Ozzy Osbourne – Diary Of A Madman

Originally released on 7 November 1981.

This is the last Osbourne studio album to feature guitarist Randy Rhoads and drummer Lee Kerslake.
An altered version appeared in 2002 with the original bass and drum parts removed and re-recorded.

Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge on multiple releases are mis-credited as Bassist and Drummer. Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake have since been revealed as the actual performers on this album.

Bob Daisley explaining in an interview with The Metal Voice how he and Kerslake ended up getting fired:
“The two albums Blizzard Of Ozz and Diary Of A Madman were done about 10 or 11 months of each other including a UK tour in between. We wrote the songs then we recorded the album. The first album was recorded and out before the contract was signed. Then when it came to write the second album Diary Of A Madman we said hang on a minute we haven’t got the money from the first album yet. Don Arden, the manager at the time, said on the phone to us don’t worry carry on the work and it will be all sorted out; you will have your contract and money, so we believed him and we carried on working. Then we recorded Diary Of A Madman and Lee Kerslake and I got fired. Ozzy wanted Tommy Aldridge in the band and Tommy was a friend of Sharon Arden‘s as well. During the UK tour, they kept pulling me aside saying ‘Let’s get rid of Lee. Let’s get Tommy.’ and I just didn’t think it was the right move. They asked me several times and I said no all the time, so eventually they got rid of me and Lee.”

In a separate interview with The Metal Voice back in December 2018, Kerslake revealed that he had made peace with Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne as he indicated: “Yes I have made peace. It’s all forgotten and forgiven. I’ve written to Sharon and Ozzy recently — a personal letter basically asking them to kindly send me a platinum album certifications for Blizzard of Ozz and/or Diary of a Madman to hang on my wall before I die. It’s on my bucket list. I really wrote a nice letter to them and I hope they will come to terms with it and say ‘Yes’. I went belly-up bankrupt when I lost the case to Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne in the courts. It cost me hundreds of thousands and I had to sell the house and then started to get ill. I never managed to get back up but a platinum certification on my wall for these albums would be fantastic and it would say I helped create those albums.”
The next month, Kerslake’s wish was granted as he received platinum certifications for the first two Ozzy albums from Osbourne himself.

The little boy on the cover of the album is Ozzy's son, Louis Osbourne.

Sharon Osbourne, once revealed that the title for the song “S.A.T.O.” stands for Sharon Arden, her maiden name, and Thelma Osbourne, the name of Ozzy's first wife.

Some releases feature alternate front artwork: Diary Of A Madman

The album has sold over 3,000,000 copies worldwide.

Vinyl releases:

1981
UK Ι Aston Clinton
US I Santa Maria I Santa Maria I Terre Haute I Pitman I US picture
Canada
Argentina I promo
Brazil
EU I EU
Greece I Greece
Netherlands I Netherlands
Spain
Japan
South Africa
Australia I promo

1983 Venezuela

1986
US
South Korea

1989 Spain

1992 South Korea

2002 CD (remastered + remixed in 2002, also some parts were replaced with new recordings from Ozzy’s then-rhythm section bassist Robert Trujillo and drummer Mike Bordin) As Ozzy says. “I don’t give a fuck if you’ve got Jesus Christ and Moses playing bass and drums, it ain’t the same.”

2011 (30th anniversary remaster) with these reissues of the albums have the original versions and tapes been restored Ozzy said: “I’m glad about that” obviously not satisfied with the 2002 re-recordings.
US I picture I picture
picture I EU