Ozzy Osbourne

Blizzard of Ozz

Bring Back the Remaster of the REAL "Blizzard of Ozz"

Review Score:

(2/10)
Ozzy Osbourne should be ashamed of this release because he has edited out the original drum and bass tracks and had them re-recorded, making this an entirely different album than the one released over 20 years ago. What he did could be justified if the original rhythm duo's performances were awful or if there was some other problem with the original recording. But that is not why Ozzy has done this. The changes have nothing to do with quality -- instead, they're because of petty personal differences with Lee Kerslake and Bob Daisley, the original musicians.

Some background: After firing Kerslake and Daisley in 1981 because they were too fat and thus looked like pirates (I'm not making that up), Ozzy Osbourne ended up in a royalties dispute with them. After settling with the record company in the mid '80s, Kerslake and Daisley sued Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne in 1998. So what did the Osbournes do? They responded by deleting Kerslake and Daisley from the first two Ozzy Osbourne solo albums -- just to spite them! (Way to put the fans first! )Therefore, even if the performances were better on the new version (which is not the case, really), it should be rejected on principle.

I have a copy of the original pressing, and I wish that I could replace it with a shiny new remastered version; mine sounds tinny and empty compared with newer CD recordings. Such a remastered edition was released in 1995, but it is of course now out of print. Therefore, I would advise you to do what you can to find a copy of the 1995 version. And if you cannot, I'd even recommend buying a used copy of the original CD pressing instead of this one. Ozzy Osbourne does not deserve a royalty for what he's done, and a used one will be cheaper for you, anyway.

More Reviews: