Flying High Again, Randy Rhoads Isolated Guitar Track, Cool

[Anonymous]

Randy was really the first one getting a very high gain, metal sound. Randy's sound was so modern for the time. I had never heard anyone play with that much gain and it truly did sound so heavy for the time.

Are we forgetting VH I here? Hell, that was every bit as high gain, metal tone as what Randy was doing, no? I'd say EVH was first on album...

I think Randy's riffs were more menacing and more classical-based rather than blues-based, which is what made him "sound" heavier than EVH...

Steve

 

[Anonymous]

Agreed. I remember when Blizzard came out very well...myself and every other guitarist I knew where absolutely amazed by the guitar tones. Nobody had ever heard anything so mean and evil sounding...it truly was groundbreaking for the time. That tone may not have stood the test of time for many, but it was highly admired and respected back in the early 80's.

I'm gonna chime in on this because I've definitely bagged on Randy's album tone in threads here. Bottom line - when he came out in the early 80s, I was COMPLETELY BLOWN AWAY by his tone, playing, writing, everything. Of course, I had to sit down and try to learn his stuff and get a similar sound - both of which I failed miserably at...

I was more of an EVH guy, 'cause I liked the blues-based melodic hard rock stuff more than the "evil" sounding metal that Randy was playing. That said, if I could have gotten a sound like those albums at the time, I would have been thrilled beyond belief. Of course, I was very early in my tone journey in '81-'82, with very limited equipment (I had an Ampeg SVT and a MXR distortion to play my homemade guitar though - got my first Marshall stack in mid-'82 when I got a job) and my tastes were not as specific in what I wanted to hear from a guitar. I'd say it is pretty easy to slag Randy's album tone now (and I have), but at the time, as I said, I will admit that I loved it. It is really just that I've been exposed to so many great tones and even gotten them myself over the years that I find those old Ozzy album tones don't stand the test of time for me as far as the guitar tone and overall mix. To my ears, EVHs tones on the first four VH albums stand up much better and my all time favorite album tone is still the "Under Lock and Key" Lynch tone, which I obsessed to get my live rig to sound like once I heard it (and I think I actually succeeded at that for the most part). Either way, there is no denying Randy's amazing guitar playing, stellar riff writing, and awesome tone for the times and in the future, I'll refrain from second guessing that tone so many years later.

As for the LA guitarist scene, Kelly Garni has stated that Randy first picked up tapping from Lynch, not Eddie, and that he considered Lynch to be his biggest "competition" on the scene.

As far as the tapping thing goes, Lynch picked it up from Ed (he's spoken about that), who had definitely been the first of the LA guitarists who moved that technique light years forward from the few people who did it before him. If Randy picked it up from Lynch, well, it still came from Ed, and that is pretty much undisputed. I think it is pretty clear that Randy, Ed, and George all had their fanatical devotees back in the club days... As far as I understand it, the big guns among the guitar "groupies" were Ed and Randy though...

Steve

 

[Anonymous]

but just think of what he could (and probably would have) accomplished if he would have lived. think of how he would have evolved and how much ground he would have broken years after his Ozzy gig.

I'm gonna just play devil's advocate here for a sec, ok. Maybe he would have evolved and maybe he wouldn't have. For example, how much has EVH evolved and how much ground has he broken since the first few VH albums? It seems to me that much of the innovation and breakthroughs most players make happen before they even get signed. By that time, they have pretty much become the players they are gonna be technique and style-wise...

Not saying there aren't some who continue to evolve or that Randy wouldn't have... just some food for thought here...

Steve

 

[MississippiMetal]

I'm gonna just play devil's advocate here for a sec, ok. Maybe he would have evolved and maybe he wouldn't have. For example, how much has EVH evolved and how much ground has he broken since the first few VH albums? It seems to me that much of the innovation and breakthroughs most players make happen before they even get signed. By that time, they have pretty much become the players they are gonna be technique and style-wise...

Not saying there aren't some who continue to evolve or that Randy wouldn't have... just some food for thought here...

I see what you're saying. VH is and always was an arrogant dick (bless his heart) when it came to his contributions to the world of guitar playing. He's WELL aware of his influence, and then some, to the point he likes to credit himself with inventing things like pickup wax-potting. Randy, on the other hand, came across as much more humble, and studious. I think Randy might very well have continued practicing and filling in the blanks and weak spots of his playing to the point where he would have either founded a completely new genre and/or way of playing, or gone insane. Maybe he would have just quit metal and became a classical guitarist full-time, denouncing metal as something less than cultured. Who knows?

I think Ed, on the other hand, realized after the first couple of albums that he'd "made it" and just kinda quite pushing himself. I could be wrong about that, but that's just the way it seems. Yngwie and MacAlpine came out and were doing all this amazingly technical stuff, and Ed probably laughed, cracked open a beer and said "There's no chicks in that crowd, man. Enjoy your sausage fest."

 

[soc_monki]

but just think of what he could (and probably would have) accomplished if he would have lived. think of how he would have evolved and how much ground he would have broken years after his Ozzy gig.

I'm gonna just play devil's advocate here for a sec, ok. Maybe he would have evolved and maybe he wouldn't have. For example, how much has EVH evolved and how much ground has he broken since the first few VH albums? It seems to me that much of the innovation and breakthroughs most players make happen before they even get signed. By that time, they have pretty much become the players they are gonna be technique and style-wise...

Not saying there aren't some who continue to evolve or that Randy wouldn't have... just some food for thought here...

Steve

i understand what youre saying. he very well could have just stopped progressing. but from what Ozzy and others had said, he was constantly on the search for people to take lessons from (in Classical, mostly) and he really wanted to make the classical style a staple of his playing. and it showed...on Blizzard there is a bit of the classical influence (Mr. Crowley) but on Diary it has a much bigger presence (Over the Mountain, Diary of a Madman). sure, he had a ton of just straight up rock and roll going on, but when you consider what he did with Quiet Riot and then what he did with Ozzy, it was a big leap forward. I personally think Randy was always going to push himself to be a better guitarist, a better writer, and would continue to evolve.

Ozzy knew he was going to fly the coop sooner or later anyway...Randy's presence was too big IMO to be stuck on just one gig. unfortunately he died, but i think he would have started the tradition of the "revolving guitarists of Ozz" either way!

of course, most all of this is speculation. but from the evidence i really think Randy was going places that we can only imagine. too bad well never find out!

 

[Chubtone]

STEVE HENNING - YOU MUST BOW WITH EVERY OUNCE OF YOUR BEING TO THE MEMORY OF RANDY RHOADS. OTHERWISE, YOU ARE DEAD TO ME!

 

[Anonymous]

STEVE HENNING - YOU MUST BOW WITH EVERY OUNCE OF YOUR BEING TO THE MEMORY OF RANDY RHOADS. OTHERWISE, YOU ARE DEAD TO ME!

I think I just did, actually... and stay away from Randy's "twin" sister, will ya?

Steve

 

[Chubtone]

STEVE HENNING - YOU MUST BOW WITH EVERY OUNCE OF YOUR BEING TO THE MEMORY OF RANDY RHOADS. OTHERWISE, YOU ARE DEAD TO ME!

I think I just did, actually... and stay away from Randy's "twin" sister, will ya?

Steve

I think you did a pretty good bow up above there. I commend you for it. It only took 30 years.

It was apparently painful for Ed to admit too. In 1982, while talking about Randy's death, Ed said "Really good player and what a horrible way to go, but he didn't really do anything that I didn't already do". Wow. Like for example "Revelation Mother Earth" sounding just like the riff to "Dance the Night Away" and "Over the Mountain" sounding just like "Aint Talkin Bout Love" and all the diminished, and harmonic and Hungarian Gypsy minor scales and all the diatonic scales sounding just like the soloing style Eddie used? What a freaking douchebag. I still love Eddie, but for crying out loud, was he that ego'd out already or was he unable to discern the extreme difference in complexity between Randy's approach and his own?

I mean I flip flop back and forth every week between Eddie or Randy being my favorite player, but sometimes I just want to punch Eddie in the face!

 

[metalmaniac93]

STEVE HENNING - YOU MUST BOW WITH EVERY OUNCE OF YOUR BEING TO THE MEMORY OF RANDY RHOADS. OTHERWISE, YOU ARE DEAD TO ME!

I think I just did, actually... and stay away from Randy's "twin" sister, will ya?

Steve

I think you did a pretty good bow up above there. I commend you for it. It only took 30 years.

It was apparently painful for Ed to admit too. In 1982, while talking about Randy's death, Ed said "Really good player and what a horrible way to go, but he didn't really do anything that I didn't already do". Wow. Like for example "Revelation Mother Earth" sounding just like the riff to "Dance the Night Away" and "Over the Mountain" sounding just like "Aint Talkin Bout Love" and all the diminished, and harmonic and Hungarian Gypsy minor scales and all the diatonic scales sounding just like the soloing style Eddie used? What a freaking douchebag. I still love Eddie, but for crying out loud, was he that ego'd out already or was he unable to discern the extreme difference in complexity between Randy's approach and his own?

I mean I flip flop back and forth every week between Eddie or Randy being my favorite player, but sometimes I just want to punch Eddie in the face!

I totally agree!!! EVH and Randy were my all time favorite guitarists back in the day. I lost all respect for Eddie after I heard this back in the day and Diver Down also helped my loss of respect factor!!! I then moved on to George Lynch, Akira Takasaki, Vivian Campbell, John Sykes, Steve Vai and Ronni LeTekro to name a few and never really paid much attention to EVH like I did in 1978-1982/1983 even though I did like most of the 1984 album. I still listened to VH after that and went to some shows, but not with the same enthusiasm as I did from VH1 to Fair Warning.

 

[Ventura]

I love everything about Mr. Rhoads

Ya, this more or less sums it up for me - naked tracks, live tracks, double tracks, whatever tracks. The guy kicked ass.

 

[petejt]

Love it
Its easy for the "his tone is terrible" crowd to come in and second guess him, but in that day, at that time, believe me, nobody was second guessing him... He was THE MAN

This is so true...

When Blizzard of Ozz came out, we were in awe of Randy's playing AND his tone. The hate for his tone that has surfaced in the past 10 years simply didn't exist back in the day.

Agreed. I remember when Blizzard came out very well...myself and every other guitarist I knew where absolutely amazed by the guitar tones. Nobody had ever heard anything so mean and evil sounding...it truly was groundbreaking for the time. That tone may not have stood the test of time for many, but it was highly admired and respected back in the early 80's.

I think I bagged Randy's tone here in an old thread or too. But it's only a couple of songs from Blizzard of Ozz whose guitar tone sounds a bit obnoxious to me- and probably because of how they were recorded. Just a bit boxy-sounding, dulled, and harsh. And yet on other songs on the SAME album the tone roars! I don't know what they changed, as it was the same guitar rig, the same guitarist playing. I love it!

I'm only a newcomer compared to a lot of folks here. I wasn't even born when Randy was alive.

But to this day this particular live tone still make me wet...

 

[luther910]

STEVE HENNING - YOU MUST BOW WITH EVERY OUNCE OF YOUR BEING TO THE MEMORY OF RANDY RHOADS. OTHERWISE, YOU ARE DEAD TO ME!

I think I just did, actually... and stay away from Randy's "twin" sister, will ya?

Steve

I think you did a pretty good bow up above there. I commend you for it. It only took 30 years.

It was apparently painful for Ed to admit too. In 1982, while talking about Randy's death, Ed said "Really good player and what a horrible way to go, but he didn't really do anything that I didn't already do". Wow. Like for example "Revelation Mother Earth" sounding just like the riff to "Dance the Night Away" and "Over the Mountain" sounding just like "Aint Talkin Bout Love" and all the diminished, and harmonic and Hungarian Gypsy minor scales and all the diatonic scales sounding just like the soloing style Eddie used? What a freaking douchebag. I still love Eddie, but for crying out loud, was he that ego'd out already or was he unable to discern the extreme difference in complexity between Randy's approach and his own?

I mean I flip flop back and forth every week between Eddie or Randy being my favorite player, but sometimes I just want to punch Eddie in the face!

I totally agree!!! EVH and Randy were my all time favorite guitarists back in the day. I lost all respect for Eddie after I heard this back in the day and Diver Down also helped my loss of respect factor!!! I then moved on to George Lynch, Akira Takasaki, Vivian Campbell, John Sykes, Steve Vai and Ronni LeTekro to name a few and never really paid much attention to EVH like I did in 1978-1982/1983 even though I did like most of the 1984 album. I still listened to VH after that and went to some shows, but not with the same enthusiasm as I did from VH1 to Fair Warning.

Randy was a great player and had his own style. I never felt that he was a "Eddie clone" or sounded/played particularly like Eddie. Never heard anyone else claim that either. If one were to compare the to I'd have to say that Eddie still stands out for his innovation and tone. Found the iso clip of Flying high again a bit fizzy but it sounds better in the mix.

 

[2112]

Looking back on it Randy's tone on the albums for the most part was not good. However, as alot of people said when they came out, who cares - I thought it was awsome. Now I may think differently but like alot of things you had to be there those alblums were the sh*t to me. Funny, his live tone was very good from what I can remember and the few vids around.

Bottom line Randy was great and one of a kind - he is missed.

 

[jabps]

Chub or SAH, do you guys remember Randy's mic placemant and what mics he was using? Sounds like Norman went crazy with the room mics. I know they did alot of concrete room stuff (if I'm not miskaken)...alot of the harsh factor is coming from that...gotta be the micing as well.

 

[zz666]

Im pretty sure the albums were recorded at a farm house, the pics Ive seen look like a converted barn, no concrete

 

[bikerdude2]

AS the guy who got me playing it was both cool and disappointing at the same time.

 

[Michi]

Im pretty sure the albums were recorded at a farm house, the pics Ive seen look like a converted barn, no concrete

Yeah, just watched a bit of documentary of that period in Ozzy's career. I think both of the albums Randy played on were recorded in Surrey, UK in a place called Ridge Farm Studio which I think was essentially a farm house turned into a studio.

 

[zz666]

Chub or SAH, do you guys remember Randy's mic placemant and what mics he was using? Sounds like Norman went crazy with the room mics. I know they did alot of concrete room stuff (if I'm not miskaken)...alot of the harsh factor is coming from that...gotta be the micing as well.

The 'harsh factor' is Max Norman

 

[jabps]

Chub or SAH, do you guys remember Randy's mic placemant and what mics he was using? Sounds like Norman went crazy with the room mics. I know they did alot of concrete room stuff (if I'm not miskaken)...alot of the harsh factor is coming from that...gotta be the micing as well.

The 'harsh factor' is Max Norman

Actually it was done in a concrete room at Ridge Farm...thought that's what it was but couldn't remember, most of my old mags are in storage and I thought Chub or SAH would remember off the top of their head. Did find this interview with Max though. Sounds like they leaned on the room mics more than the 57.

http://jasobrecht.com/randy-rhoads-max- ... interview/

 

[benduncan]

im in the randy has terrible tone crowd but maybe im just some young buck that needs some talking to. looking back on 1980(i wasnt born for another 10 years) is that when british steel came out? as far as tone and tracking is concerned id take downing and tipton over randy anyday. most other things too but thats another debate