Blizzard of Ozz tour reviews

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Blizzard of Ozz tour reviews

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Image

September 12, 1980
Apollo Theatre, Glasgow, Scotland - (1)


Friday night at the Glasgow Apollo. The houselights were up, roadies milling back and forth onstage yet sizeable pockets of the crowd remained rooted, defiantly calling for more. And backstage it was chaos. Oversized bouncers shoe-horned into their Levis trying to organize the 50 or so jubilant fans determined to claim an autograph and a handshake from their hero, whilst outside another cheery mob lay seige to the stage door. Not a particularly novel scenario it's true, you'd probably find much the same euphoria at a Rod Stewart or Kate Bush bash, but when the hand everyone wants to shake is attached to former Black Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osbourne then the whole time-honoured ritual assumes a distinctly less hollow significance. Sabbath, y'see, were unique, a band the critics loved to hate and the kids themselves just loved, but for many, myself included, Ozzy was the best thing about them. A working class boy from Brum who got off his arse and made good but who never scorned the ranks from which he'd risen. He was the kids and they really were him, it was really as simple as that. And now, after many moons of soulsearching and footfinding, Ozzy has blown back on to the scene with Blizzard of Ozz, a new band consisting of mostly old faces. On drums we have the redoubtable Lee Kerslake (ex-Uriah Heep / Blind Ambition), on bass Bob Daisley (ex-Widowmaker / Rainbow) and on guitar Randy Rhoads (ex-LA band Quiet Riot and former college guitar tutor), a new name at present but with a lightning technique, smacking of Schenker, Moore and at times Hendrix. It shouldn't be long before he gains the clenched-fisted approval of the denim cognoscenti. As the Apollo was the first date on the band's 17-date nation-wide tour and, with the exception of two "secret" gigs in Blackpool and Cromer under the name Law, their first live appearance together there was a good deal of pre-gig tension backstage. Happily, though, that's where it remained despite a few technical hitches the evening proved a joyful celebration of Ozzy's return with every one of the two thousand plus crowd willing them to do well and the spotlessly attired Ozz obliging them.

September 12, 1980
Apollo Theatre, Glasgow, Scotland - (2)

Image

Ozzy Osbourne Blizzard of Ozz
Apollo, Glasgow
By Dante Bonutto


Ozzy! Ozzy! Ozzy! When that time – hounoured chant stars raising the rafters it can mean but one thing. Namely, that former Sabbath front man, the perennially popular Ozzy Osbourne, is back and on the evidence of tonight’s performance more with a bang than a whimper. The Apollo being not only the Blizzard’s first stop on their 17 date nationwide tour but also, with the exception of two “secretâ€Â
Last edited by Randy Perry on Sat Jan 12, 2008 9:54 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Let's Rock

Post by RR-ElectricAngel »

I love reading these reviews because there are fresh from the minds of the writers themselves. That makes it magical...
To be a teacher you must never stop learning yourself...
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Post by Jake_E_Lee »

Randy Perry, I bow down to you!
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Post by Randy Perry »

No need to bow... when you can just send cash. (Doh?!) Glad you're enjoying it.
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Post by JAY »

Here is one I posted at tk a while ago,I just found this site and realized it had all the day the music died info I had been reading a while ago!!!

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Re: Blizzard of Ozz tour reviews

Post by marksimons97 »

look! superman 2 and raiders of the lost ark! that reviewer must be insane btw.
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Re: Blizzard of Ozz tour reviews

Post by Sky »

Randy Perry wrote:Image

September 12, 1980
Apollo Theatre, Glasgow, Scotland - (1)


Friday night at the Glasgow Apollo. The houselights were up, roadies milling back and forth onstage yet sizeable pockets of the crowd remained rooted, defiantly calling for more. And backstage it was chaos. Oversized bouncers shoe-horned into their Levis trying to organize the 50 or so jubilant fans determined to claim an autograph and a handshake from their hero, whilst outside another cheery mob lay seige to the stage door. Not a particularly novel scenario it's true, you'd probably find much the same euphoria at a Rod Stewart or Kate Bush bash, but when the hand everyone wants to shake is attached to former Black Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osbourne then the whole time-honoured ritual assumes a distinctly less hollow significance. Sabbath, y'see, were unique, a band the critics loved to hate and the kids themselves just loved, but for many, myself included, Ozzy was the best thing about them. A working class boy from Brum who got off his arse and made good but who never scorned the ranks from which he'd risen. He was the kids and they really were him, it was really as simple as that. And now, after many moons of soulsearching and footfinding, Ozzy has blown back on to the scene with Blizzard of Ozz, a new band consisting of mostly old faces. On drums we have the redoubtable Lee Kerslake (ex-Uriah Heep / Blind Ambition), on bass Bob Daisley (ex-Widowmaker / Rainbow) and on guitar Randy Rhoads (ex-LA band Quiet Riot and former college guitar tutor), a new name at present but with a lightning technique, smacking of Schenker, Moore and at times Hendrix. It shouldn't be long before he gains the clenched-fisted approval of the denim cognoscenti. As the Apollo was the first date on the band's 17-date nation-wide tour and, with the exception of two "secret" gigs in Blackpool and Cromer under the name Law, their first live appearance together there was a good deal of pre-gig tension backstage. Happily, though, that's where it remained despite a few technical hitches the evening proved a joyful celebration of Ozzy's return with every one of the two thousand plus crowd willing them to do well and the spotlessly attired Ozz obliging them.

September 12, 1980
Apollo Theatre, Glasgow, Scotland - (2)

Image

Ozzy Osbourne Blizzard of Ozz
Apollo, Glasgow
By Dante Bonutto


Ozzy! Ozzy! Ozzy! When that time – hounoured chant stars raising the rafters it can mean but one thing. Namely, that former Sabbath front man, the perennially popular Ozzy Osbourne, is back and on the evidence of tonight’s performance more with a bang than a whimper. The Apollo being not only the Blizzard’s first stop on their 17 date nationwide tour but also, with the exception of two “secretâ€Â
Can anyone post all of the Dante Bonutto review of the Glasgow gig?

Ta, Sky
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Re: Blizzard of Ozz tour reviews

Post by GUITARIDOL5682 »

This is the review in full here....
Ozzy! Ozzy! Ozzy! When that time - honoured chant starts raising the rafters it can mean but one thing.. Namely, that former Sabbath frontman the perenially popular Ozzy Osbourne, is back and on the evidence of tonight's performance more with a bang than a wimper.
The Apollo being not only the Blizzard's first stop on their 17-date nationwide tour but also, with the exception of two "secret" warm-up gigs, their first live appearence as a band there was a good deal of pre-gig tension backstage. Ozzy was particular concerned. Would the kids still remember him ?. Would he still mean anything in these metal-ridden times ?. Well, happily, the answer to both proved a hearty not 'alf!.
Not only did the embroidered ones still remember him but they made the point quite clear by shouting his name both before the show and at every opportune moment during it as well.
Frankly, it was enough to bring a lump to the throat particularly at the beginning when, after a brief Omen-style intro tape, the curtain parted a fraction to reveal the man himself, looking fitter and healthier then ever before, his arms raised in the traditional two fingered salute, whilst the crowd returned the tribute with as many decibels as they could muster.
Before the show, however, I'd been a mite concerned that the Blizzard might simply content themselves with reworking Sabbath's finest moments but, in the event, they chose not to take the easy way out. With the exception of the instrumental 'Dee' they ran through all the new album plus the B-side of the current single 'Crazy Train' and only 'Iron Man', 'Children of the Grave' and encore 'Paranoid' remained as potent reminders of those heady days of yore.
And whilst at first Lee Kerslake (drums), Bob Daisley (bass), Randy Rhoads (guitar) and Lindsay Bridgewater (keyboards) sounded a touch edgy and nervous it didn't take them long to find their feet.
The king is back and this time his crown looks firmly lodged indeed.
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Re: Blizzard of Ozz tour reviews

Post by Sky »

Thanks very much Guitar Idol, I really appreciate you posting that!
Sky
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Re: Blizzard of Ozz tour reviews

Post by GUITARIDOL5682 »

Newcastle city hall 17th September 1980 review.
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Re: Blizzard of Ozz tour reviews

Post by brendanholland »

what a creative way to put it. th e evernt was indeed phenomenal.cataloguesnocreditcheck.co
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Re: Blizzard of Ozz tour reviews

Post by GUITARIDOL5682 »

26th September 1980 Royal Court Theatre Liverpool

Compared to his competitors Ozzy Osbourne has two advantages: He doesn't sing like Ian Gillan, and his songs vary in speed. The latter allows banged heads to recover for a few moments and also provide a semblance of emotion.... "Good Bye To Roma" , a slow ballad, is dedicated to " a good mate of ours who died yesterday, John Bonham ". any danger of poignancy is destroyed by Ozzy making faces.

Everything else is cliché : the " Hello Liverpool - are you enjoying yourselves ? ", the anorexic blond guitarist and his solo. I can see no reason at all for the existence of guitar solos. They are more tedious even than a UB40 album. Musicianship in itself is a dead end anyway: it's the result of not the means of getting there that counts, and not being a musician I wouldn't recognise brilliant axework if it hit me over the head.

" Let's have some more Rock N Roll "..shouts Ozzy after another slow bit. The problem is, it's not rock 'n' roll at all but some sort of ghastly mutant, with totally separate aims and rules, in a world of it's own. To the outsider it's amusing for about three numbers but ultimately depressing.

Did it cross no one else's mind that there is something disturbing in songs about black magic, glamorised by dry ice, ultra violet light, and much pomposities ? That there's something brutal about Ozzy's bellowing commands and something frightening in the compliance of the audience, each person providing a mirror image of the gestures on stage. Or even that there's something unpleasant about being hit in the back of the head by some-one else's hair ?....Penny Kiley
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Re: Blizzard of Ozz tour reviews

Post by GUITARIDOL5682 »

The above review has just been found amongst some cuttings i had lost some time ago, i found them the other day. Very much like the guy who reviewed the Newcastle City Hall gig. This Penny Kiley what kind of review do you give on a band you have not done any research on . She cannot even name the guitarist or the proper title of the track 'Goodbye To Romance'. In an attempt to say if the guy can amaze her in any shape or form, but obviously is lacking in any build to take his dimensions as being anorexic. These guys who review these concerts must just have fkn shit taste in music. My memories of the gig i went to was some what amazing, if for the atmosphere alone. Ozzy is an outstanding performer for whipping up the crowd our interviewer cannot understand 'the crowd mirror imaging his every move'. It's because the guys in the crowd have paid good money to see these guys on stage. They want to have a good time and are fuelled on this Rock N fkn Roll music.. Rant over these people boil my piss...
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