Memoirs of a Madman [LP]

Through summoning demons from the depths of hell as the frontman of metal pioneers Black Sabbath in their best days, partying hard through the '80s and landing on a reality show focusing on his dysfunctional family in the 2000s, Ozzy Osbourne has kept on the wicked side for the majority of his decades-spanning career in evil. Starting his solo bid almost immediately after his departure from Sabbath, Ozzy turned in classic metal albums with early-'80s Randy Rhoads collaborations like Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman, and stayed consistently strong with many platinum-selling albums throughout the '90s, 2000s, and beyond. The Ozzman has never shied away from live records, repackagings, or greatest-hits collections, either, and Memoirs of a Madman collects standout cuts from each of his 11 studio albums, offering a full range of singles that shows the full spectrum of his development as the ever-menacing prince of heavy metal darkness. The 17 tracks here run in chronological order, from 1980's easily recognizable "Crazy Train" through to early-'90s power ballads like "Mama I'm Coming Home" up to "Let Me Hear You Scream" from his 2010 studio offering Scream. His Sabbath days get a nod or two as well, with a cover of their brooding piano ballad "Changes" that Ozzy and daughter Kelly offer up as a reworked duet, and an unreleased live recording of "Paranoid" from 2010. ~ Fred Thomas