Ozzy’s finest (Playlist)
If you're new to Ozzy and Black Sabbath, I've included a playlist of 40 of my favorite Ozzy Osbourne tracks from his entire career, both with Sabbath and as a solo artist.
Favorite Black Sabbath album (Ozzy Osbourne-fronted):
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973)
To me, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath might just be Black Sabbath’s masterpiece. Written in the dungeon of Clearwell Castle—complete with ghostly encounters—it marked a turning point where alcohol, drugs, and fame collided with a new level of creativity.
The title track is the anchor, a towering riff Tony Iommi credited with “saving” the band after a stretch of writer’s block. Geezer Butler’s lyrics cut close to the bone, reflecting their self-destructive spiral, while Ozzy’s raw delivery rails against greed and manipulation. “Killing Yourself to Live” drives the theme home, inspired by Butler’s hospital stay from overindulgence.
The record dives deep elsewhere: “A National Acrobat” wrestles with life and conception in both crude and cosmic ways, “Spiral Architect” expands into orchestral bombast, and “Fluff” shows Iommi’s flair for elegant instrumentals. “Sabbra Cadabra,” boosted by Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman (reportedly paid in beer), adds a playful, proggy edge.
Sabbath may have been on the brink, but Sabbath Bloody Sabbath captured them at their most inventive. It’s an album where riffs, ambition, and excess collided—and somehow made magic.
Favorite Ozzy Osbourne solo album: Diary of a Madman (1981)
Diary of a Madman stands as Ozzy Osbourne’s second and final album with guitarist Randy Rhoads, and the peak of their brief but legendary partnership. The record glows with the band’s creative chemistry, though its legacy is bittersweet—Rhoads would die in a plane crash the following year at just 25.
While bassist Rudy Sarzo and drummer Tommy Aldridge were credited, it was actually Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake who played on the album and helped shape its songs. Daisley wrote much of the lyric content, but both he and Kerslake went uncredited for decades, leading to lawsuits and even controversial re-recordings in 2002. Fan backlash eventually restored their original parts in 2011.
The music itself is untouchable. “Over the Mountain” erupts with Rhoads’ blistering riffs, while “Flying High Again” doubles as both a nod to Ozzy’s excesses and his rebirth after Sabbath. The soaring ballad “You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll” reads like Ozzy’s personal creed, and “Believer” and “Little Dolls” reveal the darker, heavier side of the band. “Tonight” shows surprising pop sensibility, “S.A.T.O.” delivers a hidden shred masterpiece, and the gothic title track sets the stage for decades of occult-inspired metal.
Despite legal disputes and tragedy, Diary of a Madman remains a defining moment in Ozzy’s career and a lasting showcase of Randy Rhoads’ genius.
Mark Dauner
