Ozzy Osbourne-Bark At The Moon-Review

    "Bark At The Moon" is Ozzy's third solo album. The first without hot-shot guitarist "Randy Rhoads", the album is largely seen as a much weaker effort than the two Rhoads albums "Blizzard of Ozz and "Diary of a Madman". I disagree, and I feel that this album is as good as those albums, and in someways is even better.

      The title track shows off the skills of new guitarist "Jake E. Lee". Not that musically different from Crazy Train, the song is based around a Rhoads-like riff, but somewhat less punchy, more subdued than Randy.  Ozzy's vocals are quite good, and this is one of my favorite performances of his solo career. I could do without the lame synthesizer interjections and samples, but the song is easily one of the best of Ozzy's early career, a classic. "You're No Different" shows Ozzy begging for fans to understand that he is indeed human: not some insane, devil worshiping monster, just a regular guy and father from the backstreets of Birmingham. Pretty poppy, but I like the cheesy 1980s horror movie strings, and bassist "Bob Daisley" lays down some very nice work. The solo lacks Randy's manic virtuosity, but suffices.  "Now You See It (Now You Don't)" is cited to be about Ozzy's divorce from his first wife. I'm not a huge fan of this song. The keyboards are very lame, even for the 1980s. The verses are decently heavy and catchy, but the chorus feels tacked on, lacking any real oomph.

  "Rock 'N' Roll Rebel" is easily the best song on the album, and one of Ozzy's best. Much speculation has been said of who actually wrote this album, and it's clear that most of the music and lyrics were not written by Osbourne. Most sources state the bassist Bob Daisley wrote the lion's share of the lyrics, and this song really proves it, especially the references to the novel "1984". Whoever wrote it, it is a very good song. Heavy riffs, excellent bass, and solid drumming from legend "Tommy Aldrige" round out a great tune. 80s metal at its best. "Centre Of Eternity" has never really been a personal favorite of mine. I like the monk-like group vocals, and church organ intro, but can't get into the lame synths on the chorus. What the song is about is beyond me, I am guessing space travel. The processed vocal "ahhh" sounds are also a little tacky. The solo kicks, and Lee almost fills Randy's very "big" boots. Not bad, but not a favorite of mine.

     "So Tired" shows Ozzy's love of the Beatles. A very slow ballad about a breakup, the strings sound nice and full, real strings sounding better than the lame synths that are over this album. The song lacks a noticeable guitar presence, except for a short solo. I have never really loved Ozzy ballads, and this song is not exception, ZZZzzzZ.  "Slow Down" is next. More stupid keyboards are thrown on this song, and somewhat detract from its value. But the chorus is pretty catchy, very sports match-like, you can imagine a large crowd singing along. Guitars could be louder. On this album, Lee seems somewhat "muzzled" by Ozzy, not playing at the high volumes that Randy Rhoads played at. Despite a somewhat uneven mix, the song is enjoyable. "Waiting For Darkness" is a killer tune. Lee's arpeggio-like riff is very recognizable, and instantly stands out among other guitarists. One of my favorite Ozzy guitar riffs. The chorus is just as good, I promise you will have this song stuck in your head multiple times, a great song. The solo is red-hot, and Lee shows off some very nice chops. Not a big fan of the bridge, but doesn't matter.

   "Bark At The Moon" is one of Ozzy's best albums. If you like Ozzy and heavy metal in general, you need to hear this album. The keyboards are pretty lame, and Lee needs to be louder in the mix. But in 1983, Ozzy ruled the metal world, and life was certainly good.

Rating-8.5/10