Ozzy Osbourne/MD,USA 1981 & more

From the first leg of the 1981 North American tour, where Ozzy Osbourne made his shocking US debut during the Randy Rhoads era, two performances that fans must listen to in the first half of the tour will be recorded in a high-level audience with realistic sound images and plenty of power. Ozzy, who was forced to leave BLACK SABBATH, embarked on a solo career with the support of Sharon Arden, and after a fateful encounter with Randy Rhoads, released his first solo album, “BLIZZARD OF OZZ.” During the band’s debut tour in the UK in the fall of 1980, Ozzy’s solo career began with enthusiastic support from fans, with the album’s new songs and Randy’s playing being highly praised. The band continued to work on their second album, but by the time they got to the recording stage, Bob Disley and Lee Kerslake’s rhythm section had left the band. Ozzy welcomed Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge and embarked on a large-scale US tour in April 1981. This work records the show in Tucson, Maryland on April 22, the first day of the tour, and the performance at the “Day On The Green Festival” in Oakland, California on July 4, which was the climax of the first half of the North American tour, both of which are recorded with excellent high-quality audience sources for the first time. The Tucson performance recorded on Disc 1 was Ozzy’s first performance in the United States as a solo artist, and also the debut performance of the new lineup. Many people may already know about the backstage situation at that time, as it is described in detail in Rudy Sarzo’s memoirs. This recording depicts that memorable show with a balance and perspective that was excellent enough for the time. The sound is loud and powerful because it’s Ozzy’s live performance, but the separation and directness of the performance are excellent, and not only Randy’s guitar, but also Tommy’s drums, which are full of power with rich bass, and Rudy’s bass can be clearly heard with excellent separation. Ozzy’s singing voice is also in good shape, and he plays “I Don’t Know” and “Crazy Train” with a momentum that pushes forward with all his might. “Mr. Crowley” is a powerful song with a heavy sound from the intro played by Lindsay Bridgewater, and combined with Randy’s crazy playing, it is a big listening point even during the live performance. From the beginning of this US tour, songs from the second album were also chosen. “Believer” and “Flying High Again”, which start with Ozzy’s MC saying “These are songs from the new album “DIARY OF A MADMAN”, are the takes that will be performed live for the first time. As they are still in the trial and error stage, all the members play carefully, making this one of the most interesting live takes of this song. In the first half of “No Bone Movies,” there is a cut that appears to be a tape change from the second half of the drum solo. This cut is a pity, as it is a great performance in which Lindsay’s light keyboard contrasts well with the heaviness of the guitar and drums. The ominousness of “Suicide Solution,” in which the delicate-looking Randy bares his fangs with his guitar, is so amazing that it is understandable why a critic who saw this live performance described it as “surpassing BLACK SABBATH.” The live performance, in which the 70 minutes pass in an instant until the encore of “Paranoid,” can only be described as thrilling like a roller coaster, just as Rudy recalled! The live performance on July 4th, America’s Independence Day, recorded on Disc 2 is from Ozzy’s appearance at the “Day On The Green Festival,” one of the biggest events of his 1981 tour. The festival had strict performance times for bands, and Ozzy was scheduled to perform for 45 minutes from 10:50 to 11:35 in the morning. Therefore, the set list for this show was shortened by cutting out “Flying High Again” and “No Bone Movies”. Because it was a live performance held in a stadium, the outline of the performance is a little softer than the Tucson performance on Disc 1, and there are some scenes where the audience noise around the taper is also a concern, but the sound spread unique to the outdoors gives the sound a big sense of scale. The rare realism that drips like a live recording will convey the excitement of the venue to the listeners across 30 years. The Bakersfield performance the day before was canceled because Ozzy developed back pain after “riding his Harley for several hours,” but in the performance on this day, he exploded with his characteristic showmanship, and from the opening “I Don’t Know” and “Crazy Train,” he played like a madman. A feature of this day is the single performance of “Steal Away (The Night)” due to the time constraints mentioned above. Although the single performance was also heard on the ’80 UK tour, it is very rare for the combination with “Revelation (Mother Earth)” to be removed after this US tour (there is a cut at the beginning of the drum solo following the same song, but it is not a big hindrance to listening to the live). The live was a succession of songs with a moderate MC, and the curtain was once on “Paranoid” following “Suicide Solution”. Ozzy’s set on this day did not expect an encore, but as a result of tens of thousands of audience members enthusiastically requesting an encore, the performance time was specially extended. Indeed, in this sound source, the SABBATH medley was featured at the end in response to the fierce excitement of the audience, and this fact is also proven from the sound source side. The band, drawn out by the excitement of the venue that even moved the organizers, hit the sky high with a powerful performance of “Iron Man” and “Children Of The Grave”! From the MC at the end to the explosion of fireworks, everything is spectacular for 52 minutes! This work, which captures two highly noteworthy performances with powerful and realistic sound from the ’81 tour, when Ozzy caused a sensation among fans all over the United States and in the heavy metal genre, will undoubtedly become a standard sound source in the future, even among the many Ozzy collector’s items. You can’t talk about Ozzy’s career without listening to this, and I can say with confidence that it is a must-listen and must-have for all Ozzy fans, and indeed heavy metal fans! Live at Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, USA 4th July 1981 AMAZING SOUND Disc 1 Live at Towson Center, Towson, Maryland. USA 22nd April 1981 “1st Show of Blizzard Of Ozz U.S. Tour” 1. Carmina Burana 2. I Don’t Know 3. Crazy Train 4. Believer 5. Mr. Crowley 6. Flying High Again 7. Revelation (Mother Earth) 8. Steal Away (The Night) 9. Drum Solo 10. No Bone Movies 11. Suicide Solution 12. Guitar Solo 13. Suicide Solution(reprise) 14. Iron Man 15. Children Of The Grave 16. Paranoid Disc 2 Live at Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, USA 4th July 1981 “Day On The Green Festival” 1. Carmina Burana 2. I Don’t Know 3. Crazy Train 4. Believer 5. Mr. Crowley 6. Steal Away (The Night) 7. Drum Solo 8. Suicide Solution 9. Guitar Solo 10. Suicide Solution(reprise) 11. Paranoid 12. Iron Man 13. Children Of The Grave Ozzy Osbourne – Vocals Randy Rhoads – Guitar Rudy Sarzo – Bass Tommy Aldridge – Drums Lindsey Bridgewater – Keyboards