Für Fans von: Metal, Rock, und Folk & Blues.
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Quiet Riot formed in 1973 with the original line-up of guitarist Randy Rhoads, bassist Kelly Garni, lead vocalist Kevin DuBrow, and drummer Drew Forsyth. Originally under the moniker Mach 1 and later Little Women, the Quiet Riot name was inspired by Rick Parfitt of Status Quo whose thick English accent made the potential band name “Quite Right” sound like Quiet Riot. After becoming a well-known band in the Los Angeles area, opening for such acts as Van Halen, Quiet Riot signed with Song in 1977 and released their eponymously-titled debut the same year.
The band subsequently released “Quiet Riot II” in 1978, but like it’s predecessor was only released in Japan. After which, Garni was kicked out the band and replaced by Rudy Sarzo and in 1979 lead guitarist Rhoads departed for Ozzy Osbourne’s band essentially derailing the whole project, which officially ended in 1980. The band returned in 1982 with a line-up of DuBrow, guitarist Carlos Cavazo, bassist Rudy Sarzo and drummer Frankie Banali, which turned out to be their most commercially successful. Quiet Riot recorded and released their American debut album “Metal Health” in 1982, which became the first heavy metal album to ever reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Led by the eponymously-titled lead single and spawning the cover of Slade’s “Cum on Feel the Noize”, the latter of which became the first heavy metal song to break into the Top 5 on the U.S. singles chart, the album was their American breakthrough.
With this new found success, Quiet Riot were able to tour as the opening act for Black Sabbath on their Born Again Tour from October 1983 to March 1984. The band’s subsequent release, “Condition Critical”, despite reaching No. 15 in the U.S. album chart and No. 14 in the Canadian album chart, failed to live up to the success of “Metal Health” and marked the band’s decline from the mainstream. Quiet Riot released “QR III” in 1986 and “QR” in 1988, the latter of which proved to be their last album to chart on the Billboard 200.
The band didn’t let this halt their flow however and continued to record and release a host of new albums , and still maintain an impressively extensive touring schedule and live show. Quiet Riot’s subsequent albums include “Terrified” in 1993, “Down to the Bone” in 1995, “Alive and Well” in 1999, “Guilty Pleasures” in 2001, “Rehab” in 2006 and “Quiet Riot 10” in 2014.
It really speaks to the complex - and ultimately, quirky - nature of the English language, that two words so completely opposed in meaning can actually rhyme and sound so fitting together; Quiet Riot, of course, will have seen their name as nothing more than a cheeky pun, but existing within the musical era that they did, the name took on an extra level of irony; they were together during the worst excesses of the glam metal era of the eighties, where there was plenty of riotous behaviour - superficially, at least - but very little in the way of peace and quiet. Since seeing their album Metal Health, bolstered by a smash-hit cover version of Slade’s classic ‘Cum on Feel the Noize’, go six times platinum after its release in 1983, Quiet Riot have continued to tour and record, although their lineup has had a revolving door quality to it over the years, with an enormous list of alumni available online. The most signficant departure, in recent years, saw the death of frontman Kevin DuBrow; the band have ploughed on without him, though, releasing Quiet Riot 10 this year and playing an extensive, typically raucous U.S. tour in support of it - expect UK dates to follow soon.