Ozzy Osbourne

Immediately following the death of Ozzy Osbourne's dear friend and collaborator Randy Rhoads, tentative plans for a live recording from the Rhoads tours were quickly scrapped. Instead, the deeply troubled singer opted for a pair of one-offs at New York City's Ritz club…

Sony Music's "Essential" series of limited-edition two-disc compilations of major artists has been well-assembled generally, and Ozzy Osbourne's increased celebrity following the success of the "reality" TV series The Osbournes justifies his inclusion, as does his string of multi-platinum albums dating back to 1980. The 29-track collection presents most of the highlights of his solo career, from Blizzard of Ozz to Down to Earth, including such U.K. and/or U.S. hits as "Bark at the Moon," "No More Tears," "Perry Mason," and "Mama, I'm Coming Home," as well as the Grammy-winning live version of "I Don't Want to Change the World."

From Blizzard to Budokan, this is the most extensive and revealing collection marking the incredible career of one of rock's living legends. 50 tracks with 15 previously unreleased tracks including 10 newly recorded covers of some of Ozzy's favorite and most influential songs. Also includes 13 collaborations between Ozzy and artists ranging from Motorhead and Black Sabbath to DMX and Wu-Tang! Special deluxe packaging includes a 60 page full color book with rare photos, memorabilia plus liner notes and track by track annotation written by Ozzy himself! Epic. 2005.