Something I posted to a mailing list recently:

> Subject: Re: ozzy box set
>
> > Unfortunately, I don't see there being anything
> > from the 1980s, at least
> > not in its original format, since he's essentially
> > deleted all those albums from his catalog.
>
> Hey man i dont really understand what you mean
> that he permeantly deleted those albums?????????????????

Yes, the original mixes of these recordings have been deleted from his
official catalog, which means that from now until the end of time, your
only chance in finding these albums is to buy them used, or stumble across
an old copy in a store. They are no longer "in print"; no more are being
made.

For anybody on this list who hasn't heard the full story, here it is:

In 1995, Ozzy had all of his solo albums remastered and re-released. You
can identify these CD releases by their front covers: they have "OZZY"
written down the side in giant letters, and the original album cover shown
in the middle as a small square, about 1/4 of the full size. They sounded
great. "Speak of the Devil" was restored to its full length (the original
CD release had a track missing), and "Bark At The Moon" included the
non-US track "Spiders".

In 2002, Ozzy re-re-released his first two albums, "Blizzard of Ozz" and
"Diary of a Madman". The front covers of the CDs show the full album
cover (not shrunk down into a square in the middle) and have a few bonus
tracks. But long-time fans who eagerly bought these albums noticed that
they sounded quite different...

This is because the albums had the bass and drum tracks RERECORDED with
Ozzy's current bassist and drummer. Why did Ozzy do this? It was to get
out of paying royalties to the original bass player and drummer, Bob
Daisley and Lee Kerslake. Even the compilation "The Ozzman Cometh" was
re-released with these album tracks replaced by the new versions!

I think I speak for many fans when I say I have three big problems with
this: 1) there was NO indication on the packaging that these were
re-recordings, 2) it's a shitty way to treat the band that not only played
with the late Randy Rhodes, but got Ozzy's solo career started and out of
Black Sabbath's shadow, 3) they sound horrible -- you simply can't
re-record drums, and keep the same original feel on every measure! Humans
are not perfect metronomes, which is what makes them sound human, and why
their tracks are always laid down first. Check out Bob Daisley's site for
some quite revealing information:
http://bobdaisley.com/remaster_main_links_info.htm

"Bark At The Moon" was not re-recorded, however the new release has a new
remix that's different than the original. It DOES sound cohesive, I'll
give it that. But anybody like me who's heard the original countless
times will immediately recognize a difference. Guitar solos are
different, keyboard parts are taken away, etc. People don't buy remasters
because they want to hear something different; they want to hear the SAME
music they love note for note, only in better audio quality.

This leaves the following 80s albums: Speak of the Devil, Ultimate Sin,
Tribute, No Rest for the Wicked. The first two? Deleted! No more copies
are ever going to be remade.

So, getting back to the original discussion: what "original" stuff of
Ozzy's is still "in print", and thus would appear on the box set? (Keep
in mind that Ozzy wouldn't sanction a box set that included recordings
that he himself have deleted.) Let's review Ozzy's catalog:

1) Blizzard of Ozz: Re-recorded! Original version deleted!
2) Diary of a Madman: Re-recorded! Original version deleted!
3) Speak of the Devil: Deleted! My guess is that it seemed redundant with
the whole Black Sabbath reunion thing going on.
4) Bark at the Moon: Completely remixed! Original version deleted!
5) Ultimate Sin: Deleted! Ozzy just hates the album.
6) Tribute: Re-released in 2002, thankfully unchanged
7) No Rest for the Wicked (1988): Same as above (though the new pictures
show Geezer in the band photos, even though he didn't play on the album.
Guess who did? Bob Daisley!)
8) Just Say Ozzy (1990): This was just a live EP. Remastered in 1995, but
all gone now. Bye bye.
9) The rest of the Ozzy albums ("No More Tears" and onward): as far as I
know, these are untouched and still in print

So for any of you metalheads looking to get any of these classic first
five albums, get 'em while you still can! Three of them are readily
available but only as re-recordings, so beware.