Sure, Randy Rhoads was a kick-ass guitar player, and I rather like the stuff he did with Ozzy and Quiet Riot (get the latter's The Randy Rhoads Years -- a much-looser presentation than you'd expect). However, I do think Rhoads was "too studied" (a la Malmsteen, Vai, etc.) a musician, thereby rendering him not as "rock 'n' roll" as Slash, for example (or even C.C. Deville, for that matter).
One doubts that Mr. Rhoads knew of Johnny Thunders’ or the New York Dolls’ (forebears to G 'N' R and Poison in some degree) existence, cause his playing didn't speak their language on any level. Eddie Van Halen put forth stringed heroics few had ever matched before (or since), but he also didn't have that "rock 'n' roll babylon" feel of Mr. Thunders and the like.
Excess does impress, but so can brevity. Wrote one critic for a guitar magazine: "For about eight seconds, Johnny Thunders played the guitar better than anyone who has ever lived."
As if the closing moments of "Vietnamese Baby" didn't already convince me of that...
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