Randy Rhoads vs. Eddie Van Halen

[OmarBradley]

I don't know how you could call The Blizzard Of Ozz a bad band.

[Broskirose]

There are single songs on Diary of a Madman that shit over the entire Van Halen discography combined.

[DieselDaisy]

Randy Rhodes

[Yesterdays-Civil-War]

I loved the way he and Kevin sounded together. Quiet Riot just meshed so well.

I love EVH but I always felt Randy had more talent. Eddie was always just a shredder to me.

[Powerage5]

Eddie is one of my favorites of all time, so he gets my vote. I do really like Randy though, in fact he's really the only reason I care to listen to Ozzy at all.

[Iron MikeyJ]

Well yeah, of course it is. Considering the fact that he died before he could do anything else, and the only recorded work he did previously were the first two Quiet Riot albums that were only released in Japan.

For one, I love Randy, he is absolutly one of my all time favs, but EVH all day. It's not even close. You made the point about those Quiet Riot albums, so lets discuss them, they fucking suck ball. Even Randy's guitar playing is nothing all that special. What was Eddie doing while Randy was making those shit albums? Van Halen 1 and 2. Then around 81' when Randy got with Ozzy his playing sky rocketed, I'm sure those Van Halen albums had a lot to do with that. So to level the playing field, since Randy did die, it's Van Halen 1,2, Women and Children, and Fair Warning vs two shitty ass albums, blizzard, and diary. I'm sorry but strictly guitar playing alone, Eddie wins by a landslide.

I say that as a guitar player that played a show last night. A fan after the show actually compared me to Randy to be honest, he said and I quote "I think you are even faster, and he was the fastest ever." I took the complement, but I then told him that speed is highly overrated, feeling is where it's at. BTW EVH has more feeling than Randy also...

Eddie is one of my favorites of all time, so he gets my vote. I do really like Randy though, in fact he's really the only reason I care to listen to Ozzy at all.

Agreed. Post Randy Ozzy doesn't do much for me. Especially the 80's stuff before Zack showed up. Nothing against Jake E Lee, but it's like Ozzy said, "sound like Randy."

[Broskirose]

Randy wasn't even fast, and Eddie does not have more feeling. Van Halen is awful music for awful people, and I'm leaving this thread because arguing about 80s guitar players makes me feel like a loser.

[Georgy Zhukov]

Randy Rhodes

Then vote for him

[Iron MikeyJ]

Randy wasn't even fast, and Eddie does not have more feeling. Van Halen is awful music for awful people, and I'm leaving this thread because arguing about 80s guitar players makes me feel like a loser.

Don't let the door hit you.

[Bruno P.]

Eddie. He's the bigger name, no doubt.

[DR DOOM]

Randy wasn't even fast, and Eddie does not have more feeling. Van Halen is awful music for awful people, and I'm leaving this thread because arguing about 80s guitar players makes me feel like a loser.

lol Trent

[Sixes]

Van Halen is awful music for awful people

[Haters Gonna Hate]

Van Halen is awful music for awful people

[moreblack]

I base it on who had the more memorable riffs, solos and songs.

Eddie wins it, and it's not even close.

[DR DOOM]

Post Randy Ozzy doesn't do much for me. Especially the 80's stuff before Zack showed up. Nothing against Jake E Lee, but it's like Ozzy said, "sound like Randy."

Wow, really?

Give me Jake over Zakk anyday...while The Ultimate Sin is a bit boppy/lightweight Jake plays his ass off on it, and Bark At The Moon is IMO a better album than Blizzard.

[Yesterdays-Civil-War]

Van Halen is awful music for awful people

Van Halen is awful music for awful people

Van Halen is awful music for awful people

Where the fuck is this coming from?

[Sixes]

Post Randy Ozzy doesn't do much for me. Especially the 80's stuff before Zack showed up. Nothing against Jake E Lee, but it's like Ozzy said, "sound like Randy."

Wow, really?

Give me Jake over Zakk anyday...while The Ultimate Sin is a bit boppy/lightweight Jake plays his ass off on it, and Bark At The Moon is IMO a better album than Blizzard.

jake > zakk ,,,absolutely, no question

bark at the moon is so underrated....some of ozzy's best songwriting

[DR DOOM]

"Ozzy's finger" (or is that Elvis's finger?)

Songs like Now You See It (now you don't) and You're No Different are some of the best of his career IMO.

[Rovim]

Eddie is the complete package as a guitar player: He's got the chops, the songwriting ability, the innovation and original style, the tone, the riffs, the solos, and he looked cool. Guitarists like that come once in a generation, if at all. I really like the fact he came up with and recorded an amazing solo like the Beat It solo and a chord progression for it in 20 minutes.

Edited March 17, 2014 by Rovim

[Iron MikeyJ]

I wasn't impleying that Jake is great in his own right, but come one everyone, Ozzy OBVIOUSLY wanted him to sound like Randy. While I also prefer Jake over Zack, at least Zack got to be himself, with his own sound. Like I said before, Ozzy wanted a Randy Rhoades imitator, and Jake got forced into that role. They made some good music, but anyone that thinks any of those albums are better than either Blizzard or Diary needs their ears checked. Good yes, but just more of the same, very generic. All of those mid to late 80's Ozzy albums could be considered Blizzard parts 2,3,4 etc. Nothing new or ground breaking what so ever. The same can not be said for Blizzard or Diary, those are metal classics.

Anyone that thinks Bark at the moon is better than anything Randy did must prefer corny over quality. Not only is the music better on songs like Flying high again, crowley, crazy train, etc but the lyrics are as well. I'm sorry but Ozzy wrote one of the best and honest satanic type metal songs when he wrote Mr. Crowley, then he followed it up with Bark at the moon? Talk about cheeze. No wonder they kicked him out of Sabbath. Iommi wouldn't have allowed such cheeze either.

To be fair I say this all as someone that loves Sabbath and those first two Ozzy albums, but everything after that is pretty much garbage that I refuse to listen to. As a matter of fact, I lost my post Randy Ozzy albums and have never cared to replace them, but I have Blizzard, Diary, and Tribute on vinyl and cd. They are the true gems of his solo career. Furthermore it amazes me to see the people lining up to defend Ozzy's post Randy work, when I'm sorry but Jake E. Lee was a clear Randy Rhoades/Eddie Van Halen imitator, hell he even kinda looks like Eddie. But many of you will bash Axl for having Ashba, well Jake is NO different imo. Is Jake a better player than Ashba? Yes, but imitator none the less...

Edited March 17, 2014 by Mike420

[DR DOOM]

It's probably worth noting that Ozzy didn't write any lyrics besides a line here or there and often the title.

(Geezer Butler and then Bob Daisley were the lyricists)

But I can't agree with your assessment of Jake being a Randy clone...Zakk Wylde fit that bill a lot better IMO.

Garbage? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rT5T4vR-3E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQVZAgQe4BU

[Iron MikeyJ]

It's the songs Doom. Take the song Bark at the moon, the way that song is constructed is exactly how songs like Crazy train were constructed. You could literally cut and paste the the solo from crazy train over the solos from bark at the moon. Like I said before, the whole Bark at the moon album might as well be called Blizzard part 2.

As far as my garbage comment goes, it's not directed at Jake personally, more at Ozzy. I just don't like his post Randy stuff very much...

Edited March 17, 2014 by Mike420

[DR DOOM]

Ah it's cool, I still love you ( in a pure, DOOMy heterosexual way)

[moreblack]

That being said, I'd take a song like Killer Of Giants over most of Diary Of A Madman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wtfy8UJL2pU

I honestly think Ozzy and Randy had the one good album in them, and the second one was a significant drop in quality both in performance and songwriting.

Edited March 17, 2014 by moreblack

[DR DOOM]

This version is even better http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXWPcFtra4A

(smoking Jake solo at the end)