Ozzy Osbourne & Randy Rhoads

[JayKeeley]

It's a shame about Ozzy these days, but let's pretend he died at the same time Metallica passed away and remember his early post-Sabbath days:

Blizzard of Ozz (1980)
Diary of a Madman* (1981)
Tribute

*This is a bonafide classic. Yeah, Blizzard contains all the famous songs, and are featured regularly in his live shows, but Diary was a sleeper hit.

Songs like "S.A.T.O", "Over the Mountain", "You Can't Kill Rock n' Roll", and the INCREDIBLE title track, what an EPIC....stunning album overall.

And of course, Randy Rhoads... (RIP). Just listen to Tribute for evidence of how phenomenal he was, especially in how he brought studio tracks to life (see "Believer"). Every nuance/lick/chop/solo/riff was a song all unto itself.

Even to this day, if I pick up an acoustic, there is no way I'm not playing "Dee".

Discuss. Or at least show admiration for what Randy Rhoads brought to metal.

 

[NAD]

Diary of a Madman is Ozzy's best song, no doubt. I saw A Perfect Circle play a medley of that combined with The Cure's Lovesong years ago before anyone knew about them (there were literally 20 people at the show in LA). It was hysterical.

But anyhow, Crazy Train is one of my favorite riffs to play, and pretty much any Rhoades riff is instantly recognizable. UNRULY as it were.

 

[NAD]

By the way Kelly Osbourne checked herself into rehab.

:Spin:

 

[JayKeeley]

Diary of a Madman is Ozzy's best song, no doubt.

You know, I have this transcribed somewhere -- it's like 12 pages long, where the first 6 pages are just for the acoustic intro. Rhoads' acoustic skills were just exemplary.

I saw Joe Holmes play it once at OzzFest (the same year Tool and Megadeth played) in a medley, and I'd never seen it before or since. Kudos to him.

Not even Zakk Wylde tackles it, as far as I know.

 

[NAD]

This may be blasphemous, but I actually like Wylde the best out of Ozzy's guitarists. His ability to blend high note purdy stuff combined with just crushingly heavy riffs blew my mind. Even riffs like from Perry Mason kick my dick to this day (I just picked up the acoustic to remember how to play them shitz).

Also, his brief band Pride and Glory was so damn awesome, it was straight southern metal, heavy as all hell but with stuff like cheap beer, inbreds, and a fucking banjo all thrown in for good measure.

 

[J.]

Diary of a Madman is his best album. Fact.

 

[JayKeeley]

I actually like Wylde the best out of Ozzy's guitarists.

He himself worships Rhoads as you probably know.

I dunno, I like seeing Wylde live (because he plays the non-Wylde material really well - ever heard his solos of "Shot in the Dark" and "War Pigs" on the Just Say Ozzy EP?? WOW, just mindblowing, no shit), and I think his debut with on No Rest for the Wicked was brilliant (that slide guitar solo he does on the 'hidden track' is his best solo of all time), but after a while, he becomes a bit too widdly diddly. He has about three different licks which he just repeats over and over:

- pinched harmonic with massive vibrato (his trademark obviously)
- the 'bend - tap - release'
- triplets / triads played really, really fast

At the end of the day, Rhoads was just a master of his craft, spending days/weeks perfecting his solos. I mean, listen to "Mr Crowley", particularly the live version -- it's an opus. His two guitar solos on that song are a couple of wet dreams.

 

[NAD]

Agreed completely, Wylde just hits me in the gut more. I've always been a whore for pinch harmonics.

 

[Demilich]

Wylde was one of the most annoying, arrogant looking, wanky, boring guitarists in the world to see live. Man, that Ozzy show was pretty bad, the guy's voice completely fell apart after an hour or so.

 

[JayKeeley]

Ozzy should have quit at "No Rest...", but "No More Tears" was a huge commercial hit. I guess that kept him going. His follow up albums had one or two good songs, otherwise they were pretty rubbish.

With that said, I can't see how anyone can deny the Randy Rhoads years.

 

[Demilich]

People who say that Rhoads was a Van Halen wannabe seem to deny it!

 

[KILL TULLY]

Wylde was one of the most annoying, arrogant looking, wanky, boring guitarists in the world to see live.

My BLS DVD tells me otherwise

 

[JayKeeley]

People who say that Rhoads was a Van Halen wannabe seem to deny it!

Yeah, well some people really have no clue. Rhoads was undeniably a genius, and so f'ing young.

I guess there are more similarities between Rhoads and Blackmore, if anything. Even with that, he just had his own magical style. Listen to "S.A.T.O" -- jesus, the song doesn't let up.

Must have spent half my teenage years studying his style. And just when you've got some of his techniques mastered, along comes someone else like Marty Friedman, and at that point you lay the guitar down to rest for a long, long time...

 

[Demilich]

Good thing I don't think I can ever be as good as those guys, so I won't even try.

 

[Demonspell]

<<At the end of the day, Rhoads was just a master of his craft, spending days/weeks perfecting his solos. I mean, listen to "Mr Crowley", particularly the live version -- it's an opus. His two guitar solos on that song are a couple of wet dreams.>>

Along with Over The Mountain his best solos...no amount of Ozzy overexposure and self-parody can diminish those two albums, pure class. Except for those lame tracks about porno and voodoo.

 

[JayKeeley]

Good thing I don't think I can ever be as good as those guys, so I won't even try.

Yeah, it's depressing as hell. I told Marty Friedman once that I'd just watch his tutorial videos in awe, without playing along, and he said that kinda defeated the purpose. While this is true, sometimes you have to be realistic. You could practice forever and still never be as good.

"Kids, you tried your best and failed miserably. The lesson is, never try".

 

[NAD]

"Kids, you tried your best and failed miserably. The lesson is, never try".

"Son, a woman is like a beer. They smell good, they look good, you'd step over your own mother just to get one! But you can't stop at one. You wanna drink another woman!"

I still need to pick this up:

Yet some people are so stupid, they don't understand the social commentary characters such as Ned Flanders provide!

 

[EdenKriss]

I dunno, I like seeing Wylde live (because he plays the non-Wylde material really well - ever heard his solos of "Shot in the Dark" and "War Pigs" on the Just Say Ozzy EP?? WOW, just mindblowing, no shit)

Randy didnt play on the just say ozzy ep, brad gillis did.

btw. arent we forgetting jake e. lee? imo hes the best guitarist ozzy ever had, apart from randy - anyone agree with me?

 

[NAD]

btw. arent we forgetting jake e. lee?

He's sort of a given 'round these parts.

*awaits Jayk Ee Ley to explain his nickname*

 

[E-bortion]

I'll leave this topic to Vh1. -_-.