Randy Rhoads -- Overrated?

[Dublagent66]

I'm a big proponent of "you had to be there". I can still remember opening Blizzard for the first time and putting it on.  I know what room i was in, what the stereo was...

I know what you mean.  I remember hearing the version of Crazy Train from Tribute for the first time in 1987 (first time I ever heard any version of the song) and thinking it was pretty bad ass.  And I know the guitar licks in it were a big part of that.  I can only imagine what it was like for those of you in the early 80's hearing those studio versions for the first time.

Rhoads playing on Tribute was better than any studio versions of those songs, imo.  Mostly because his live setup just sounded better.  Also, as he remained true to how the songs were originally recorded, he added all kinds of licks in between the riffs and didn't miss a beat.

[KevShmev]

Rhoads playing on Tribute was better than any studio versions of those songs, imo.  Mostly because his live setup just sounded better.  Also, as he remained true to how the songs were originally recorded, he added all kinds of licks in between the riffs and didn't miss a beat.

Funny you mention that because I remember hearing the studio version for the first time a few years later and wondering where some of those guitar fills were.  I was almost underwhelmed by that studio version, although who didn't hear that intro for the first time ever and not get soiled underwear.

[Stadler]

I think I owe Tribute another listen.  I distinctly remember being very underwhelmed by that record when it came out and I can't really remember why.  I dug Speak Of The Devil (it was odd, and I'm a fan of odd live albums, it seems) but I can't recall anything from Tribute except Paranoid (we played that in my band, and the guitar player wanted to play it more like Rhoads than Iommi, even if in reality he played guitar more like Ozzy himself than either Iommi OR Rhoads). 

[TAC]

I think I owe Tribute another listen.  I distinctly remember being very underwhelmed by that record when it came out and I can't really remember why.  I dug Speak Of The Devil

I agree completely. I just listened to Tribute the other day because of this thread. It's one live album that I barely listen to.

[KevShmev]

I had Tribute on cassette back then and at the time I thought it was odd how Ozzy felt the need to say the name of nearly every single song as the band started playing it.  Was that for cheap applause or did he figure his fans were too dumb or drunk to know what the song was without being told? 

[bosk1]

I think it may have actually been because HE was too dumb or drunk to know what the song was until he looked down at the set list, and then excitedly announced that he just figured out what song they were doing. 

[Grappler]

I had Tribute on cassette back then and at the time I thought it was odd how Ozzy felt the need to say the name of nearly every single song as the band started playing it.  Was that for cheap applause or did he figure his fans were too dumb or drunk to know what the song was without being told? 

That's just his thing.  I've seen him a handful of times and he always says "Now we're gonna do ______" to introduce the next song.

[Adami]

James Hetfield does the same thing these days. Almost every song he will yell the title of it within the first 20 seconds. Kinda annoying.

[pg1067]

I think I owe Tribute another listen.  I distinctly remember being very underwhelmed by that record when it came out and I can't really remember why.  I dug Speak Of The Devil (it was odd, and I'm a fan of odd live albums, it seems) but I can't recall anything from Tribute except Paranoid (we played that in my band, and the guitar player wanted to play it more like Rhoads than Iommi, even if in reality he played guitar more like Ozzy himself than either Iommi OR Rhoads).

I'm with you on being underwhelmed by Tribute.  I didn't care for a lot of the added wankery (including the extended guitar solo on Suicide Solution that got so much love at the time), and I REALLY disliked how Rhoads played the Sabbath songs (yeah, I know, no win situation).  Side 2 was the best side (Flying High, Revelation and Steal Away).  The omission of Diary of a Madman and S.A.T.O. was extremely disappointing (although I'm seeing that S.A.T.O. has never been played live??!!).

Speak of the Devil was my intro to Sabbath, and I love it to this day.  Brad Gillis's guitar work was stellar.

[bl5150]

The omission of Diary of a Madman and S.A.T.O. was extremely disappointing (although I'm seeing that S.A.T.O. has never been played live??!!).

No big surprise seeing as the RR Tribute gig(s) was recorded months before the release of Diary of a Madman - only Believer and Flying High Again , the rest was Blizzard/Sabbath.  If it had been post-Diary you would certainly have heard tracks like Over The Mountain etc....

I love RR Tribute. 

[Grappler]

Not overrated...he deserves every bit of praise that he receives.  I personally wouldn't call him the greatest ever, but people are certainly allowed to feel that way and I think the limited amount of music from Randy that we have certainly qualifies his fans to feel like that....those two Ozzy records are outstanding.

[KevShmev]

I think it may have actually been because HE was too dumb or drunk to know what the song was until he looked down at the set list, and then excitedly announced that he just figured out what song they were doing. 

That is probably the most likely scenario, to be honest.

[King Postwhore]

I had Tribute on cassette back then and at the time I thought it was odd how Ozzy felt the need to say the name of nearly every single song as the band started playing it.  Was that for cheap applause or did he figure his fans were too dumb or drunk to know what the song was without being told? 

I remember him screaming "I love you all" all the time live in the 80's.

[Stadler]

I had Tribute on cassette back then and at the time I thought it was odd how Ozzy felt the need to say the name of nearly every single song as the band started playing it.  Was that for cheap applause or did he figure his fans were too dumb or drunk to know what the song was without being told? 

I remember him screaming "I love you all" all the time live in the 80's.

I saw Sabbath in MA on The End tour, and his love for the crowd has not diminished.   

[WildRanger]

My answer: yes.

He is just one of many examples where a musician dies young and becomes a very worshipped legend.
RR was undeniably very talented, but he doesn't deserve all that hype and huge, blind praise. He's just not one of the greatest guitarists ever IMO.
EVH will always be a greater guitar legend than him.






 

[WildRanger]

I do say this though: he was an innovator

I would say Schenker and Uli Jon Roth are bigger innovators than him(and they're nowhere near as famous and recognized as RR), let alone Blackmore and EVH.

[WildRanger]

Very talented for sure, not sure about overrated though, but the first two Ozzy albums definitely are to my ears.

I also consider those two albums to be over-praised. Songwriting is just not that great to my ears. And those albums have a bit of commercial, 'cheesy metal' factor to them.

[WildRanger]

I grew up a MASSIVE Van Halen fan and , although Rhoads hit properly a few years after,  I always considered Rhoads far more "musical" than Van Halen.

I don't get how.

[bl5150]

Time for a poll then.

[Drinktheater]

I think I've read that he had plans to quit Ozzy's band and immerse himself in the classical guitar. 

Lies.  LIES!    (Not really; I've heard what you heard multiple times; I'm just using this as a springboard to post this doc, which is both fascinating and... oddly disturbing in it's way). 

https://youtu.be/cT0F2RIgciE

I think more than most musicians who died young, Rhoads would have had a particularly fascinating career had he lived.  Thinking about everything that happened with Metallica, Cliff Burton is another.

Rhoads is one of the most studious guitarists out there he was taking classical music lessons while touring.

Formal training still matters no matter what some purists would claim having a more in-dept grasp of music theory will really boost his talent further.

He could have been a better ambassador to the Neo Classic genre had he not died because he really plays Classical not some Classical esque shred thing.

I think him dying is one of the big unfortunate event for the electric guitar community his absence is detriment to the development of the repertoire for electric guitar   

[TAC]

I do say this though: he was an innovator

I would say Schenker and Uli Jon Roth are bigger innovators than him(and they're nowhere near as famous and recognized as RR), let alone Blackmore and EVH.

So DTF's biggest Schenker fan here...


Rhoads managed to have a unique sound.