Bark at the Moon

Bark at the Moon is the third studio album by British heavy metal vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, originally released on 15 November 1983. A commercial success, Bark at the Moon peaked at number 19 on the Billboard album chart[5] and within several weeks of release was certified gold for over 500,000 sales in the United States.[6] To date, it has sold over 3,000,000 copies in the United States.[6] In the UK, it was the third of four Osbourne albums to attain silver certification (60,000 units sold) by the British Phonographic Industry, achieving this in January 1984.[7] The album was remastered on CD in 1995 and again (with a different mix) in 2002. This is Osbourne's first album to feature guitarist Jake E. Lee and only studio album to feature drummer Tommy Aldridge.[1]

Bark at the Moon
Studio album by Ozzy Osbourne
Released	15 November 1983[1]
Recorded	1983
Studio	Ridge Farm Studios, Rusper, England
Genre	Heavy metal
Length	39:31
Label	Epic CBS Associated[2]
Producer	Ozzy Osbourne, Bob Daisley, Max Norman
Ozzy Osbourne chronology
Speak of the Devil (1982) Bark at the Moon (1983) The Ultimate Sin (1986)
Singles from Bark at the Moon
"Bark at the Moon" / "One Up the 'B' Side" Released: December 1983 "So Tired" / "Bark at the Moon (live)" Released: 1984

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Martin Popoff	10/10[4]

Overview

Bark at the Moon is the only Ozzy Osbourne album on which the songwriting is credited entirely to Osbourne. However, guitarist Jake E. Lee maintains that he composed a significant amount of the album's music but was cheated out of his writing and publishing claims by Osbourne's wife and manager, Sharon.[8] Lee claims that after he had composed the songs and completed recording his parts in the studio, he was presented with a contract which stated that he would have no claim to any writing or publishing relating to the album. The contract also stated that Lee could not mention this publicly. Lee claims he signed the contract because he had no legal representation and because Sharon threatened to fire him and have another guitarist re-record his parts if he refused.[8]

Osbourne himself admitted several years later in the liner notes to The Ozzman Cometh that Lee had been involved in the album's writing to at least some degree, stating that the album's title track was in fact co-written by the guitarist.[9] Osbourne's bassist at the time, Bob Daisley, has mirrored Lee's account of the album's production, stating that he co-wrote most of the music with Lee and wrote the vast majority of the lyrics. Daisley has stated that he accepted a buyout from Osbourne in exchange for a writing credit.[10] Osbourne's former drummer Lee Kerslake, who also played with Daisley in Uriah Heep after leaving Osbourne's band, stated that Daisley had been hired by Sharon Osbourne to write the Bark at the Moon album for "$50–60,000 or whatever it is. He was offered the chance to write with Ozzy. Words, music – write the album."[11]

Some European pressings identified the track "Centre of Eternity" as "Forever". On tours for the album, Osbourne referred to it as "Forever". This can be heard on bootleg recordings of tours promoting the album. The title track was released as the album's first single with an accompanying music video, the first Osbourne had made. In the early 1980s infancy of the music video medium, the video was highly anticipated due to his outrageous image. The decision to release the ballad "So Tired" as the album's second single was unpopular with many longtime fans. The track "Spiders in the Night" was originally only included on the European, Australian, New Zealand and Greek releases, but was included on the 1995 CD reissue and the 2002 reissue, listed simply as "Spiders".

Composed by Daisley, the lyrics to the song "Now You See It (Now You Don't)" were a pointed rebuke aimed at Osbourne's wife and manager Sharon, who had fired him from the band in 1981.[12] Daisley stated many years later that he was surprised the Osbourne camp allowed the lyrics on the album.

Shortly after Bark at the Moon's 1983 release, a Canadian man named James Jollimore murdered a woman and her two children after allegedly listening to the album. The media and Christian groups began to infer that the music was Satanic and had influenced Jollimore to commit the act. The timing was particularly inopportune for Osbourne, who was, at the time, facing allegations that his song "Suicide Solution" had influenced a fan to commit suicide.[13]

Bark at the Moon is Osbourne's third solo album after parting ways with Black Sabbath in 1979, and his only studio album to feature drummer Tommy Aldridge, who was a fixture of his live band in the early 1980s. Aldridge departed after the recording of the album and was briefly replaced by Carmine Appice, but returned mid-tour after Appice was removed by the Osbournes.[12] When asked why Aldridge was brought back, Osbourne told Hit Parader magazine in early 1984 "For health reasons. He [Appice] was making me sick." Nonetheless, Appice did appear in the popular music video for the "Bark at the Moon" single.

2002 Remixed edition

Bark at the Moon was re-issued again in 2002, although this version was actually a new remix of the album. This 2002 remixed version of the album was met with mixed reaction; many elements found in the original mix are not present in the remix, namely several lead guitar parts. In addition, the song "You're No Different" has an alternate ending (with the fade-out removed) and "Centre of Eternity" has an altered intro segment. This edition also included the bonus tracks "Spiders" and "One Up the 'B' Side", originally the B-side of the "Bark at the Moon" single.

Track listing

All lyrics and music credited to Ozzy Osbourne^[†]

US edition

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Bark at the Moon"	4:16
2.	"You're No Different"	5:49
3.	"Now You See It (Now You Don't)"	5:10
4.	"Rock 'n' Roll Rebel"	5:23

Side two

No.	Title	Length
5.	"Centre of Eternity"	5:15
6.	"So Tired"	4:02
7.	"Slow Down"	4:20
8.	"Waiting for Darkness"	5:16
Total length:		39:31

European edition

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Rock 'n' Roll Rebel"	5:23
2.	"Bark at the Moon"	4:16
3.	"You're No Different"	5:49
4.	"Now You See It (Now You Don't)"	5:10

Side two

No.	Title	Length
5.	"Forever"	5:23
6.	"So Tired"	4:02
7.	"Waiting for Darkness"	5:16
8.	"Spiders"	4:31
Total length:		39:50

Japanese edition and 1995 reissue bonus track

No.	Title	Length
9.	"Spiders in the Night"	4:31

2002 reissue bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
9.	"Spiders"	4:31
10.	"One Up the 'B' Side"	3:23

^ † All writing was officially credited to Osbourne. However, Jake E. Lee has claimed that he and Bob Daisley wrote material for the album, but were cheated out of writing credits by Ozzy's manager/wife, Sharon Osbourne. Ozzy later admitted that they were involved in the songwriting "to some extent" but stated they were co-written with him.[8]

Personnel

• Ozzy Osbourne – vocals
• Jake E. Lee – guitar, backing vocals
• Bob Daisley – bass, backing vocals
• Tommy Aldridge – drums
• Don Airey – keyboards

Production

• Produced by Ozzy Osbourne, Bob Daisley, and Max Norman[14]
• Engineered by Max Norman
• String arrangements by Louis Clark
• Mixed by Tony Bongiovi at The Power Station, New York City
• Remastered by Brian Lee with Bob Ludwig (1995 reissue)

Charts

Album Year Chart Position 1983 Billboard 200 (USA)[5] 19 UK Albums Chart[15] 24 1984 Swedish Albums Chart[16] 9 RPM100 Albums (Canada)[17] 23 1986 New Zealand Albums Chart[18] 50

Singles Year Single Chart Position 1983 "Bark at the Moon" UK Singles Chart[15] 21 1984 "So Tired" UK Singles Chart[15] 20

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[19]	Platinum	100,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[20]	Silver	60,000^^
United States (RIAA)[21]	3× Platinum	3,000,000^^
^^shipments figures based on certification alone

See also

• Elyse Pahler

References

1. "Bark at the Moon". ozzy.com. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
2. "Bark at the Moon album scans-Ozzy Osbourne". Retrieved 3 December 2011.
3. Huey, Steve. "Ozzy Osbourne - Bark at the Moon review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
4. Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
5. "Bark at the Moon Billboard Albums". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
6. "RIAA Searchable Database-Search: Ozzy Osbourne". Archived from the original on 26 June 2007. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
7. "Search for Artist Ozzy Osbourne". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
8. "Jake E. Lee: Why I Gave Up Songwriting Credit for Ozzy Osbourne's 'Bark at the Moon'". Blabbermouth.net. 10 December 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
9. The Ozzman Cometh (CD Booklet). Ozzy Osbourne. New York City: Epic Records 487260 2. 1997.CS1 maint: others (link)
10. "Bob Daisley's History With The Osbournes". Bob Daisley. Archived from the original on 15 May 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
11. Seely, Todd (20 May 2002). "The Fuze interviews Lee Kerslake". Bob Daisley.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
12. "The Great "Bark At The Moon" Song Writing Controversy". Destroyer of Harmony.com. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
13. Southall, Brian (11 November 2009). "Ozzy Osbourne". Pop Goes to Court: Rock 'N' Pop's Greatest Court Battles. London, UK: Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857120366. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
14. Saulnier, Jason (2013). "Max Norman Interview – Legendary Producer on Ozzy Osbourne Albums". Music Legends.ca. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
15. "Ozzy Osbourne Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
16. "Ozzy Osbourne – Bark at the Moon (Album)". Swedishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Archived from the original on 18 November 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
17. "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 39, No. 19, January 14, 1984". Library and Archives Canada. 14 January 1984. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
18. "Ozzy Osbourne – Bark at the Moon (Album)". charts.nz. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
19. "Canadian album certifications – Ozzy Osbourne – Bark at the Moon". Music Canada.
20. "British album certifications – Ozzy Osbourne – Bark at the Moon". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 1 September 2020. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Bark at the Moon in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
21. "American album certifications – Ozzy Osbourne – Bark at the Moon". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 1 September 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.