Picking up in my own personal Ozzfest, I come to 1983's Bark At The Moon. It's an album that as a teenager I remember no liking very much. As such, when it came time for this review, I felt it appropriate to listen to it again before putting my final thoughts down.
The album sees a change in musical styles for Ozzy with the inclusion of synthesizers. It adds a more synth-pop sound to the mix of the once straight up hard rock / heavy metal sound, but it works in moderation. It's also the first to feature guitarist Jake E. Lee, and drummer Tommy Aldridge. Oddly, recently fired bassist, Bob Daisley, would also return to the album.
Depending on the version you picked up, European, or USA, would determine what tracks you got, as well as the order they appeared. Slow Down, which was included on the USA release, was replaced by Spiders for the European edition. Additionally, Centre Of Eternity was renamed to Forever on the European release. Interestingly, when Ozzy refers to the song in concerts, he called it Forever. So, I'm going to lean to that being the actual title.
Bark At The Moon, much like its predecessor isn't exempt from drama, and also like it seems to be the result of Sharon Osbourne. Guitarist Jake E. Lee has stated in interviews how he was robbed of royalties after being presented a contract upon completion of the album by Sharon. She allegedly stated that the guitarist needed to sign the contract, forego all his credit on the album, and in return he'd be allowed to continue working with Ozzy. Without it, his work would be stripped from the album, and his parts re-recorded. Lee states he signed it because he had no legal representation, and felt that he'd be fired if he didn't comply.
Daisley's lyrics for Now You See It (Now You Don't), were a jab directly at Sharon, and the bassist has stated his surprise that it was included on the album. The opening lyrics, "Overbearing woman makin' it so hard for me," set the whole tone, and Daisley doesn't hold back.
Playing through Bark At The Moon is more favorable now than it's been in the past. While back in my teen years, I would have told you the only salvageable tracks were the title song, Slow Down, and on occasion, So Tired, I now have a better appreciation for it as a whole. It makes me wonder if the overly used synthesizers were perhaps a hang up for me during my more hard rock / metal days.
Its not a perfect album. There's songs I prefer over others. In fact, it's still the title track and Slow Down, but the rest aren't as bad as I remembered them. I do think this album would have gotten more playtime with me back in the day if I had the perspective I have now.
There's more going on my shuffle list as of today, You're No Different, Now You See It (Now You Don't), and Waiting For Darkness. Whether or not they will become among the skippable is yet to be determined.
From there, I close the book on Bark At The Moon, and will finish everything up tomorrow with 1988's No Rest For The Wicked. Stop by if you're feeling like it.
Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.
Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution. |
| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS October 26, 1985 |
No comments:
Post a Comment