Ultimate Rhoads

I like him but when you listen to him singing the old Ozzy stuff is seems just wrong. I expect to be hit with big stick for saying this but I would still be interested in your oppinions.

I know what you mean, it's like Blaze singing Bruce's stuff for me, or Zakk playing Randy's stuff. I quite like Dio but he's basically the complete opposite to Ozzy.

Sabbath was a completely different band without Osbourne/with Dio. I saw the last tour with Ozzy during the "Never Say Die" campaign...Van Halen opened. It was at the San Diego Sports Arena in California. What a memory. I saw Black Sabbath again, this time with Dio fronting the band. Highlight of the night was "Mob Rules".....the date was March 16 of 1982.....3 days before Randy's accident.

Xanadu wrote:Sabbath was a completely different band without Osbourne/with Dio. I saw the last tour with Ozzy during the "Never Say Die" campaign...Van Halen opened. It was at the San Diego Sports Arena in California. What a memory. I saw Black Sabbath again, this time with Dio fronting the band. Highlight of the night was "Mob Rules".....the date was March 16 of 1982.....3 days before Randy's accident.

That's great Xanadu! I missed that show and have regretted it ever since! I did get the chance to see VH the next year at the "Califfornia World Music festival" (google it..and yes two f's), VH II tour.

This is a great vid of Rob Halford doing Heaven & Hell after Ronnie left just before the end of the '92 tour.

Deansolo.....It was an excellent show. Van Halen just ripped. They were young and hungary with something to prove so you can just imagine. They were absolutely "On Fire" which was the last tune they played of their set. Sabbath was excellent as well...despite comments made by Ozzy in later years. I was really excited about seeing them and they did not dissappoint. They opened with the title track from their first album "Black Sabbath" which just gave chills down the spine.....
Soon after, I saw RUSH there during their "Hemispheres" tour. Another intensly incredible show. So the San Diego Sports Arena holds some legendary memories for me.........oh, and YES.....the air was THICK with radioactive glow in the dark KILLER WEED!!! Sweet, sweet memories!!!

Yeah, "back in the day" the S.D. Sports Arena was the place to see everybody! I saw Rush there as well...Moving Pictures.

*sings: "Memories,..like the corners of my mind"....*

Xanadu wrote:I saw the last tour with Ozzy during the "Never Say Die" campaign...Van Halen opened. It was at the San Diego Sports Arena in California.

Hey X,
How did VH sound then?

(you have been there when it was all happening! )

Follis wrote:This is a great vid of Rob Halford doing Heaven & Hell after Ronnie left just before the end of the '92 tour.

That was a very cool video, I forgot that Halford used to be in Sabbath so it was a good reminder.

Dutch!!! How are you!!! From what I can recall(many years ago) it was Van Halen's first national tour. They were the opening band for Black Sabbath during the "Never Say Die" tour which was Ozzy's last with Sabbath. Van Halen came out and basically played their entire first album. That is what they had out at the time and it was really drawing alot of attention because of Edward Van Halen's incredible guitar playing. Their sound was excellent. I had recently purchased the album so I was familiar with all of the material. That really helped! They were very very agressive with excellent sound quality. Eddie's guitar parts were very clear and very distinct. They just tore the place up. You could hear Eddie's guitar parts echoing off of the back wall which created a really neat effect. They were just monsterous which you can well imagine. Between tunes the audience would absolutely roar.....a fabulous show.....and a great memory.

Thanks X !

I heard a lot of those same comments about that first VH tour. Eddie's sound was so hugh and clear, everyone tells that, those were the Days I guess!
Seeing Randy and VH the first time, man you have seen some real Rock history!

I hope one day they will release a show on DVD of that first VH tour. They filmed many gigs then. Even DLR said that.

Dutch.....I guess I have been fortunate over the years to have seen some important musicians whose efforts mattered. Seeing Randy Rhoads, early Van Halen, the glory years of Rush.......they were all such MONSTERS in their own distinct ways and styles. In 1978 I was 20 years old and a bass player in a band myself. All of these people were such influences and role models.....absolute virtuoso players with vicious attitudes that even to this day do not sound dated.....at least to me anyway. Yeah...I guess I was lucky to be there..... for the mid/late 70's through the late 1980's were a glorious time for musicians, rock musicians anyway.....to be on a national stage, you had to be good, very, very good. Somehow, a little of that seems to be lost these days. I guess now, you really just have to know where to look.....

RJD, although vertically challenged, could tear the chrome from a trailer hitch with some of his vox. Blackmore said he was the best singer he ever had.

RJD is AWESOME !! With or without Sabbath.

The 2 LP's that Dio was on with Sabbath are awesome LP's. And Ronnie's voice is at it's best. I do like to hear Dio play that material over the rest of the Sabbath anthology. Next to Ozzy he is the obvious #2 best singer ever for Sabbath.

The first few solo DIO LP's are awesome too. Good job Vivian...

Also, I saw VH at the L.A. Forum in '82 and '84.
Spent the night on a cold sidewalk in the cold at a Sportmart Ticketmaster to get 1984 tickets.

I really liked Dio with Sabbath. Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules are both excellent recordings.

I saw Sabbath in April of 1982(?) in Seattle with the Outlaws opening. That was one of the nights recorded for Live Evil.

Dio did mess up songs like Paranoid by ad-libbing, but for the most part I like his take on things.