A year on from the tragic passing of the great Ozzy Osbourne, we dive into the secrets behind Randy Rhoads’ guitar tone on the iconic Crazy Train – and lift the lid on how to nail the sound on a budget

Ozzy Osbourne (left) and Randy Rhoads perform at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, August 14, 1981.

Well, today is Ozzy Day, so we thought we'd revisit arguably his biggest track and most sought-after guitar tone, Crazy Train! Although Randy Rhoads had previously played on the Hollywood club scene for several years and recorded two albums with Quiet Riot (released only in Japan), most of the world did not discover the phenomenal young guitarist until after he started working with Ozzy Osbourne in 1980.

Crazy Train, the first single from Osbourne’s debut solo album, Blizzard of Ozz, introduced Rhoads to millions of new fans, and the guitarist made a great first impression with his blazing technical solos and buzzsaw riffs.