The Ultimate Sin, while mostly dismissed by the Ozzy camp with the exception of Shot In the Dark, which became the sole setlist staple in subsequent years...is an unfairly dismissed album.

To fairly judge the album, one must separate the actual songs from the production, which does indeed drag the album down. Ron Nevison has no business on any Ozzy album (or KISS for that matter.) It is primarily the production that drags the album down, not the actual songs. Fault lies with Ron Nevison and Capitol for pushing him as their choice of a producer upon Ozzy.

Put the production aside and judge the songs on their own merit, with some imagination of how they would have sounded with a proper producer. One must also take into account the souring relations between Ozzy and guitarist Jake E Lee as a factor in affecting Ozzy's view of the album. I believe the other factor that keeps this album/period as one that Ozzy would sooner forget is the image associated with it...big poofy blond hair with sparkly costumes best worn by Liberace.

The album's opening and title track, The Ultimate Sin, is nothing to scoff at. It features excellent lyrics put to a heavy groove...in fact, the song is an easy example of how the production got in the way of an otherwise worthy track, which can immediately instill a sense of frustration into the listener. The song itself would not be out of place on Diary of a Madman or Blizzard of Ozz.

Secret Loser follows suit with the same attributes....both tracks would be candidates as live set staples had they been handled correctly.

Never Know Why is the first track to bring up another issue with the album besides the production....poor lyrics. Actually, with proper production and the dropping of the "We Rock" chorus...it would be improved upon.

Thank God For the Bomb falls right in line with The Ultimate Sin and Secret Loser. The only real problem with the track is again...the production. It is the first track to bring up the theme of nuclear war on the album. It's a fast paced rocker with thoughtful lyrics.

I consider Never to be quite generic and tend to skip it. It does have it's moments...but not enough to hold me.

Lightening Strikes was the 3rd single released from the album. It is a prime example of how a horrid chorus drags down an otherwise great song. The hard hitting main guitar riff had plenty of potential to go down as one of the better known Ozzy classics. Improved lyrical content would have taken this one much further.

If there is one track that makes the overlooking of this album tragic, I'm going to give that honor to Killer of Giants. As the title alone indicates....it features very well done lyrics and an excellent arrangement. The mellow yet quitely edgy opening guitar appregios set the tone...bringing to mind images of the Earth in all it's beauty. When Ozzy's voice first enters...it continues the mellow mood...but after singing the line "if the button is pushed there'll be nowhere to run" the mood/music effectively yet subtlely shifts to one of dread, bringing to mind images of scorched earth..building up to an aggressive chorus.

Fool Like You is another generic rocker that I tend to skip.

The final track Shot In The Dark is well known enough to not need any going into. It does bear noting Ozzy was particuarly proud of the live performance of the song as found on the EP "Just Say Ozzy" as he felt it got right what Nevison trashed. Indeed...the EP track does do just this and serves as a prime example of how the rest of The Ultimate Sin tracks should have been recorded.

Considering the outrage pertaining to the re-recording of the bass and drum tracks on Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman...perhaps it would have been more prudent to go and correct the problems inherent on The Ultimate Sin..one of Ozzy's best selling albums, rather than attempt to bury it in obscurity by avoiding re-issuing it. Out of the Ozzy back-catalog..it is the album that would most benefit from re-mixing and re-recording the instruments..fleshing out some truly excellent material that is too easily dismissed by those unable to see past the flat, inappropriate production.

Unfortunately, we only have the album as originally released. I strongly recommend those that have not been exposed to it take into account the factors I name at the start of this review that impact the album. The contempt for the album in many of the reviews here should be read with wariness, considering most provide little supporting commentary for their opinion, especially when considering the rest of the Ozzy catalog. No Rest For the Wicked, while sonically correcting what was wrong with the Ultimate Sin, features a much higher degree of cringe-inducing lyrics than the Ultimate Sin. The proper balance would not be struck until 1991's No More Tears.

Avoid letting the slew of negativity skew your own opinion and you'll be able to see the material for what it is...adding some truly great Ozzy material to your collection that would otherwise have gone overlooked.

I am not a huge Ozzy fan but want to make things straightened out.

Allmusic.com, which people refer to often, grades this awesome album below mediocre. The critque seems to target the general hair rock of mid 80's. This album has everything to constitute a great hevey metal music, except for solid chemistry between Ozzy and Jake.

In fact, Ozzy's voice does not impress me as usual but the guitar blows my mind. Here in the Ultimate Sin, Jake E. Lee explodes his anger in his playing, the most agressive and heaviest guitar among Ozzy's albums. Jake deserves better than what people said about this album.

Forget what you've heard, this record has it all: Heavy Riffs, driving bass and thunderous drumming. People claim this "too polished"...well it was 1986!!!! WAKE UP!!!! This record has such classics as "Shot in the Dark", the evil sounding "Ultimate Sin"....and several other great Ozzy cuts. Don't get put off by the "glam" bs...put down "Blizzard of Ozz for 5 mins and try something new..great record!

First off, as a Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Veteran, I must say that Jake E. Lee is definitely Ozzy's best guitarist. Don't get me wrong, Randy Rhoads and Zakk Wylde are two kick ass guitarists, but they are very overrated. Jake E. Lee was way more talented and musically diverse. It really is a shame that he never received the credit he deserved all these years. But, anonymous musicans are ALWAYS more successful and talented in the long run. As for "The Ultimate Sin", I personally can't understand everyone's problem with this album, being that is definitely Ozzy's best. I've been listening to Ozzy for many years now and he never topped The Ultimate Sin, even the stuff before with Randy. Believe me, every song on this album is heavy and true. On a lot of Ozzy's later albums without Jake, there are only about 3 or 4 good songs that you'll actually skip just to listen to. The Ultimate Sin is an album that you can play for hours and listen all the way through without skipping to the next track. You won't find one weak, soft, out-of-place, or a filler song located in this whole record. Once you get this album, you won't want to take it out of your cd player for weeks, it's that damn good and absolutely addicting. Hell, I'm listening to it right now as I'm typing all this, lol. I must compliment on the guitar work as being absolutely brilliant, flawless, and phenomenal. Just plain brutal and lots of energy! I must also compliment on the cover art too, definitely Ozzy's best cover. You will also find that the musicians on this album (Ozzy, Jake E. Lee, Phil Soussan, Randy Castillo) are without a doubt the strongest line up in Ozzy's history. I can't believe that one guy earlier posted that Ozzy sounds tired on this record, B.S.! If anything, Ozzy sounds the most energetic and down right pissed off than in anything else he has ever done, period. I didn't claim The Ultimate Sin as possessing the strongest line up for nothing, it does, believe me. I just don't get the people who bash The Ultimate Sin,...I guess not many people know what good Heavy Metal is anymore, or they never did in the first place, amateurs lol. The only downfall is that this album is out of print everywhere so definitely purchase it ASAP. I think it's a damn good thing that they didn't re-remaster The Ultimate Sin like the others that were recently...they left it alone in it's 1995 22 bit remastered true and pure form. But if they did re-remaster it, it would be crucified like the rest, with the new bass and drums recorded over the originals,(Argggg!) In conclusion, make every effort you can to buy this album, it is hard to find and is only for the true and dedicated. No one will ever replace Jake E. Lee on guitars.

Released in 1986, "The Ultimate Sin" was a clear cut success, it went Double Platinum (That's 2 Million copies for those keeping score.) And the Tour played to Packed Venues Nationwide.

Ozzy's backing musicians for this album were Ozzy Osbourne - Vocals, Jake E. Lee - Guitars, Phil Soussan - Electric Bass Guitar and Randy Castillo - Drums and Percussion.

I consider this line-up to be the strongest of all Ozzy Incarnations. The Late Great Randy Castillo makes his debut behind the Drum Kit, a position he'd helm for about a decade. Jake E. Lee churns out riffs with a fury and passion that was lacking on the previous album, "Bark At The Moon". Phil Soussan's bass lines are always fluid and intriguing. And Ozzy's voice is still in top form, he can carry a clear melody. Compared to on later efforts his pipes sound deteriorated and past their prime. Maybe that's due to Age or Drugs/Alcohol I'm not sure. Or perhaps a combo of all three.

BUT for some odd, unforeseen reason today this album gets a bad reputation, despite the fact it outsold Ozzy's preceding 1983 Album "Bark At The Moon". And I've wondered for years why is this so? Thanks to sites like Epinions I can let my thoughts be known.

Ozzy Osbourne recently released a double Disc "Essential" compilation which is touted to be the end all thee all Ozzy Offering casual fans will need. NOT SO. The Tracklisting seems fine except one MAJOR, GLARING OMMISION. There was not one song from the Ultimate Sin! Is Ozzy and his label under some Revisionist spell? Have they a bad case of amnesia? What about the Two Hit Singles this album spun off? They are "Shot in the Dark" and the title track, respectively. The latter had a popular video on MTV.

I must completely disagree with another reviewer who said the production is bad. It sounds fine to me! "The Ultimate Sin" was helmed by Ron Nevison who also produced the Damn Yankees first album. The man has a knack for crispness and clarity. And, as is the case with many albums he produced, the Drum Sound here is superb. The Snare sounds natural unlike many albums of that time which reverted to a synth/electronic sound. Remember this? Van Halen's "5150" anyone?

I'm a conspiracist at heart, and one reason I believe many fans dislike this album is because of Jake E. Lee. This was his second and final album with the Oz. These same fans never accepted the fact that Ozzy's previous guitarist and Musical soulmate Randy Rhoades died in a plane crash. Subsequently they automatically hated whoever would take his place, no matter how talented that person may be. Which is exactly what happened in Jake E. Lee's case.

At the risk of commiting blasphemy I prefer Jake E. Lee over the other guitarists Ozzy hired (Zakk Wylde, Randy Rhoades). Those two can play very fast, but remember speed isn't everything. Yes Jake can pull off Two-Hand tapping techniqes with ease, but he is a very solid rhythm player, a skill the other two lacked in comparision. In fact Jake once said something to the effect of "I listen to many guitarists today and their Rhythm playing is Dismal. I wish they'd practice more, too much emphasis is placed on Solos, which is stupid 'cuz 90% of the song you're playing Rhythm."

When I was a toddler this album cover used to scare me, but now that I'm older and wiser it looks pretty cool, Ozzy's best actually.

BAD NEWS. To cash in on the popularity of The families TV Show "The Osbournes", his Record Label, Epic has re-issued and re-mastered all albums in The Ozzy catalog...Which Is kinda stupid because they had done an excellent job of re-issuing his back catalog in 1995.

But now Epic has re-recorded the Bass and Drum tracks for many of his classic albums because of a senseless dispute over royalties which was brought forth by a lawsuit from the Original musicians. They haven't received sufficient credit either. By the Way the Modern instruments dubbed over a classic recording doesn't work at all. But c'mon, especially today Ozzy and Sharon (His Wife/Manager in case you've lived under a rock and missed the show) should have NO excuse for Paying up. The latest Reissuing of Ozzy's work does not include "The Ultimate Sin", which is kinda good cuz if it was the Drum and Bass tracks would have been severely altered. But this album is NOW OUT OF PRINT, so you may have to Check the Amazon Used Section to find it. If at all possible, try to pick up the 1995 Remaster, which has "Ozzy" in big letters running vertically down the right-hand side and a green background. That's the version I'm reviewing right now. The sound quality is noticeably better by way of a 22 Bit Digital Mastering Process.

If you're worried that by picking up the 1995 Remaster you wouldn't see the Cover art in all it's glory, it's on the first panel of the Booklet, Which also include Lyrics, extensive Thank-You's and many rare and previously unpublished photos. I always thought Stylistically Ozzy's band were at their best around this time. Mach I of Hair-Metal was in Full Swing, which means Spandex and Teased Hair, if you've read my previous reviews you'll know I'm a huge fan of this era. Ignore the fold-out advertisement for Ozzy Swag, 'Cuz unless you've got a Doc Brown Delorean the stuff's no good, the offer expired on March 31, 1996.

When listening to the opening title track you get the impression that Ozzy and his backing band were thugs on a rampage. Heck they probably could've strolled through the 'Hood and stood solid ground. The lyrics are in Sing-a-long form. It begins with Randy bashing away at the toms. My favorite part of the song is after the second verses Jake plays a low-to-high chord effect.

"Secret Loser" is the first uptempo track on the album. It's powered by a Rock Solid Riff, and the solo is Jawdropping! Jake's two-hand tapping may not break any new ground, but he plays the same note repetitively, something scant few others do. The Bass Line is superb, adding flare.

"Never Know Why" moves along at a marching pace, and although the lyrics are a bit simplistic the chorus goes "You'll never Know why...We Rock!", that doesn't detract from the song.

"Thank God For The Bomb" is a thoughtful anti-nuclear weapons anthem. The crunching guitar lets up a bit while Ozzy sings the verses. Sample Lyrics: "War is just another Game/Tailor Made for the Insane/But make a threat of their Annihilation/And nobody wants to play/If that's the only thing that keeps the peace Then Thank God For The Bomb." The song ends with the sound of a bomb exploding.

On "Never" Jake E. Lee plays an Amazing riff that smoothly flows, and The Solo Doesn't disappoint either, as you'll hear high-pitched Finger-Tapping.

"Lightning Strikes" continues the winning streak. The words express Ozzy's devotion to Rock, "Until I feel that thunder shattering my Brain/I won't stop Rockin' All night Rockin' All Night/Until the Strikes Again." There's a few moments during this song that are so engaging, if you're not following along will Smack you upside the Head! Right Before the Chorus Prelude there's a Randy Castillo Double Drum Thud/Guitar Crunch". In the fading moments Jake sneaks in another brief Guitar Solo!

Ozzy Gets Thoughtful again with the ensuing track, "Killer Of Giants". The starting Chords are played Electrically, and an Acoustic Guitar can soon be heard simultaneously. A slight Keyboard element is also present which only strengthens the effect. When Ozzy Kicks in, you'll witness the deepest words he's ever sung: "If none of Us Believe in War/Then can you tell me what the weapons for". He sings with such Passion and Emotion...Very Striking. The Verses transition into a Heavier Chorus. And for a little while the Tempo speeds up, then slows back down for the closing chorus.

The weakest Track on the album, but by no means a Dud is "Fool Like You". Phil Soussan plays a solid Bass Line yet again. The Main Riff is a Hook in itself so to speak, it's very catchy.

"Shot in the Dark" ends the album. In the first 30 Seconds it almost seems like Angels are singing. This song encompasses a Real Moody feel. This was a Huge Hit Back in the Day, but it wasn't included on Ozzy's Recent Double Disc best Of. I'm left scratching my head. For my money I actually prefer the live version of this song from the Moscow Peace Festival because here it sounds Tame in Comparision. But then again all the live cuts of this song are played By Zakk Wylde, NOT It's original Architect Jake E. Lee. So if you're like me and prefer Jake E. Lee you'll be out of luck. That said, the Studio version isn't Terrible I guess.

How Could a Double-Platinum album be out-of-print? Well that's the case here with "The Ultimate Sin". Track down a copy before it's too late.