Quiet Riot - the Randy Rhoads era
Trivia question: Which heavy metal band was the first to reach #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart? Someone my age might answer "Led Zeppelin", but a younger person will probably respond by saying, "Led Zeppelin were a rock band, not a metal band". Whatever. So, if you type the above trivia question into Google, the answer you will get is: Quiet Riot. In 1983, that band from Los Angeles, CA topped the album chart with Metal Health, which also yielded a Top 5 single with the band's cover of Slade's "Cum On Feel the Noize", as well as a band-written Top 40 hit called "Bang Your Head (Metal Health)". In retrospect, it may be hard to believe that Quiet Riot achieved that metal milestone, because they have not been able to repeat that level of chart-topping success at any other time during their long and complicated history.
Something that I find hard to believe is that the first two Quiet Riot albums, titled Quiet Riot and Quiet Riot II, were never released in the United States. These albums were released only in Japan by CBS/Sony in 1978 and 1979. The initial reason for that was because the band was unable to score a record deal with an American distributor, despite their local popularity in the L.A. club scene, because hard rock was not considered a good commercial bet by American labels during the disco era. However, after Quiet Riot achieved their chart-topping fame with Metal Health in 1983, you would think that an American distributor would be eager to cash in with Stateside releases of the first two albums, especially during the CD era. What's more, the original Quiet Riot lineup which recorded those two albums featured the legendary guitarist Randy Rhoads, who played on the first two Ozzy Osbourne solo albums, and tragically died in a plane crash in 1982 at the age of 25. All these years later, it's hard to believe that no U.S. distributor ever succeeded in exploiting the moneymaking potential of reissuing those two albums.
Quiet Riot was formed in the mid-'70's, with Rhoads and singer Kevin DuBrow as the main songwriters. DuBrow (who died from a drug overdose in 2007) was the only member of the original quartet to remain with Quiet Riot during the Metal Health era. The original lineup was rounded out by bassist Kelly Garni and drummer Drew Forsyth. Metal Health-era bassist Rudy Sarzo -- who also went on to play with Whitesnake during their commercial peak, and is now a member of Quiet Riot's 2026 lineup -- appeared in the cover art and credits for the second album, but the bass on that album was actually played by Garni, before he was ousted and replaced by Sarzo. Speaking of the cover art, the front covers of these two albums showed nothing resembling the asylum mask that later became the band's trademark.
Musically, the early Quiet Riot material was mostly influenced by early-'70's glam rock. In turn, the two early albums also predicted the sounds of many glam-metal bands of the '80's.
In or around 1975, the early lineup recorded a 3-song, 7-inch EP which was reportedly used as a demo sent to record labels, and was probably never issued as a commercial item. The EP's three tracks are made of bare-bones '70's hard rock, borne out of the glam rock era but without polish or glitter. The less-than-three-minute songs deliver the goods with energy and efficiency, displaying the band members' abilities and hinting at what was to come.
On the self-titled Quiet Riot album from 1978, sometimes referred to as "QR I", that same quartet fired off a fuller, louder set of cheerful and confident metal tunes, including fully-developed recordings of two of the songs from the EP: namely DuBrow's "Just How You Want It" and Rhoads' "West Coast Tryouts" (renamed "Back To The Coast"). Quiet Riot doesn't have the same heavy crunch as the Metal Health-era material later did, mainly because metal music had generally not evolved to that stage yet. These songs are mostly derived from the likes of Slade and The Sweet, with the volume turned up louder. Rhoads' guitar heroics are impressive here; the cover of the Small Faces song "Tin Soldier" has noticeable early echoes of Randy's later work with Ozzy. Dubrow's high-range vocals are recognizable, though they often go even higher-pitched than they did on later Quiet Riot albums. Songs like "Ravers" and "Demolition Derby" display the type of rebellious, danger-loving attitude that would soon become common in '80's metal. Speaking of which: a few songs, particularly "Back To The Coast" and "Get Your Kicks", sound quite similar to Mötley Crüe -- and this album was recorded before there was a Mötley Crüe to sound like. Also, the Alice Cooper-like "Look In Any Window" was a lyrical forerunner to AC/DC's controversial "Night Prowler".
The second album, Quiet Riot II, was an improvement over the first, offering a more melodic set of glam metal tunes. Some tracks (like the closing song "We've Got The Magic") are even anthemic, anticipating the later sounds of "Cum On Feel The Noize" and "Winners Take All". This band was not recording Slade covers yet at this point, but this album does contain their second Small Faces cover in "Afterglow (Of Your Love)". The album begins with an early version of "Slick Black Cadillac", which was rerecorded for Metal Health. This early version has a slightly lower volume and tempo, and is slightly better than the later version. Other tracks come across as being influenced by Slade, as well as other '70's glam-rockers like the Sweet ("Eye For An Eye") and Gary Glitter ("Trouble", "Inside You"). And it is uncanny how the songs sometimes predicted the '80's pop-metal sounds of Mötley Crüe and Poison, especially when DuBrow's vocals resembled those of such not-yet-famous singers as Vince Neil and Bret Michaels. Rhoads' guitar work is a thrill to hear, in some places sounding Beatlesque(!) or Cheap Trick-like, and sometimes hinting at riffs that Rhoads would later play for Ozzy. One problem: "Face To Face" has lyrics that are too sleazy and violent, like they were meant for a hip-hop recording. And can anyone explain why the cover art depicts the band in a football locker room? Otherwise, Quiet Riot II is good arena-rock fun.
To the best of my knowledge, the only time any of Quiet Riot's Rhoads-era recordings received an official American release was in 1993, when Rhino Records issued a CD titled The Randy Rhoads Years. It's fair to ask why the folks at Rhino did not do straight reissues of the first two albums, but the intention of this compilation CD was clear: it was designed to play up the involvement of the late Mr. Rhoads, whose stock was presumably higher than that of his former band at that point. Five of the ten songs were selections from the two albums, carefully chosen to showcase Rhoads' guitar work. However, four of those five songs were remixed by DuBrow the compilation producer, to give them a heavier and updated sound; DuBrow apparently rerecorded his vocals, as well. These mixes of the songs are not necessarily better, but they are certainly louder. This version of "Trouble" has some of the more tasteless lyrics removed. And this version of "Afterglow" was played acoustically, as if it was aimed at an MTV Unplugged audience.
The other five tracks on The Randy Rhoads Years were previously unreleased. Four of them were studio tracks, and again, they give a good glimpse of Rhoads' talents. "Picking Up The Pieces" and "Breaking Up Is A Heartache" are in the same pop-metal vein as the second album; the former features Rhoads doubling on bass, and the latter features a solo which foreshadows Randy's work with Ozzy. The rougher "Force Of Habit" is more reminiscent of the first album, while "Last Call For Rock 'N' Roll" is mixed to sound like it came from the harder Metal Health era. Again, it sounds like DuBrow rerecorded his vocals for these tracks. But the keeper from this CD is the nine-minute live cut "Laughing Gas", which gives us longer stretches of Rhoads' soloing and shredding.
The Randy Rhoads Years compilation should be considered an accessory to, not a substitute for, the first two albums. It serves its purpose as a showcase for Rhoads -- and as an indulgence for DuBrow.
Note: Quiet Riot and Quiet Riot II were reissued in Greece in 2022 by No Remorse Records, in LP and CD formats. Both formats of Quiet Riot contained the three tracks from the 1975 Suicidal Show EP as bonus tracks. It bears mentioning that the QR III album released in 1986 is not a direct follow-up to Quiet Riot II; rather, it was their third album released in the '80's, and their fifth altogether, showing how forgotten the two '70's albums were by then.
Quiet Riot "Suicidal Show" EP (Magic Wand EP002) 1975
Track Listing:
1. Suicidal Show
2. Just How You Want It
3. West Coast Tryouts
Quiet Riot "Quiet Riot" (CBS/Sony 25AP 880) 1978
Track Listing:
1. It's Not So Funny
2. Mama's Little Angels
3. Tin Soldier
4. Ravers
5. Back To The Coast
6. Glad All Over
7. Get Your Kicks
8. Look In Any Window
9. Just How You Want It
10. Riot Reunion
11. Fit To Be Tied
12. Demolition Derby
Quiet Riot "Quiet Riot II" (CBS/Sony 25AP 1192) 1979
Track Listing:
1. Slick Black Cadillac
2. You Drive Me Crazy
3. Afterglow (Of Your Love)
4. Eye For An Eye
5. Trouble
6. Killer Girls
7. Face To Face
8. Inside You
9. We've Got The Magic
Quiet Riot "The Randy Rhoads Years" (Rhino R2 71445) 1993
Track Listing:
1. Trouble
2. Laughing Gas (Randy Rhoads Guitar Solo) *
3. Afterglow (Of Your Love)
4. Killer Girls
5. Picking Up The Pieces *
6. Last Call For Rock 'N' Roll *
7. Breaking Up Is A Heartache *
8. Force Of Habit *
9. It's Not So Funny
10. Look In Any Window
* -- previously unreleased
Something that I find hard to believe is that the first two Quiet Riot albums, titled Quiet Riot and Quiet Riot II, were never released in the United States. These albums were released only in Japan by CBS/Sony in 1978 and 1979. The initial reason for that was because the band was unable to score a record deal with an American distributor, despite their local popularity in the L.A. club scene, because hard rock was not considered a good commercial bet by American labels during the disco era. However, after Quiet Riot achieved their chart-topping fame with Metal Health in 1983, you would think that an American distributor would be eager to cash in with Stateside releases of the first two albums, especially during the CD era. What's more, the original Quiet Riot lineup which recorded those two albums featured the legendary guitarist Randy Rhoads, who played on the first two Ozzy Osbourne solo albums, and tragically died in a plane crash in 1982 at the age of 25. All these years later, it's hard to believe that no U.S. distributor ever succeeded in exploiting the moneymaking potential of reissuing those two albums.
Quiet Riot was formed in the mid-'70's, with Rhoads and singer Kevin DuBrow as the main songwriters. DuBrow (who died from a drug overdose in 2007) was the only member of the original quartet to remain with Quiet Riot during the Metal Health era. The original lineup was rounded out by bassist Kelly Garni and drummer Drew Forsyth. Metal Health-era bassist Rudy Sarzo -- who also went on to play with Whitesnake during their commercial peak, and is now a member of Quiet Riot's 2026 lineup -- appeared in the cover art and credits for the second album, but the bass on that album was actually played by Garni, before he was ousted and replaced by Sarzo. Speaking of the cover art, the front covers of these two albums showed nothing resembling the asylum mask that later became the band's trademark.
Musically, the early Quiet Riot material was mostly influenced by early-'70's glam rock. In turn, the two early albums also predicted the sounds of many glam-metal bands of the '80's.
In or around 1975, the early lineup recorded a 3-song, 7-inch EP which was reportedly used as a demo sent to record labels, and was probably never issued as a commercial item. The EP's three tracks are made of bare-bones '70's hard rock, borne out of the glam rock era but without polish or glitter. The less-than-three-minute songs deliver the goods with energy and efficiency, displaying the band members' abilities and hinting at what was to come.
On the self-titled Quiet Riot album from 1978, sometimes referred to as "QR I", that same quartet fired off a fuller, louder set of cheerful and confident metal tunes, including fully-developed recordings of two of the songs from the EP: namely DuBrow's "Just How You Want It" and Rhoads' "West Coast Tryouts" (renamed "Back To The Coast"). Quiet Riot doesn't have the same heavy crunch as the Metal Health-era material later did, mainly because metal music had generally not evolved to that stage yet. These songs are mostly derived from the likes of Slade and The Sweet, with the volume turned up louder. Rhoads' guitar heroics are impressive here; the cover of the Small Faces song "Tin Soldier" has noticeable early echoes of Randy's later work with Ozzy. Dubrow's high-range vocals are recognizable, though they often go even higher-pitched than they did on later Quiet Riot albums. Songs like "Ravers" and "Demolition Derby" display the type of rebellious, danger-loving attitude that would soon become common in '80's metal. Speaking of which: a few songs, particularly "Back To The Coast" and "Get Your Kicks", sound quite similar to Mötley Crüe -- and this album was recorded before there was a Mötley Crüe to sound like. Also, the Alice Cooper-like "Look In Any Window" was a lyrical forerunner to AC/DC's controversial "Night Prowler".
The second album, Quiet Riot II, was an improvement over the first, offering a more melodic set of glam metal tunes. Some tracks (like the closing song "We've Got The Magic") are even anthemic, anticipating the later sounds of "Cum On Feel The Noize" and "Winners Take All". This band was not recording Slade covers yet at this point, but this album does contain their second Small Faces cover in "Afterglow (Of Your Love)". The album begins with an early version of "Slick Black Cadillac", which was rerecorded for Metal Health. This early version has a slightly lower volume and tempo, and is slightly better than the later version. Other tracks come across as being influenced by Slade, as well as other '70's glam-rockers like the Sweet ("Eye For An Eye") and Gary Glitter ("Trouble", "Inside You"). And it is uncanny how the songs sometimes predicted the '80's pop-metal sounds of Mötley Crüe and Poison, especially when DuBrow's vocals resembled those of such not-yet-famous singers as Vince Neil and Bret Michaels. Rhoads' guitar work is a thrill to hear, in some places sounding Beatlesque(!) or Cheap Trick-like, and sometimes hinting at riffs that Rhoads would later play for Ozzy. One problem: "Face To Face" has lyrics that are too sleazy and violent, like they were meant for a hip-hop recording. And can anyone explain why the cover art depicts the band in a football locker room? Otherwise, Quiet Riot II is good arena-rock fun.
To the best of my knowledge, the only time any of Quiet Riot's Rhoads-era recordings received an official American release was in 1993, when Rhino Records issued a CD titled The Randy Rhoads Years. It's fair to ask why the folks at Rhino did not do straight reissues of the first two albums, but the intention of this compilation CD was clear: it was designed to play up the involvement of the late Mr. Rhoads, whose stock was presumably higher than that of his former band at that point. Five of the ten songs were selections from the two albums, carefully chosen to showcase Rhoads' guitar work. However, four of those five songs were remixed by DuBrow the compilation producer, to give them a heavier and updated sound; DuBrow apparently rerecorded his vocals, as well. These mixes of the songs are not necessarily better, but they are certainly louder. This version of "Trouble" has some of the more tasteless lyrics removed. And this version of "Afterglow" was played acoustically, as if it was aimed at an MTV Unplugged audience.
The other five tracks on The Randy Rhoads Years were previously unreleased. Four of them were studio tracks, and again, they give a good glimpse of Rhoads' talents. "Picking Up The Pieces" and "Breaking Up Is A Heartache" are in the same pop-metal vein as the second album; the former features Rhoads doubling on bass, and the latter features a solo which foreshadows Randy's work with Ozzy. The rougher "Force Of Habit" is more reminiscent of the first album, while "Last Call For Rock 'N' Roll" is mixed to sound like it came from the harder Metal Health era. Again, it sounds like DuBrow rerecorded his vocals for these tracks. But the keeper from this CD is the nine-minute live cut "Laughing Gas", which gives us longer stretches of Rhoads' soloing and shredding.
The Randy Rhoads Years compilation should be considered an accessory to, not a substitute for, the first two albums. It serves its purpose as a showcase for Rhoads -- and as an indulgence for DuBrow.
Note: Quiet Riot and Quiet Riot II were reissued in Greece in 2022 by No Remorse Records, in LP and CD formats. Both formats of Quiet Riot contained the three tracks from the 1975 Suicidal Show EP as bonus tracks. It bears mentioning that the QR III album released in 1986 is not a direct follow-up to Quiet Riot II; rather, it was their third album released in the '80's, and their fifth altogether, showing how forgotten the two '70's albums were by then.
Quiet Riot "Suicidal Show" EP (Magic Wand EP002) 1975
Track Listing:
1. Suicidal Show
2. Just How You Want It
3. West Coast Tryouts
Quiet Riot "Quiet Riot" (CBS/Sony 25AP 880) 1978
Track Listing:
1. It's Not So Funny
2. Mama's Little Angels
3. Tin Soldier
4. Ravers
5. Back To The Coast
6. Glad All Over
7. Get Your Kicks
8. Look In Any Window
9. Just How You Want It
10. Riot Reunion
11. Fit To Be Tied
12. Demolition Derby
Quiet Riot "Quiet Riot II" (CBS/Sony 25AP 1192) 1979
Track Listing:
1. Slick Black Cadillac
2. You Drive Me Crazy
3. Afterglow (Of Your Love)
4. Eye For An Eye
5. Trouble
6. Killer Girls
7. Face To Face
8. Inside You
9. We've Got The Magic
Quiet Riot "The Randy Rhoads Years" (Rhino R2 71445) 1993
Track Listing:
1. Trouble
2. Laughing Gas (Randy Rhoads Guitar Solo) *
3. Afterglow (Of Your Love)
4. Killer Girls
5. Picking Up The Pieces *
6. Last Call For Rock 'N' Roll *
7. Breaking Up Is A Heartache *
8. Force Of Habit *
9. It's Not So Funny
10. Look In Any Window
* -- previously unreleased
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