The Randy Rhoads Years
Encyclopedia
The Randy Rhoads Years is a compilation album from Quiet Riot
that features songs from Randy Rhoads
' time with the band in the late 1970s. It features previously unreleased material and some remixed songs from Quiet Riot's first two albums which were released only in Japan
. These two albums, Quiet Riot and Quiet Riot II
, have yet to see any sort of release outside of Japan due to the wishes of the Rhoads family.
remix
ed all the tracks, except the previously unreleased "Force of Habit" as its multitrack master tapes had been lost.
Lead vocals were re-recorded on all tracks except "Force of Habit" by Kevin DuBrow. In one case, he rewote the lyrics with ex-Rainbow
drummer Bobby Rondinelli
. This track, "Last Call for Rock 'n' Roll" was formerly titled "Mama's Little Angels" on Quiet Riot. The drums on all tracks but "Force of Habit" were re-sampled, and the guitar tracks were played through Carlos Cavazo
's Marshall amplifiers to duplicate the sound that Randy Rhoads achieved in Ozzy Osbourne
's band. According to DuBrow, Rhoads was never happy with his guitar tone while in Quiet Riot, but very satisfied with his tone while with Osbourne as he could afford better equipment by then.
The song "Trouble" was sped up as DuBrow felt the original was too slow. DuBrow also added wah-wah
to one guitar solo, playing the pedal himself through the original guitar tracks. Again, Rhoads could not afford a wah-wah pedal at the time of recording, but wished he had played the solo with one. "Afterglow (Of Your Love)
" from Quiet Riot II was stripped down, leaving just Rhoads' acoustic guitar in an "unplugged" arrangement. DuBrow used triangle samples to disguise background noise that could not be removed from the track. The sole live track, "Laughing Gas", featured an extended guitar solo that was spliced together from two separate recordings. It featured pieces of Rhoads' later songs "Goodbye to Romance", "Dee
", and perhaps his best known song, the hit "Crazy Train
".
The package features only six of the Japanese album tracks in remixed or re-written versions. The rest of those songs remain unreleased outside Japan. The rest of the album is filled out with unreleased songs.
that two more releases were forthcoming. He mentioned a second volume featuring more remixed and unreleased tracks, including Quiet Riot's version of "Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)
". According to DuBrow, the release of any further tracks completely depended on their quality, and approval by the Rhoads family. He also said a home video release was forthcoming of an early Quiet Riot club show featuring Rhoads. This same video provided the audio for one half of the live version of "Laughing Gas" on The Randy Rhoads Years. To date, neither of these releases have seen the light of day; DuBrow had championed the release of the Rhoads material, and his 2007 death makes the release of any further Rhoads material unlikely.
Quiet Riot
Quiet Riot is an American Heavy Metal band. They are best known for their hit singles "Metal Health" and "Cum On Feel the Noize". They were founded in 1973 by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni, under the original name Mach 1, before changing the name to Little Women and finally Quiet...
that features songs from Randy Rhoads
Randy Rhoads
Randall William "Randy" Rhoads was an American heavy metal guitarist who played with Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot. A devoted student of classical guitar, Rhoads often combined his classical music influences with his own heavy metal style. While on tour with Ozzy Osbourne, he would seek out...
' time with the band in the late 1970s. It features previously unreleased material and some remixed songs from Quiet Riot's first two albums which were released only in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. These two albums, Quiet Riot and Quiet Riot II
Quiet Riot II
Quiet Riot II is the second studio album by heavy metal band Quiet Riot. As with their first album, it was a Japan-only release. Although Rudy Sarzo is pictured and credited, the recordings were made while bassist Kelly Garni was still in the band...
, have yet to see any sort of release outside of Japan due to the wishes of the Rhoads family.
Changes and remixing
None of the songs on The Randy Rhoads Years are the same versions that appear on the original two Quiet Riot albums. At the request of the Rhoads family, longtime Quiet Riot vocalist Kevin DuBrowKevin DuBrow
Kevin Mark DuBrow was an American rock singer best known as the lead vocalist of the Heavy Metal band Quiet Riot from 1975 until his death in 2007...
remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ed all the tracks, except the previously unreleased "Force of Habit" as its multitrack master tapes had been lost.
Lead vocals were re-recorded on all tracks except "Force of Habit" by Kevin DuBrow. In one case, he rewote the lyrics with ex-Rainbow
Rainbow (band)
Rainbow were an English rock band, controlled by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore from 1975 to 1984 and 1994 to 1997. It was originally established with American rock band Elf's members, though over the years Rainbow went through many line-up changes with no two studio albums featuring the same line-up...
drummer Bobby Rondinelli
Bobby Rondinelli
Bobby Rondinelli is a rock drummer best known for his work with the hard rock/heavy metal bands like Blue Öyster Cult, Rainbow, Quiet Riot, Black Sabbath, The Lizards, and Rondinelli.-Background:...
. This track, "Last Call for Rock 'n' Roll" was formerly titled "Mama's Little Angels" on Quiet Riot. The drums on all tracks but "Force of Habit" were re-sampled, and the guitar tracks were played through Carlos Cavazo
Carlos Cavazo
Carlos Cavazo is a Mexican-born American guitarist best known as the guitarist for Quiet Riot during their commercial peak. Born July 8, 1957, Cavazo is originally from Mexico City where their first band with his brother Antonio Cavazo was called Speed of Light...
's Marshall amplifiers to duplicate the sound that Randy Rhoads achieved in Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
's band. According to DuBrow, Rhoads was never happy with his guitar tone while in Quiet Riot, but very satisfied with his tone while with Osbourne as he could afford better equipment by then.
The song "Trouble" was sped up as DuBrow felt the original was too slow. DuBrow also added wah-wah
Wah-wah pedal
A wah-wah pedal is a type of guitar effects pedal that alters the tone of the signal to create a distinctive effect, mimicking the human voice...
to one guitar solo, playing the pedal himself through the original guitar tracks. Again, Rhoads could not afford a wah-wah pedal at the time of recording, but wished he had played the solo with one. "Afterglow (Of Your Love)
Afterglow (Of Your Love)
"Afterglow Of Your Love" is the unofficial final single released in 1969 by the English Rock group the Small Faces. The song managed to reach #36 in the UK Singles Charts....
" from Quiet Riot II was stripped down, leaving just Rhoads' acoustic guitar in an "unplugged" arrangement. DuBrow used triangle samples to disguise background noise that could not be removed from the track. The sole live track, "Laughing Gas", featured an extended guitar solo that was spliced together from two separate recordings. It featured pieces of Rhoads' later songs "Goodbye to Romance", "Dee
Dee (song)
Dee is a short instrumental by Randy Rhoads from Ozzy Osbourne's album Blizzard of Ozz.-Details:"Dee" shows the classical music influences that made...
", and perhaps his best known song, the hit "Crazy Train
Crazy Train
"Crazy Train" is a song written by Ozzy Osbourne, Randy Rhoads and Bob Daisley. It was released as the first single in 1980 on Osbourne's first solo studio album, Blizzard of Ozz. The song was recorded in 1980, a year after leaving Black Sabbath, and later included on the live album Tribute,...
".
The package features only six of the Japanese album tracks in remixed or re-written versions. The rest of those songs remain unreleased outside Japan. The rest of the album is filled out with unreleased songs.
Track listing
- "Trouble" – 4:28 (Kevin DuBrowKevin DuBrowKevin Mark DuBrow was an American rock singer best known as the lead vocalist of the Heavy Metal band Quiet Riot from 1975 until his death in 2007...
/Randy RhoadsRandy RhoadsRandall William "Randy" Rhoads was an American heavy metal guitarist who played with Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot. A devoted student of classical guitar, Rhoads often combined his classical music influences with his own heavy metal style. While on tour with Ozzy Osbourne, he would seek out...
) Original version from Quiet Riot IIQuiet Riot IIQuiet Riot II is the second studio album by heavy metal band Quiet Riot. As with their first album, it was a Japan-only release. Although Rudy Sarzo is pictured and credited, the recordings were made while bassist Kelly Garni was still in the band... - "Laughing Gas (Randy Rhoads Guitar Solo)" (Live) – 9:43 (DuBrow/Rhoads) Previously unreleased
- "Afterglow (Of Your Love)Afterglow (Of Your Love)"Afterglow Of Your Love" is the unofficial final single released in 1969 by the English Rock group the Small Faces. The song managed to reach #36 in the UK Singles Charts....
" (Acoustic) – 3:22 (Steve MarriottSteve MarriottStephen Peter Marriott , popularly known as Steve Marriott, was an English musician, songwriter, and frontman of several notable rock and roll bands, spanning over two decades...
/Ronnie LaneRonnie LaneRonald Frederick "Ronnie" Lane was an English musician, songwriter, and producer who is best known as the bass guitarist and founding member of two prominent English rock and roll bands; the Small Faces where he was nicknamed "Plonk", – and, after losing the band's frontman, Faces, with two new...
) Original version from Quiet Riot II - "Killer Girls" – 4:18 (DuBrow/Rhoads/Ron Sobol) Original version from Quiet Riot II
- "Picking Up the Pieces" – 3:12 (DuBrow/Rhoads) Previously unreleased
- "Last Call for Rock 'n' Roll" – 4:18 (DuBrow/Rhoads/Bobby RondinelliBobby RondinelliBobby Rondinelli is a rock drummer best known for his work with the hard rock/heavy metal bands like Blue Öyster Cult, Rainbow, Quiet Riot, Black Sabbath, The Lizards, and Rondinelli.-Background:...
) Original version titled "Mama's Little Angels" from Quiet Riot - "Breaking Up Is a Heartache" – 2:52 (DuBrow/Rhoads/Kelly GarniKelly GarniKelly Garni is a Hard rock musician and photographer, who is best known for playing in the band Quiet Riot.Born in Los Angeles in 1957, Garni's family moved to Burbank, CA in the early 1970s, where he met Randy Rhoads...
/Drew Forsyth) Previously unreleased - "Force of Habit" – 3:10 (DuBrow/Rhoads) Previously unreleased
- "It's Not So Funny" – 3:46 (DuBrow/Rhoads) Original version from Quiet Riot
- "Look in Any Window" – 3:34 (Rhoads) Original version from Quiet Riot
Quiet Riot
- Kevin DuBrowKevin DuBrowKevin Mark DuBrow was an American rock singer best known as the lead vocalist of the Heavy Metal band Quiet Riot from 1975 until his death in 2007...
- lead vocals - Randy RhoadsRandy RhoadsRandall William "Randy" Rhoads was an American heavy metal guitarist who played with Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot. A devoted student of classical guitar, Rhoads often combined his classical music influences with his own heavy metal style. While on tour with Ozzy Osbourne, he would seek out...
- guitars - Kelly GarniKelly GarniKelly Garni is a Hard rock musician and photographer, who is best known for playing in the band Quiet Riot.Born in Los Angeles in 1957, Garni's family moved to Burbank, CA in the early 1970s, where he met Randy Rhoads...
- bass - Drew ForsythDrew Forsyth (musician)Drew Forsyth is a Hard rock musician and lawyer, who is best known for playing in the band Quiet Riot.-Life:Born in Los Angeles, Drew joined guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni, along with singer Kevin Dubrow...
- drums
Production
- Kevin DuBrowKevin DuBrowKevin Mark DuBrow was an American rock singer best known as the lead vocalist of the Heavy Metal band Quiet Riot from 1975 until his death in 2007...
- producer - Lee DeCarlo - producer
- Warren Entner - producer
- Derek Lawrence - producer
Sequel album and home video
At the time of release of The Randy Rhoads Years, DuBrow said in a 1993 interview with Guitar for the Practicing MusicianGuitar for the Practicing Musician
Guitar for the Practicing Musician was a guitar magazine published in the United States by Cherry Lane Music in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1992, it was the most popular music publication at newsstands, selling 740,000 issues over a six-month period. It was popular for publishing songs with guitar and...
that two more releases were forthcoming. He mentioned a second volume featuring more remixed and unreleased tracks, including Quiet Riot's version of "Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)
Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)
"Quinn the Eskimo " is a folk-rock song written by Bob Dylan and first recorded during The Basement Tapes sessions in 1967. The song was first released in January 1968 as "Mighty Quinn" by the British band Manfred Mann and became a great success...
". According to DuBrow, the release of any further tracks completely depended on their quality, and approval by the Rhoads family. He also said a home video release was forthcoming of an early Quiet Riot club show featuring Rhoads. This same video provided the audio for one half of the live version of "Laughing Gas" on The Randy Rhoads Years. To date, neither of these releases have seen the light of day; DuBrow had championed the release of the Rhoads material, and his 2007 death makes the release of any further Rhoads material unlikely.