A One-Day Belated Happy U.S. Birthday to One of the Greatest Solo Albums of all Time

[Rick N. Backer]

Released on March 27, 1981, in the U.S.  This album, and its follow-up, Diary of A Madman, have basically served as the backbone of Ozzy's live sets for 43 years.

 

[goose]

Part of the soundtrack of my high school experience, I had every song memorized.  A perfect album.

[Rick N. Backer]

I was introduced to this album at around the same time I first heard Paranoid and Heaven and Hell.  I bought Diary on the day it was released.  All of those are still in heavy rotation.

 

And, "hawt take," Rhoads is the only guitarist who has ever given me pause when thinking about who the greatest of all time was.

[Principled Man]

"Shit...no one can play Crazy Train."

 

-- Said some schmuck who doubted my friend's ability to play it during his band's practice session.  We didn't hear much from him after my friend (a naturally gifted guitar player) played it.   

 

[My best memory of Ozzy's first album shortly after it was released]       

[Fridge]

4 hours ago, Principled Man said:

"Shit...no one can play Crazy Train."

 

-- Said some schmuck who doubted my friend's ability to play it during his band's practice session.  We didn't hear much from him after my friend (a naturally gifted guitar player) played it.   

 

[My best memory of Ozzy's first album shortly after it was released]       

Without boasting it's actually considerably easier than it sounds.

[Principled Man]

5 minutes ago, Fridge said:

Without boasting it's actually considerably easier than it sounds.

 

It's happened again and again over the decades. 

When a hot guitarist becomes world famous, fans worship him and create the mystique of "Nobody can play like HE can!".... but then we see a whole new generation of guitar players who can play like he can.....  

 

 

 

[Rick N. Backer]

12 minutes ago, Fridge said:

Without boasting it's actually considerably easier than it sounds.

But, as I've said many times about Eruption, you can find a kid in Guitar World who can play it.  Creating it is a different story.

[laughedatbytime]

I actually like Diary slightly more than Blizzard.   But I realize that's a minority opinion.  More importantly,  I can see why someone might have that opinion.  

[1-0-0-1-0-0-1]

3 hours ago, Fridge said:

Without boasting it's actually considerably easier than it sounds.

 

3 hours ago, Rick N. Backer said:

But, as I've said many times about Eruption, you can find a kid in Guitar World who can play it.  Creating it is a different story.

 

This.

 

There are hundreds of very talented guitar players on YouTube and Instagram who, from their living rooms, can play face-melting solos with sweep picking and harmonics and tapping, etc. Lots of impressive technique out there. But are they creating the next big thing that will shape the next generation of players? Probably not. Eruption changed the landscape not because of speed and tricks -- though it certainly had those -- but because it contained musical phrases that stuck in your head, even if you weren't a guitar player. It was loud, aggressive, fast, but it was also a musically interesting composition, and that's saying a lot for an unaccompanied rock guitar solo.

 

Randy Rhoads' solos were impressive for the same reasons, and he double-tracked them in the studio, which is part of the signature Randy sound.

[Principled Man]

2 hours ago, laughedatbytime said:

I actually like Diary slightly more than Blizzard.   But I realize that's a minority opinion.  

 

I also like Diary of A Madman more.  My opinion is the majority.  One vote for me and no votes for anyone else!   

[Timbale]

16 hours ago, Principled Man said:

 

It's happened again and again over the decades. 

When a hot guitarist becomes world famous, fans worship him and create the mystique of "Nobody can play like HE can!".... but then we see a whole new generation of guitar players who can play like he can.....  

 

 

 

This can also easily be applied to Neil Peart - he does flashy things that a legion of worshipers say "NOBODY can do that stuff!!" - when it's really his choices, not his technique, that make him special.  Of course his technique is good...but it's not otherworldly - loads of drummers play at his level of ability.

[Principled Man]

1 hour ago, Timbale said:

This can also easily be applied to Neil Peart - he does flashy things that a legion of worshipers say "NOBODY can do that stuff!!" - when it's really his choices, not his technique, that make him special.  Of course his technique is good...but it's not otherworldly - loads of drummers play at his level of ability.

 

Indeed....we can apply it to any famous musician.  Jimi Hendrix may be the best example of them all.  He's been on a pedestal for 50 years.  Fans and the media have created a quasi-religious doctrine around him.     

[Turbine Freight]

19 hours ago, Rick N. Backer said:

But, as I've said many times about Eruption, you can find a kid in Guitar World who can play it.  Creating it is a different story.