Ozzy Osbourne on why Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen were “rivals”
It’s hard to think of two more influential guitarists on the music of the 1980s than Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads. The former became an instant guitar hero at the tail end of the 1970s thanks to his work with Van Halen, specifically the highly technical shredding style that epitomized songs like ‘Eruption’ and ‘Ain’t Talking ‘Bout Love’. The latter brought his classically-influenced style to the earliest version of glam metal rockers Quiet Riot, but truly made his mark thanks to his collaborations with Ozzy Osbourne on tracks like ‘Crazy Train’ and ‘Mr. Crowley’.
Rhoads and Van Halen were both kicking around the Sunset Strip hard rock scene in the late 1970s, Rhoads with Quiet Riot and Van Halen with his eponymous group. The two crossed paths on a few occasions and were certainly aware of each other as two of the hottest guitarists in America, but the interactions weren’t always cordial. In an interview clip that was featured in the documentary Randy Rhoads: Reflections of a Guitar Icon, Van Halen makes a bold claim that Rhoads was copying his own style.
“He was good, but I don’t think he really did anything that I haven’t done,” Van Halen said in the audio clip. “There ain’t nothing wrong with it, man. I’ve copied other people…” That comment turned some heads in the metal community, so much so that it eventually made it’s way to Osbourne himself. While sitting down with Rolling Stone earlier this year, Osbourne kicked back at Van Halen’s claim and defended his late collaborator.
“I heard recently that Eddie [Van Halen] said he taught Randy all his licks … he never,” Osbourne said. “To be honest, Randy didn’t have a nice thing to say about Eddie. Maybe they had a falling out or whatever, but they were rivals.” That’s not entirely true: in a 1982 interview with Guitar World, Rhoads both complimented Van Halen and admitted to lifting some of his techniques.
“I have my own personality on the guitar but as of yet I don’t think I have my own style,” Rhoads explained. “For instance, I do a solo guitar thing in concert, and I do a lot of the same licks as Eddie Van Halen. Eddie is a great player, but it kills me that I do that. For me it’s just flash that impresses the kids. I’m trying to make a name for myself as fast as I can. I wish I could take time and come up with something that nobody else has done. But that’s gonna take a few years yet.”
Rhoads ultimately succeeded in crafting his own style, finding a middle point between the neo-classical stylings of Yngwie Malmsteen and the more theatrical fireworks of Van Halen’s playing. With the hyper-competitive world of hard rock reaching its peak in the early 1980s, it’s only natural that both Van Halen and Rhoads (and Osbourne, for that matter) would be a little defensive about their respective abilities.
See if you can spot some crossover in the solos for ‘I’m the One’ and ‘Crazy Train’ down below.
