The Essential Ozzy Osbourne

The Essential Ozzy Osbourne
Greatest hits album by
Released11 February 2003 (2009: 3 Disc Edition)
Recorded1980–2001 (–2007: 3 Disc Edition)
Genre
Length151:01
LabelEpic/Legacy
ProducerVarious
Ozzy Osbourne chronology
Live at Budokan
(2002)
The Essential Ozzy Osbourne
(2003)
Prince of Darkness
(2005)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Rolling Stone[3]

The Essential Ozzy Osbourne is a compilation album by British heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne, released in 2003. It reached No. 81 on US charts[4] and No. 21 in the UK.[5] 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.[citation needed] The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on 5 February 2005 with an excess of 500,000 copies sold,[6] then certified Platinum by the RIAA on 3 March 2016.[7] This compilation was re-released in 2009 as a Limited Edition 3.0 package with an additional disc of bonus songs that were not on the original release.

The album tracks from Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman are from the 2002 remasters, for which they were partially re-recorded. The original drum and bass tracks were replaced with recordings by Osbourne's then-current bassist Robert Trujillo and drummer Mike Bordin, as a management response to legal action by original bassist Bob Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake for unpaid royalty fees.

It does not feature any material from 1986's The Ultimate Sin; however, the limited edition bonus disc does include two tracks from said album.

  1. ^ Slowikowski, Tim (14 April 2003). "Ozzy Osbourne: The Essential Ozzy Osbourne, PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  2. ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Ozzy Osbourne - The Essential Ozzy Osbourne review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  3. ^ Caramanica, Jon (20 February 2003). "Ozzy Osbourne - Essential Ozzy Osbourne". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 28 August 2006. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  4. ^ "Billboard album chart history-Ozzy Osbourne". Retrieved 17 February 2009.
  5. ^ "Ozzy Osbourne Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  6. ^ "RIAA Gold & Platinum database". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 17 February 2009.
  7. ^ "RIAA Gold & Platinum Awards March 2016" (PDF). RIAA. Retrieved 20 April 2016.