Ozzy Osbourne Bark at the Moon Origins Of Masterpiece Album Soundboard Edition

“Howl at the Moon,” the masterpiece that pioneered a new era of heavy metal sound with Jake E. Lee’s solid guitar, is now available in this ultimate four-disc set, featuring all of these treasured versions. This set permanently preserves three versions of “Howl at the Moon” and related studio demos. This is the ultimate definitive collection, offering a complete collection of rare studio recordings of this masterpiece. More than just a collection of rare tracks, each disc has its own unique concept, allowing you to enjoy each as a musical work of art. Let’s take a look at each disc individually. DISC 1: UK First Press LP + First Press UK LP, Preserving the UK Single Master Sound to the Present Day. First up is the original “Howl at the Moon,” a direct transfer from the extremely rare UK first pressing LP, EPC 25739 Blue Lettering. (Some may find it odd that we start with “Rock ‘N’ Roll Rebel,” but this was the track order on the UK release.) It is inevitable that historic masterpieces demand the ultimate sound. The desire for superior sound has led to various approaches, including modern remastering and high-quality CDs. One guiding principle is the “sound of the original master tape.” This is the original sound of the album, as it was created, rather than the processed sound of remastering. The UK first pressing LP has preserved this sound for over 40 years. This release is a masterpiece digitized from a mint-quality version. Indeed, the sound is rich and natural. The more you listen, the more you appreciate the density and intricate detail. At first glance, modern remastering feels powerful, but its three-dimensionality is actually a result of post-processing. The emphasis on creating a sense of width often results in the loss of subtle vibes and distortion in the bass. However, the UK first pressing LP is completely different. Every note remains clear from the moment it begins to fade, and the subtle details blend together to create a three-dimensional sound. This disc closely captures the “master sound” that the band and engineers heard in the studio. Bonus UK single included. Despite the peak sound of “Howl at the Moon,” the UK release differed from the North American and Japanese versions. Not only was the track order different, but “Spiders” replaced “Slow Down” (incidentally, “Forever” is actually “Centre of Eternity,” but the content is the same). Furthermore, “Slow Down,” which was not included on the album, and the rare track “One Up The ‘B’ Side” were released as B-sides on the single “Bark At The Moon.” This release includes additional tracks digitized from the UK single “Bark At The Moon” (EPC TA 3915), permanently preserving all the tracks from the “Howl at the Moon” sessions in the ultimate analog sound. Disc 2: Rough Mix Album Distributed by Associates. Disc 2 goes even further back in time with the rough mix version of “Howl at the Moon.” This treasure was distributed to associates prior to the album’s release. The opening track also features Ozzy Osbourne’s voiceover, discussing the project. Here’s my translation: “Hey, this is Ozzy Osbourne. First off, let me tell you how happy we all are to be working with you. I’ve sent you a sample of my new album, ‘BARK AT THE MOON.’ Remember, this isn’t the final version; it’s a rough mix. I hope you like it. Buy me a drink. I look forward to seeing you again soon. God bless you. Thank you.” The content of the recording also bears out these words. While the sound quality rivals the final version, the content is clearly different. For example, the opening track “Rock ‘N’ Roll Rebel” has completely different vocals, and “Bark At The Moon” lacks a guitar solo. “You’re No Different,” which faded out in the final version, still has a coda, and “Forever (Centre Of Eternity)” is just an instrumental backing track. Furthermore, each track features fewer effects, allowing for a more raw, “Howl at the Moon” sound than the final version. This rough mix includes all the album tracks, as well as the single tracks “One Up The ‘B’ Side” and “Slow Down” (both of which are instrumentals, presumably before vocals were added). Like Disc 1, this release features alternate versions of all the tracks from the “Howl at the Moon” sessions. Disc 3: Demo-Stage Outtake Album Next up is the third outtake version of “Howl at the Moon.” Like the “Rough Mix” on Disc 2, this one is a work-in-progress release, but it goes back even further. The “Rough Mix” is based on the same performance as the official album, with different takes mixed in for each part. In contrast, this “Outtake Version” is a completely different performance. While each track has a similar official-quality sound and is fully playable, the lyrics and arrangements are still incomplete. This demo was released before the official recording began. This compilation is even more entertaining than the “Rough Mix,” with completely different arrangements popping out one after the other. Take “Bark at the Moon,” for example. While the song is famous for Jake’s final solo, the solo here is actually Don Airey’s synth! While the melody is certainly classical, it’s a must-listen take that will have you fantasizing endlessly about whether Don was the one to come up with the solo. Another interesting take is “Now You See It (Now You Don’t),” a collection of rejected ideas. It’s chock-full of arrangements not found in the final version, including never-before-heard intro riffs, vocal lines, singalongs, and breaks. Also, “Forever (Centre of Eternity),” an instrumental track on the “Rough Mix,” now features vocals (though without lyrics). Another notable feature is the entire band playing together in unison. There are occasional pauses in the performance, and above all, it’s packed with the coolness of live performances. While “One Up The ‘B’ Side” and “Slow Down” are missing (instead, perhaps, there’s a 12-minute guitar solo by Jake), the disc contains demos for the entire album, giving it the feel of a live studio version of “Howl at the Moon.” DISC 4: Alternate Demo Versions + Official Live Singles + More Outtake Demos The final disc, DISC 4, is a collection of demos with different takes. While DISC 3 featured demos of “all eight album tracks + guitar solos,” this disc includes “Bark at the Moon x 2 takes,” “Rock ‘N’ Roll Rebel x 1 take,” and “Now You See It (Now You Don’t) x 9 takes.” All of these are different takes from DISC 3, allowing you to collect all existing “Howl at the Moon” demos in one go. While the nine versions of “Now You See It (Now You Don’t)” offer a fun look at the arrangement process, the two “Bark at the Moon x” versions are the most interesting. “Bark At The Moon (Alternate Demo)” features a fresh, strangely cool guitar-less intro, and Don also plays that iconic ending solo. Then there’s “Bark At The Moon (Guitar Solo Demo),” a solo guitar demo by Jake, who plays each note slowly at first, as if to confirm the phrase, then accelerates. Whether he was refining or practicing the phrase, the intensely raw guitar sound makes this a truly cool masterpiece. Bonus Live Takes of UK Singles: The four-disc epic “Howl at the Moon” is rounded off with three live takes: “Bark At The Moon,” “Suicide Solution,” and “Paranoid” from the Salt Lake City concert on March 18, 1984. While these are familiar live performances from the official video, the footage featured on this album is not a retroactive version. Like DISC 1, these tracks were digitized from the UK vinyl single “So Tired (EPC TA 4452).” These three tracks have never been officially released on CD, and when combined with DISC 1, they complete the entire collection of original UK vinyl recordings. This treasured soundboard collection spans 45 takes, spanning 3 hours, 34 minutes, and 15 seconds. It includes the master sound “UK first pressing LP,” a pre-release “rough mix album,” and an “outtake album” that delves deeper into the band’s roots. This definitive set includes three versions of “Howl at the Moon,” as well as alternate takes, demos, and official singles. This ultimate four-disc soundboard set brings you the ultimate treasured version of the legendary “Howl at the Moon.” It includes the master sound “UK first pressing LP,” a pre-release “rough mix album,” and an “outtake album” that delves deeper into the band’s roots. It includes three versions of “Howl at the Moon,” as well as alternate takes, demos, and official singles. The Origins Of Masterpiece Album STEREO SBD Disc 1: UK ORIGINAL LP(46:45) 1. Rock ‘N’ Roll Rebel 2. Bark At The Moon 3. You’re No Different 4. Now You See It (Now You Don’t) 5. Forever (Centre Of Eternity) 6. So Tired 7. Waiting For Darkness 8. Spiders Taken from the UK 1st Press LP (EPC 25739 Blue Lettering) BONUS TRACKS 9. One Up The ‘B’ Side 10. Slow Down Taken from the UK 12″ single ‘Bark At The Moon’ (EPC TA 3915) Disc 2: ROUGH MIX ALBUM(47:34) 1. Rough Mix Introduction 2. Rock ‘N’ Roll Rebel 3. Bark At The Moon 4. You’re No Different 5. Now You See It Don’t) 6. Forever (Centre Of Eternity) 7. So Tired 8. Waiting For Darkness 9. Spiders 10. One Up The ‘B’ Side 11. Slow Down Disc 3: OUTTAKE DEMO ALBUM(51:49) 1. Rock ‘N’ Roll Rebel [Demo] 2. Bark At The Moon [Demo] 3. You’re No Different [Demo] 4. Now You See It (Now You Don’t) [Demo] 5. Forever (Centre Of Eternity) [Demo] 6. So Tired [Demo] 7. Waiting For Darkness [Demo] 8. Spiders [Demo] 9. Jake E. Lee Solo [Demo] Disc 4: ALTERNATE DEMOS(68:06) 1. Bark At The Moon [Alternate Demo] 2. Bark At The Moon (Guitar Solo Demo) 3. Rock ‘N’ Roll Rebel [Alternate Demo] 4. Now You See It (Now You Don’t) [Alternate Demo 1] 5. Now You See It (Now You Don’t) [Alternate Demo 2] 6. Now You See It (Now You Don’t) [Alternate Demo 3] 7. Now You See It (Now You Don’t) [Alternate Demo 4] 8. Now You See It (Now You Don’t) [Alternate Demo 5] 9. Now You See It (Now You Don’t) [Alternate Demo 6] 10. Now You See It (Now You Don’t) [Alternate Demo 7] 11. Now You See It (Now You Don’t) [Alternate Demo 8] 12. Now You See It (Now You Don’t) [Alternate Demo 9] BONUS TRACKS Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, UT, USA 18th March 1984 13. Bark At The Moon [Live] 14. Suicide Solution [Live] 15. Paranoid [Live] Taken from the UK 12″ single ‘So Tired’ (EPC TA 4452) STEREO SOUNDBOARD RECORDING Ozzy Osbourne – Vocals Tommy Aldridge – Drums Don Airey – Keyboards Bob Daisley – Bass & Backing Vocals Jake E. Lee – Guitar & Backing Vocals