Off The Rails Aboard The Crazy Train In The Blizzard Of Ozz - Rudy Sarzo

Off The Rails is a rock and roll book that is a tribute to the late, great Randy Rhoads.
Off The Rails is a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the The Blizzard Of Ozz band.
The main focus of the book is on Rudy Sarzo's day to day relationship with the classical metal guitar great, Randy Rhoads. Finding a rock and roll book with day to day details like Off The Rails is very rare. Rudy Sarzo kept a day to day diary of all his dealings with Quiet Riot, Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy, Randy Rhoads, Tommy Aldridge, Don Airey, Motorhead and Brad Gillis from Night Ranger during his rise to fame to fortune.
What makes this book so great is that it contains tour stories from every performance and day to day details you'll never read from someone on the outside looking in.
Every city that the Blizzard Of Ozz performed in is mentioned because Ozzy was always up to something. Alot of the stories are funny but some of them are extremely sad.
Rudy had a great relationship with Randy Rhoads since they hung out together before shows and more often than not, after the shows as well.
Randy "Rand" and Rudy "Rudes" didn't always party every night like Ozzy.
Off The Rails is a great Rock and Roll book and it is a rare glimpse into Ozzy's inner circle at the beginning of his solo career.
I grew up listening to Ozzy and Randy Rhoads and I've always been a fan of Rudy Sarzo so I enjoyed every page of this book.
Zakk Wylde recently called Ozzy's solo career "The house that Rhoads built" and I would have to agree 100%, especially after reading Off The Rails.

BLACK SABBATH: Pioneers of Heavy Metal by Brian Aberback

Esteemed New Jersey Writer/Author BRIAN ABERBACK Pens New Educational Unauthorized Rockography, “BLACK SABBATH: Pioneers of Heavy Metal”

Esteemed New Jersey writer and author BRIAN ABERBACK has penned a new, educational Black Sabbath book, being released with Enslow Publishers, Inc. The book, titled Black Sabbath: Pioneers of Heavy Metal, is an unauthorized “rockography” that transforms the extensive knowledge about Black Sabbath that Aberback has amassed over the years to the page for future music enthusiasts and students alike to enjoy. 

Black Sabbath: Pioneers of Heavy Metal is the only Black Sabbath biography written for middle and high school students. Thoroughly researched, annotated and highly informative, this book is an appealing read for all ages and a great way for parents to introduce their kids to some of the music they love and grew up with. This book chronicles one of rock’s most legendary band’s careers from its formation to the present day and does a superb job of conveying the group’s ups and downs, not glossing over any details while staying age-appropriate. Black Sabbath: Pioneers of Heavy Metal is available in high-quality library bound hardcover as well as softcover editions and can be found wherever books are sold online.

Black Sabbath: Pioneers of Heavy Metal has already been added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Library and Archives and sits on the shelves of libraries throughout the United States to New Zealand, Singapore and the United States Army Base in Heidelberg, Germany.

Black Sabbath: Pioneers of Heavy Metal is part of The Rebels of Rock series from Enslow Publishing Inc. The Rebels of Rock books have a list price of $31.93 and a 25% discount price for Schools and Libraries of $23.95. Other books in The Rebels of Rock series include “rockographies” on Aerosmith, Def Leppard, The Clash, The Ramones, and The Rolling Stones.

BRIAN ABERBACK

BRIAN ABERBACK is a veteran music journalist specializing in hard rock and heavy metal.     Aberback’s encyclopedic knowledge of heavy metal and hard rock spans numerous genres. His interview list is a who’s who of heavy metal and hard rock legends, including Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth, Slayer, Overkill, Testament and Mercyful Fate. His work has appeared in daily newspapers, weekly and monthly magazines, and on news and music websites. Many of his stories have been published in The Record, the largest daily newspaper in Northern New Jersey.

What sets Aberback apart, in addition to his strong writing style and dedication to his craft, has been his passion for giving heavy metal bands a shot at attracting new audiences through mainstream newspaper exposure. Over the years he’s introduced such bands as Nile, Cradle of Filth, Amorphis, Morbid Angel, Opeth, Arch Enemy, The Haunted and many, many more, through the pages of The Record and other publications, to music fans, and even metal fans, who likely would have never heard of these bands. Not often do you find daily newspaper writers publishing stories about the likes of D.R.I., Diamond Head, Everytime I Die, Iced Earth or The Gathering.

***An articulate and well-informed speaker with a vast knowledge of the history of rock-and-roll, musically and socially, with a specific emphasis on heavy metal and hard rock, BRIAN ABERBACK is available for book talks, panel discussions and as an expert commentator for television and radio programs.

Check out some great reviews on Black Sabbath: Pioneers of Heavy Metal:

“Refreshingly levelheaded and loaded with sourced quotes, it’s that rare middle-grade biography (or “rockography,” as the title page insists) that is able to trace a band’s history, revel in its rock awesomeness, and be blunt about such things as drug abuse, all the while keeping things at an age-appropriate keel.”
–Booklist

“Through this book, old and new fans alike learn about the band’s history and impact on the music industry.”
–Children's Literature

For more information on the book and the author Brian Aberback and to purchase Black Sabbath: Pioneers of Heavy Metal, visit www.brianaberback.com

Ozzy & Randy Rhoads

Randy Rhoads played a Les Paul in a innovative and exciting style.
Randy's musical output and untimely death have made him a guitar playing legend.

If you can gets hands on one, there are many full color, glossy photos of Randy in action in the Ozzy Osbourne HM photo book.



I've always been a big fan of Ozzy and Black Sabbath. I especially love the Randy Rhoads, Blizzard Of Oz Ozzy stuff. I've also loved the above photo since I first seen it way back when in glorious B&W. So I decided to do a little online searching and I found a few color photos to post along with it along the same theme.

Randy Rhoads may have been small in stature but he was a giant talent on the electric guitar. A friend of mine once told me that Randy's playing is over rated but anyone who knows anything about playing a guitar knows that Randy's playing was innovative, exciting and instantly recognizable. Randy had a unique style and sound all his own.

This post is in recognition of the new re-releases of the 2 original Blizzard Of Oz records, each re-release has new bonus material. As soon as I heard about these new re-releases I instantly bought the Diary Of A Madman double CD. This double CD set contains an entire CD of never before released, Blizzard Of Oz tour, live material.

Now my only wish is that someone in the Quiet Riot camp will finally come to their senses and re-release the 1st 2 original Q.R. records in the USA. These records were only released in Japan.
These 2 records feature Randy on guitar and were released before Randy auditioned for Ozzy's band. You can occasionally find these records in CD form on e-bay.
This post is dedicated to the memory and the legacy of Randy Rhoads.


1987's Tribute album cover.

Bootleg album cover.

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