A Metal Tragedy: The Death of Randy Rhoads

 [caption id="attachment_2796" align="aligncenter" width="220"] Randy Rhoads[/caption]

Actually, I'm quite surprised that no one pointed this out when I posted my "Triumphs and Tragedies" post for 1982. While the death of John Belushi was certainly a tragic occurrence, for metalheads, the terrible loss of Randy Rhoads was a far bigger tragedy because on March 19, 1982, the world was robbed of a guitar god. That is why I felt that Rhoads's death deserved its own post because for metalheads, his death overshadowed everything else in 1982 in the same way that John Lennon's murder did for the world in 1980.

For any metalhead, it's standard 101 to know that Randy Rhoads was killed in a plane crash on that tragic day in March, 1982 but it is only now that I have fully learned the full details behind the crash. The pilot had taken Randy and the band's make up artist up in a small plane for a little bit of show boat flying. After making two successful attempts to fly close to the tour bus that was parked nearby, the pilot botched the third attempt, hitting the bus, severing the top of a pine tree before crashing into a garage of a nearby mansion. The contact with the bus forced Rhoads's head to crash through the windscreen and then he was immediately incinerated when the plane exploded into a fireball after hitting the garage. While only God himself could have saved the three people in the plane, it still took over a half hour before the fire service arrived on the scene and then it was only one engine. This leads me to speculate two possible reasons for this. One was the fact that it was rural Florida and the local fire department would probably have been a volunteer one so there would have been a great delay in the response. The other, a result of me seeing anti- metal conspiracies all over the place, is the fact that the locals weren't too bothered in responding quickly because it was a bunch of heavy metal people involved. In any case, heavy metal and the world lost a truly magnificent guitar player on that day.

Standard Metal knowledge 102 teaches that while Randy is no longer with us, his legacy will never die. From that fateful day, the tributes to Randy Rhodes and what he has done for music continue to pour in. His former band Quiet Riot dedicated a song to him on their next album and Ozzy Osbourne released a tribute album to Randy a few years after that and rest assured, I'll be visiting both when the time comes. Young guitarists still study his guitar style and Jackson Guitars still sell a replica of the one he used to wow audiences with his playing. Randy might have only lived for 25 years (way too young) but his memory has lived on for the last 33 years and will go on forever. Here's where I should urge everybody to go out and listen to some album where Randy appears. There's really no need because I know that everybody reading this will have already done so in the recent past and will continue to do so well into the the future.

R.I.P. Randy Rhoads

Next post: Anvil- Metal on Metal

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com 

Great Metal Albums of 1982: Ozzy Osbourne- Diary of a Madman

 

With former band Black Sabbath riding high, after Ozzy's departure with two successful studio albums and one thrilling live album, Ozzy Osbourne was not about to disappear in a puff of smoke. He let the world he was still around and still able to rock with his second album, "Diary of a Madman." In fact, when people talk about this album today, it is often in the same breath as his fantastic debut album, "Blizzard of Oz." Many go on to boldly declare that these are his two best albums ever! Even though I'm inclined to agree, I won't enter into that debate but what I do know is that "Diary of a Madman" made my 1982 that much nicer.

What I find so great about this album is that every song has something to like about it. As much as this has been stated about so many albums, there literally is no song to dislike on "Diary of a Madman." Hell, there isn't even a mediocre song on it. "Over the Mountain" lets you know that this is going to be a great album, so prepare for the ride. "Flying High Again" gave me that "I remember that song and it was cool" feeling and brought back memories to when I used to rock to it back in the day. "You Can't Kill Rock and Roll" could have and should have been used a statement against the anti- rock movement that would manifest itself a couple of years down the line. Oh, I'll go into that much more when the time comes. "Believer," "Little Dolls" and "S.A.T.O." all show what a great guitarist Rhoads was although he works his six string magic all over the album. "Tonight" is the token ballad and it is done very well and with the title cut closing out things, the result is one brilliant album from Ozzy. His first two solo albums alone are plenty of reason why he should be knighted.

Track Listing:

1. Over the Mountain

2. Flying High Again

3. You Can't Kill Rock and Roll

4. Believer

5. Little Dolls

6. Tonight

7. S.A.T.O.

8. Diary of a Madman

[caption id="attachment_2343" align="aligncenter" width="199"] Ozzy Osbourne[/caption]

Ozzy Osbourne- vocals

Randy Rhoads- guitar

Bob Daisley- bass

Lee Kerslake- drums

Like Black Sabbath with "Live Evil," Ozzy's band would have similar problems during the recording of "Diary of a Madman." Bassist Bob Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake would be fired from the band when they approached management about not being paid. From what I've heard and read, that may have been down to new manager, Ozzy's wife Sharon, stamping her authority. However, the biggest blow would be the loss of guitarist Rhoads and that is something that I feel needs its own post. But whatever went on behind the scenes, this album is a sure fire cracker.

Next post: Judas Priest- Screaming for Vengeance

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Great Metal Albums of 1981: Ozzy Osbourne- Blizzard of Ozz

"Heaven and Hell" proved for Black Sabbath that there was life after Ozzy, however, in 1981, Ozzy's debut solo album "Blizzard of Oz" proved for him there was life after Sabbath. Since his departure from the band in 1978, the Oz had been battling with booze and drugs but he managed to clean himself up enough to put out an album that would forever be a major rock in the foundation of heavy metal. "Blizzard of Oz" changed the way many people, me too, at the time thought about hard rock music. It was in this year that I acknowledged heavy metal as its own genre of rock music and this album was one of the reasons why.

There is preciously very little about "Blizzard of Oz" that I could say that hasn't been already said. The only thing I can do is to share how it has influenced me over the many years and I still worry if I will be able to do it justice. What I like most about it is the fact that Ozzy didn't go out and recreate an album that sounded like his former band. His brand of metal here is totally unique but you still know that it is Ozzy at the mike. That comes through clearly with the opener "I Don't Know," a good opening song as any. It leads the listener onto to want to listen to the rest of the album while letting you know, (if this was 1981), that Ozzy was back. But there are so many great classic songs on the album that are still popular among metalheads today. "Suicide Solution," "Mr Crowley" and the single "Crazy Train" will forever go down in the annals of metal history as classic all time great metal songs. Even the ballads "Goodbye to Romance" and the powerful "Mother Earth" play their part in making "Blizzard of Oz" the iconic album that is still is.

I don't want to take anything away from the great Ozzy here because his vocals on here can't be duplicated and prove his abilities. Still, what catapults this album from being good to being great is the guitar work from the late Randy Rhodes. He is considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time and he definitely shows why on "Blizzard of Oz." The solo on "Crazy Train" is one of my favourite and what he does on the other tracks is completely out of this world. So the math teacher in me concludes that Ozzy+ Randy = some memorable heavy metal.

Track Listing:

1. I Don't Know

2. Crazy Train

3. Goodbye to Romance

4. Dee

5. Suicide Solution

6.Mr Crowely

7. No Bones Movies

8. Mother Earth

9. Steal Away (The Night)

[caption id="attachment_2343" align="aligncenter" width="199"] Ozzy Osbourne[/caption]

Ozzy Osbourne- vocals

Randy Rhodes- guitar

 Bob Daisley -bass

Lee Kerslake - drums

Don Airey- keyboards

A few months ago, I shared a petition that Ozzy should receive a knighthood for his services to music. I was informed that the petition has nearly reached its quota for signatures and may have fully done so since then. "Blizzard of Oz" is a rock solid reason why he should get a gong. To sign the petition, go to: https://www.causes.com/campaigns/39911-knight-ozzy-osbourne

Next post: April Wine- The Nature of the Beast

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