Blizzard of Ozz (Expanded Edition)

Excellent CD. Came in perfect condition

Ozzy Osbourne, BLIZZARD OF OZZ, Jet Records (CBS) vinyl Lp. Vinyl reissue of a 1980 Lp. Thick slab o' plastic, like from the '50s thick slab. My vinyl copy is whisper quiet with no playback issues on my Audio Technica ATPL-120 turntable.Curiosity got the better of me. From reading books about the '80s metal and censorship excesses, Tipper Gore's war on children's music, brainwashing paranoia, demons whispering backwards gibberish from vinyl grooves, and where better to start than with the Metal's R. M. Renfield's first two solo albums.Favorite tracks are "Crazy Train," "Suicide Solution," and "Mr. Crowley." I've played the album, both sides, now on multiple occasions and I still haven't detected any end-the-world brainwashing urges from the exposure. Frankly, I'm quite impressed with the album (fun) and still a happy guy.I was reading about and watching a PBS documentary about the Reno 1990 Judas Priest trial Dream Deceivers and came across references that the lawyers were connected with a like trials Brainwash: The Secret History of Mind Control , product liability farces, inspired by Tipper Gore's PMRC crusades. At the time metal albums were purportedly just slopping over with brainwashing and mind control messages leading record buyers (listeners) to cavort with Satanists, hold seances with the deceased, commune with "dark forces" by mental telepathy in the Himalayas, torture cats, play Dungeons & Dragons, use a Ouiji board, and succumb to the Occult. I have a bookcase shelf full of 1960s-1990s anti-rock books by Christian authors about the Satanic Panic, and went through them for Ozzy's backward masking allegations. While multiple books from the period lambaste Ozzy for his occult themes and bad taste forward, only one book, by John Muncy, THE ROLE OF ROCK (1989) The Role of Rock: Harmless Entertainment or Destructive Influence? , mentions a backward masking phrase, alleged from the second trial by the Institute for Bio-Acoustic Research, Steve Williamson. Tipper Gore's book, Raising PG Kids in an X Rated Society by Tipper Gore (1988-09-01) , mentions and applauds the first California trial.The album dates about August/September, 1980 in the UK (debut UK charts on 9/20/80); in the U.S. the Lp dates March/April, 1981, charting on both Billboard and Cash Box pop Lp charts in the middle of April, 1981. The US Lp earned an RIAA Gold Record Award on 7/31/81, and certified RIAA Platinum on 6/18/82 about a year later.

Not sure if its 180g. Bass does not seem to pump up, however this album is a masterclass though, a must have for ozzy / sabbath fans.

Very nice packaging. The heavyweight vinyl is dead flat. Very little surface noise and very nice. Sound quality. The remaster was done well.

At the end of the 70's things were looking pretty bleak for Ozzy Osborne. He had been kicked out of the band he had founded, Black Sabbath, and was having some major substance abuse problems. It appeared that his career might be finished. So it was a bit of a surprise when he emerged at the beginning of the decade with this album that would be come to be thought of as one of the great metal albums of it's time. The discovery of guitar wizard Randy Rhoads propelled Ozzy's music and lyrics to new heights enabling him to carve a new direction away from the more plodding heavy music that Black Sabbath had been making. Every track on this one is an Ozzy classic with many of them remaining concert staples to this day. The two leadoff singles "Crazy Train" and "I Don't Know" get as much airplay today, 30 years later, as they did back in the day. Along with the better known songs, the album contains one of my all time favorite Ozzy tracks in "Revelation (Mother Earth). Everything about this track is great including some incredible guitar work by Rhoads. For me it is a toss up between this one and "Diary Of A Madman" as to which is Ozzy's best work, but either way "Blizzard" managed to resurrect a career thought to be dead, and push Ozzy back into the limelight as one of the gods of heavy metal.

As many others have written here, this is the remastered original recording. It is not the 2002 "remix" that is missing the original bass and drum tracks from Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake. There is no substitute for the real thing.I own the original versions of Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman on CD. The original CD for Blizzard of Ozz is severely lacking in depth and clarity. Overall, it sounds washed out, especially the bass. The original CD for Diary of a Madman is quite a bit better, just not great. The best way to describe its sound is harsh, bordering on distorted. Both of the 1995 remasters, Blizzard of Ozz for this commentary, are worth buying even if you already own the originals. The sound of the remasters is smooth and clear with better depth, especially in terms of bringing out individual bass and drum notes. It's nothing miraculous by any stretch, since the original recordings are less than ideal, but it's well worth the money for anyone who loves the originals and wishes they sounded better.

Again another cracked cd case. This is about the 5th review on a cd I bought with a cracked case. Still I love ozzy, it's reasonbly priced and this is a must have for my cd/album collection. I would recommend this over and over and over again.