OZZY OSBOURNE – BARK AT THE MOON: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION (4CD)

　This album permanently preserves three versions of “Howl at the Moon” and related studio demos. This is the ultimate definitive album that allows you to complete the rare studio recordings of this masterpiece in one go. Moreover, it is not just a collection of rare tracks; each disc has its own concept, allowing you to enjoy each one as a musical work of its own. Let’s take a look at each disc individually.

[DISC 1: UK First Press LP + UK Single] This first
pressing of the UK LP, which has preserved the master sound to this day
　, begins with the original “Howl at the Moon.” It’s a direct transfer from the extremely rare UK first pressing LP, EPC 25739 Blue Lettering. (Some may find it odd to start with “Rock ‘N’ Roll Rebel,” but that was the track order on the UK pressing.)

　It is inevitable that historic masterpieces demand the ultimate sound. The desire to “listen to great sound” has led to various methods, such as modern remastering and high-quality CDs. One guiding principle is “the sound of the original master tape.” This is not the processed sound of a remaster, but the original sound as the album was created. This has been preserved for over 40 years in the UK first pressing LP. This work is a masterpiece digitized from that mint-quality version.

　Indeed, the sound is rich and natural. The more you listen, the more you notice the density and fine detail of the sound. At first listen, modern remastering feels powerful, but the three-dimensional effect is an uneven feeling created by post-processing. Creating a sense of width takes priority, resulting in the loss of subtle vibes and distortion in the deep bass. However, the original British LP is completely different. Every note is preserved clearly from the moment it begins to fade, and the subtle details overlap to create a three-dimensional effect. It closely resembles the “master sound” that the band and engineers heard in the studio.

●Bonus UK single included:
　”Howling at the Moon” has such top-notch sound, but the UK version differs in content from the North American/Japanese versions. Not only was the track order different, but “Spiders” was included instead of “Slow Down” (incidentally, the song “Forever” is “Centre of Eternity,” which has the same content). Furthermore, “Slow Down,” which was not included on the album, and the rare track “One Up The ‘B’ Side” were released as B-sides of the single “Bark At The Moon.”

　This album includes additional digitized recordings from the UK single “Bark At The Moon” (EPC TA 3915), permanently preserving all the tracks from the “Howl at the Moon” sessions in the ultimate analog sound.

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[DISC 2: Rough Mix Album Distributed to Related Parties]
　DISC 2 goes back even further to the original, with a rough mix of “Howl at the Moon.” This is a treasure trove distributed to related parties before the album’s release. At the beginning, you can hear Ozzy Osbourne’s voice talking about the album. Here’s my translation:

“Hi, this is Ozzy Osbourne. First off, let me just say how excited we all are to be working with you. I’ve just sent you a sample of my new album, BARK AT THE MOON. Remember, this isn’t the finished product, it’s just a rough mix. I hope you like it. Buy me a drink. I hope to see you again soon. God bless. Thank you.”

　In fact, the content backs up this statement. While the sound quality is comparable to the final version, the content is clearly different. For example, the opening track “Rock ‘N’ Roll Rebel” has completely different vocals, and “Bark At The Moon” has no guitar solo. “You’re No Different,” which faded out in the final version, even has a coda, and “Forever (Centre Of Eternity)” is just an instrumental backing track. Furthermore, each track uses fewer effects, allowing you to enjoy a more vivid version of “Howling at the Moon” than the final version.

　In addition to all the tracks on the album, this rough mix also includes the single tracks “One Up The ‘B’ Side” and “Slow Down” (these two tracks are also instrumentals, presumably before vocals were added). As with DISC 1, you can enjoy alternate versions of all the tracks from the “Howl at the Moon” sessions.
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[DISC 3: Demo-Stage Outtake Album]
　Next up is the third outtake version of “Howling at the Moon.” Like the “Rough Mix” on DISC 2, this is a work in progress, but this one goes back even further. The “Rough Mix” is basically based on the same performance as the official album, with different takes mixed in for each part. In contrast, this “Outtake Version” is a completely different performance. It has the same official-quality sound, and each song is complete enough to be played through, but the lyrics and arrangements are still incomplete. It’s a demo from a stage before official recording began.

　The fun of this track goes beyond the “rough mix,” as completely different arrangements pop up one after the other without even trying to find the differences. Take “Bark At The Moon,” for example. The song is famous for Jake’s ending solo, but the solo here is actually Don Airey’s synth! While the melody is certainly classical, perhaps Don himself came up with the solo!? This is a must-listen take that will have you fantasizing endlessly.

　Speaking of interesting stuff, “Now You See It (Now You Don’t)” is a collection of rejected ideas. It’s packed with arrangements that aren’t in the final version, including never-before-heard intro riffs, vocal lines, singalongs, breaks, and more. Also, “Forever (Centre Of Eternity),” which was an instrumental on the “Rough Mix,” now includes vocals (though it’s a gibberish and has no lyrics).

　Another distinctive feature is that all the members play together in unison. There are occasional scenes where the performance is stopped, and above all, it is full of the coolness of live performances. “One Up The ‘B’ Side” and “Slow Down” are not included (instead, there is a 12-minute guitar solo by Jake), but it contains demos of all the songs on the album, and it has the feel of a live studio version of “Howl at the Moon.”
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[DISC 4: Alternate Demo Versions + Official Live Single]
● The final disc of the outtake demo collection
　, DISC 4, is a collection of alternate takes of demos. While DISC 3 contained demos of all eight album tracks plus guitar solos, this disc includes two takes of “Bark At The Moon,” one take of “Rock ‘N’ Roll Rebel,” and nine takes of “Now You See It (Now You Don’t).” All of these are different takes from DISC 3, allowing you to collect all existing “Tsuki ni Hoeru” demos in one go.

　The nine versions of “Now You See It (Now You Don’t)” are fun to watch as the arrangements are refined, but the most interesting are the two versions of “Bark At The Moon x.” The guitar-less intro of “Bark At The Moon (Alternate Demo)” is fresh and strangely cool, and Don also plays that ending solo here.

　And then there’s “Bark At The Moon (Guitar Solo Demo).” This is a guitar demo in which Jake plays alone, first slowly playing each note as if to confirm the phrase, then speeding up. Whether he was refining or practicing the phrase, the intensely raw guitar sound makes this a really cool masterpiece.

The four-disc “Howl at the Moon” epic is rounded off with three live takes: “Bark at the Moon,” ” Suicide
　Solution,” and “Paranoid” from the Salt Lake City concert on March 18, 1984.

　This is a live performance that is familiar from the official video, but what is included in this work is not a dropped video. Like DISC 1, it was digitized from the UK analog single “So Tired (EPC TA 4452).” These three songs have never been officially released on CD, and by combining them with DISC 1, the UK analog sound source from that time is also complete.
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Disc 1: UK ORIGINAL LP(46:45)
1. Rock ‘N’ Roll Rebel
2. Bark At The Moon
3. You’re No Different
4. Now You See It (Now You Don’t)
5. Forever (Centre Of Eternity)
6. So Tired
7. Waiting For Darkness
8. Spiders
Taken from the UK 1st Press LP (EPC 25739 Blue Lettering)

BONUS TRACKS
9. One Up The ‘B’ Side
10. Slow Down
Taken from the UK 12″ single ‘Bark At The Moon’ (EPC TA 3915)
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Disc 2: ROUGH MIX ALBUM(47:34)

1. Rough Mix Introduction
2. Rock ‘N’ Roll Rebel
3. Bark At The Moon
4. You’re No Different
5. Now You See It (Now You Don’t)
6. Forever (Centre Of Eternity)
7. So Tired
8. Waiting For Darkness
9. Spiders
10. One Up The ‘B’ Side
11. Slow Down
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Disc 3: OUTTAKE DEMO ALBUM(51:49)

1. Rock ‘N’ Roll Rebel [Demo]
2. Bark At The Moon [Demo]
3. You’re No Different [Demo]
4. Now You See It (Now You Don’t) [Demo]
5. Forever (Centre Of Eternity) [Demo]
6. So Tired [Demo]
7. Waiting For Darkness [Demo]
8. Spiders [Demo]
9. Jake E. Lee Solo [Demo]
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Disc 4: ALTERNATE DEMOS(68:06)

1. Bark At The Moon [Alternate Demo]
2. Bark At The Moon (Guitar Solo Demo]
3. Rock ‘N’ Roll Rebel [Alternate Demo]
4. Now You See It (Now You Don’t) [Alternate Demo 1]
5. Now You See It (Now You Don’t) [Alternate Demo 2]
6. Now You See It (Now You Don’t) [Alternate Demo 3]
7. Now You See It (Now You Don’t) [Alternate Demo 4]
8. Now You See It (Now You Don’t) [Alternate Demo 5]
9. Now You See It (Now You Don’t) [Alternate Demo 6]
10. Now You See It (Now You Don’t) [Alternate Demo 7]
11. Now You See It (Now You Don’t) [Alternate Demo 8]
12. Now You See It (Now You Don’t) [Alternate Demo 9]

BONUS TRACKS
Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, UT, USA 18th March 1984
13. Bark At The Moon [Live]
14. Suicide Solution [Live]
15. Paranoid [Live]
Taken from the UK 12″ single ‘So Tired’ (EPC TA 4452)

STEREO SOUNDBOARD RECORDING

Ozzy Osbourne – Vocals
Tommy Aldridge – Drums
Don Airey – Keyboards
Bob Daisley – Bass & Backing Vocals
Jake E. Lee – Guitar & Backing Vocals