Ozzmosis [Remastered] - Ozzy Osbourne

In my quest to open my mind to new genres of music, I have found myself veering towards rock, and more specifically, Ozzy Osbourne. Ozzy and his family are the flavour of the moment, and whilst I know who he is, I can not say that I have ever listened to his music. This album is the first Ozzy album I have listened to, so I can only judge it on it's own merits, and cannot compare it to any of the other albums he has released.

The ...
...expecting. The sound is very commercial, and actually more enjoyable than I ever dared to hope, and the guitar riffs are some of the best I have ever heard, and huge credit must go to Zakk Wyldde, but it is the brilliant bass line played by ex Black Sabbath member, the brilliantly named Geezer Butler, which made me sit up and listen, and they both carry on in the second track, 'I Just Want You', which I imagine is as close to a ballad as I am likely ... more

In my quest to open my mind to new genres of music, I have found myself veering towards rock, and more specifically, Ozzy Osbourne. Ozzy and his family are the flavour of the moment, and whilst I know who he is, I can not say that I have ever listened to his music. This album is the first Ozzy album I have listened to, so I can only judge it on it's own merits, and cannot compare it to any of the other albums he has released.

The first track 'Perry Mason' is much mellower than I was expecting. The sound is very commercial, and actually more enjoyable than I ever dared to hope, and the guitar riffs are some of the best I have ever heard, and huge credit must go to Zakk Wyldde, but it is the brilliant bass line played by ex Black Sabbath member, the brilliantly named Geezer Butler, which made me sit up and listen, and they both carry on in the second track, 'I Just Want You', which I imagine is as close to a ballad as I am likely to get from Ozzy. Ozzy's vocals are really strong on this track, and after the second listen it is even more enjoyable.

'Ghost Behind My Eyes' leans more towards ballad than rock, and although Ozzy does not have the best voice in the world, these tracks really make it sound strong, whilst the whole package of this song offers some light relief, as I am expecting the decibel level to rise at any minute, and 'Thunder Underground' seems like it is going to be the song to do it, as the opening guitar riffs threaten a big kick off, but gratefully, it never comes, and whilst this sing is certainly heavier, and full of big drums, it is not just noise, it is a well written and produced track.

'See You On The Other Side' starts off reminding me of a Simple Minds track, but I cannot pinpoint which one. I am really getting into this album now, and it has changed my view of Ozzy's music forever. I am actually starting to sing along with the choruses which is always a good sign. I start to wobble a bit, as the next song is heading more towards the type I was dreading. 'Tomorrow' sounds very much like the limited amount of Black Sabbath material I have ever had cause to listen to, and to be honest it is just too loud and too heavy for me.

'Denial' carries on in the same vein, with Ozzy's voice sounding quite demonic at times,and if I had to choose my least favourite track on the album it would be this one. 'My Little Man' may have been written about his son, I am not too sure, but lyrics like 'Wipe the tears from your tears, and if there's demons who try to take your breath away, you can be sure that my spirit will be standing by your side', sounds like a dead father talking to his son. It is a ballad with a harder edge, and my favourite track on the album.

'Mr Jekyll doesn't hide' is about Ozzy himself, and his alter egos. It is without question the loudest and proudest track on the album, but against my better judgement, I don't actually dislike it that much, and I think that is down to the brilliant guitar playing by Wylde, rather than the song as a whole package. The final track 'Old LA Tonight' features Rick Wakeman (ex Yes member), and it brings the album to a gentle end.

This album was released in 1995, and at the time a lot of people felt like Ozzy had jumped on the commercial music bandwagon, and I am inclined to agree, especially as I quite liked the album! Ozzy has a soft side, and it shows through on this album. I apologise to any Ozzy fans who feel that I have misrepresented his music, but this was how I saw it.
 

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