Blizzard of Ozz

Blizzard of Ozz is a heavy metal album by Ozzy Osbourne, recorded in Surrey, U.K. and released on September 20, 1980 in the UK and on January 15, 1981 in the US.

This is Osbourne’s first solo album and one of the two studio albums he recorded before guitarist Randy Rhoads’ death in March 1982. The tracks “Crazy Train” and “Mr. Crowley” were released as singles. The former peaked at #9 on the Mainstream Rock Charts and has remained a staple of pop, hard-rock, and classic-rock radio for more than 25 years; it remains Ozzy’s most recognizable song.

Blizzard of Ozz remains Osbourne’s highest-selling album to date, shifting over 4.1 million copies in the U.S. alone.


Reception
The album reached #21 on Billboard’s Pop Albums chart, and is on the list of the top 100 best-selling albums of the 1980s. It is notable for having achieved multi-platinum success even without the benefit of a Mainstream Top 40 single.

Uncut (8/02, p.112) - 3.5 out of 5 - “Surprisingly melodic.”

Kerrang! (p.53) - ” work of genius… some superb songs, many of which are now regarded as timeless classics.”


Controversy
The song “Suicide Solution” has been criticized for its lyrics that allegedly encouraged suicide, and was alleged to be a direct cause in the October 1984 suicide of John McCollum, a fourteen year-old fan who shot himself while listening to Osbourne’s records. The boy’s parents sued Osbourne and CBS Records for “encouraging self-destructive behavior” in young persons who were “especially susceptible” to dangerous influences (McCollum et al.