How much did "Brad Gillis was in Ozzy" help Night Ranger

[aznsquirt]

I have always wondered about this, and have never heard one way or another.

I've always had the impression that he got the Ozzy gig as Night Ranger was on the cusp, and had to make the tough decision, rather than the Ozzy gig helping Night Ranger "make it".

But then I had a friend suggest that the Ozzy thing was the only reason Night Ranger had any push.

Please reply with any first-hand memory/knowledge, rampant speculation, and/or laglamrocker telling us how the bass player from Night Ranger fucks hotter women than Jeff Ament.

[Van Ailin']

Might have helped a little with radio and with getting the duo in guitar magazines, but I remember when Night Ranger was getting known (between the first two albums) the focus was really on the songs and their appeal to radio, and interview segments on radio were mostly with Jack or Kelly. I think it didn't hurt, and it might have given them a little extra credibility in the rock/metal community that they otherwise would have lacked, but it didn't put them over the top.

[Hellsinkey]

He was only in Ozzy's band for like six months, so I don't think it made a lot of difference for NR.

[pieceofme]

Pretty much 0

[WentEast]

As an Ozzy fan at the time it made me pay a little more attention than I otherwise would have. “Hey, that looks like the guy on the back cover of Speak of the Devil.” Then I heard NR and quickly lost interest. Nothing against them, just thought they were a little too squeaky clean looking/sounding for my young interests.

[El Vampiro Blanco]

Yeah, I think only the hardcore Ozzy fans were aware there were 2 guitar players between Randy and Jake.
Don't think those hardcores would have added a lot of sales to Nightranger, especially after seeing or hearing the songs, which were way too commercial for an Ozzy fan....

[Gibsonite]

Not sure about Night Ranger, but the only reason anybody heard of Quiet Riot was because of Randy Rhoads.

[HueyRamone]

As an Ozzy fan at the time it made me pay a little more attention than I otherwise would have. “Hey, that looks like the guy on the back cover of Speak of the Devil.” Then I heard NR and quickly lost interest. Nothing against them, just thought they were a little too squeaky clean looking/sounding for my young interests.

All this. My first exposure to Ozzy/Sabbath was SOTD, so it didnt matter that he was only in the band a short while, as far as i knew, he was ozzys main guy. I then heard NR and thought they were a bunch of pussies, and he'd made a mistake.

Im sure most people's exposure to NR was "You can still rock in america" and never even knew he was in Ozzy.

[Lobo]

Night Ranger fans probably had no idea Gillis was ever in Ozzy's band. He did one live album and tour. He wasn't even there a full year.

It meant nothing to them, whether they were aware of it...or not.

[VinnieVincentsVag]

Not sure about Night Ranger, but the only reason anybody heard of Quiet Riot was because of Randy Rhoads.

100%

[HueyRamone]

Not sure about Night Ranger, but the only reason anybody heard of Quiet Riot was because of Randy Rhoads.

Riiiiight... all the chicks singing along to "Cmon Feel the Noize" when it was on the radio and MTV every 5 minutes were all "This is the band Randy Rhoads was in!!!!"

[dmbrocker]

Not sure about Night Ranger, but the only reason anybody heard of Quiet Riot was because of Randy Rhoads.

Riiiiight... all the chicks singing along to "Cmon Feel the Noize" when it was on the radio and MTV every 5 minutes were all "This is the band Randy Rhoads was in!!!!"

Exactly. To say that QR is only remembered for Randy, as good as he was, is complete BS.

[JamesHetfieldsAcneScars]

Not sure about Night Ranger, but the only reason anybody heard of Quiet Riot was because of Randy Rhoads.

Riiiiight... all the chicks singing along to "Cmon Feel the Noize" when it was on the radio and MTV every 5 minutes were all "This is the band Randy Rhoads was in!!!!"

Exactly. To say that QR is only remembered for Randy, as good as he was, is complete BS.

Yeah back then most of the fans were teenagers, and how many of them in 1983 actually knew about the Randy Rhoads connection? Probably not alot. It wasn't exactly common knowledge. Just sayin.

[Ozzy Stradlin]

None.

[Wiseacre]

My guitarist friends and I knew who Brad was but it seemed more like a trivia question that he was the guy in NR. I don’t think most people knew who he was based on their videos and hit songs. He definitely wasn’t the reason the were successful.

[Gibsonite]

Riiiiight... all the chicks singing along to "Cmon Feel the Noize" when it was on the radio and MTV every 5 minutes were all "This is the band Randy Rhoads was in!!!!"

Exactly. To say that QR is only remembered for Randy, as good as he was, is complete BS.

Yeah back then most of the fans were teenagers, and how many of them in 1983 actually knew about the Randy Rhoads connection? Probably not alot. It wasn't exactly common knowledge. Just sayin.

Clearly you weren't a metal fan or maybe not even alive in '81 - '82. The only reason they got any kind of shot at all was because of the RR connection and the constant name-checking n every guitar mag back in the day before Metal Health was evern a thought. They got their shot and it turned out they were complete shit with zero good songs and a bigmouth frontman. If not for Randy helping them out after getting his break with Ozzy they wouldn't even be a footnote.

[Wiseacre]

Exactly. To say that QR is only remembered for Randy, as good as he was, is complete BS.

Yeah back then most of the fans were teenagers, and how many of them in 1983 actually knew about the Randy Rhoads connection? Probably not alot. It wasn't exactly common knowledge. Just sayin.

Clearly you weren't a metal fan or maybe not even alive in '81 - '82. The only reason they got any kind of shot at all was because of the RR connection and the constant name-checking n every guitar mag back in the day before Metal Health was evern a thought. They got their shot and it turned out they were complete shit with zero good songs and a bigmouth frontman. If not for Randy helping them out after getting his break with Ozzy they wouldn't even be a footnote.

Facts. EVERYONE knew the RR QR connection (plus Rudy Sarzo).

[tym]

Not sure about Night Ranger, but the only reason anybody heard of Quiet Riot was because of Randy Rhoads.

Jesus they were all over MTV in the day.

[FreddyFender]

None, because there was no overlap to take advantage of. Ozzy and Night Ranger are both just "80s hard rock/metal" now, but back then they were from opposite sides of the tracks. If Brad had been in a band that sounded like early Crue, they would have marketed that, but Night Ranger? Nah, no point.

I'd bet at most, maybe 100 guys that read guitar magazines went out and bought a Night Ranger tape because they liked Gillis on SOTD.

[aznsquirt]

None, because there was no overlap to take advantage of. Ozzy and Night Ranger are both just "80s hard rock/metal" now, but back then they were from opposite sides of the tracks. If Brad had been in a band that sounded like early Crue, they would have marketed that, but Night Ranger? Nah, no point.

I'd bet at most, maybe 100 guys that read guitar magazines went out and bought a Night Ranger tape because they liked Gillis on SOTD.

That was basically my impression, and most of the responses seem to concur, but this friend who was in bands and is older than me was confident that NR only got a shot because Brad was in Ozzy.

Thanks for the responses, everyone.

[dmbrocker]

Exactly. To say that QR is only remembered for Randy, as good as he was, is complete BS.

Yeah back then most of the fans were teenagers, and how many of them in 1983 actually knew about the Randy Rhoads connection? Probably not alot. It wasn't exactly common knowledge. Just sayin.

Clearly you weren't a metal fan or maybe not even alive in '81 - '82. The only reason they got any kind of shot at all was because of the RR connection and the constant name-checking n every guitar mag back in the day before Metal Health was evern a thought. They got their shot and it turned out they were complete shit with zero good songs and a bigmouth frontman. If not for Randy helping them out after getting his break with Ozzy they wouldn't even be a footnote.

Zero good songs? Maybe that's your opinion, but I say "Cum On Feel the Noize", "Bang Your Head (Metal Health)", "Slick Black Cadillac", "Love's a Bitch", etc. all rock, and you need your ears cleaned out. Just my own opinion, of course.

[Tenacious_Dio]

Exactly. To say that QR is only remembered for Randy, as good as he was, is complete BS.

Yeah back then most of the fans were teenagers, and how many of them in 1983 actually knew about the Randy Rhoads connection? Probably not alot. It wasn't exactly common knowledge. Just sayin.

Clearly you weren't a metal fan or maybe not even alive in '81 - '82. The only reason they got any kind of shot at all was because of the RR connection and the constant name-checking n every guitar mag back in the day before Metal Health was evern a thought. They got their shot and it turned out they were complete shit with zero good songs and a bigmouth frontman. If not for Randy helping them out after getting his break with Ozzy they wouldn't even be a footnote.

I bought "Metal Health" a couple of months after it was released, and before it started getting any airplay. Was just browsing, and saw Quiet Riot. I immediately thought, "That's Randy Rhoads' band!"

When I got home and read the album credits, I was shocked to find out that Randy wasn't on it. (still loved it, though)

[HoldenSSV]

Very little, but it was cool of him. Even Sharon gave him props for saving the tour.

Ozzy fans were a little surprised that he could hack it (mostly).

Night Ranger fans knew he wasn't leaving so they didn't care.

[El Vampiro Blanco]

Very little, but it was cool of him. Even Sharon gave him props for saving the tour.

Ozzy fans were a little surprised that he could hack it (mostly).

Night Ranger fans knew he wasn't leaving so they didn't care.

LOL, Ozzy himself hated him.
He even did an interview in kerrang saying Brad was shite and he was going to can him whilst Brad was still in the band!