“Blizzard of Ozz” is the debut solo album from Black Sabbath founding member and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. Released to the U.S. in March of 1981, “Blizzard of Ozz” is the first of two albums Osbourne recorded alongside legendary guitarist Randy Rhodes before his death in 1982. The album is a high energy departure from Ozzy’s previous work with Black Sabbath, who are critically regarded as the first heavy metal band. With soaring guitar riffs and keyboard laden choruses, the album’s mainstream appeal and (mostly) radio friendly singles are stark contrasts from Sabbath’s established canon of dark and dreary subject matter…with one exception. Ozzy’s controversial track “Suicide Solution,” which he wrote after the death of his friend and original AC/DC vocalist Bon Scott, was cited as “encouraging self-destructive behavior” and used as primary evidence in a class action suit brought against Osbourne’s record label from grieving parents in the court case McCollum et al. v. CBS Inc., et al. As with many high-profile obscenity cases brought against musical artists before the RIAA’s eventual establishment of “Parental Warning” labels, Osbourne’s freedom of speech and artistic expression ultimately prevailed and “Blizzard of Ozz” (black sticker intact) returned to store shelves and went on to be certified five times platinum. Melt your ears with Ozzy and Rhode’s momentous collaborations on tracks like “I Don’t Know,” “Mr. Crowley,” and everyone’s air guitar go-to “Crazy Train” by streaming the 40th Anniversary now on Spotify!
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