OZZY OSBOURNE: Bark at the Moon (1983)

 

When you really get down to it Bark at the Moon from Mr. John Osbourne may indeed be my favorite studio output of his.

Let me explain my side of the story folks.

Christmas time 1982 my folks purchased Speak of the Devil for me which really was my first foray into the world of Black Sabbath. (SOTD, as you may recall, was a double live album of Sabbath tunes as Ozzy refused to release his Randy Rhoads live material as in March of 82 Rhoads perished in a plane crash)

I had the first two solo Ozzy albums on cassette tape(Blizzard of Oz and Diary of a Madman). Great rock albums make no mistake about it but what really got me on board with some Ozz hype was when he introduced his new guitar guy Jake E Lee.

I think it was in Guitar World that I first read about Jake being the new fella in the band.

Come Christmas Time 1983 my fine parents once again delivered on my list of records and Bark at the Moon was at the top of that list!

The opening tune  Bark at the Moon sets the bar high before Ozzy drinks it dry as Jake doesn’t fuck about and gets down to some serious riffage as the tune has been iconic over the last 37 years since its initial release.

Bark at the Moon (the album)I hear it differently now in 2020 than I did in 1983.  The two slower like tracks You’re No Different and So Tired confused me back in 83 as I wanted was blistering riffage rock, not some soft Pop-Tart like tunes.

But I get what Oz and the band were doing. An album that isn’t balls to the walls rock at some points but to open one’s ears to other sonic perspectives to songwriting.

Its the rock stuff that really yanked my crank back than and even to this day.

How about the mashup of Jake’s guitar and Tommy Aldridge‘s drums in Now You See It Now You Don’t. The fast as a shark rock track Rock N Rebel. The awesome riffage of Centre of Eternity.

Ozzy knew what we wanted and delivered it in spades on this album. Hell, even Oz pulls off some good singing on this album which no one ever talks about.

How about that cover and back cover shot? Rock Candy Magazine has a feature where they dissect album covers and Bark at the Moon was covered.  The album cover with Ozz was actually taken outside in the wee hours of the morning as was the back cover shot. No studio props whatsoever.

The only knock I have on this album is the fact that Ozzy says he wrote this album all by himself which we all know is a crock of shit!

Jake and Bassist Bob Daisley I know had a hand in the creating of these tracks. Jake being the new kid on the block probably got strong-armed in relinquishing songwriting credits while Daisley being around the block a few times with Sharon and Ozzy would give up a piece of the pie is beyond me.

Who knows for sure what went on behind the scenes but Bark at the Moon is one monster of an album.