The follow-up to the masterful
Blizzard of Ozz
,
Diary of a Madman
was rushed into existence by a band desperate to finish its next album before an upcoming tour. As a result, it doesn't feel quite as fully realized -- a couple of the ballads are overly long and slow the momentum, and
Randy Rhoads
' guide solo on
"Little Dolls"
was never replaced with a version intended for the public. Yet despite the fact that some songs could have used a longer gestation period, there are numerous moments of brilliance on
-- at least half of it stands up to anything on
Blizzard
, and the title track is a jaw-droppingly intricate epic that represents the most classically influenced work of
Rhoads
' all-too-brief career. But even if parts of the album don't quite live up to the band's previous (and incredibly high) standards, they're by no means bad; moreover, the production is fuller, and the instruments better recorded this time around. It's not uncommon to find fans who prefer
Diary
to
, since it sets an even more mystical, eerie mood, and since
' playing is progressing to an even higher level. One can only wonder what the
Osbourne
/
collaboration might have produced in the future, had
not been killed in a bizarre and sadly avoidable plane crash. ~ Steve Huey