Rare Randy Rhoads solo footage surfaces

By Joe Bosso
published

For fans of Randy Rhoads, a rare gift - a previously unseen video that's almost eight minutes of soloing!
For fans of Randy Rhoads, a rare gift - a previously unseen video that's almost eight minutes of soloing!

For fans of the late guitarist Randy Rhoads, any new bit of video footage or audio is akin to discovering the Holy Grail. And so it is, apparently, with the above video of Rhoads performing an extended solo in 1979 with the band Quiet Riot.

Shot at the Starwood Club in West Hollywood, California (the same venue that Van Halen was packing when they scored their record deal two years earlier), the video is a treasure trove for Rhoads fans as it's almost a full eight minutes of nothing but incendiary soloing.

Portions of this performance (from 25 October 1979) have been circulated previously, but according to Rhoads aficionados, this is the first time that the extended solo has been seen. Interestingly, it captures the guitarist in what would be one of his last appearances with Quiet Riot - before long, he would in the UK recording Blizzard Of Ozz with Ozzy Osbourne.

Joe Bosso
Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar World, Guitar Player, MusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.