Ozzy Osbourne - Prince Of Darkness 4CD (2005)
Genre: Metal | 4CD | 2005 | Label: Sony | Format: MP3 | Bitrate: 320kbps | 571 MB
Not entirely a career retrospective and decidedly not a vault raid that reveals the junk in the trunk, this four-disc collection chronicles Ozzy’s hot-burnt and all-too-brief Blizzard Of Ozz and Diary Of A Madman post-Black Sabbath era with Randy Rhoads and also the long road the Ozzman traveled in search of a guitarist that could ever come close to matching his late friend’s creative spark. Listening to material from albums such as Bark At The Moon and The Ultimate Sin reveals that even when Osbourne wasn’t flying all that high musically he did keep evolving and, in the often risk averse world of heavy metal, he often took chances that could have potentially alienated core fans ("Thank God For The Bomb" reveals that Ozzy may care about the planet but he doesn’t possess the same knack for politics as Bob Dylan) but made them embrace him even more. He managed to hit another career high with guitarist Zakk Wylde and the No More Tears album which provides some of the second disc’s finest moments. ("Mama I’m Coming Home" proves one of the underrated balladeer’s most poignant moments.) But the back end of this collection shines as much as its front with a disc that compiles various collaborative efforts, including a tussle with Miss Piggy on "Born To Be Wild" and a strange detour with Was (Not Was) on "Shake Your Head (Let’s Go To Bed)." The real gem is the fourth platter which finds Ozzy covering some of his favorite tunes from the past, including a moving and wholly accurate reading of John Lennon’s "Working Class Hero," a song that almost seems to have been written with Osbourne in mind. Ozzy may be the prince of darkness but he’s also the king of heavy metal and this set demonstrates, once more, exactly why. -- Jedd Beaudoin
TracklistDisc: 1
1. I Don't Know- Live
2. Mr. Crowley
3. Crazy Train
4. Goodbye To Romance- Live
5. Suicide Solution- Live
6. Over The Mountain
7. Flying High Again- Live
8. You Can't Kill Rock And Roll
9. Diary Of A Madman
10. Bark At The Moon- Live
11. Spiders
12. Rock 'n' Roll Rebel
13. You're No Different
Disc: 2
1. Ultimate Sin- Live
2. Never Know Why- Live
3. Thank God For The Bomb- Live
4. Crazy Babies
5. Breakin' All The Rules
6. I Don't Want To Change The World- Demo
7. Mama, I'm Coming Home- Demo
8. Desire- Demo
9. No More Tears
10. Won't Be Coming Home (S.I.N.)- Demo
11. Perry Mason- Live
12. See You On The Other Side- Demo
13. Walk On Water- Demo
14. Gets Me Through- Live
15. Bang Bang (You're Dead)
16. Dreamer
Disc: 3
1. Iron Man- with Therapy?
2. N.I.B.
3. Purple Haze
4. Pictures Of Matchstick Men
5. Shake Your Head (Let's Go To Bed)
6. Born To Be Wild
7. Nowhere To Run (Vapor Trail)- The Crystal Method, With Ozzy Osbourne,Dmx,'Ol Dirty Bastard, & Fuzzbubble
8. Psycho Man- Black Sabbath
9. For Heaven's Sake- Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Wu-Tang Clan
10. I Ain't No Nice Guy
11. Therapy- Infectious Grooves
12. Stayin' Alive
13. Dog, The Bounty Hunter
Disc: 4
1. 21st Century Schizoid Man
2. Mississippi Queen
3. All The Young Dudes
4. In My Life
5. Fire
6. For What It's Worth
7. Sympathy For The Devil
8. Working Class Hero
9. Good Times
10. Changes