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Ralph Viera (Dr.Fukk) from the band Thrash Or Die(http://www.facebook.com/thrashordie.fl) reviews the Ozzy Osbourne discography. Blizzard of Ozz is the first solo studio album by British singer/songwriter Ozzy Osbourne, recorded in Surrey, UK and released on September 20, 1980 in the UK and on March 27, 1981 in the U.S.. It is the comeback album of Osbourne following his firing from Black Sabbath previous year. It also is the first of two studio albums he recorded with guitarist Randy Rhoads prior to Rhoads' death. Blizzard of Ozz was a commercial success and was certified 4x Platinum in the U.S., (a feat Osbourne would again achieve with the release of No More Tears). Blizzard Of Ozz is one of very few albums to achieve such certification without the benefit of a Top 40 single. The album has sold over 6,000,000 copies worldwide, making it Ozzy's best-selling album to date. In the UK, it was the first of four Osbourne albums to attain Silver certification (60,000 units sold) by the British Phonographic Industry, achieving this in August 1981. It also ranked 13th on a Guitar World readers poll.

The tracks "Crazy Train", and "Mr Crowley" were released as singles. The former peaked at #9 on Billboard's Top Tracks chart and has remained a staple of pop, hard rock and classic rock radio for more than 25 years.[citation needed] Blizzard of Ozz was re-released in 2002 with the original bass and drum tracks, recorded by Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake, respectively, removed and replaced by new recordings by Robert Trujillo and Mike Bordin.

In 2010, Sony announced new re-releases of Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman, featuring Randy Rhoads, with the original bass and drum tracks restored. These are 2 disc Deluxe 30th Anniversary Editions with demos, rarities and previously unreleased live material. A limited Super Deluxe Edition of Blizzard of Ozz will be released in the U.K. only and features a newly designed DVD sized Digipak case with the 2 CD's, a 65 minute DVD featuring never-before-seen live concert footage & interviews with Ozzy and the band, 3 Fender guitar picks, stickers, a faux invitation to the resurrection of Aleister Crowley and an 18 cm by 12 cm glossy 58-page booklet. The release date had been delayed [3], but was later announced to be 31 May 2011.[4] A box set featuring both re-issued albums, the Blizzard of Ozz/Diary of a Madman 30th Anniversary Deluxe Box Set, will also be released, featuring both CD re-issues, 180-gram LP Vinyl versions of both albums (original album only), the "Thirty Years After The Blizzard" DVD Documentary, over 70 minutes of additional rare live performances and interviews, a replica of Ozzy's iconic cross, and a 2 sided poster.
The song "Suicide Solution" has been criticized for its lyrics that allegedly encouraged suicide, and was alleged to be a direct cause in the October 1984 suicide of John McCollum, a nineteen year-old fan who shot himself while listening to Osbourne's records. The boy's parents sued Osbourne and CBS Records for "encouraging self-destructive behavior" in young persons who were "especially susceptible" to dangerous influences (McCollum et al. v. CBS, Inc., et al.). In his defense, Osbourne said that the song was really about the death of AC/DC vocalist Bon Scott, who perished due to alcohol-related causes just months before Blizzard of Ozz was released. Bassist Bob Daisley, however, contradicts this, claiming that he wrote the song about Osbourne's abuse of alcohol and drugs.[6] The McCollums' complaint was dismissed on the grounds that the First Amendment protected Osbourne's right to free artistic expression.

In 1986, Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake sued Osbourne for unpaid royalties, eventually winning songwriting credits on Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman. The 2002 reissues of these albums saw the replacement of the original bass and drum tracks of Daisley and Kerslake with new ones by Osbourne's then-current drummer Mike Bordin and bassist Robert Trujillo. Osbourne's wife and manager, Sharon, explained the re-recordings in a press conference: "Because of Daisley and Kerslake's abusive and unjust behaviour, Ozzy wanted to remove them from these recordings. We turned a negative into a positive by adding a fresh sound to the original albums." Daisley and Kerslake denied the allegations of abusive behaviour and continued to battle for royalties for their work on Blizzard of Ozz, but their case was dismissed by the US Supreme court on May 3, 2004, putting an end to any future potential litigation on the matter.[citation needed] However Ozzy states in his new autobiography that he felt sorry for removing Daisley's and Kerslake's tracks from the album and he did include he had nothing to do either with the removing or the re-recording process. Many fans have criticized the 2002 reissues and consider them to be unlistenable.