10 Greatest Comebacks In Rock History

It's hard to imagine nowadays, but Ozzy Osbourne seemed like a has-been before his solo career even took off. Though he had worked well in Black Sabbath, his addictions to drugs and booze left him a shell of his former self, as he was often seen on the side of the stage rather than playing up his madman persona. Things looked pretty grim, but Randy Rhoads helped lead the Prince of Darkness back to his throne.

Arriving right after Sabbath's Heaven and Hell album, Blizzard of Ozz announced that Ozzy was back in full force, with songs like "Crazy Train" appearing all over the radio. Rather than the doom and gloom of early Sabbath, Ozzy sounded like a new man on this record thanks Rhoads' guitar playing. In lieu of the typical sludge rock riffs pounded out by Tony Iommi, Rhoads' training in classical music made for some of the most melodic passages on an Ozzy record like on "Mr. Crowley" and "Goodbye to Romance."

Things may have been looking up for Ozzy, but the magic didn't last long, with Rhoads dying in a plane crash after the release of the band's second album Diary of a Madman. The initial magic may not be there these days, but what Rhoads and Osbourne created on Blizzard of Ozz was enough to bring metal's greatest frontman back from the dead.