Metal Music For Beginners Series - Volume III
(The lights dim, as twice before. There is an eerie silence as the curtains open and as before, the mysterious figure walks out onto the stage.... only this time, he is followed by a small child.... blonde, blue-eyed, hair cut into a soft and flowing shoulder-length cut. He appears to be wearing an obviously oversized t-shirt depicting Bart Simpson from the famous television show, and in big red lettering, a speech bubble reads one of his classic quotes, "Don't have a cow man!"
The child's tiny hand seems to disappear as it connects with the hooded figure's, which is also hidden slightly by the sleeve end of the cloak he wears. Behind their slow stride to center stage follows a small billowing of smoke. And in the background, ever so faintly, there sounds to be someone from a distance playing a song by famous 80's metal artist Ozzy Osbourne. From the sound of it, it seems to be "Over the Mountain", the opening track to his second studio album, "Diary of a Madman". The child appears to be faintly laughing and possesses a slight but jovial smile upon his face as Ozzy comes in with the chorus.... ".... I heard them tell me that this land of dreams was now. I told them I had ridden shooting stars and I said I'd show them how...."
Suddenly, the hooded man finally speaks.)
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I see you are in awe as to why I have a small blonde child accompanying me tonight. Fear not, for his life is not in danger.... in fact, if he were to be in harm's way, I am afraid I, too, would be at the mercy of fate...."
(The audience all look at each other, puzzled by what the man meant. Time does not wait for them to give it proper thought. The man pays their bewilderment no mind, and continues....)
"Tonight we will be discussing the album that holds the song you may have just heard playing faintly as we approached. I felt it might intrigue you enough to stick around as I delve into the deepest part of this young child's mind, as this is one of his favorite songs. Soon you will learn how, and why. Shall we begin? Then without further ado, I give to you....
Ozzy Osbourne's second studio album, the last to feature guitarist Randy Rhoads before his unfair and untimely demise....'Diary of a Madman'."
It was the year 1981. A year had passed since Ozzy Osbourne, one of the most influential artists in metal in both Black Sabbath and his solo project of his own name, released his debut album, "Blizzard of Ozz". With instant hits like "Crazy Train", "I Don't Know", "Mr. Crowley" and "Suicide Solution", it seemed he may have jumped the gun on his career too soon, and many felt that he couldn't possibly top an entire debut album's worth of classics. Boy, were they wrong!
Ever since I was a child, I loved "Diary of a Madman", it was one of my favorite albums. And personally, I thought it was a FAR more well-written album than "Blizzard of Ozz", by a long shot! But the musicianship and Ozzy's dominating voice are not the only reasons I prefer "Diary" to "Blizzard".
It was also responsible for the first memory I have of ever hearing music....
I was two, maybe three years old. By this point, while I did learn how to walk long since, I imagine that my mind wasn't necessarily retaining enough information for independent living aside from the most basic of motor skills, as with most children of such age.... at least not without something to act as a trigger for memory's sake....
And that was precisely where "Diary of a Madman" came in....
The first song I remember ever hearing was in fact "Over the Mountain".... So as you can imagine, if you have not already put two and two together by this point, the child in the above foreward is me. Did I trick you???? Probably not. You all seem like a clever bunch! :D But I digress....
So as I was saying.... "Over the Mountain" was the very beginning to my metal-influenced upbringing and background. Every time my mother played it, it was almost as if my childlike wonder suddenly came to an end and I just, for even a little moment, understood everything. It was as if something had been awoken in me long before it was intended to. I think this is the way almost all musicians feel when they recall their first memory of ever hearing music. All I know is that, for me, Ozzy and all of his "Prince of fucking Darkness" awesomeness is the reason I remain a metal head tried and true to this very day, and also the reason I continue to strive to be in a dedicated band as I am a part of.
At that time, very few were doing it the way Ozzy and Randy did it. In simplistic terminology, those two were "the shit", and in more sophisticated verbal praise, they were "at the pinnacle of all that would be accomplished in the metal world, while still sustaining melodic substance and gaining an almost cult-like following". As metal heads of the universe, we almost have this sort of loyal allegiance and dedication to those artists which we hold in such high esteem. It is as if we know exactly what our beloved bands feel like, because in a way, we do! We can sympathize and feel that which is felt by them, because unlike all these "bred to be perfect supermodel-type unreachable mainstream artists", we ARE them. No metal head is different from the other, and we hold each other all in the same light, because we respect one another and don't try to "one-up" each other. Anyway, back to Ozzy and Randy....
Because they were on top of the world, naturally, people of all types could not help but listen and pay attention. They were a revolutionary duo in rock and metal, and no one was safe from their havoc to be wrought. And damn near everyone LOVED that havoc! Ozzy had his signature singing style, and Randy was putting Eddie Van Halen to shame with his tapping, sweep-picking and almost borderline-thrashy riffs as they tore through every amplifier he played out of, and it was obvious he was going places.... unfortunately, this was not to be, as history would later report.... but at the time, in the moment, the sky was the limit in metal!
Overall, every one of these eight tracks that make up the metal monster that is "Diary of a Madman" was a very crucial part in my path to metal discovery. Though I did not know what "metal music" was at the time, being too young to comprehend any such verbal wordplay, I immediately knew in that moment what types of sounds that I most enjoyed! And apparently that involved, even at this early in my growth stage, anger, angst, adrenaline and excited enthusiasm over what was blaring into my little ears. I have my mother to thank for showing me what real music was, right from the get-go, and I can tell you right now that were it not for "Diary of a Madman", I may very well not have been the devoted metal head I am today. I urge those of you who are new to all of this that if nothing else, give these three following tracks a chance, even if you did not particularly enjoy my two previous posts in this series, as these are the songs that started it all for me (and many others, I'm sure) and they at least deserve that much consideration and respect.
So now, without further delay, I give to you the first track, "Over the Mountain"; the fourth track, "Believer"; and the fifth track, "Little Dolls". Please enjoy as I have, ever since all those years ago....
"Over the Mountain"
"Believer"
"Little Dolls"
(As the dim lights begin to come back up to a more comfortable brightness, bringing the audience back into relieved reality, they all notice that unlike earlier, on the stage, the hooded man is no longer present.... only the little blonde child, and he appears to be dissolving into nonexistence. Suddenly, his faint little voice speaks out just enough for all of them to hear him utter but two chilling words....)
"Stay.... Metal...."
(His two tiny, delicate hands form into two "heavy metal horns", and before anyone can even blink twice, he dissolves so much so that he can no longer be seen, and the only remaining proof of his presence is the faint sound of his laughter of joy, and the ending solo of "Little Dolls" chimes in, then fades right back out.... the room stays silent as the grave as the audience slowly, and in a frightened manner, make their way back out of the auditorium.)
.... Thank you for reading, my fellow Steemians. I truly hope and pray that you enjoy reading these as much as I adore writing and posting them. :) Till next time....
Many cheers and metal horns sent your way!
P.S.: Are you behind in the series? Fear not! Here are the links to all the "Metal Music For Beginners" posts I have so far! :)
Metal Music For Beginners:
https://steemit.com/music/@damiancraymond/metal-music-for-beginners-m
Volume I:
https://steemit.com/music/@damiancraymond/metal-music-for-beginners-series-volume-i
Volume II:
https://steemit.com/music/@damiancraymond/metal-music-for-beginners-series-volume-ii