The composition beautifully accented Osbourne’s vocals while magical keyboards and Rhoads’ guitar soloing were ballads unto themselves, telling their own stories within the song. During this era in Heavy Metal, no album would be complete without the classic Rock ballad and “Tonight” fit that need very nicely. Turning the album over to side two, “Little Dolls” is a fine example of what would later become the classic Osbourne sound signature. The song has a mystical feel and mean guitar soloing midway through. The album then gets down and dirty with “Believer,” the tempo rising to just the right speed from the last one. Taking the tempo down a little, but still keeping that Metal feel, Osbourne’s vocals shine in “You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll.” Becoming an anthem for so many hardcore Heavy Metal fans, it features the lyrics “Rock and Roll is my religion and my law, won’t ever change, may think it’s strange, you can’t kill Rock and Roll it’s here to stay.” It is difficult to forget those words. It was no wonder why this track grabbed the attention of so many fans, who made it the album’s highest charting single. Naturally, the tour was put on a brief hold, but resumed weeks later with guitarist Bernie Torme, who stayed less than a month before Brad Gillis finished off the run of dates supporting Diary of a Madman.įor old fashion listeners, placing the LP on the turntable and dropping the needle, “Over The Mountain” gets the heart pumping with a guitar solo reflecting the theme of the song. Equally as engaging,“Flying High Again” took everyone on another Metal-driven journey with the strong rhythmic back-beat of Daisley and Kerslake, with Rhoads’ guitar playing weaving high and low throughout.

The tragedy occurred just days away from a much anticipated show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. This happened on March 19, 1982, stunning the rock-n-roll world to its core. Sadly, the relationship of Osbourne and Rhoads was cut short when, while on tour supporting the new album, Rhoads was killed in a tragic plane crash. To this day it has sold well over three million copies worldwide, showing Diary of a Madman is still making an impact 35 years later. As early as Diary of a Madman was certified platinum by the RIAA and the sales just kept coming. 38 and “You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll” at No. Well-received by both critics and fans alike, it entered the Billboard album chart at No. 16. while featuring three singles that made the United States Mainstream Rock Chart – “Flying High Again” at No. Eagerly awaiting the sophomore album’s release, fans’ wishes were granted on November 7th of that same year. Looking to take things to the next level with the follow-up release, Osbourne and his band returned to the Ridge Farm Studios in Rusper, England to record Diary Of A Madman during the late winter of 1981.

In addition, it also gave Rhoads a wider audience and thus more accolades for his stylish guitar playing. The move brought him a considerable amount of success. Their relationship began in late 1979 when Osbourne formed the band, The Blizzard of Ozz, after his departure from Black Sabbath earlier that year. With a lineup that featured Randy Rhoads (guitar), Bob Daisley (bass), Lee Kerslake (drums), and Don Airey (keyboards), the record label decided to name the group’s 1980 debut album Blizzard of Ozz, thereby introducing him to the music world as a solo artist. The musical pairing of the godfather of Heavy Metal, Ozzy Osbourne, along with the neoclassical guitar playing of Randy Rhoads was a match like no other.

Ozzy osbourne diary of a madman