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The Debut That Saved Ozzy & Unleashed a Guitar God | Blizzard of Ozz | Duff Dives

·40 min·2 clips

Duff argues that 'Crazy Train' is the song most associated with Ozzy Osbourne's solo career.

Duff starts with Blizzard of Oz and says it feels like the obvious place to begin a run through debut albums. He links that choice to Ozzy's recent death, since people keep messaging him about that final performance and he still cannot watch it. He says he has been too big a fan of Ozzy for too long, and that watching The Osbournes was hard enough. The grief leaves him thinking about how long Ozzy has been part of his listening life, and he ends that stretch by saying he is glad this album exists. From there he turns back to the record itself. He argues that it was already strong when it came out and never needed anyone to fix it. That complaint turns into a longer rant than he probably meant to give. He is furious about how long Lee Kerslake and Bob Daisley had to wait for the royalties and recognition he thinks they deserved. He also thinks the later rerecorded parts were petty and unnecessary. He says the album should have been left alone. Duff widens the gripe into a general hatred of polishing old records, bringing up George Lucas and the modern remasters of the '90s Megadeth albums as examples of what he means. He does not let the detour bury the song talk. On "Crazy Train," he says taking Lee Kerslake out changes the song in a way that cannot be ignored. He adds that he still likes Tommy Aldridge's heavier live approach. But to him that is a different job. He says Tommy's version fits the stage, especially with the extra double-bass push Randy Rhodes wanted, while the album performance itself already did exactly what it needed to do. The same pattern shows up when he talks about Lee Kerslake's playing across the record. He calls it perfect here and a drastic step up from Sabbath, while also admitting that kind of judgment is subjective. By the end, the episode lands as both tribute and fan testimony, because Duff sounds grateful the album exists and aware that it helped shape the metal he loves. The whole thing feels like a fan talking through memory, grievance, and admiration at full volume.

As heard by us

A grief-marked defense of Blizzard of Ozz that lands hardest on the album politics.

The episode treats Blizzard of Ozz as a solid place to open a metal-and-hard-rock run, and it draws most of its feeling from Ozzy's recent death. Duff keeps returning to the final performance people keep asking him about, and he says he cannot bring himself to watch it.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

A bruised, affectionate Blizzard of Ozz defense after Ozzy's death.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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