Many Stolen Randy Rhoads Items Recovered
by Dave LiftonMany of the Randy Rhoads-themed items stolen from a Los Angeles music school have been recovered.
NBC Los Angeles says a woman named Bobbi Fredriksz spotted the items in a North Hollywood, Calif., dumpster while she was walking her dog on Saturday. "I knew in my gut something was wrong," she said. Fredriksz brought everything in from the rain, then called the police.
The bin contained "40 years' worth of photos and fan gifts" that were taken on Thanksgiving night from the Musonia School of Music. Rhoads taught guitar at the school, which was founded by his mother Delores. The police also recovered a trumpet that had been given to Delores when she was a child.
"The trumpet is valuable because it’s my grandmother’s," Nick D’Argenzio, Randy’s nephew, said. "She passed away recently. This is her legacy."
Randy's first electric guitar, a 1963 Harmony Rocket, remains missing. Former bandmate Ozzy Osbourne has offered $25,000 for any information that leads to the recovery of the items and the arrest of those responsible.
"[T]he school became something of a pilgrimage to his fans from all over the world," Osbourne wrote. "It is a place where the Rhoads family happily opened their hearts to share the life of Randy. As you can imagine, the items that were stolen, including Randy’s first electric guitar, are irreplaceable to the Rhoads family.”
It is unknown if the other pieces of musical equipment, including a Peavey amplifier from the '70s and prototype for a signature Marshall head, were included in the batch that was found.
Ozzy Osbourne Albums Ranked
11. 'Down to Earth' (2001)
Zakk Wylde is here as a guitarist, but – importantly – not as a songwriting partner. Instead, Ozzy turned to a series of outside collaborators, and 'Down to Earth' suffered for it. The results are so unfocused and disjointed that even the presence of all-stars like Faith No More's Mike Bordin and Metallica's Robert Trujillo can't turn things around.
10. 'Under Cover' (2005)
While this set of covers has moments of campy fun (Leslie West nearly bowls over poor Osbourne on Mountain's "Mississippi Queen"), 'Under Cover' ends up feeling more like a tie-in product than anything providing real insight into Ozzy's influences. And some of it (John Lennon's "Woman," the Moody Blues' "Go Now," Mott the Hoople's "All the Young Dudes") is just plain weird.
9. 'Scream' (2010)
Osbourne again collaborates with 'Black Rain' producer Kevin Churko, who co-wrote every track. What keeps this project from falling into easy continuity is the arrival of Gus G. The new guitarist, joined here by Tommy Clufetos and Adam Wakeman, adds a progressive bent that elevates even some of the more run-of-the-mill material.
8. 'Ozzmosis' (1995)
Admittedly a touch too slick at times – the fault of one-off producer Michael Beinhorn – 'Ozzmosis' overcomes those missteps with help from Osbourne's old Black Sabbath buddy Geezer Butler, and a set of songs that underscores Ozzy's more emotional side.
7. 'Black Rain' (2007)
The songs are far from Osbourne's best, but 'Black Rain' might just include his most furiously heavy music. Ozzy's last album with Zakk Wylde, and first with producer Kevin Churko, it's also rumored to be the first LP Osbourne ever recorded sober.
6. 'No Rest for the Wicked' (1988)
Zakk Wylde arrived with a bang, adding new guitar crunch and smart co-writing credits throughout this gritty double-platinum hit. Highlights include Osbourne's delicious jab at fallen televangelists, "Miracle Man," and Wylde's presence punches up even rote MTV hits like "Crazy Babies."
5. 'Bark at the Moon' (1983)
Given the unenviable task of following Randy Rhoads, guitarist Jake E. Lee shows plenty of muscle, if far less panache. He joined bassist Bob Daisley as uncredited co-writers on an album that could never live up to the lofty standards of Ozzy's first two solo projects, but still provided its share of sturdy favorites.
4. 'The Ultimate Sin' (1986)
Jake E. Lee saved the best for his finale, again collaborating extensively with Ozzy and bassist Bob Daisley. Together, they update Osbourne's sound for a sleek new age, but keep just enough danger to make things interesting. Daisley was ultimately replaced by Phil Soussan, who brought along the huge hit "Shot in the Dark."
3. 'No More Tears' (1991)
Osbourne's last great album found him working on four tracks with Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister, but there was much more to this layered triumph. Ozzy blended contemporary metal with sharply involving ballads and incisive social commentary, while spinning off hit after hit after hit on this four-times platinum-selling smash.
2. 'Diary of a Madman' (1981)
Criticizing this album became a lot tougher when the youthful genius of Randy Rhoads was extinguished in a plane crash while on tour. Still, Osbourne's second solo album – also featuring the initially uncredited Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake – can at times sound like the rush job it was. So, it falls to second, if only by a fraction.
1. 'Blizzard of Ozz' (1980)
Osbourne's quadruple-platinum debut didn't just reestablish his legend, it helped jump-start modern metal. Credit typically goes to the remarkable guitar prowess of Randy Rhoads, a figure who – with Eddie Van Halen – redefined the instrument. Maybe just as importantly, however, were Rhoads' neo-classicist arrangements, which made a striking platform for Osbourne's doomy narratives. Together they did things that Black Sabbath never dared try and that Osbourne – after Rhoads' tragic death – unfortunately never matched again.