Album

Diary Of A Madman

Ozzy Osbourne

1981 · Rock

88 collectors on Gatefold own this

Start your shelf →Open in app
Diary Of A Madman by Ozzy Osbourne

Diary Of A Madman is a Metal album by Ozzy Osbourne, originally released in 1981. On Gatefold: 220 pressings tracked, owned by 88 collectors.

About

Ozzy Osbourne’s second and final studio album with guitarist Randy Rhoads is the pinnacle of their collaboration. Released in October of 1981, <i>Diary of a Madman</i> is the result not only of the duo’s road-honed chemistry, but of a creative lineup that had gelled into a world-class songwriting machine. But therein lies the sad legacy of <i>Diary</i>. In addition to being Rhoads’ final studio performance—he’d be killed in a plane crash at age 25, while on tour with Ozzy not long after the album’s release—the true songwriters were almost written out of history. Though bassist Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot) and drummer Tommy Aldridge (Black Oak Arkansas) are credited on the album’s sleeve, they didn’t play a note on <i>Diary</i>. It was actually Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake who played bass and drums, respectively (they also played on Ozzy’s 1980 solo debut, <i>Blizzard of Ozz</i>). In fact, Daisley wrote the bulk of <i>Diary</i>’s lyrics, and both he and Kerslake contributed musical ideas, but weren’t credited for the first 20-plus years of the album’s existence. This resulted in a successful lawsuit by the duo that prompted Sharon Osbourne to hire Rob Trujillo (later of Metallica) and Mike Bordin (Faith No More) to replace Daisley and Kerslake’s parts on the 2002 re-issues of both <i>Diary</i> and <i>Blizzard</i>. When fans objected, the original parts were reinstated in 2011. Legal wrangling aside, <i>Diary</i> is a true gem. The opening track, “Over the Mountain,” absolutely smokes, boasting some of Rhoads’ most torrential guitar moves. “Flying High Again,” meanwhile, is a double entendre that combines Ozzy’s well-documented fondness for narcotics with the rejuvenation of his career after being sacked by Sabbath. And the power ballad “You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll” is Ozzy’s love letter to his vocation, propelled by Rhoads’ seamless transition from nimble neo-classical to searing heavy metal—and back again. Built over a beefy Daisley bassline, “Believer” boasts a twisting riff that sounds like it may have inspired Glenn Danzig a decade later on <i>Danzig II</i>. Kerslake’s military march on “Little Dolls” underscores a voodoo-inspired lyric, while “Tonight” sees Ozzy invoking a Beatles-esque vocal melody over pure AM gold. “S.A.T.O.” may or may not stand for “Sailing Across the Ocean” but it’s easily the album’s secret ripper—and one of the most impressive songs this lineup produced. Last but not least, the sweeping presentation and <i>Omen</i>-like choir of the title track lay the foundation for the kind of satanic panics that Swedish occult rockers Ghost would perfect 35 years later.

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

The Clerk knows this whole record — the pressing quirks, the credits, the take.

Start your shelf to read the full take →

Open this record in GatefoldThe full album page. Every pressing and its live price unlocks with Mosh Pit.→

Tracklist

Side A

  1. A1Over The Mountain4:35
  2. A2Flying High Again4:32
  3. A3You Can't Kill Rock And Roll7:05
  4. A4Believer5:19

Side B

  1. B1Little Dolls5:39
  2. B2Tonight5:50
  3. B3S.A.T.O4:01
  4. B4Diary Of A Madman6:12

Sound DNA

  • Metal
  • Heavy Metal
  • heavy
  • brooding
  • theatrical

Album notes

Discogs page for these notes (opens in a new tab)

Originally released November 7, 1981 on Jet Records.
This is the last Osbourne studio album to feature guitarist Randy Rhoads and drummer Lee Kerslake.
An altered version appeared in 2002 with the original bass and drum parts removed and re-recorded.
Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge on multiple releases are mis-credited as Bassist and Drummer. Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake have since been revealed as the actual performers on this album.
Bob Daisley explaining in an interview with The Metal Voice how he and Kerslake ended up getting fired:
“The two albums Blizzard Of Ozz and Diary Of A Madman were done about 10 or 11 months of each other including a UK tour in between. We wrote the songs then we recorded the album. The first album was recorded and out before the contract was signed. Then when it came to write the second album Diary Of A Madman we said hang on a minute we haven’t got the money from the first album yet. Don Arden, the manager at the time, said on the phone to us don’t worry carry on the work and it will be all sorted out; you will have your contract and money, so we believed him and we carried on working. Then we recorded Diary Of A Madman and Lee Kerslake and I got fired. Ozzy wanted Tommy Aldridge in the band and Tommy was a friend of Sharon Arden‘s as well. During the UK tour, they kept pulling me aside saying ‘Let’s get rid of Lee. Let’s get Tommy.’ and I just didn’t think it was the right move. They asked me several times and I said no all the time, so eventually they got rid of me and Lee.”
In a separate interview with The Metal Voice back in December 2018, Kerslake revealed that he had made peace with Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne as he indicated: “Yes I have made peace. It’s all forgotten and forgiven. I’ve written to Sharon and Ozzy recently — a personal letter basically asking them to kindly send me a platinum album certifications for Blizzard of Ozz and/or Diary of a Madman to hang on my wall before I die. It’s on my bucket list. I really wrote a nice letter to them and I hope they will come to terms with it and say ‘Yes’. I went belly-up bankrupt when I lost the case to Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne in the courts. It cost me hundreds of thousands and I had to sell the house and then started to get ill. I never managed to get back up but a platinum certification on my wall for these albums would be fantastic and it would say I helped create those albums.”
The next month, Kerslake’s wish was granted as he received platinum certifications for the first two Ozzy albums from Osbourne himself.
The little boy on the cover of the album is Ozzy's son, Louis Osbourne.
Sharon Osbourne, once revealed that the title for the song “S.A.T.O.” stands for Sharon Arden, her maiden name, and Thelma Osbourne, the name of Ozzy's first wife.
Some releases feature alternate front artwork: Diary Of A Madman (South Korea 1986) (opens in a new tab)
The album has sold over 3,000,000 copies worldwide.
Vinyl releases:
1981
UK (opens in a new tab) Ι Aston Clinton (opens in a new tab)
US (opens in a new tab) I Santa Maria (opens in a new tab) I Santa Maria (opens in a new tab) I Terre Haute (opens in a new tab) I Pitman (opens in a new tab) I US picture (opens in a new tab)
Canada (opens in a new tab)
Argentina (opens in a new tab) I promo (opens in a new tab)
Brazil (opens in a new tab)
EU (opens in a new tab) I EU (opens in a new tab)
Greece (opens in a new tab) I Greece (opens in a new tab)
Netherlands (opens in a new tab) I Netherlands (opens in a new tab)
Spain (opens in a new tab)
Japan (opens in a new tab)
South Africa (opens in a new tab)
Australia (opens in a new tab) I promo (opens in a new tab)
1983 Venezuela (opens in a new tab)
1986
US (opens in a new tab)
South Korea (opens in a new tab)
1989 Spain (opens in a new tab)
1992 South Korea (opens in a new tab)
2002 CD (opens in a new tab) (remastered + remixed in 2002, also some parts were replaced with new recordings from Ozzy’s then-rhythm section bassist Robert Trujillo and drummer Mike Bordin) As Ozzy says. “I don’t give a fuck if you’ve got Jesus Christ and Moses playing bass and drums, it ain’t the same.”
2011 (30th anniversary remaster) with these reissues of the albums have the original versions and tapes been restored Ozzy said: “I’m glad about that” obviously not satisfied with the 2002 re-recordings.
US (opens in a new tab) I picture (opens in a new tab) I picture (opens in a new tab)
picture (opens in a new tab) I EU (opens in a new tab)

Credits

The people behind it.

Performers

88 collectors on Gatefold own this · 220 pressings tracked on Gatefold

View this release on Discogs →

Start your shelf.

Track your pressings of Diary Of A Madman, get the Clerk's take, and see what the record is worth — free.

Start your shelf →

Free forever. Works with 10 records or 10,000.