It was late 1983. Ozzy Osbourne was, quite frankly, a mess. He was still reeling from the tragic plane crash that killed his guitar soulmate, Randy Rhoads, just a year earlier. The heavy metal world was watching. Could the Prince of Darkness actually function without the guy who basically built his solo sound?
Then came the howl.
Bark at the Moon didn't just save Ozzy’s career; it cemented his status as a survivor. But behind that iconic werewolf cover art and that blistering title track lies one of the most contentious, legally messy, and frankly unfair stories in rock history.
The New Kid: Jake E. Lee
Enter Jake E. Lee. He wasn't the first choice—he wasn't even the second. After Randy died, Bernie Tormé filled in briefly, then Brad Gillis took over for the Speak of the Devil tour. But Jake was different. He had this aggressive, percussive style that felt modern.
He didn't try to be Randy. He couldn't.
Jake was a San Diego kid who’d been through the L.A. ringer with Ratt and Rough Cutt. When he got the Ozzy gig, he thought he’d hit the jackpot. He spent weeks at Ridge Farm Studio in England, pouring every riff he had into the project. He basically built the musical skeleton of the album while Ozzy was, by most accounts, "at his drunken best," often passing out or leaving the studio entirely.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Credits
If you look at the original 1983 vinyl sleeve of Bark at the Moon, there is a very specific, very bold line: "All songs written by Ozzy Osbourne."
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That is, to put it bluntly, total nonsense.
Ozzy doesn't play guitar. He doesn't write riffs. He doesn't even write most of his own lyrics—that job usually fell to bassist Bob Daisley. Jake E. Lee has been vocal for decades about what happened when the recording wrapped. He claims Sharon Osbourne presented him with a contract after he’d already finished his guitar tracks.
The ultimatum was simple: Sign this paper giving away your songwriting and publishing rights, or go home. If he didn't sign, they’d hire another guy to re-record his parts, and he’d leave with nothing. No credit. No money. Just a plane ticket back to L.A.
Jake signed. He was young, broke, and scared of being erased.
The Recording Chaos at Ridge Farm
The sessions weren't exactly a well-oiled machine. While Max Norman was producing, the atmosphere was thick with tension. Bob Daisley was back in the band after being fired once already. Tommy Aldridge was on drums, though he’d be fired shortly after the recording.
They spent hours at the 17th-century farmhouse studio, trying to capture lightning. Jake brought in that legendary opening riff for the title track. Ozzy loved it immediately, mostly because he already had the title "Bark at the Moon" in his head.
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- Location: Ridge Farm Studio, Rusper, England.
- The Mix: Handled at The Power Station in New York by Tony Bongiovi.
- The Vibe: Dark, synthesized, and surprisingly melodic.
Bob Daisley ended up writing almost all the lyrics. He’s the one who turned Ozzy’s "werewolf" idea into a story about a beast seeking revenge. Yet, just like Jake, his name was nowhere to be found on the writing credits of the original release.
That Music Video: Madness at the Sanatorium
You’ve seen it. Ozzy in a lab coat, Ozzy turning into a werewolf, Ozzy strapped to a chair. It’s peak 80s cheese, but it worked.
They filmed the "asylum" scenes at the Holloway Sanatorium outside London. It was a real, decaying Victorian mental hospital. There’s something genuinely creepy about the final scene where Ozzy is "discharged" as a normal man, only to flash those yellow eyes at the camera.
It was the first music video Ozzy ever made. It blew up on MTV, but it also started the revolving door of band members. Carmine Appice played drums in the video and on the tour, but Sharon fired him because he was supposedly "too famous" and doing drum clinics on the side.
The 2002 Remix: The Version Fans Hate
If you’re listening to Bark at the Moon on a streaming service today, there’s a good chance you’re hearing the 2002 remix.
Don't. In 2002, the album was reissued, but instead of just remastering it, they completely remixed it. It’s weird. Some of Jake’s guitar flourishes are buried. The keyboards are quiet. The opening of "Centre of Eternity" is different. Even the iconic laugh in the title track was stripped of its echo.
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It feels like an attempt to modernize a sound that was already perfect in its 1983 grit. Fans were furious. It felt like another way to diminish the work Jake and Bob put in.
Why It Still Matters
Despite the lawsuits and the "ghostwriting" drama, Bark at the Moon is a heavy metal masterpiece. Songs like "Rock 'n' Roll Rebel" and "Waiting for Darkness" showed a darker, more cynical side of Ozzy.
Jake E. Lee’s performance on this record is arguably some of the best metal guitar work of the decade. That ending solo on the title track? It’s a masterclass in technique and fire.
The irony is that Ozzy eventually admitted Jake helped. In the liner notes for the 1997 compilation The Ozzman Cometh, he finally acknowledged that Jake co-wrote the title track. It was a small concession after fourteen years of silence.
Actionable Insights for the Hardcore Fan:
- Seek the Original Mix: If you want to hear what Jake E. Lee actually intended, find a 1995 CD remaster or the original 1983 vinyl. Avoid the 2002 "Remixed" version if you want the authentic Ridge Farm sound.
- Listen Beyond the Title Track: "Waiting for Darkness" and "Centre of Eternity" are the real sleeper hits here. They bridge the gap between 70s Sabbath gloom and 80s flash.
- Check Out Red Dragon Cartel: If you want to hear what Jake E. Lee is doing now, his later work shows that the "Bark at the Moon" riffs weren't a fluke—the man is a songwriting machine.
- Watch the "Salt Palace" Live Footage: To see this lineup at its peak, the 1984 Salt Lake City concert (often found on the Bark at the Moon VHS/DVD) shows just how tight the Jake/Daisley/Aldridge trio really was.