Let me begin with an admission. Even though I am just old enough to recall when Black Sabbath came onto the scene circa 1970, I really didn’t discover them until much later. By the time I did, most of their early albums were already classics – or drivel, depending on which rock critic you read.
So I really came to know the band’s original lead singer and most iconic figure, Ozzy Osbourne, when he left the band to launch his solo career in 1980. That year, if I was listening to metal, it was either Motorhead’s Ace of Spades or Ozzy’s debut Blizzard of Ozz.
Osbourne, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 76, released 13 studio albums between that debut and 2022’s Patient Number 9. With the exception of the ill-conceived collection of covers, Under Cover from 2005, none charted lower than 21 in the USA and 24 in the U.K. Eight landed in the top ten on the Billboard charts.
These were, of course, in addition to the on-again-off-again work he did with Sabbath. Last year, Ozzy became the 27th artist to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame more than once – as both a solo artist and a member of Black Sabbath. Given the Hall’s undeniable distaste for metal acts, it’s a remarkable achievement.
What are Ozzy Osbourne’s greatest solo tracks?
There are some fans who will go to their graves convinced that Ozzy’s greatest solo songs all came in his first two albums – Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman. I am almost one of them. I certainly think Diary is among the greatest metal albums ever recorded. How much of that is because of Ozzy, and how much of it is due to his band remains a debate.
Clearly, in guitarist Randy Rhoads, Osbourne had found one of his greatest collaborators. And in Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake, he not only had an outstanding rhythm section, but also some of the best metal songwriters he would ever work with.
Rhoads died tragically after Madman and Daisley and Kerslake had a falling out with the Osbournes, which you can read about if you wish. No need to go into it today. Today is for remembering the music.
Honorable Mentions
“Crazy Train” (Blizzard of Ozz)
"Diary of a Madman" (Diary of a Madman)
“Bark at the Moon” (Bark at the Moon)
“Rock ‘n’ Roll Rebel” (Bark at the Moon)
“Tattooed Dancer” (No Rest for the Wicked)
“See You on the Other Side” (Ozzmosis)
“Nothing Feels Right” (Patient Number 9)
Ozzy Osbourne's top 5 solo tracks, ranked
5. “ Flying High Again” (Diary of a Madman)
Whether it is about Ozzy’s newfound creative freedom as a solo artist, as he claimed, or about his love of pharmaceuticals, as everyone else believed, this is still a toned-down, bluesy romp that features Randy Rhoads at his shreddiest.
“Daddy thinks I’m lazy, he don’t understand – Never saw inside my head – People think I’m crazy but I’m in demand – Never heard a thing I said.”
4. “I Don’t Want to Change the World” (No More Tears)
Co-written by Motorhead’s Lemmy Kilmister, this features the rambling guitar of Zakk Wylde. Ozzy took home the Grammy in the still-new Metal Performance category for “I Don’t Want to Change the World.” He would win the same award 29 years later.
“Tell me I’m a sinner, I got news for you – I spoke to God this morning and he don’t like you – Don’t you try and teach me no original sin – I don’t need your pity for the shape I’m in.”
3. "Mr. Crowley" (Blizzard of Ozz)
The gothic opening sets up a nightmare. It was played on keyboard by Don Airey and had some fans initially wondering where the ear-splitting guitar was. Two minutes later, fans got the answer as Rhoads launched into one of his epic solos. He followed with fills and more solos, both lyrical and banging. Ozzy’s voice and Rhoads’ guitar were never more in sync, even if Ozzy did not pronounce Aleister Crowley’s name the way Crowley himself did.
“Your lifestyle to me seems so tragic – With the thrill of it all – You fooled all the people with magic – Yeah, you waited on Satan’s call.”
2. “I Don’t Know” (Blizzard of Ozz)
The first track on the first solo album, Ozzy announced himself by using Sabbath’s “Paranoid” as a leaping off point and pushing things toward Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” territory that would expand metal’s reach. Rhoads immediately announces that his guitar would be an unstoppable force in Ozzy’s new sound while Ozzy essentially warns his fans not to buy into any kind of messiah complex.
“People look to me and say – Is the end near? When is the final day? – What’s the future of mankind? – How do I know? I got left behind.”
1. “You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll” (Diary of a Madman)
When I began compiling my list, I jotted down about thirty songs off the top of my head. “You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll” was one of them, but it didn’t figure prominently in my thoughts. Then I listened to the songs I had written down, and it soared to the top. I suppose my opinion could be swayed by the fact that news of Ozzy’s passing was still fresh in my mind.
A timeless statement of the eternal power of music is probably even more meaningful at times like this. That’s not unlike many fans’ embrace of the song in the wake of Randy Rhoads’ death shortly after its release. But it’s not simply a matter of timing. Ozzy never blended classical lyricism with flat-out power rock as well. His statement is simple but profound.
“Leave me alone, don’t want your promises no more – ‘Cause rock ‘n’ roll is my religion and my law – Won’t ever change, may think it’s strange – You can’t kill rock ‘n’ roll, it’s here to stay.”
He’s right. Ozzy may be gone. His music remains.