Ozzy Osbourne: the pop-metal godfather

I feel like I know so much about Ozzy Osbourne. He likes to eat doves, bats and burritos. He has three kids, one of whom is invisible. His favorite four-letter word starts with an "f."' He has a successful metal tour named after him. But what about his music? \nListening to the newly released two-disc compilation "The Essential" gives some clues. For one thing, Ozzy's solo work was less frightening and more melodic than Black Sabbath, the band that fired him in 1978. He indulged his McCartney fetish a little more, thereby creating what we consider pop-metal today. He was never as glam as Motley Crue or Poison, though it would have been hilarious if he had tried. What separates Ozzy from that crowd is his good taste in guitar players. The late Randy Rhoads and Zakk Wylde could outplay Mick Mars or C.C. DeVille any day of the week. Divided up by disc into his '80s and '90s work, this sounds a bit dated. "Highway to Hell" and "Back in Black," for example, have held up much better. It figures, as Ozzy himself hasn't held up too well.