1) Songs representing the first two albums (Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman) have RE-RECORDED bass and drum tracks. THEY ARE NOT THE ORIGINAL SONGS. The original bass and drum tracks were replaced for the most recent re-masters.
2) The album "THE ULTIMATE SIN" IS NOT REPRESENTED AT ALL. This means you have an entire album from Ozzy's classic solo period that is ignored. Tracks that could have been put on here: The Ultimate Sin, Lightning Strikes, Shot In The Dark and Killer of Giants. Killer of Giants might very well be the best post-Sabbath song Ozzy has done; it certainly ranks up there with the best of them.
That means that 7 of the existing tracks on "Essential Ozzy" are… Read more
When Notorious came out, I didn't know what to think. It was a such big departure from the New Romantic/New Wave/Bubblegum Pop I was such a big fan of in 1984/'85. The boys had gone and split up. Powerstation and Arcadia were formed and then Duran Duran in stunted form regrouped, and I expected at the very least that Notorious would follow in the really HUGE shoes of Arcadia's 'So Red The Rose', but with the exception of a couple of tracks ('Hold Me' and 'Winter Marches On'), it did not.
Notorious is a strange album. I used to think it was inconsistent when it was first released. Upon further listening and recent revisiting, I've found that it has what the best Duran Duran albums contain:… Read more
Rio is in close competiton with the Duran Duran debut as the best album the group has ever released in my opinion. What keeps it from being their best for me is 100% a personal preference: Rio is a much 'happier' album than the debut. Where the debut travels from ascerbic to moody to near vicious in places [see Girls On Film and Careless Memories], Rio's darker or more melancholic moments [The Chauffeur, Save A Prayer] are fairly sweet and are what amount to love songs.
The fact that Save A Prayer and The Chauffeur are love songs certainly doesn't keep them from being my favorite tracks from Rio along with New Religion. The Chauffeur has become something of a cult classic among Duranies… Read more
