November 15, 1983 - Bark At The Moon
Eight days after my last release and two years since "Diary Of A Madman", Ozzy Osbourne releases his third solo album "Bark At The Moon" on November 15, 1983. There are a couple line-up changes from the last album, most notably the loss of guitarist Randy Rhoads, who died in a plane crash on March 19, 1982. This is some truly terrible news as Rhoads was very young still and seemed like he was only getting better at his amazing guitar skills. Sadly he is no longer with us, and drummer Lee Kerslake was fired along with bassist Bob Daisley, but Daisley would return and is still the bassist on this album. Don Airey remains on keyboards, Tommy Aldridge is Ozzy's new drummer and Jake E. Lee is his new guitarist. Rhoads will surely be missed, but let's see what this new Ozzy lineup has to offer!
Side two begins with "Centre Of Eternity" and it starts quiet before we hear the ringing of a bell followed by a choir of voices singing an epic wordless vocal part. Airey joins in on some old school organ and it sounds awesome I think, very "Phantom of the Opera"-esque and really epic. After this slow opening minute they shift into a more typical Ozzy riff that is much faster. Lee plays a solid lead guitar riff and Ozzy sings quickly overtop and while this sounds good for sure, I wish they had continued with the epic organ a bit longer. The fast-paced verse leads into an epic chorus as Ozzy yells "journey to the centre of eternity" and Lee plays a catchy stop-and-start guitar part. He connects this nicely back into another verse and after another chorus they move into a decent bridge riff that sets the stage for an extended guitar solo. Lee leads the way for over a minute and he takes his time, playing some cool stuff that fits the mood nicely and spicing things up a few times to nice effect. After one final nice guitar lick they bring it back for a final verse and Lee adds some sweet little extra guitar parts to the final chorus before they jam out the catchy main riff until the end. The next song is "So Tired" and it features a strings section playing some nice but very sad-sounding music as Airey leads the way with a nice soft piano riff. There's no guitar on this main riff at all as Daisley and Aldridge play a slow rhythm section and Airey leads the way on piano while Ozzy sings a slow verse. The chorus sounds almost identical musically but the strings play some different stuff that sounds nice and Ozzy does a pretty good job at singing in a softer voice. This is very slow and sappy compared to the rest of the album and while I like that Ozzy shows a lighter side as well, I'm sure some fans were a bit shocked at the lack of guitars and the sappy nature of the song. They play another slow verse and chorus before Lee finally comes in with some light guitar in a new bridge riff. This sets the stage for his solo and he plays a decent slow solo but it's nothing really special. The solo leads into another bridge and then we're back at the slow chorus as they jam it out a couple times with more epic strings and bring this sappy song to an end. Track 7 is called "Slow Down" and despite it's name is a return to a faster pace as Lee leads the way on guitar and Daisley plays some pretty good bass as well. Ozzy begins the verse in his usual vocal style and Airey adds some loud synthesizers to the verse as well that I'm not a big fan of. The synths become even more prominent in the chorus as the guitar takes a back seat and Airey leads the way with a simple 80s synth part. Ozzy sings a pretty simple chorus as well but I do like the line "your haste is making waste". This leads right back into the main riff and after another verse and chorus Lee takes over with an epic new guitar riff and leads a short bridge that sets himself up for the solo. Lee's solo is pretty good but I can't help but think of how Rhoads probably would've done so much better if he were still with us. After the solo they bring it back for a final verse and chorus before Airey takes off on a decent mini synth solo. The fadeout begins shortly after and they end on a decent note despite a fairly mediocre song. Up next is "Waiting For Darkness" and Aldridge plays a nice catchy drum beat to start us off while Daisley plays some solid slow bass. The rhythm section sets things up nicely as Lee comes in to play a cool, catchy guitar riff overtop and Airey plays a similarly fast riff on keyboards. The keyboards drop out for the verse as Ozzy sings sings nice and slow overtop. The opening riff turns out to be the chorus riff as Ozzy sings the name of the song several times overtop the catchy music. There could be more lyrics, but it's par for the course for Ozzy as they roll right back into the verse. After another verse and chorus the strings section makes an odd reappearance as they accompany the heavy music in a new part but I don't think it meshes very well here. This sets the stage for the guitar solo but Lee's guitar sounds a bit muted and not very loud in the mix compared to the backing instruments. He actually plays some pretty sweet guitar, hitting a ton of really fast notes quite flawlessly, but it should be melting your face and instead it's like a quiet addition to the main riff. I don't understand the production, but the end of the solo flows nicely right into the chorus and then they move to a final verse. This leads back into the chorus once more and they jam it out a couple times to end the song in a pretty uninspiring way. The final song on the album is called "Spiders" and Daisley plays a really cool bass riff to keep the rhythm while Lee plays some cool lead guitar in this opening. The guitar changes to a lighter riff for the verse but Daisley's solid bass continues as Ozzy begins a smooth verse. This leads nicely into a short chorus with Airey adding some synths and Ozzy going really high pitched and it seamlessly leads right back into the catchy main riff. After another verse and chorus Lee and Airey sync up for a decent new bridge riff before Lee breaks free for his solo. It's a short solo but Lee still doesn't do very much with it and plays a fairly simple and predictable solo; the exact opposite of what Rhoads would have done. The main riff resumes and after another slow verse and chorus they sum up the whole album in a nutshell at the finish: Ozzy repeats the same lyric over and over while Lee plays some decent but ultimately pretty underwhelming guitar.
That is the end of "Bark At The Moon" and I thought it was a good album, but certainly not an amazing one. It's still filled with catchy guitar riffs and Ozzy is still a charismatic frontman, but on this album they seemed content to be just alright. They never really wow me with anything truly awesome and I know I've said it throughout the review, but Randy Rhoads did just that all the time. Compared to most music at this time, "Bark At The Moon" is quite good and I do like it. But when compared to their last album "Diary Of A Madman" it is nowhere near as good. I look forward to hearing this Jake E. Lee-led lineup try to improve their next time out. Until next time!
The album kicks off with the title track "Bark At The Moon" which would become one of Ozzy's best-known songs. It's driven by a nice fast-paced guitar riff by Lee and after he sets the stage for the main riff the rest of the band joins in to begin the first verse. Ozzy's vocals sound pretty good as usual as he yells nicely overtop of the speedy main riff and after singing the name of the song gives us a maniacal laugh before resuming the verse. The rhythm section is okay but nothing too special but Lee plays some different but still fast-paced guitar in the chorus as he and Ozzy carry most of this song. Ozzy sings the name of the song several times in the chorus and they segue nicely into a slower part with Lee playing a decent, heavy riff. Ozzy sings a brief bridge overtop this slower riff and then it's time for Lee's first guitar solo of the album. He gets nearly a minute to strut his stuff and he does a decent job, but when compared to Rhoads' playing on their earlier stuff, it is nowhere near as impressive or awesome. Lee speeds things up a bit more at the end of the solo and it's certainly not bad; most guitarists don't come close to Rhoads' level of talent. The solo leads right back into the catchy main riff as they play a final verse and chorus. Ozzy lets out a nice howl at the end of the chorus and they close out the song with another Lee guitar solo. This one is much shorter, but easily way better than his last one as he plays lots of quick notes together that sound pretty sweet and brings this song to an epic conclusion. Up next is "You're No Different" and it's a much slower paced song with Airey playing some simple stop-and-start keyboards while Daisley plays some nice bass and Lee some droning guitar. Aldridge starts up a slow and simple drum beat and Ozzy begins the first verse, singing some decent quicker vocals overtop this slow main riff. Ozzy slows down his speed as he sings "you're no different to me" a couple times, but the chorus doesn't fully get going as Lee plays a short, epic guitar part and then it's right back to the verse. After this verse they play the full chorus but it's not all that exciting and Airey's constant keyboards are starting to wear on me. After the chorus Lee takes off for a solo and he does a pretty good job playing some slow and epic stuff. Ozzy comes in to sing a very high-pitched short verse in the middle of the solo and he does this a couple more times as he and Lee take turns in the spotlight. It's another decent part, but it seems to be lacking that extra bit of creativity that Rhoads brought to all his songs. Lee seems a solid guitarist, but he will forever be a disappointment just because of who he followed. They resume the slow main riff and Ozzy sings a final verse and chorus before Lee gets another chance to solo. He plays along to the slow mood and doesn't do anything too flashy, though I wish he would at least attempt to melt my face off! Instead they begin a slow fadeout as Lee ramps things up right at the end when things are quiet. This slower song wasn't Ozzy's best stuff, but he switches back to a more metal style on the next track "Now You See It (Now You Don't)". Lee leads the way with a pretty solid guitar riff and Daisley and Aldridge form a rockin' rhythm section and Ozzy begins the verse. I like this much better as Ozzy sings in his usual high voice and Lee continues to play solid guitar. When Ozzy sings the name of the song you know we've reached the chorus and everyone switches to a cool new beat very nicely. It's a pretty catchy chorus and Ozzy sounds as solid as ever! Lee plays a nice little guitar segue that brings things back to the main riff and after another verse and chorus Airey takes over with some very 80s synths as Ozzy really belts out the name of the song. I'm not a big fan of the synths but Ozzy's vocals sound good and this sets the stage for the guitar solo. Lee's niche seems to be playing stuff that is good but not great and that's true once again in this solo. Ozzy begins yelling the name of the song again as they make their way back to the main riff once again. They play a final verse and chorus before ending the song with a pretty lame oohing and ahhing ending that also has Ozzy do a few "yeah yeah yeah"s. I thought it was a weird way to end an otherwise decent song but everything seems rather mediocre. The first side finishes up with "Rock 'N' Roll Rebel" and Lee plays a pretty cool lead guitar riff to lead the way and once they establish this main riff Lee goes off for an early solo! He shreds it pretty nicely, playing some really fast stuff and it's a wicked way to kick things off! They settle back into the solid main riff as Ozzy sings in his usual voice overtop. This leads right into a catchy fast-paced chorus where Lee plays some decent guitar and Ozzy sings about others have misconceptions of him: "they say I worship the devil, they must be stupid or blind, I'm just a rock 'n' roll rebel!" I'm sure Ozzy got really tired of all the Satanic accusations and he does a great job turning his feelings into a solid rock song. Lee plays another solo after the chorus, albeit a much tamer one than earlier, before they resume the main riff. After another verse and chorus Lee begins another solo and plays a bit of cool stuff before things slow right down. The beat is about half the speed as before as Ozzy sings a short new verse before Lee resumes his solo overtop this slower backing riff. He starts off fairly slow and I was beginning to not like this shift down a gear, but they seamlessly segue back into the faster riff in the middle of the solo and Lee really picks it up once they speed up, playing some more great fast stuff. This leads right back into the main riff and after a final verse they play a couple rounds of the chorus before Lee gets in one last solo. He does a pretty good job once again as this song had a few sweet solos, and I don't even think he was done as they fade out the song before Lee is even finished soloing. Always frustrating I find, but it was still a pretty cool song.
Side two begins with "Centre Of Eternity" and it starts quiet before we hear the ringing of a bell followed by a choir of voices singing an epic wordless vocal part. Airey joins in on some old school organ and it sounds awesome I think, very "Phantom of the Opera"-esque and really epic. After this slow opening minute they shift into a more typical Ozzy riff that is much faster. Lee plays a solid lead guitar riff and Ozzy sings quickly overtop and while this sounds good for sure, I wish they had continued with the epic organ a bit longer. The fast-paced verse leads into an epic chorus as Ozzy yells "journey to the centre of eternity" and Lee plays a catchy stop-and-start guitar part. He connects this nicely back into another verse and after another chorus they move into a decent bridge riff that sets the stage for an extended guitar solo. Lee leads the way for over a minute and he takes his time, playing some cool stuff that fits the mood nicely and spicing things up a few times to nice effect. After one final nice guitar lick they bring it back for a final verse and Lee adds some sweet little extra guitar parts to the final chorus before they jam out the catchy main riff until the end. The next song is "So Tired" and it features a strings section playing some nice but very sad-sounding music as Airey leads the way with a nice soft piano riff. There's no guitar on this main riff at all as Daisley and Aldridge play a slow rhythm section and Airey leads the way on piano while Ozzy sings a slow verse. The chorus sounds almost identical musically but the strings play some different stuff that sounds nice and Ozzy does a pretty good job at singing in a softer voice. This is very slow and sappy compared to the rest of the album and while I like that Ozzy shows a lighter side as well, I'm sure some fans were a bit shocked at the lack of guitars and the sappy nature of the song. They play another slow verse and chorus before Lee finally comes in with some light guitar in a new bridge riff. This sets the stage for his solo and he plays a decent slow solo but it's nothing really special. The solo leads into another bridge and then we're back at the slow chorus as they jam it out a couple times with more epic strings and bring this sappy song to an end. Track 7 is called "Slow Down" and despite it's name is a return to a faster pace as Lee leads the way on guitar and Daisley plays some pretty good bass as well. Ozzy begins the verse in his usual vocal style and Airey adds some loud synthesizers to the verse as well that I'm not a big fan of. The synths become even more prominent in the chorus as the guitar takes a back seat and Airey leads the way with a simple 80s synth part. Ozzy sings a pretty simple chorus as well but I do like the line "your haste is making waste". This leads right back into the main riff and after another verse and chorus Lee takes over with an epic new guitar riff and leads a short bridge that sets himself up for the solo. Lee's solo is pretty good but I can't help but think of how Rhoads probably would've done so much better if he were still with us. After the solo they bring it back for a final verse and chorus before Airey takes off on a decent mini synth solo. The fadeout begins shortly after and they end on a decent note despite a fairly mediocre song. Up next is "Waiting For Darkness" and Aldridge plays a nice catchy drum beat to start us off while Daisley plays some solid slow bass. The rhythm section sets things up nicely as Lee comes in to play a cool, catchy guitar riff overtop and Airey plays a similarly fast riff on keyboards. The keyboards drop out for the verse as Ozzy sings sings nice and slow overtop. The opening riff turns out to be the chorus riff as Ozzy sings the name of the song several times overtop the catchy music. There could be more lyrics, but it's par for the course for Ozzy as they roll right back into the verse. After another verse and chorus the strings section makes an odd reappearance as they accompany the heavy music in a new part but I don't think it meshes very well here. This sets the stage for the guitar solo but Lee's guitar sounds a bit muted and not very loud in the mix compared to the backing instruments. He actually plays some pretty sweet guitar, hitting a ton of really fast notes quite flawlessly, but it should be melting your face and instead it's like a quiet addition to the main riff. I don't understand the production, but the end of the solo flows nicely right into the chorus and then they move to a final verse. This leads back into the chorus once more and they jam it out a couple times to end the song in a pretty uninspiring way. The final song on the album is called "Spiders" and Daisley plays a really cool bass riff to keep the rhythm while Lee plays some cool lead guitar in this opening. The guitar changes to a lighter riff for the verse but Daisley's solid bass continues as Ozzy begins a smooth verse. This leads nicely into a short chorus with Airey adding some synths and Ozzy going really high pitched and it seamlessly leads right back into the catchy main riff. After another verse and chorus Lee and Airey sync up for a decent new bridge riff before Lee breaks free for his solo. It's a short solo but Lee still doesn't do very much with it and plays a fairly simple and predictable solo; the exact opposite of what Rhoads would have done. The main riff resumes and after another slow verse and chorus they sum up the whole album in a nutshell at the finish: Ozzy repeats the same lyric over and over while Lee plays some decent but ultimately pretty underwhelming guitar.
That is the end of "Bark At The Moon" and I thought it was a good album, but certainly not an amazing one. It's still filled with catchy guitar riffs and Ozzy is still a charismatic frontman, but on this album they seemed content to be just alright. They never really wow me with anything truly awesome and I know I've said it throughout the review, but Randy Rhoads did just that all the time. Compared to most music at this time, "Bark At The Moon" is quite good and I do like it. But when compared to their last album "Diary Of A Madman" it is nowhere near as good. I look forward to hearing this Jake E. Lee-led lineup try to improve their next time out. Until next time!
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