We all know Ozzy. Crazy genius, hardcore rock and roller, TV star…
I was just barely into Black Sabbath when Ozzy broke off on his own.
“Crazy Train” was the first track of his I heard on the radio, and it fit, because what followed was craziness. I won’t rehash all that, but his first album’s image is a thing of history.
You have it all here. The robe, the skull, the horns, the cross, the black cat. Ozzy’s image was forged from all these things. Having come from Black Sabbath was there another way to promote him? Would it even have worked if they would have taken it a different direction? There is a part of me that thinks that some people were turned off and no matter how good the album was (it’s fantastic by the way) they were not gonna touch it. Too bad, the music on this album, no matter what you think of Ozzy, is top-notch. Ozzy’s voice is sharp like a weapon and the music is crunching right along with him. Even the slower songs are potent.
But what if they had taken a less “crazy train” approach?
I think it’s funny to imagine a less over the top cover for his first outing. Something a little more subdued. Still brooding and heavy metal, but with maybe an appeal to a wider audience? Something like:
“Ozzy Osbourne – Blizzard Of Ozz”
or REALLY soften his look and make it less scary by using some of his old pictures. No mention of Ozzy or the name of the album on the cover, just doe eyed Ozzy and the OZZ on his fingers to identify him.
“Ozzy Osbourne – Blizzard Of Ozz”
Sort of give him that soft focus folk artist close-up. Would the album had the same impact? I have seen some album covers that definitely stopped me from buying an album. I’m pretty sure that the album cover helped in this case, and appealed to the target audience, but it makes me wonder.
I think I would have loved Ozzy either way.
Rock on.
The Aural Retentive 