Randy Rhoads, March 19th, 1982 .

[AJ6stringsting]

Man, yesterday, Chuck Berry passed away, the Father of Big Guitar gone.

March 19th, 1982 , Quiet Riot founder / Ozzy Osbourne guitarist , Randy Rhoads , died in an airplane accident that stunded the guitar world .

I seen Randy Rhoads back in the 1970's while he was with Quiet Riot and Van Halen was on the bill too. To this day, I'm glad my cousin, Brenda, took me to the show. I still have the ticket stub, down in my basement some where.

January 3rd , 1982 , Ozzy came into town with Randy Rhoads blazing away and showing why, he stole the crown off Eddie Van Halen's head. A few months before I saw Ozzy at Oakland's ,"Day on the Green" show, Randy stole the show. What was so mind blowing, was how much that he improved from that Day on the Green show to the Fresno concert. And they had a five man camera crew video taping the show. I hope the concert gets released. Randy was blazing like Yngwie Malmsteen, but with searing emotion and taste.

 

Sadly, a little over two months later Randy Rhoads, dies in a plane crash in Leesburg, Florida.

According to Rudy Sarzo ( Ozzy's then bassist ) said that bands keyboardist, Don Airey, was taking pictures with a high powered lenses and saw that the pilot of the plane was trying to ram the tour bus to kill his ex wife, who happened to be on board the bus. According to Rudy Sarzo, Don Airey saw throu the lens ,Randy trying to stop the pilot from ramming the bus.

Either way, we lost a great guitarist, who like Chuck Berry, made us play with new minds.

[77BlazerK5]

just went to the Randy Rhoads tribute show yesterday here in L.A.

Killer show !!

 

[Phil O'Keefe]

I remember when the news was announced - I was stunned that Randy had passed away at such a young age and in such a senseless way.

 

 

[GAS Man]

Yeah, they broke the first rule of barnstorming, i.e. "Clear the barn". Or in this case, "the bus".

[AJ6stringsting]

After Rhoads, Rock guitar playing moved in to the virtuoso realm, the standard of play was elevated.

Rock guitarists widened their compositional skills and guitar techniques were also elevated, sometimes to ridiculous levels.

[GAS Man]

You gotta like a kid who becomes a rock star and then writes a song for his mom.

 

[video=youtube;216_wkEgPg4]

 

That song is still on my "yet to learn" list.

 

My first "neo-classical-rock" passion was EL&P

 

It bothered me that George Michael's passing got far more attention than Greg Lake's (or Keith Emerson the year earlier). But "pop" will always rule for the majority over virtuosity.

[AJ6stringsting]

I had an old reel to reel and figured out Blizzard of Oz, Diary Of A Mad MAN and Keith Emerson keyboard parts .

 

It is sad that superior song writing and virtuosity are shoved aside for meat puppet pop stars, who don't play an instrument, let alone, write their own music.

[Bucksstudent]

I had an old reel to reel and figured out Blizzard of Oz, Diary Of A Mad MAN and Keith Emerson keyboard parts .

 

It is sad that superior song writing and virtuosity are shoved aside for meat puppet pop stars, who don't play an instrument, let alone, write their own music.

 

I used to have that attitude, but I don't think songwriting and playing an instrument are prerequisites to talent. A lot of the singers on pop radio are talented and can sing a variety of different genres. They sing what their producers and record labels tell them to for money, though.

 

I love Ozzy, but he's no Pavarotti. He's just as much of a producer and label's lapdog as Justin Beiber, though. He doesn't write much if any of his own music. His last few albums are the product of producers and hired guns. The only input he had on the early albums were melodies.

 

All that aside, Randy Rhoads was a genius.