1986. 40 years later.

In 1986 you needed one really great tune to make an album succeed. Shot in the Dark is that tune. I owned this on CD and I'm 99% sure that the MP3 album in my music directory is a rip of that CD.

So how does it hold up in 2026? Shot in the Dark is still a fabulous tune. The title track still hits hard too. The rest of the record is fine, but nothing special. 2 good songs and a bunch of okay tunes is how I remember most of Ozzy's output in this phase of his career, so from that POV, it's a standard Ozzy record.

(Rhetorical question) Do the blues ever go out of style?

Another one that I owned on cassette but lost somewhere along the way. I might need to buy this again for the MP3 library.

I don't think I ever owned this. I was, and still am, a fan of Ozzy and Dio led Black Sabbath. Today, this sounds plodding and flat. I suspect I thought the same back in 1986.

I think I had this on cassette. I definitely have not heard this album since the 80s. It is their debut album, and the production is demo album quality. That isn't necessarily bad, as I typically preferred the rawer sound. However, this record suffers from the same issue that all White Lion records did. When they were deciding between rock out and power ballad, they almost always chose power ballad.

I'm fairly certain this got set aside in 1986 and forgotten about quickly.

In 1986 I was a teenage metalhead. But Susanna Hoff's undeniable cuteness could pierce the soul of even the most hardened metalhead, so I was a fan. I still listen to Hoff's solo stuff (she released a fabulous album last year) and The Bangles, so this is not so much a revisit as an acknowledgement that this record still sounds great. They layered their 60s Byrds influences under some 80s sheen, but it is still there. Plus, of course, the Prince-penned Manic Monday leads the album. Definitely one to keep in the playlist.