The names of Lee Kerslake and Bob Daisley will be remembered forever as being part of the phenomenal debut by Ozzy Osbourne on The Blizzard Of Oz. History and published credits will confirm that the pair not only recorded the album with the Ozzman but also had core writing influence on it. It was argued that the name "Blizzard Of Oz" was a band name and not an album title. After many years of nasty litigation, Osbourne actually released versions of the CD with their performances deleted and recreated by his band of the time. In any event the core creators went on to form a band with other Hard Rock legends such as Steve Morse (guitar), Don Airey (keyboards) and Australian vocal power Jimmy Barnes. The idea was tossed around by Daisley who spearheaded the project and whose desire was to re-record some of the Ozzy classics he helped to create with his friend Kerslake and other musical luminaries. Perhaps this was a good idea in theory but when executed it might not be as one would have hoped. I have to be honest that the whole thing was weird to me because watching someone other than Ozzy sing these classics makes me think "cover band". While a vocal powerhouse, Barnes hardly has the same vocal register for these tunes and as a result there is a chance to be put off in the difference. Barnes screams a lot and a few times reminded me of Brian Johnson (ACDC), perhaps this was in the way he was delivering the songs. Musically it is pretty sound, with Steve Morse and Don Airey being the real highlight performers of the concert. According to the information about this release, the pair had just finished a Deep Purple gig and then went to the club to perform with this new project after only a short rehearsal period. There are some subtle re-workings in the music but it was pretty cool to hear Morse playing the Randy Rhoads stuff; as he is no slouch in the area of axe-wielding himself. I admit also to being a little jaded to the level of play I witnessed from Tommy Aldridge who became Ozzy's touring drummer back then. Kerslake while adept on the kit, is definitely no Aldridge and since many years have gone by I was not all that excited by his performance on the DVD. Lee only shows off a couple of times. The band looks like they are having fun, but outside of Barnes there is not a lot of liveliness going on.
Given the fans these individuals have gained over all their years of performing I can say that there is clearly an audience for this release but I feel it might be a limited one. It did not put me over the top or sent me out into the streets proclaiming this is a must see. Is it good, yes, is it great, no, not at all. There is some solid performance and delivery on the bands quickly written original material and a couple of those tracks shine through better than the Ozzy covers. Original winners from the group's repertoire come in "In The Name Of God" and "Pushed Me Too Hard". They are rocking tunes but again nothing too over the top spectacular. The question is does a DVD concert feature with these performers excite you enough to purchase it well in some cases perhaps it will. It was interesting to see but like most viewers I lean towards the original recordings and the way they were delivered at the time. A companion CD has been released to coincide with the video, and I think in this instance that it should have been sold as a dual package.
Bonus Features: A documentary with Daisley and Barnes, TV Commercials, Biographies and Photo Gallery along with the video for "In The Name Of God" and an added performance of "I Don't Know".
Song Listing
1. Last Chance
2. I Don't Know
3. Every Moment A Lifetime
4. Crazy Train
5. In The Name Of God
6. Flying High Again
7. Pushed Me Too Hard
8. Mr. Crowley
9. Tonight
10. Walk Away
11. Over The Mountain
12. Gimme Some Lovin'
13. Good Times
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