Any fan of Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, or heavy metal knows all about Blizzard Of Ozz. Released in 1980, the record was Ozzy Osbourne’s very first studio album as a solo following his very infamous firing from Black Sabbath the previous year. It’s a heavy metal delight that received quite favorable reviews upon its release. The album boasted some of Ozzy’s most enduring hits, from “Crazy Train” to “Mr. Crowley”.
And believe it or not, Blizzard Of Ozz wasn’t supposed to be a record. It was supposed to be a heavy metal supergroup.
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Blizzard Of Ozz made a fine album, but it was meant to be a supergroup. This first project after departing from Black Sabbath was meant to be Ozzy’s new band. And, judging by the people credited on the album, it’s hard to argue that Blizzard Of Ozz was meant to be anything other than a supergroup.
Blizzard of Ozz Was Meant To Be a Supergroup Made up of Heavy Metal’s Finest
Ozzy got several people involved for the record. The late great Randy Rhoads of Quiet Riot played guitar, Lee Kerslake of Uriah Heep played drums and other percussion, Don Airey of Rainbow took on the keyboard duties, and Bob Daisley of Rainbow (who would later be known for his prominent work with Ozzy Osbourne) played bass and the gong, along with lyrical contributions.
So, what happened? Why was Blizzard Of Ozz never promoted as a supergroup, but rather as an album by Ozzy Osbourne? The story goes that early on, the band was indeed promoted as a group, rather than Ozzy and company. There are old press photos floating around the internet from the band’s early days that confirm this.
However, Jet Records had other plans. They wanted to capitalize on Ozzy’s popularity and his recent, somewhat controversial departure from Black Sabbath. So, they credited the supergroup’s first album to Ozzy and used the band name as the album’s title.
“When the album was released the words ‘Ozzy Osbourne’ were in bigger print than ‘The Blizzard of Ozz’ which made it look like an Ozzy Osbourne album called ‘The Blizzard Of Ozz’,” said Daisley. “Randy [Rhoads] was never one to rock the boat. He knew he was in a situation which was a good opportunity for him being relatively unknown, so when Lee [Kerslake] and I were ousted, Randy had no allies and the act became ‘Ozzy Osbourne’ and no longer a band.”
The situation was a bit unfair, as Rhoads and Daisley contributed much of the group’s songwriting. Still, the album was killer, and a fond way to remember many of the members of the band who have since passed on.
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