, and while you could certainly say he's had a better career, it wouldn't be because of his music, which has pretty weak for the most part. That lowers him quite a bit in my opinion. I suspect that if it weren't for the legend that his antics created, he wouldn't have been as successful as RJD, who was of course much better in the qualities that matter.
Bart, interesting take, and I agree.
For Ozzy, obviously the influence of the Sabbath years is the trump in this argument. But beyond that, the 3 record run of Blizzard Of Ozz (a TAC Top #25), Diary Of A Madman, and Bark At The Moon is almost unparalleled. Sure there's some shit in ther Ozzy catalog, but even No More Tears and Ozzmosis still rank as strong albums. It was said before in this thread, but Ozzy was surrounded by far better musicians than Dio ever was.
..and ultimately because of that point, Dio's solo career really suffered IMO in quality. Once Vivian Campbell left, there was a huge void that was never filled. Craig Goldie has nothing on Campbell, or even Rowan Robertson for that matter. WTF ever happened to him? Lock Up The Wolves was really the last great album Dio did.
But when surrounded by good musicians like Blackmore, Powell, and Campbell, Dio's message was truly enhanced. His performance on Rainbow's On Stage is mind blowing. Same for Heaven And Hell, Mob Rules, Holy Diver, and The Last In Line.
However, perhaps I was just not old enough to "get" the whole Ozzy thing. In high school Dio really lifted me up and took me on a musical journey. People talk about the "magic" of Dio, but there really is something there. His lyrics sparked imagination, his delivery commanded attention, but it was his passion and integrity that won my loyalty over. Hearing his voice puts me in a time machine and takes me back to my teenage years like really none other.