Randy Rhoads is one of the reasons I started playing guitar. It is one thing to play fast, it is another thing to play fast and make it sound like music. Randy's classical training really shined with everything he played. I think the guitar as we know it would be totally different if he was still alive.

Good technique and very innovative during his day but those qualities alone do not make him the best of all time.

Rhoads should be in the top 10, at least. Behind Slash? Get the wax out of your ears! I don't think many rock players would know what a diminished scale or chord was, were it not for Randy. This guy was ahead of his time, and we only got a taste.

Hm, and I am not understanding all of the other interviews of 'average musician' and 'boring as hell'.
Randy Rhoads.
Randall William Rhoads.
He was amazing. I can't get over his solos, all of his work from Quiet Riot to Ozzy's solo career. Then it had to go down from there...he had to leave us. Why did he have to leave us? The world wasn't ready for his sheer amazing talent? Who knows?
Randy's guitar style was not simple, it was complex and it sounded original. It wasn't like anybody else's, really, and by just warming up Ozzy took him in. What was Randy thinking? "You haven't heard me play yet."
Randy taught kids--he taught them how to play. He wanted to quit Ozzy to go study classical guitar, more guitar, at college!
This shows in songs like "Dee", which Randy wrote himself in honour of his mother.
The young man had a talent unlike any other guitarist, and he is not 'boring' and he is not 'average'. He came from such a musical backround and had a musical family. He started Quiet Riot - 'Cum on Feel the Noize' would never have gotten famous if the Slade cover hadn't been covered by Quiet Riot after Randy died. He simply made the band he was in better. Carlos Cavazo...Jake E. Lee...Zakk Wylde...they'll never compare to Randy's talent ever. Nobody will ever be like him, maybe as good as him--but yet, could they?
It takes practice, of course, and yet...Randy was going to be even more successful. Just think: if he hadn't joined Ozzy, he wouldn't have died. BUT, if he didn't join Ozzy, he would have never impacted the world so greatly with his mind-blowing music.
I believe Randy Rhoads is the best guitarist of all time - you have all your opinions, I see, but Randy? Plain and simple--he had a technique, a style like no other guitarist of that time. Go listen to all the albums, read up about him...he was the nicest, sweetest guy...and he just had to go. Thank you, Randy for your music! Rock in Peace!
Thank you.

Average musician, but a GREAT icecream flavour.

Randy Rhoads is the greatest guitarist of all time ,plain and simple.

boring as hell!  where's the fucking beef?  a light weight player in a world of bad taste.

hes iller

This guy is probably the greatest metal guitarist in the history of music. He can play really heavy guitar riffs but was as big of fan of classicial music as rock. An amazing player who left us way too soon.

sour grapes didnt get a chance to ripe.

This guy was the best thing that ever happened to the overrated Ozzy Osbourne. Rhoads combined heavy metal guitar with a strong knowledge of classical music. When Rhoads died, Ozzy's music was never the same unfortunately.

Ozzy was never the same without him.

A real talent.

sour apple, not yet sweet

Cannot believe his rating is only a three! He was an amazing guitarist with incredible talent. Its a shame he is no longer with us.

WTF ITS RANDY RHOADS HE IS THE BEST GUITARIST OF ALL TIME

My Fav

possibly the most talented player of all time,he was worth the price of admission.fave:revelation mother earth

best guitarist of all time

Randy Rhoads was the best guitarist to ever walk earth PERIOD, no one will ever come close to him, and it scares me to think how good he would be if he was still alive, yeah Van Halen might of been one of his influences, but he got way better than him, i like Yngwie Malmsteen,Steve Vai, and Joe Satriani too, but they don't come close, Randy came up with his new style which is known as Neoclassical, lol joe satriani taught steve vai and kirk hammet, ans plus i know plenty of people who are way better than Kirk Hammet.sorry but he's not that good. So yeah sorry to disappoint some of you, but Randy Rhoads is the best their will ever be. R.I.P. Randy Rhoads

Awsomely talented, and had great classical skills. I doubt Jimi Hendrix could even attemt to play classical guitar, because it is harder to play than any form of Rock and Roll. Eddie Van Halen is probably the only other guitarist on this list that could play classical guitar, and Randy was a "true" talent that died way to early.

EVH influenced him alot and i think Randy was a great guitarist not the best but very good

sour orange, didnt get a chance to ripe

Best guitaris ever...no doubt!

a great sound,the best solos(even over eddie van halen)and the reason Ozzy became the godfather of heavy metal.Would of been neat to see How he would have changed his music if he had lived.Other players are better on this list but his impact deserves a 5 do to impact on the heavy metal scene of the 80s

Randy was a great guitarist and original. One of the reasons I got into the guitar. It would have been great to see what he would have done after Ozzy.

Gained more momentum for dying young. he was a wonderful player who crafted classical in with Rock playing. gary Moore and Eddie Van Halen were his two favorite players. If you listen to earl RR recordings with Quiet Riot before 1978 and then listen to his style after Eddie broke the scene, you can hear a very notable difference in his playing. he used tapping, artificial harmonics and whammy dives so much more.

He should be on the best five!!!

Randy is Best

the greatest of all time, way ahead of everybody for his time. read this and you will have no doubt http://www.csun.edu/~igra/rhoads/rhoads.html

Greatest Guitarist of all time, His soloing in Mr. Crowley (live) is really amazing and deeply feel. To me that is one of the best guitar solo ever. "I wish I could take times and come up with something that nobody else has done but that's gonna take few years."(Randy Rhoads,Guitar World,May 1982.) Sadly he gone to early.

Fantastic player! Without a doubt Ozzy's best guitar player(including Iommi). "Blizzard" and "Diary" are both albums that every rock guitarist should listen to, over and over again!

the best of all times should be #1 then jimmy page is #2 then jimi hendrix is #3 and thats the way it should be

the best of all times should be #1 then jimmy page is #2 then jimi hendrix is #3 and thats the way it should be

the best of all times should be #1 then jimmy page is #2 then jimi hendrix is #3 and thats the way it should be

Randy Rhoads had one of the most unique guitar sounds I have ever heard, right down to his tone. Its such a shame he died so early in his career, anyone who listened to Ozzy's second album diary of a madman and any bootlegs from the tour can agree with me that Randy was on to one hell of a guitar tone. Who knows where it would have went. Skill wise he wrote some of the most melodic, non repetitive and killer solos. One of the best metal guitarist of all time, no question.

He was a consummate technical metal guitarist, and you could readily see his classical infuence. His style was very robust and symphonic, which was groundbreaking during his years with Ozzy. One of the best metal guitarists, EVER! Old school metal rules!

In response to unforgivenvigilante's comment: You are a twit. You haven't played long enough, been involved in music long enough or lived long enough. I've seen both Rhoads & Hammett play live. I started playing guitar when I was 9 after having seen Randy Rhoads at the end of his time with Quiot Riot. Hammett is awesome, but while he may be close to the same technical level of Rhoads, he's no where near as good in musicianship. Randy Rhoads was, & is, one of the best Rock/Metal guitarists ever. However if you want to know who the all-time greatest guitarist is(was), Andre Segovia. Learn the pieces he transposed from violin or some lute pieces, then play them thru your stomp boxes.

Randy was a 6th string god

one of the best guitarist

blows like crazy kirk hammett could play him into the dirt anytime any day

He certianly was the best ever. And oh so lovely to look at. He had the whole package going for him. Such a shame he had to leave this earth so soon.

He certianly was the best ever. And oh so lovely to look at. He had the whole package going for him. Such a shame he had to leave this earth so soon.

Had incredible chops,but net very innovative.

Let us beat the rolling stone magazine rank for Randy! they called him #85 of all time. Let him rise to his true standing.

Hendrix, Rhoads n Van Halen are in my opinion the three most influentual guitarists ever

so much to give. he really did rock and played from age 4...no doubt he would have been the best but never had time to show. rip...rock god

randy rhoads is the best guitarist ever. and will always be the best forever

cut down before his prome!!

Without Randy Rhoads, there wouldn't be Metal. RR ias a god.