The musical selection for this week has been as follows.
Ozzy Osborne - Blizzard Of Ozz, album,
Ozzy Osborne- Diary Of A Madman, album - The debut and sophomore albums from Ozzy, after his resurrection following his sacking from Black Sabbath two years earlier. Except the debut, shouldn't have been a solo album. Blizzard Of Ozz featuring Ozzy, bass player Bob Daisley, drummer Lee Kerslake and guitarist Randy Rhoads began as a band in their own right. They expected the new album to be an eponymous release by Blizzard Of Ozz featuring Ozzy Osborne. Except the manager Dave Arden and his sister, Sharon Osborne who was Ozzy's wife decided to relegate the musicians to being Ozzy's backing band and take the band's name for the album title. Worse was to follow for Daisley and Kerslake,when Sharon Osborne, now the sole manager demanded a new album be written and recorded in just six weeks. The band worked hard and did the job in the short period of time they had. And on it's completion, Sharon Osborne sacked Daisley and Kerslake, and brought in Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge as replacements, falsely crediting the new musicians for the work of the sacked musicians.
The albums represent some of the finest work of Ozzy's career, with the strong songwriting of Daisley,Kerslake and Rhoads, and the incredible guitar playing of the latter. Randy Rhoads was a genius on the guitar and his playing is wonderful on these albums. Sadly he died in a ridiculously tragic plane crash whilst on tour, just a few months after the release of the second album.
Heart - Bad Animals, album - The Seattle hard rock band, fronted by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. In the 1970s this band produced some wonderful hard rock, inspired by Led Zeppelin. In the mid 1980s after a few years of declining fortunes they had a change of tack and became a glam inspired band A.O.R band, all big hair and power ballads. And they were more successful than ever. In the mid 90s they had a break and when they got back together they reverted back to their hard rock style, ditching the glam trappings and hairspray. This album is from the zenith of their commercial success in 1987 and features the wonderful power ballad 'Alone'. I loved this album and played it death back in the late 80s. I must confess I had a total infatuation with the Wilson sisters and would dream of being like them. I was lucky enough to meet Nancy at a music fair on 1988. She was absolutely gorgeous and a really nice person.
Siouxsie And The Banshees - Once Upon A Time-The singles 1977 to 1981, album - A compilation featuring the singles from the Banshees post punk period. Some of the finest music made of this period of music. The Banshees would become more psychedelic and gothic during the next few years, but their earlier style is neatly showcased on this compilation.
Fleetwood Mac - Tango In The Night, album-The legendary British band, which began as a blues rock act in the 1960s and evolved into an Anglo- American West coast soft rock ensemble. This release from 1987 was one of their greatest triumphs, which as ever with this band, meant it was born from drama and chaos. This band seemed to produce their best work during times when they were seemingly falling apart. Here we have drummer Mick Fleetwood partying wildly on cocaine, and vocalist Stevie Nicks being drunk and disinterested. Barely being present and leaving the band to piece together her contributions from fragments of recordings and demos. They even had to record fake versions of her backing vocals. At least bass player John McVie was committed to the project and he went cold turkey and stopped drinking alcohol so he was sharp. Except he then found he couldn't play whilst totally sober. Nevermind it was the thought that counted. Thankfully keyboard and vocalist Christine McVie brought her A-Game with some wonderful songs and performances. And the guitarist and vocalist, Lindsey Buckingham was able to bring it all together by providing some great songs and performances of his own, and then as as the producer (ably assisted by Richard Dashult and Greg Droman) he managed to create magic from the madness and present the band's best work since the incredible Rumours album released a decade before, an album which was also created in a period of great chaos. Tango In The Night is up there with Rumours as the finest work by this iconic band. Sadly it was all too much for Buckingham who left the band soon after. He would return years later. But this was to be the last studio album recorded by the five members of the classic line-up. And it is brilliant.
Billy Idol - Idol Songs-11 Of The Best, album -A compilation album featuring the punk turned stadium hard rocker, Billy Idol's singles up to the release date in 1988. Billy always seemed like a wonderful cartoon character of a rockstar. If he hadn't existed, someone would have made him up. I love him. This is a great collection of rock songs. Billy was on the One Show on BBC One this week promoting his latest album and live dates. He is now a grandfather and 69 years old. How the hell did that happen? I didn't expect him to survive much beyond this compilation some 37 years ago. I certainly didn't expect him to still be alive and looking and sounding great in 2025. Billy Idol, I salute you.
It's fascinating reading about the music you've listened to/experienced and comparing it with mine - barely anything intersecting! I think that comes down to a difference in age and also the fact I was in Germany from '77 to '85 and my musical exposure there was governed by the proximity of US bases (not forgetting Beethoven and Wagner!) Then, on return to the UK I decided to start listening to more classical music (courtesy of the Britannia Music Club) and interwar continental singers.
ReplyDeleteMy musical awareness really began in 1971 when I saw Alice Cooper on Top Of The Pops, although my Mum says I was always transfixed if I saw Lulu on the telly. I don't know about transfixed, but certainly trans something. I vividly remember David Bowie performing Starman on TOTP in 1972. In 1975 I appeared on stage at an end of term pageant dressed as Bowie and performed Rebel Rebel and won the prize for best performance. Given my later development, the opening lines of
Delete" You've got your mother in a whirl, she's not sure if you're a boy or a girl " seemed quite apt. In the mid 70s I got into prog rock through listening to my next door neighbours records and the first record i actually bought was 'Blinded By The Light' by Manfred Mann's Earth Band, which was a cover of the Springsteen song. Then as I entered my teens, punk broke and I got heavily into that and especially the post punk sound that followed. By the time I left school and went to college I was very eclectic in my music taste. I was also very androgynous in my appearance and style back then. Hardly surprising as I was crossdressing at every opportunity I could get. And I've continued to stay in touch with music, and still listen to and buy new music today.