Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist Randy Rhoads was a technical genius on his instrument, but that's only half the story. Rhoads shaped the direction of Osbourne's first two post-Sabbath recordings, Diary of a Madman and Blizzard of Ozz, which still stand as his best solo studio albums. Rhoads also was capable of pulling the best out of Osbourne onstage, a notable accomplishment in itself.

This live set was released five years after Rhoads's death in a bizarre plane accident, and it's still a striking reminder of what was lost. Osbourne and company run through the Blizzard album in its entirety, adding a few tunes from Diary, and the Sabbath classics "Iron Man," "Children of the Grave," and "Paranoid." The highlights are Rhoads's guitar freakout on "Suicide Solution" and studio outtakes of his solo acoustic showcase, "Dee."

Here was a classically trained guitarist that was interested in incorporating brilliant and complex guitar arraingments with popular music. You know, a lot of players sound great in the studio, when they can triple track their recordings, but here, Rhoads shreds in fluid beauty, live and in person. Just incredible playing.

The Essential Ozzy Osbourne is a compilation album by Ozzy Osbourne, released in 2003. It reached #81 on US charts and #21 in the UK. Tracks featured here from the first two albums are the re-recorded versions from recent reissues (see Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman) as well as the remixed Bark At The Moon tracks.

Track listing:

Disc One
1. "Crazy Train" (Ozzy Osbourne, Randy Rhoads, Bob Daisley) - 4:50
* From Blizzard of Ozz
2. "Mr. Crowley" (Osbourne, Rhoads, Daisley) - 4:55
* From Blizzard of Ozz
3. "I Don't Know (Live)" (Osbourne, Rhoads, Daisley) - 5:00
* From Tribute
4. "Suicide Solution" (Osbourne, Rhoads, Daisley) - 4:16
* From Blizzard of Ozz
5. "Goodbye to Romance" (Osbourne, Rhoads, Daisley) - 5:32
* From Blizzard of Ozz