BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1983
“Bark at the Moon” is a song by heavy metal vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. It was the first single released from his 1983 album of the same name. The music video produced for the song was Osbourne’s first.
Though officially credited solely to Osbourne, “Bark at the Moon” was co-written with guitarist Jake E. Lee and bassist/lyricist Bob Daisley. Lee claims he was threatened with firing by Osbourne’s wife and manager Sharon if he refused to sign a 1983 contract stating that he would relinquish his claims to writing and publishing. In 2003, Daisley filed a lawsuit against the Osbournes, claiming lost royalties for his significant songwriting contributions.
Lyrically, the song deals with a creature of some sort who once terrorized a town, was killed, and later mysteriously returned to once again wreak havoc upon the villagers. The music video, however, borrows heavily from Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story, depicting Osbourne as a “mad scientist” who ingests a substance in his laboratory which causes him to transform into the werewolf depicted on the Bark at the Moon album cover. Thought to be insane, he is subsequently committed to a mental institution.
The music video for the song was partially filmed at the Holloway Sanatorium, outside London, England. In the early 1980s infancy of the music video medium, the video, which was the first Osbourne had made, was highly anticipated due to his outrageous image. Drummer Tommy Aldridge played on the studio recording of the track, but the video features his replacement in the band, Carmine Appice.
In the UK the single peaked at #21 while in the US it barely reached the Billboard Hot 100 only peaking at #109.
The sleeve states that the b-side tracks are exclusive releases they did not appear on the album upon the intial release.
SIDE A:
Bark At The Moon 4:15
SIDE B:
One Up The “B” Side (Exclusive Release) 3:26
Slow Down (Exclusive Release) 4:17
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Epic – TA 3915
Format: Vinyl, 45 RPM, Single, 12″
Country: UK
Released: 1983
Genre: Rock
Style: Heavy Metal
CREDITS:
Producer – Daisley*, Norman*, Osbourne*
Written-By – Ozzy Osbourne
NOTES:
Track A: Taken from the EPIC LP “BARK AT THE MOON”
Find the 12″ on DISCOGS
EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner
SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
TYVM
A sad day for music, Bobby Vee (73) and Pete Burns (57) have died R.I.P
Love Ozzy’s music! Thanks Paul.
Nice addition, any plans to add the second single So tired ?
https://www.discogs.com/Ozzy-Osbourne-So-Tired/release/2150393
thanks Chris
Whoa! Now THAT´s a surprise! Great find, Paul. Thank you!
WHOA, this is a nice surprise! I came from the opposite direction – I loved heavy metal but hated synthpop and dance music. But some AFOS/Duran Duran songs were so catchy I liked them anyway, though I’d never admit it to my metalhead pals. I remember buying Platinum Blonde’s “Crying Over You” 12″ for $1.99. “It’s not for me, it’s for a friend! His birthday’s coming up and, uhh… ” The record store clerk grinned a mile wide, “Surrrrrrrre Barry.” “No really!!!” Anyway, thanks for this. “One Up The B-Side” is surprisingly good as well. Ozzy’s harmonies on the chorus… Read more »
Totally agree with all you said Barry. I have done the same thing in my past funny how we change as we get older 🙂
This is too cool Paul!! Again, you surprise me by what you post and this is perfect for Halloween. And a great way to end the week too. Thanks for thinking “outside the coffin” for songs to “haunt” our All Hallows’ Eve playlists!!
Have a terrific weekend!!!
Jeff
Thank you Jeff I thought this post would shock everyone because it is something that is not expected. Back in my teen years I hated this music but now it’s not bad. There is some great synths in this song if you really listen. Have a great weekend.
So funny you say that Paul because I hated this kind of music way-back-when. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I started to appreciate the stuff I didn’t like. I do like this song and it’s a perfect choice. Many thanks.
Jeff