THE_REAL_SHAT

morrowplanet:

merlin:

Ozzy Osbourne - “Crazy Train” (Live; After Hours; 1981)

Fucking Randy Rhoads. What’s left to say?

Jesus.

[per Roderick on the Line #62]

Everybody you know who plays rock guitar learned how to play this riff, but this is how this song is supposed to be played. Randy, man.

In 1981, Ozzy was the first concert I ever attended. I would say that I was too young to appreciate seeing Randy Rhoads perform, but there are/were plenty of 15 year olds with the wherewithal to appreciate a guitar master. Nope. Just straight-up doofus.

What I really hate is that because I wasn’t aware of what I was witnessing, I have no memory of Randy playing mere feet in front of me. I remember Ozzy being sweaty and shirtless, with that blue monster tattoo on his shoulder. I remember his mascara and pudginess. But not the performance of one of the best guitarists ever. Ugh.

I wrote this about a year ago when the “first concert” meme was going around:

First Concert: Ozzy Osbourne, April Fool’s Day, 1981

I was 15, drove 37 miles each way in my ‘73 Pontiac Catalina (a living room on wheels handed down from my grandparents) with my little brother, had fourth-row seats, and didn’t know what that funny smell during the concert was. 

At the time I was surprised that Ozzy never referenced that it was April Fool’s Day. Pretty silly now, knowing that he didn’t know what solar system he was in back then.

I followed through on my promise to call my mother after the concert. It was hard to hear her through the ringing in my ears, but I bet she was relieved that we hadn’t been murdered in the many nasty ways that she must have imagined.

And finally, I was too much of a doofus to know that I was witnessing the great Randy Rhoads playing live and in person mere feet in front of me.