of Ozz, it still captures Ozzy's maniacal glory. Highlights include "Over the Mountain" and the kinetic "Flying High Again," which benefit as much from Rhodes's blistering musicianship as from Ozzy's heavy, melodic songwriting. Some of the disc is burdened with overly sappy passages and obligatory ballads, but overall, Diary of a Madman is required listening for the well-heeled metalhead. The 2002 remastered reissue includes the bonus B-side, "Flying High Again" single, a live version of "I Don't Know." Following a spat between band members, the parts played originally by bassist Bob Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake have been recorded over.I>--Jon Wiederhorn Amazon.com

 If It Ain't Broke Don't Fix It
I must agree with other reviewers on this version. This is a great ablum but the remastered version is just terrible. Robert Trujillo and Mike Bordin just don't muster up to what had been performed by Bob Daisly and Lee Kerslake: not by a long shot. The drums are virtually mute and the bass is too loud. Whatever moneys they might want in royalties, Ozzy should just pay up and give us what was before, not this re-doctored crap. Don' buy this version and get the original with Daisly's and Kerslake's tracks if you can.

This is just false advertisement taking Ozzy fans for suckers and nothing more. To all fans world wide who feel they've been ripped off by this terrible remix labeled 'remastered' and who want to send a message to the music industry to stop taking us for idiots, I would suggest filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (F.T.C.) at www.ftc.gov reporting such sales tactics as being false advertisement in violation of U.S. Federal law. They will investigate it and, given the fact that there is no indication that this album is really a remix of new tracks until you buy it and look inside for the details, they will probably fine Ozzy and the label more than what it would have cost them to pay Bob Daisly and Lee Kerslake their royalties.

Otherwise, this is pretty much the best of the collaboration between Rhoads and Ozzy. A five-star album with excellent lyrics and great mucial arrangements that were much more thought out than those in Blizzard. April 3, 2008

 DO NOT BUY THIS CD
I saw Ozzy on both his Blizzard of Oz tour and his Diary of a Madman tour. I bought both albums when they were brand new. The biggest mistake Ozzy made in his solo career was getting ride of Bob Daisly and Lee Kerslake. That was until Sharon and he made these awful remasters. Go to a record store and buy used copies of the originals. It is amazing what greed can do to rich people. Ozzy should be ashamed of this. It was bad enough when he (and Sharon) put pictures of his new band on the original album sleve but to not even put the real music on the cd reisue is a bad joke. This is a 5 star ripoff of a great album. And I mean 5 star in a very bad way. February 26, 2008

 Re-recording is not the same as "remaster."
God, what an ugly move. What an AWFUL move to have bass parts and drum parts re-recorded in 2001, because you refuse to pay royalties to the original performers.

The bottom line is you DON'T mess with a classic recording such as this. The energy and original tightness of this landmark metal album is absolutely destroyed with the re-recording of the bass guitar and drums by Robert Trujillo and Mike Bordin.

In Trujillo's and Bordin's defense, they're great players..... on FAITH NO MORE and SUICIDAL TENDENCIES albums..... know what I mean?

Apparently, the original players, Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake were bugging Ozzy for royalties due. Ozzy didn't want to pay up, or Sharon stepped in, or something.... but Robert and Mike were asked to record over the original bass parts and drum parts.

If I were Mike (I am mainly a drummer), I wouldn't even CONSIDER having my parts over the originals. No matter WHAT Ozzy would be paying. It's not worth messing with such brilliance. Talk about bad musical karma!

And if I were Robert.... man, that guy is all about the funky bass playing. He excels at slap bass, and his work with Suicidal Tendencies and Infectious Grooves proves this constantly. But bringing him in to play bass like it was the early 80s? Sorry, Robert, you fall completely flat on your face.

The re-recordings are an absolute vomit-inducing travesty to listen to. When I found out these songs had those parts re-recorded in 2002, I gave them a listen. 45 seconds into "Over The Mountain" and I immediately hit stop on the CD player, hit eject, and threw the damn thing across the record store I worked at, at the time. The recordings made me sick. Literally.

Your best bet, as a diehard fan, is to pick up the 1995 remaster (with the huge OZZY letters on the front, and tiny album artwork in the center), or better yet, find the original CD releases from the 80s. They're not too hard to find. Just make sure you avoid that 2002 copyright date, and the "Extra tracks".... they're a dead giveaway that it is the re-recording.

Don't support the destruction of musical genius. At the very core, the playing by Robert and Mike is SLOPPY. It's probably not their fault. It's not easy to play along to only Ozzy's singing and Randy's guitar parts, even if there's a click track inserted to play along to.

For the drummers and bassists out there: have you ever played along to a record, with headphones? You're never completely tight. It's hard to play along to stuff like that... it's never tight like a band practice or when you go into the studio and ALL PLAY TOGETHER.

I've made my point... get the 1995 remaster or the original CD (or vinyl). Hear the songs as they were meant to be heard, in their original context and performances.

Long live Ozzy-fronted Sabbath, and the original (unaltered) recordings of Ozzy solo.

July 30, 2007

 Review for 2002 remaster
Most of the other reviewers have covered the topic of the remaster. Why write another review? Well, in my opinion there is no such thing as too many one stars for this abomination.

In case you haven't read the many other reviews, the story is that because the original rhythm section sued Ozzy for (allegedly) unpaid royalties and credits, Ozzy's camp decided to re-record brand new bass and drum tracks and mix those tracks with the original Randy/Ozzy guitar and vocal tracks. The finished product is the deservedly maligned 2002 remaster.

This is another item on the list of many small and petty acts by Ozzy's camp that really make it hard to be a fan some times. I am standing by my vow to never attend an Ozzfest again after attending a show where Sharon Osbourne had people in her road crew throw eggs at Ozzy's opener because she felt they were being unfair to Ozzy in the press. This is a prime example of how the Osborne camp reacts to situations like this. Deal with it in a public way, without any regard for the fans. Never mind the fans who paid over eighty dollars to see a particularly loved opening band (Iron Maiden) without having their set sabotaged. Never mind the fans who have heard "Blizzard of Ozz" and "Diary of a Madman" for 20 years with an iconic rhythm section of Daisley and Kerslake. This is odd behavior considering how much Ozzy, at times, seems to genuinely appreciate his fans. (Note: many soley blame Sharon, but I have no evidence for that; and find it hard to believe that Ozzy would be "blissfully ignorant" while Sharon replaced half the musicians on two classic albums.)

Now, do not get me wrong. Bordin and Trujillo are amazing players in their own right. Faith No More and Suicidal Tendencies are, and always will be, two of my absolutely favorite bands. My jaw still drops open at Trujillo's amazing funk-metal on the Infectious Grooves albums. His bass playing is one of the few things on those albums that ages well. Bordin's amazing drumming that varied from jazzy rhythms to death metal is part of what made Faith No More so influential and iconic.

Also let it be said that Daisley and Kerslake are not Geezer Butler and Bill Ward. Though incredible musicians, they are not as complex writers as some other who have played with Ozzy . I have read other reviews where people ask: If this is true, then why get so worked up over it? I mean, these are Ozzy's and Randy's albums, right? Why get so bothered when their recordings are getting replaced by people who, one could argue, are better artists?

Well, I have three reasons for my opinion against those arguments. First, D & K's simpler playing is a piece of what makes those albums work so well. To put it another way, Robert Trujillo would never, ever come up with so simple (and yet so blissfully memorable) a bass line as "Believer". I have been following Robert's work for many years and say that with deep confidence. On that same note, I can't imagine Bordin coming up with the iconic beats that open "Over the Mountain". If you can get a copy of the original version of "Blizzard", listen to "Steal Away (The Night)" and hear how Daisley and Kerslake hold back, allowing Randy to shine.

It's one thing to be a complex musician. It's quite another thing for a rhythm section to know when to hold back and give some space in order to serve the song better. Some refer to this talent as "knowing when NOT to play". This is the approach taken on "Blizzard". Later, on "Diary", it is amazing to hear Daisley and Kerslake introduce a little more complexity into their songwriting. A complexity that compliments, rather than counters, Randy. They give him more to work with. Hearing those two albums back to back, one can literally hear the growth of not only those two musicians, but of the entire band. This gets to my second reason for not liking the remasters. This band wrote and grew together. With the remasters the listener is denied the ability to hear musical growth happen as a complete band. The original masters act like aural snapshot for the time these recordings were made. It is a piece of musical history that should be preserved.

My final reason for not liking the remasters is simple. Giving credit where credit is due. No one but the band can know how involved Daisley and Kerslake were in the writing of this albums. Regardless, we all know they played on the album, and deserve the respect of having their contributions heard.
July 21, 2007

 You Can't Kill Rock And Roll
Maybe one of the craziest albums in the world...the master of hard rock, Ozzy Osbourne released in 1981 his second solo album called Diary of a Madman. The titles already tell that there cannot be the most healthiest action in this album. "Little Dolls", "Diary of a Madman", "S.A.T.O.", "Believer", "Over the Mountain" are the sickest tracks I have ever heard from Ozzy. They competite with the tracks like "Suicide Solution", "Mr. Crowley" from the first album "Blizzard of Ozz". "Tonight" is a peaceful ballad but the lyrics are quite satanist...at least in the end of the song. It is great that Ozzy has some good upbeat songs like "Over the Mountain", "S.A.T.O.", and "Flying High Again", and great doom metal songs "Believer" and "Diary of a Madman". "You Can't Kill Rock And Roll" is quite pride and rebellious. It was once my favourite songs.
Stars: Diary of a Madman, Over the Mountain, Flying High Again July 11, 2007

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