Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Spectacular Live Performances., November 1, 2003
After Randy Rhoads' tragic death in 1982, Ozzy compiled a number of live performances showing Randy's talent for playing in the moment. Randy Rhoads is one of my favorite guitar players. He was so innovative. The best guitar players aren't afraid to put themselves out there, and do something original and wild, even if they're not sure how it's going to turn out. One listen to this album, and you can see Randy fits that description.I've always liked Ozzy Osbourne, but the main focus of this album (for me, anyway) is Randy Rhoads, as it is a tribute to him. All of the songs from "Blizzard of Ozz" are here, and only a few from "Diary of a Madman". I would have liked to hear more from the latter, but oh well. Ozzy is in good form, as he could still sing well back then. The rhythm section is good (a good rhythm section is important, and this one does the job), and they support one of the best lead guitarists I've heard. The album opens with a performance of "I Don't Know", which is a much more intense and energetic live song. When Randy hit that first bend of the solo, filled with vibrato, I almost died. The classic "Crazy Train" is played, with added fills and little bits. "Mr. Crowley" is another highlight, with some added improvising at the end. "Suicide Solution" is one of the biggest highlights. Firstly, the fills Randy adds are crazy, and then he gets a solo spot, which is outstanding. He switches between lightning fast pentatonic and harmonic minor shredding to dimished scale runs and classically influenced arpeggio bits. It's inspirational, not just because it's fast or anything. The Sabbath covers are OK, not really what I wanted to hear, but good nonetheless. The classic ballad "Goodbye to Romance" is here, and it's very good as well. Any fan of Randy-era Ozzy needs this album, as well as guitar players looking for inspiration, or just amazing playing.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The tragedy is just too much, October 10, 2006
Musicians dying before their time is nothing unique in rock'n'roll history. SRV, Hendrix, Joplin, Holly, Morrison, etc.. However, there was always an innocence attached to Randy Rhoads. Here was a classically trained guitarist that was interested in incorporating brilliant and complex guitar arraingments with popular music. He took an alcohilc and believed to be washed-up rocker like Ozzy and helped him to produce his two greatest works ever. You know, a lot of players sound great in the studio, when they can triple track their recordings, but here, Rhoads shreds in fluid beauty, live and in person. Just incredible playing. The only man that could make Ozzy take a backseat on stage, God Bless him.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the greatest guitarists of all time, August 22, 2005
Randy Rhoads, although only having two studio albums under a major label to showcase his amazing talent, was one of the greatest guitarists ever to play. Born in 1956 in Los Angeles, he began playing the guitar at around age seven. In 1976 he founded the first of the hair metal bands, Quiet Riot. Although they were only signed to a record label in Japan they became a hit amongst the LA club scene. In 1979, Quiet Riot lost Rhoads to ex-Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne. With Ozzy, Randy produced two multi-platinum studio albums until his untimely death in a plane crash on March 19, 1982. Five years later, Ozzy released a slew of live tracks from the Diary of a Madman tour, the Tribute album. Track ratings:
1) I Don't Know- 8/10- Catchier than the studio version, nicely added pentatonic riffs and harmonics, and a vastly improved solo.
2) Crazy Train- 10/10- Slighty heavier than the studio version, and a little more upbeat. One of the best tracks on the disc.
3) Believer- 7/10- ties with (Steal Away) The Night for worst track on the CD, although it's still entertaining. It has a decent bassline and is slightly slower than most of Ozzy's songs.
4) Mr. Crowley- 10/10- Another of the best tracks on the disk, it features two of Randy's best solos. Overall better than its studio counterpart.
5) Flying High Again- 9/10- I actually like the album version of this song better, although the solo is better on the live version. Poison's "Nothing but a Good Time" is an almost exact ripoff of this song, and if you like that song, you'll definitely like this.
6) Revelation (Mother Earth)- 10/10- One of the best songs Ozzy ever recorded, this song escalates into one of Randy's best solos. One of the best tracks on the CD.
7) Steal Away (The Night)- 7/10- so. catchy. Features an over- extended 4 minute drum solo. The song itself is decent, although
it does not compare to the others.
8) Suicide Solution-11/10- Randy's finest 7 minutes and 46 seconds. This is the best version of the song, and the bridge is extremely catchy and may get stuck in your head. At the end of the song, Randy plays a jaw-dropping unaccompanied and improvised guitar solo that lasts over two minutes. This is one of the many reasons why Randy has been idolized by so many guitarists in the past twenty years.
9) Iron Man- 9/10- Gets extra points because this overrated song was shortened. Randy makes it more interesting and less repetitive with the addition of vibrato and harmonics. The song jumps into the best version of Children of the Grave ever recorded.
10) Children of the Grave- 11/10- Although it doesn't have an improvised solo, this track is just as good as Suicide Solution and much MUCH better than its original Black Sabbath version. It has one of the best solos I have ever heard, and is a melancholy reminder of what Randy Rhoads could have done if he hadn't died so early.
11) Paranoid- 10/10- The best version of paranoid earlier. The guitar part is expanded so it is not as primitive as its original release, and features a nice solo.
12) Goodbye to Romance- 9/10- The first song Randy wrote with Ozzy, and the last he performed. Much better than the studio version.
13) No Bone Movies- 8/10- One of the most upbeat and heavy songs on the album. The rating would be higher except Ozzy's vocals are barely distinguishable.
14) Dee- 1000000/10- you get to hear him speak!!!!!!!!!!!!! And the guitar is much clearer sounding than in the studio version.
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