Ozzy Osbourne

After Speak of the Devil, Tribute, Just Say Ozzy, Live & Loud, the Ozzfest collections, and both Osbourne-fronted Black Sabbath live discs, one would think that Ozzy had exhausted his concert-album appeal. But due to the success of his reality TV show, Osbourne once again decided it was time for another live album. Although Osbourne's live performances were still rock-solid during the recording of this tour, Live at Budokan seems mighty excessive. The only positive thing about yet another one is to hear the intense live work of Zakk Wylde, who has been the cornerstone of Osbourne's sound longer than any other sideman he has ever worked with.

This live double album, recorded in 1981 but not released until five years after Randy Rhoads' death, showcases a hard rock guitarist whose all-around ability was arguably second only to Eddie Van Halen. Osbourne leads his best band lineup through the entire Blizzard repertoire, plus a few Diary and Sabbath numbers…

Ozzy Osbourne finds a permanent replacement for Randy Rhoads in Jake E. Lee, a more standard metal guitarist without Rhoads' neo-classical compositional ability or stylistic flair. Still, Osbourne and his band turn in a competent, workmanlike set of heavy metal featuring the crunching title track, whose video (featuring Osbourne dressed as a werewolf) became popular on MTV…

Ozzy Osbourne finds a permanent replacement for Randy Rhoads in Jake E. Lee, a more standard metal guitarist without Rhoads' neo-classical compositional ability or stylistic flair. Still, Osbourne and his band turn in a competent, workmanlike set of heavy metal…

This six-song mini-album contains live performances from the supporting tour for No Rest for the Wicked, featuring three songs from that album plus "Shot in the Dark." …

Things start to improve for Ozzy on No Rest for the Wicked, as Zakk Wylde replaces Jake E. Lee on guitar and Osbourne comes up with his best set since 1983. Again, it's not quite up to the level of excellence his Blizzard of Ozz band achieved, but Osbourne sounds somewhat rejuvenated, and Wylde is a more consistently interesting guitarist than Lee…

Against all odds, Ozzy Osbourne's 2020s output has been as strong if not stronger than the vast majority of his multi-decade discography. His 12th studio solo album, 2020's Ordinary Man, sounded rejuvenated and inspired, with its moments of hard-hitting, Sabbath-echoing greatness far outnumbering its few by-the-numbers clunkers. Ozzy hadn't turned in a studio LP for ten years before Ordinary Man, but his 13th album, Patient Number 9, arrives just two relatively short years after its predecessor and carries a similar crackle of reactivated excitement. Part of what keeps things lively is the all-star cast of guest guitarists that show up on almost every track. Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Pearl Jam's Mike McCready all contribute lead parts and solos to various songs, but some of the record's best moments come when Ozzy reunites with guitar heroes from his past.