Joel McIver has written a ton of books, and is the ideal scribe to write Crazy Train: The High Life And Tragic Death Of Randy Rhoads. McIver also wrote a biography of Metallica's Cliff Burton, who also died young. There are a lot of similarities in their stories. Both were musical prodigies, beloved by legions, and killed in senseless accidents.
Crazy Train tells Rhoads' story from the beginning. It chronicles his youth, how he began playing guitar, his days as a guitar teacher, and eventually joining Quiet Riot. His days with Ozzy Osbourne are covered extensively, including the writing and recording of the classic Blizzard Of Ozz and Diary Of A Madman albums.
McIver tells the story of Rhoads' life from many different perspectives. He interviewed family, friends and bandmates of Rhoads to get a complete picture of him as a musician and a person. I found the early days and Quiet Riot years to be very interesting, because that time period hasn't received the publicity and media coverage that the Ozzy years did.
Crazy Train: The High Life And Tragic Death Of Randy Rhoads. is a great read, along with being an important record of the life of Rhoads. His musical talent and personal qualities are something that should be remembered and celebrated, which the book does very well.
(released June 2011 by Jawbone Press)
