Top Songs
- Bass Heroes · 1999
- Meddle Reimagined - A Tribute To Pink Floyd · 2023
Essential Albums
- Ozzy Osbourne’s second and final studio album with guitarist Randy Rhoads is the pinnacle of their collaboration. Released in October of 1981, Diary of a Madman is the result not only of the duo’s road-honed chemistry, but of a creative lineup that had gelled into a world-class songwriting machine. But therein lies the sad legacy of Diary. In addition to being Rhoads’ final studio performance—he’d be killed in a plane crash at age 25, while on tour with Ozzy not long after the album’s release—the true songwriters were almost written out of history. Though bassist Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot) and drummer Tommy Aldridge (Black Oak Arkansas) are credited on the album’s sleeve, they didn’t play a note on Diary. It was actually Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake who played bass and drums, respectively (they also played on Ozzy’s 1980 solo debut, Blizzard of Ozz). In fact, Daisley wrote the bulk of Diary’s lyrics, and both he and Kerslake contributed musical ideas, but weren’t credited for the first 20-plus years of the album’s existence. This resulted in a successful lawsuit by the duo that prompted Sharon Osbourne to hire Rob Trujillo (later of Metallica) and Mike Bordin (Faith No More) to replace Daisley and Kerslake’s parts on the 2002 re-issues of both Diary and Blizzard. When fans objected, the original parts were reinstated in 2011. Legal wrangling aside, Diary is a true gem. The opening track, “Over the Mountain,” absolutely smokes, boasting some of Rhoads’ most torrential guitar moves. “Flying High Again,” meanwhile, is a double entendre that combines Ozzy’s well-documented fondness for narcotics with the rejuvenation of his career after being sacked by Sabbath. And the power ballad “You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll” is Ozzy’s love letter to his vocation, propelled by Rhoads’ seamless transition from nimble neo-classical to searing heavy metal—and back again. Built over a beefy Daisley bassline, “Believer” boasts a twisting riff that sounds like it may have inspired Glenn Danzig a decade later on Danzig II. Kerslake’s military march on “Little Dolls” underscores a voodoo-inspired lyric, while “Tonight” sees Ozzy invoking a Beatles-esque vocal melody over pure AM gold. “S.A.T.O.” may or may not stand for “Sailing Across the Ocean” but it’s easily the album’s secret ripper—and one of the most impressive songs this lineup produced. Last but not least, the sweeping presentation and Omen-like choir of the title track lay the foundation for the kind of satanic panics that Swedish occult rockers Ghost would perfect 35 years later.
- No one expected much from Ozzy Osbourne after he was booted from Black Sabbath in 1979. Holed up in an LA hotel, slowly drinking himself to death, he was widely regarded as washed up. Enter Sharon Arden, daughter of Don Arden, the mobster-manager who’d helped Sabbath secure fame and fortune. Convinced Ozzy was finished, Don Arden gifted the singer’s contract to his daughter—and soon, the future Sharon Osbourne swooped in to help Ozzy get his act together. Said act was largely based around Quiet Riot guitarist Randy Rhoads, who was considered Eddie Van Halen’s only real competition in the shred-lord revolution of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Rhoads was young, classically trained, and ferociously talented—all qualities that made him exactly the kind of nitro-boost Ozzy needed to reignite his flagging career. Along with Aussie bassist and lyricist Bob Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake—both veterans of the UK hard-rock wizards Uriah Heep—Rhoads and Ozzy recorded one of the most important albums in heavy metal history: The 1980 classic Blizzard of Ozz. Decades since the album’s release, its raucous lead single “Crazy Train” is still Ozzy’s most recognizable solo track. Propelled by an unstoppable Rhoads riff—as well as by lyrics about the Cold War arms race that somehow doubled as a metaphor for Ozzy’s unpredictable personality—the song announced a bold new era for the singer. Its follow-up single, “Mr. Crowley,” only underscored Ozzy’s remarkable rebirth, even as his mispronunciation of infamous English occultist Aleister Crowley’s name became immortalized for the ages. The intro by Rainbow keyboardist Don Airey is straight out of a vintage Hammer horror flick, and the song’s doomy pace is reminiscent of Ozzy’s work with Black Sabbath—but what really sends the song into the stratosphere is Rhoads’ searing neo-classical solos. Elsewhere on the album, “I Don’t Know” provides a sharp contrast to circa-1970s Sabbath: Alternately aggressive and melancholy, decorated with a dizzying Rhoads performance, it’s as much a declaration of agnosticism as it is a statement of musical intent. “Revelation (Mother Earth),” meanwhile, is a pro-environment song written long before such topics were in vogue; its power comes in an instrumental maelstrom, led by Rhoads and Airey, in the song’s latter half. And the moralist anti-porn anthem “No Bone Movies” is a catchy boogie rock oddity that also discourages masturbation. “Goodbye to Romance” was reportedly the first song written for the album. A kiss-off to Ozzy’s glory days with Sabbath, the vocal melody recalls his beloved Beatles, as Rhoads plays a delicate baroque figure. It’s followed by “Dee,” Rhoads’ classical acoustic instrumental dedicated to—and named after—his mother. And the rip-roaring “Suicide Solution” became controversial five years later, when the parents of a suicidal teenager sued Ozzy and the record label, claiming their son killed himself immediately after listening to the song (Daisley, who wrote most of the lyrics, has said they’re actually about Ozzy drinking himself to death). Blizzard of Ozz became a lightning rod again in 2002, when Sharon Osbourne enlisted Ozzy’s then-current bassist Robert Trujillo (later of Metallica) and drummer Mike Bordin (Faith No More) to re-record Daisley and Kerslake’s parts for a reissue. After significant public backlash, the original bass and drum tracks were restored for a 2011 remaster. That release, along with later editions, also include the non-LP “Crazy Train” B-side “You Looking at Me, Looking at You.”
Music Videos
Live Albums
Appears On
- Metal Hall of Fame All Stars
- Rainbow
About Bob Daisley
Having cut his teeth playing bass guitar for English blues outfit Chicken Shack in the early '70s, Bob Daisley is an Australian musician and songwriter most prominently known for his work with Ozzy Osbourne and Gary Moore. Some of his most widely known work can be heard on albums such as Osbourne's 1980 debut solo effort Blizzard of Ozz and several of Moore's releases. Born in Sydney, Australia in 1950, Daisley took up bass guitar at age 14 and excelled at the instrument quickly, catching the attention of local rock musician Dennis Wilson (Mecca, the Powerpact). The pair went on to form the band Kahvas Jute and released one album -- Wide Open - via Infinity Records in 1971. Daisley then went on to join English blues outfit Chicken Shack as bass guitarist in 1972. He appeared on their 1973 record Unlucky Boy before leaving to join Mungo Jerry later that year -- he performed on that band's 1974 record Long-Legged Woman Dressed in Black. In 1975, he co-formed hard rock group Widowmaker. The band put out two records -- a 1975 self-titled debut and 1977's Too Late to Cry. 1977 also saw the bassist join Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow after the departure of Mark Clarke to record the Long Live Rock 'n' Roll album. Daisley recorded and toured with Rainbow until 1979. That same year he met Ozzy Osbourne at a venue in London just as the singer was preparing to launch his solo career after leaving Black Sabbath. The duo helped seek out additional musicians -- Quiet Riot guitarist Randy Rhoads and drummer Lee Kerslake -- to form a backing band for Osbourne's first release. Daisley co-wrote, co-produced, and performed backing vocals as well as bass on the record Blizzard of Ozz in 1980 and promoted the effort on tour with the rest of the group. He appeared on follow-up record Diary of a Madman in 1981 but left the band before it was released. However, he re-joined the Osbourne fold to write and perform on subsequent albums including 1983's Bark at the Moon and 1986's The Ultimate Sin. He left the group for good in 1991 after the release of the No More Tears record. During the interim, Daisley was involved in other projects; he joined Uriah Heep in 1981 and appeared on two albums -- 1982's Abominog and 1983's Head First -- but left the line-up before the release of the latter. Between his time recording with Osbourne, he also toured with guitarist and songwriter Gary Moore and played bass on several of his efforts. Throughout the late '80s and '90s, Daisley kept busy recording with many hard rock artists including Black Sabbath and Yngwie Malmsteen. The early 2000s saw him form the outfit Living Loud with former bandmate Kerslake, Australian vocalist Jimmy Barnes, and Steve Morse of Deep Purple. They put out their sole self-titled album in mid-2004. He spent the rest of the 2000s writing and recording with musicians and bands such as Karl Cochran, Planet Alliance, and Thomas Tomsen. In 2013 he released his autobiography, For Facts Sake. 2014 saw Daisley hired to produce the first LP from Australian rock band Cherry Grind. He put out the records Moore Blues for Gary -- a tribute to the late guitarist -- and Empty Rooms in 2018 under the moniker "Bob Daisley & Friends." ~ Rob Wacey
- HOMETOWN
- Sydney, Australia
- BORN
- February 13, 1950
- GENRE
- Hard Rock