In a conversation with Tone-Talk, Jake E. Lee shared his thoughts on the ‘Randy vs. Jake’ debate that was widely discussed among guitarists in the ’80s.
“Still to this day, there’s people that like my playing and like it better than Randy’s,” Lee said. “And then there’s always the people that [say], ‘That’s ridiculous!’ Like it’s written somewhere that, ‘No, Randy is just better. Anybody who thinks differently is an idiot.'”
The rocker also shared his frustration with fans who refuse that he plays better than Rhoads: “And I’m not saying I’m better than Randy,” Lee continued. “But I don’t think Randy’s better than me. And I don’t think it’s wrong for certain people to like my style of playing better than Randy’s. If anything, my sh*t’s a little bit harder to play.”
Jake E. Lee’s two albums with Ozzy Osbourne – ‘Bark at the Moon’ and ‘The Ultimate Sin’ – matched Randy Rhoads’ studio albums with the band. However, Lee believes there are clear differences between their music.
In a 1986 interview with Guitar World, Lee had said Rhoads ‘was the best new guitar player after Eddie.’ But he also noted that the rivalry between him and Rhoads sometimes went too far.
Lee also talked about his first thoughts on ‘Bark at the Moon.’ He admitted that when he first heard it, he didn’t like the record and wanted to remix it. “I said, ‘I hate it. The keyboards are too loud. The guitars don’t drive the songs anymore. They’re too quiet,'” Lee said.
Although Ozzy was willing to listen to Lee’s thoughts, Sharon Osbourne told him to ‘get used to it.’ “Sharon said, ‘No. We’re already too late in giving them the album. We can’t remix it. We have to send it in now.'”
Jake E. Lee is now recovering after being shot multiple times in Las Vegas earlier this year. His Tone-Talk interview was recorded before the incident.
