There have been lots of high points in the lengthy career of Ozzy Osbourne but regarding his output as a solo artist fans will almost universally point to his first two releases, Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman as his finest recorded works.
These are coincidentally the albums on which Randy Rhoads played; the chemistry that the late guitar wiz-kid had with Osbourne both as a player and a writer (Rhoads had a hand in writing every song on both albums) has never since been equaled.
With that in mind, the bonus material appended to these reissues is all from the all-too-brief Rhoads era. Blizzard of Ozz includes only three bonus tracks; the non-LP B-side "You Looking at Me, Looking at You," a remix of the slow ballad "Goodbye to Romance" featuring just Ozzy singing and Randy playing and a short instrumental solo from Rhoads, never before released, called "RR."
Diary of a Madman however is a double-disc offering that includes Ozzy Live; eleven cuts captured live during the Blizzard of Ozz tour. All the radio hits from both albums are on Ozzy Live; "I Don't Know," "Crazy Train," "Mr. Crowley" and "Flying High Again" to name a few but the last half of the set really rocks as the band plays 8-minute versions of "Steal Away (The Night)" and "Suicide Solution" before closing with the Black Sabbath trifecta "Iron Man," "Children of the Grave" and "Paranoid."
Those who really want to add an Ozzy collectible to their stash will want to pick up the Blizzard of Ozz/Diary of a Madman: 30th Anniversary Collector's Edition box set; it contains both of the albums, the Thirty Years After the Blizzard DVD where Ozzy reminisces that also includes live footage featuring Rhoads, a poster, an 100-page coffee table-style book and even a full-size replica of the gold cross that Ozzy has worn for over 30 years.
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Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman: 30th Anniversary Editions
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