“Turn up to ten” screamed Paul Stanley of KISS in their brilliant 1987 hit CRAZY, CRAZY NIGHTS – and for one California guitarist, the nights got crazier and crazier as his riffs and scales blew the competition off the stage.
The tale of Randy Rhoads, a player who eclipsed the very teachers who helped shaped his style to the point that he was teaching them, is now honoured and commemorated forty years after his tragic death in a plane crash in RANDY RHOADS – REFLECTIONS OF A GUITAR ICON.
Starting with his evolution from learning through his mother’s music school, Rhoads began playing with Kelly Garni, Drew Forsyth and Kevin DuBrow in their band Quiet Riot which was formed in the 1970s. The promise of riches beyond their wildest dreams ultimately scuppered Quiet Riot’s desire to land a record deal to take them to the next level and ultimate world stage stardom like their contemporaries like Van Halen and KISS amongst others.
However, Rhoads was simply too good to remain in the shadows – and a chance opportunity with Ozzy Osbourne who had been fired as the lead singer in Black Sabbath gave him the forum to express himself even more, before tragedy arrived.
Narrated by Tracii Guns and directed by Andre Relis, this is a workmanlike and honest-to-goodness tribute to an artist who like so many people who tread the stage and hit the highs of those frets that prove to be so iconic through the decades.
It is also a chance to celebrate and commemorate what did occur and the virtue of seeing somebody play incredibly well and prove to be such an influence on generations old and new, as well as more than match many of the guitar players who wowed stadiums and venues is the right way to pay tribute to somebody’s evident talent.
Like John Bonham and John Lennon amongst others, we all wonder what the world would be like for the artists and bands he worked with if Randy Rhoads had not made that fatal decision to fly in a plane whilst his coach driver had to stop off to fix a problem on the bus.
People not familiar with Quiet Riot or Rhoads, as well as aspiring and established guitarists, will enjoy this as well.
RANDY RHOADS – REFLECTIONS OF A GUITAR ICON can be seen via the following VOD Platforms (and will be Coming Soon to SVOD as well) :
iTunes, Amazon, Indemand, Vudu/Fandango Now, Vubiquity, Dish, Hoopla, Microsoft Store/Xbox, Google Play, DirectTV
(Coming soon to SVOD)
