When I first saw it, I thought the Fred Phelps clan had been reviewing albums on Amazon. Ozzy Osbourne’s “Blizzard of Ozz,” one of the greatest rock and roll records of all time, has received 139 one-star reviews. What was going on? Panning “Blizzard of Ozz” is like panning the Mona Lisa.
I read a few of the reviews, and what has happened to “Blizzard of Ozz” is a crime not of the current moment but for the centuries, for history. At some point Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne had a fracas with Bob Daisley, and Lee Kerslake, the bassist and drummer, respectively, on “Blizzard of Ozz.” The result? The Osbournes rerecorded “Blizzard” using a different bassist and drummer and released the new record in 2002. Imagine doing the same thing to a Beatles record.
