Blizzard of Ozz is the first solo studio album by British singer/songwriter Ozzy Osbourne, recorded in Surrey, UK and released on September 20, 1980 in the UK and on March 27, 1981 in the U.S.. It is the comeback album of Osbourne following his firing from Black Sabbath the previous year.It also is the first of two studio albums he recorded with guitarist Randy Rhoads prior to Rhoads' death. Blizzard of Ozz was a commercial success and was certified 4x Platinum in the U.S., (a feat Osbourne would again achieve with the release of No More Tears).The album has sold over 6,000,000 copies worldwide, making it Ozzy's best-selling album to date. In the UK, it was the first of four Osbourne albums to attain Silver certification (60,000 units sold) by the British Phonographic Industry, achieving this in August 1981. It also ranked 13th on a Guitar World readers poll.
The tracks "Crazy Train", and "Mr Crowley" were released as singles. The former peaked at #9 on Billboard's Top Tracks chart and has remained a staple of pop, hard rock and classic rock radio for more than 25 years.[citation needed] Blizzard of Ozz was re-released in 2002 with the original bass and drum tracks, recorded by Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake, respectively, removed and replaced by new recordings by Robert Trujillo and Mike Bordin.
In 2010, Sony announced new re-releases of Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman, featuring Randy Rhoads, with the original bass and drum tracks restored. These are 2 disc Deluxe 30th Anniversary Editions with demos, rarities and previously unreleased live material. A limited Super Deluxe Edition of Blizzard of Ozz will be released in the U.K. only and features a newly designed DVD sized Digipak case with the 2 CD's, a 65 minute DVD featuring never-before-seen live concert footage & interviews with Ozzy and the band, 3 Fender guitar picks, stickers, a faux invitation to the resurrection of Aleister Crowley and an 18 cm by 12 cm glossy 58-page booklet. The release date had been delayed, but was later announced to be 31 May 2011. A box set featuring both re-issued albums, the Blizzard of Ozz/Diary of a Madman 30th Anniversary Deluxe Box Set, will also be released, featuring both CD re-issues, 180-gram LP Vinyl versions of both albums (original album only), the "Thirty Years After the Blizzard" DVD Documentary, over 70 minutes of additional rare live performances and interviews, a replica of Ozzy's iconic cross, and a 2 sided poster.(Excerpts from wikipedia)
