Upon returning from the Betty Ford Center in 1985 where he had undergone treatment for substance abuse, Osbourne was presented with a substantial quantity of music written by guitarist Jake E. Lee. After having been cheated out of his writing and publishing claims for Osbourne's previous album, 1983's "Bark at the Moon", Lee says this time he refused to contribute anything until he had a contract in front of him guaranteeing his writing credit and publishing rights. Much of this music would form the basis of the album. The album's lyrics were largely written by long-time Osbourne bassist and lyricist Bob Daisley. Daisley left the band prior to recording after having a disagreement with Osbourne, prompting the hiring of an unknown named Phil Soussan as his replacement. Daisley was not credited for his songwriting contributions on the initial 1986 pressing of the album, though this was corrected on subsequent pressings.