Ozzy Osbourne
See You On The Other Side SONY LEGACY
The Prince Of Darkness flashes the plastic – all of it.
While the sensible money is on Ozzy Osbourne making a wholesale return to action, following a cancelled tour or two, there is definitely a sense of completion and finality to this preposterously desirable, career-spanning vinyl box set. With 16 multi-coloured splatter vinyl LPs, plus a bonus collection of B-sides and non-album tracks, this plainly is the full Ozzy Monty. Several of the albums have never been released on vinyl in the US before, while No More Tears has been remastered specifically for this release, and comes as a two-disc set for the first time. The whole thing looks utterly gorgeous and, unlike many Ozzy reissue campaigns in the past, seems to have been conceived and executed with utmost care for the material within.
Because, despite what some cynics may tell you, Ozzy’s solo catalogue is pretty damn consistent. Few would argue with the seminal, decade-defining likes of his 1980 solo debut Blizzard Of Ozz or its superior follow-up, 1981’s Diary Of A Madman. But a few wince-inducing clunkers aside (Zombie Dance, anyone?), the rest of the studio albums are all eminently worth revisiting too, with 2001’s bolshy and tune-heavy Down To Earth being particularly worthy of reassessment. Three of his live albums are also included, with the immortal Tribute standing out as the obvious pick of the bunch, but both Live And Loud and Live At The Budokan are comparably riotous. The absence of 1981’s Speak Of The Devil is slightly annoying, but 1980’s Mr. Crowley Live EP makes up for it.
Bonus extras have become mandatory with such lavish affairs, and See You On The Other Side boasts a smattering of bonus goodies, including 10 huge posters, one for each of the studio albums and with the promise of never-before-seen images (of, we can only assume, Ozzy gurning furiously), plus an exclusive flexi-disc of an unreleased demo of this box set’s title song. Those taking the financial plunge can also look forward to “ten AR (Augmented Reality) experiences” thrown in for the hell of it, although what that actually means is anyone’s guess, and you might well argue that Ozzy has augmented his own reality more than enough already, without encouraging everyone else to join in. But still, a bonus is a bonus, and See You On The Other Side does seem to indicate that Mr. Osbourne has spoilt us enough already. ■■■■■■■■■■