New video of Randy

Cpt Matt Sparrow · Post by **Cpt Matt Sparrow** » Sun May 03, 2009 12:06 pm

Hi Ritchie

I think this will always be a much debated aspect of Randy Rhoads' legacy. Delores wrote sensitively (and diplomatically) words to the affect, that the songs on RR The Quiet Riot Years, show Randy as an evolving musician etc, but not what he became with Ozzy. I suppose in her own way as a perfectionist musician, she was, and is encourging people not to judge too harshly.

The idiosyncracies of Randy

It is well known that he was very specific in what he liked and didn't like, musically. Former pupil Frank Santa Cruz, on RRTK recently spoke of his distaste for Cheap Trick for example; yet musically at that time in my opinion, he was writing songs that were stylistically of the same ilk.
My question to Randy would be "what in those songs (and other similarly constructed songs of the era) did you take exception?
I would ask this because the Quiet Riot work he was doing song writing wise, was considered by many to be not up to scratch.

Additionally it is often discussed (and elaborated upon in RR circles) the irony that Randy, who wasn't a fan of Sabbath, not only performed with the former front man of Sabbath, but begrudgingly performed three of their songs on his set list (Some say the guitar work in these songs is up there with his most creative playing).

What seems contradictory here is that many of the finer details of Randy's writing with Ozzy, continued along the similar vein found in some Sabbath songs! If Randy had such a distaste for Sabbath why write songs along that vein with the former lead singer of Sabbath?
Believer, with it's minor third intervals, and haunting noises, Suicide Solution with it's dark sound affects and use of dissonance, The riff prior to the solo of Revelation again goes into pure Sabbath territory with the progression of E, B flat and F sharp.

Was Randy as the consummate musician writing concsiously/subsonsciously with Ozzy in mind and the image he was cultivating or ??..
or was Randy's 'real' style, not the happy and simple style of Quiet Riot, but the darker sound he got to exploit in Ozzy?

I don't know any of the answers...
Also Randy and the band (Quiet Riot) denied any real influence of Queen. Again to my ears it is glaringly obvious as a band (and Randy as a soloist) were not being completely straight?
Even The Laughing Gas solo tips it's hat to Brian May's performance of Brighton Rock in my opinion.
Other of Randy's Quiet Riot playing and writing, uses similar lengths of phrasing as well as melodic similarities in the lines, choice of scales, the progressions etc etc.

In the case of Quiet Riot, were the band so eager to forge their own way in the world of rock they didn't want a Queen comparison to be made every time they were heard.

thoughts Black Pearl?

Matt

Post by **Trigger** » Sun May 03, 2009 8:24 pm

Ritchie wrote:
NicDots wrote:I just think the songs sucked. Randy had great chops as a guitarist and lots of presence, but those songs were just terrible.

I totally agree , the QR songs sound like they had been written in 2 minutes with no thought whatsoever . Just my .002 cents .

I am no lover of QR.
They sound like what they are, several young guys learning a craft and recording what they at the time thought sounded great. We have all done it and the difference with the QR stuff is that Kelly, Kevin and Drew were lucky enough to have Randy Rhoads in the garage band with them.
I love to hear new Qr stuff because I like to track the ever changing/developing Randy Rhoads.

Post by **The Flying Dutchman** » Sun May 03, 2009 9:12 pm

Trigger wrote:I do have some video info on RR that I am seeking permision to share with the site. I hope to do it over the next few days as I looked around I thought this was the best place to mention it without creating a new thread.

Hey Ian,
Do you have permision yet?
Hear it!

Post by **Randy Perry** » Sun May 03, 2009 9:18 pm

I've only read Matt's comments on this one page, so I really have no idea what's going on here. But I have to comment on one thing, the Quiet Riot Laughing Gas and Queen Brighton Rock comparisson. Kevin once told me that Laughing Gas was kind of influenced by Communication Brakdown by Zeppelin and Brighton Rock by Queen. Right away I realized the Zeppelin influence on the opening riff, but, I've either never heard Brighton Rock or just don't realize it - so I have no opinion on that. But obviously the comparisson there has validity. I'm going to have to find that song to hear this.

Wasn't there a band called Brighton Rock as well?

Cpt Matt Sparrow · Post by **Cpt Matt Sparrow** » Sun May 03, 2009 9:40 pm

Randy Perry wrote:I've only read Matt's comments on this one page, so I really have no idea what's going on here. But I have to comment on one thing, the Quiet Riot Laughing Gas and Queen Brighton Rock comparisson. Kevin once told me that Laughing Gas was kind of influenced by Communication Brakdown by Zeppelin and Brighton Rock by Queen. Right away I realized the Zeppelin influence on the opening riff, but, I've either never heard Brighton Rock or just don't realize it - so I have no opinion on that. But obviously the comparisson there has validity. I'm going to have to find that song to hear this.

Wasn't there a band called Brighton Rock as well?

Hi Randy

Interestingly Jimmy Page is someone else I have read varying reports from friends/associates of Randy's of what he supposedly thought of him.

Janet Robin was adamant that Randy absolutely loved Jimmy Page! She spoke about her own influence of Page, and how much Randy had often spoke of him too in her lessons with him.

This came as a shock to me as I had gotten the impression from third parties that Randy respected his acoustic playing but not his electric playing!

Matt

NicDots · Post by **NicDots** » Mon May 04, 2009 4:20 pm

Maybe Randy feels the same way about Jimmy Page as I do...

Yes, he was great, and wrote some great songs. But damn, is he over-rated and I am tired of hearing legions of fan boys and fan girls squawking over him.

Dweebs, I think you make great points with your post concerning Randy's musical taste and criticisms. I think Randy's music with QR was maybe not who he "really" was (musicially, that is). I think the reason why his music with Ozzy is light years ahead is because Randy and Ozzy had the same idea as to what they wanted a song to sound like. Ozzy, coming from Sabbath, did the whole dark heavy thing. While Randy maybe didn't want to take it to a Sabbath level, he was happily able to meet him half way, him coming from the sugary QR world as that was something he wasn't truly into. I think Randy's songwriting is a lot more akin to Sabbath than he probably realized or wanted to realize.

And there's nothing wrong with that! How many kids do you hear learning Iron Man and Into the Void and how many kids do you hear learning Cum on Feel the Noize? (I know RR didn't write that song, but I don't see a lot of difference between that tune and RR QR songs). There's no competition.
I think Ozzy just brought that part of Randy out that was always present in him, but always bogged down by the glitter, the poofy hair, and the silly high school love songs that he did with QR.

Cpt Matt Sparrow · Post by **Cpt Matt Sparrow** » Mon May 04, 2009 6:25 pm

Good description of them coming together half way. I hadn't thought of it like that.

Matt

Six_Strung_Out · Post by **Six_Strung_Out** » Tue May 05, 2009 12:26 am

Randy Perry wrote:I've only read Matt's comments on this one page, so I really have no idea what's going on here. But I have to comment on one thing, the Quiet Riot Laughing Gas and Queen Brighton Rock comparisson. Kevin once told me that Laughing Gas was kind of influenced by Communication Brakdown by Zeppelin and Brighton Rock by Queen. Right away I realized the Zeppelin influence on the opening riff, but, I've either never heard Brighton Rock or just don't realize it - so I have no opinion on that. But obviously the comparisson there has validity. I'm going to have to find that song to hear this.

Wasn't there a band called Brighton Rock as well?

Wow, I just flashed back to the first time I heard Queen do Brighton Rock. I was stationed in the Army in 1975 in Germany living in the woods. I had one of those cheap battery powered transistor radios with a tiny tinny speaker. I was tuned into a radio station called Radio Luxembourg. Most sound out of that tiny speaker sounded real thin.

They announced a song called "Brighton Rock" by Queen. That little speaker sounded like a large hall. Must have been the echo in the mixed studio recording. I could see how Randy would have liked that song.

Mr. Perry---have you heard it again yet?

Cornelius · Post by **Cornelius** » Tue May 05, 2009 2:42 am

Brighton Rock

Studio version, 1974:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdUKi3_QntE

Live version with expanded solo and excerpt from Son & Daughter, 1975:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sbr7N_-rSz0