Quiet Riot: One Night In Milan(2019)

So I guess if you’re signed to an Italian Record Label(Frontiers) it is written in your contract to record and release a Live Album from Milan!

I have seen a few of these Live in Milan albums floating about iTunes.  I even purchased the LA Guns which was a pretty decent spin on a bunch of tracks by LA Guns that I had even  forgotten about!

So here’s L.A veterans Quiet Riot chugging out a 15 song set of all your favourite QR Tunes recorded last year…. Course there are the Complimentary Slade tracks tossed in for good measure!

01. ‘Run For Cover’
02. ‘Slick Black Cadillac’
03. ‘Mama Weer All Crazee Now’ (Slade cover)
04. ‘Whatever It Takes’
05. ‘Terrified’
06. ‘Love’s A Bitch’
07. ‘Condition Critical’
08. ‘Thunderbird’
09. ‘Party All Night’
10. ‘Freak Flag’
11. ‘I Can’t Get Enough’
12. ‘Wild & The Young’
13. ‘Let’s Get Crazy’
14. ‘Cum On Feel The Noize’ (Slade cover)
15. ‘Metal Health (Bang Your Head)’

So if you have been following these guys the last few years you know they have had a revolving door of vocalists( carrying on without Kevin Dubrow(RIP) but lately  seem to have settled on this current incarnation of QR..

James Durbin (vocals)
Alex Grossi (guitar)
Chuck Wright (bass)
Frankie Banali (drums)

Basically I bought this for a few reasons!

1- I love Live Albums…..

2- Face the facts Folk’s that back in 1983 if you were my age at the time (16 years young) you HAD a copy of Metal Health! Hell ,even my wife Sue who is not a huge music fan per se but she had a copy of Metal Health on cassette back in 83! Say what you want about it. Metal Health sold millions and was one of those albums that everyone bought even if your weren’t a Headbanger back in 83-84! Huge cross over album as everyone bought it! Metal Health still sounds good today!(especially on vinyl!)

3-Banali gets slammed lot’s in the press for still cruising  around playing shows with QR! Let it go Folk’s. Not worth the time and energy. If he was to bring this version to Thunder Bay I would go and have the past three times QR have rolled into Tbay!

4-It’s basically Greatest Hits set that is played Live so I would rather listen to something that is updated and not some rehash of another Greatest Hits Compilation compiled  by some  Suit at a Record Company who has no idea what he is putting together!

5- This along with Rival Sons latest Feral Roots came out on January 25th 2019 and are a couple of my first purchases this year(along with the Deluxe Edition of Skid Row)! QR especially! I mean who saw that coming??

Verdict….

A pretty damn fine Live Album that does sound Live!  Bootleg sounding. Durbin’s vocals are decent enough as he sings well and tries to get the crowd into it. The crowd is mixed down which when it comes to live records is an ok thing in my book as I cannot handle an overbearing screeching crowd…..

I really like the one-two punch of opener Run For Cover- Slick Black Cadillac. 

Interesting addition of ThunderBird in which Frankie tells the crowd that it’s the first time they are playing it live with a keyboardist! Once ThunderBird ends the band fires up Party All Night and we’re off and running again!

Must mention it was a great move to include some lesser known tunes like Terrified so along with the Hits so to speak QR dig back a little in the time machine to play some of those lesser known tune’s. They even play a couple of songs that they have put out recently as in Freak Flag and Can’t Get Enough. For a new tune Can’t Get Enough is a pretty decent song with a pretty slick driving Bass Line courtesy of Mr Wright!

Another personal fav-o song would be Wild and the Young. Great rock song period! Do u remember the video of this song from 1986? Set in a futuristic state where music is outlawed.. No  Rock N Roll !! No Rock N Roll! Haha..Man I miss the 80’s! Kevin Dubrow’s Lyrics from the Wild And The Young  say it all….

‘Times are changing
Nothing stays the same
For this jukebox generation

Adhere to fashion
Like computer games
Modern day communication’

 

Course the two biggie tracks of the catalogue Cum on Feel The Noise and Metal Health wrap up the show. It’s definitely  Bang Yer Head time! A good time Live Ass Kickin!

Don’t Scoff at this release Folk’s…

A lot of people are always trying to piss down  upon this band and everyone has an opinion but my opinion is Chill the Fuck Out! Just enjoy the Rock!

It’s always cool to be surprised by any kind of release at this point in my life and QR do indeed deliver with a totally live sounding effort!

 

 

 

3/4’s Filler…..Quiet Riot/QR 3

1986 and all is not well in the QR camp! 1984s Condition Critical was kinda a flop(it still sold, but nowhere near Metal Healths numbers) Dubrow was starting press fights with Vince Neil. David Lee Roth on VH’s 1984 tour chirped Dubrow every night when he took a swig from his Jack Daniels bottle that “this ain’t no QR show Babeeeeeee!” As Dubrow told the press that he only had ice tea in his Jack Bottle. All us young rock heads were like….Daves cool,Dubrow what a poser….don’t admit that shit dude to a bunch of 19 year old males!!

Rudy Sarzo had enough and was gone and Sarzo went on to play in one of Tbones hidden classic cassette gems “Project Driver! “But QR brought back in there Ol pal Chuck Wright on Bass and QR goes and hires a keyboard player and decides to shift direction in other words not a smart move ….and oh yeah Dubrow went from looking like the lead singer from Trooper to looking like well…..check out his new looking rock mop!

MANE ATTRACTION-Yep new sound,lotsa keyboards and new hairdos! Geez this is not a bad song for a leadoff track. Yep QR is the Mane Attraction…hmmm let’s see where this new direction takes us!

THE WILD AND THE YOUNG- to quote the video”No More Rock n Roll!” Hmmm, and Banali kicks off the track with his big sounding drums….Dubrow kicks it with “times are changing but nothing really stays the same  for this jukebox generation” actually this is a good song     But it’s starting to drown in layers of keyboards..oh..oh! Sez I.  Tbone, I know as well is on board with me! But fuck man strip away the keys and this tune as I have heard many a time live when QR has dropped in Tbay is so much stronger….

PUT UP OR SHUT  UP NOW- hey man this is also a good track and it leads off side 2. I always liked the chorus on this but once again buried under a pound of keys! Uumm….. If your keeping score your probably wondering hey where’s the reviews for the rest of the songs on side 1?(Twilight Hotel,Down and Dirty and Rise Or Fall) simple they didn’t register on my rock n radar back than and still don’t today…..Next….

STILL OF THE NIGHT- (sing with me here folks in Scorpions mode)Blackout I really had a Blackout?Blackout ,Blackout  out on this song! Seriously, no recollection on this one your Honor! …..I, the listener is Blacking out to this album!

BASS CASE- cool name for a 59 second Bass noodle fest but seriously 1986 and for me when I think  of a Bass solo I think of Billy Sheehan ripping out that sick fuckin bass line with Steve Vai on Elephant Gun from Dave Roths Eat Em And Smile album from 1986! Sorry Chuck Wright….cool title though….

THE PUMP- this is just bad 80s cheese! Hey QR you should have handed back your Kraft cheese single slices back this song reeks of it! Bad lyrics just a bad fruity goofy song. The QR Songwriting well is dry man ..real dry!

SLAVE TO LOVE and HELPING HANDS- nothin to write home about! Have no idea anymore why revisit the  scene of a train wreck ?

IN CONCLUSION- Holy Hell! Me and Tbone were totally fooled by this one. We both bought this and well not too many others did! But heck I’m still talking about it 29 years later! Seriously QR 3 has three songs that back than were alright but 3 songs don’t make a great record so guess what Tbone? Dubrow and company were smart they told us dumbasses that “hey buy our QR 3 album! 3 Good songs and 7 fillers ..hence we will call it QR 3!”  QR warned us they even called there album 3!

3/4’s Filler …Quiet Riot/Condition Critical

Yup! This ones been floating around in my noggin for a while now and well the 80s( if Ya remember them ) some bands released album titles that at the time I thought were interesting to say the least! But now it’s like Haha! Like Poison with Open Up And Say Ahh! Kiss with Lick It Up,Heavy Pettin with Rock Ain’t Dead( rock wasn’t dead but Heavy Pettin were)…or L.A Guns second album release called Cocked And Loaded but for me hands down,cards on the table the album that best describes a bands downward spiral would be Quiet Riot with Condition Critical. Hey  man some one wanna try and revive this slab of rock…Ummm no I didn’t think so and here are the true events from 1984 as recounted by me or as Sarca calls me The Unablogger!

1984, musically for me it was a huge dose of VH with 1984,Crüe with Shout At The Devil,Whitesnakes Slide It In,Maiden with Powerslave,Sammy Hagars VOA and many more,but one that I bought without a doubt that I thought would rock and that many of us got fooled with including many local cast and characters of my musical mafia was Quiet Riot!

Condition Critcal was the name,Kevin Dubrow (RIP)losing his hair over this record  was the game. So in the summer of 84 Dubrow, Rudy Sarzo,Carlos Cavazo and Frankie Banali thought they could fool me as a 17 year old! Ha,Nope!

So I’m sure we all know the deal with Metal Health right?( read Monday’s review of Metal Health if Ya didn’t here’s it in a nutshell) QR nails the pot of gold with one of the albums of 1983! QR was everywhere,radio,TV ,print magazines they were selling albums like hotcakes plus the singles Cum On Feel The Noise,Metal Health went bizarro and pushed the album to the moon. Everyone back than had a copy! Hell,my wife Q even has told me she had owned a copy of Metal Health as well and she has never been a big music buyer so QR Mach 1983 is crossing over in a big way……

July 1984,QR strikes while the iron is hot! QR is cashing in man big time! I’m sure in there heads they thought the new album was the Shit! Well it was in some regards…..

SIGN OF THE TIMES- ok ok not a bad opener! Dubrow and his yap are telling us “hey hey,hey were a Sign Of The Times,having fun ain’t  no crime” so yeah Sarzo’s still licking his bass like a Popsicle,Cavazo’s playing some guitar and Banali’s pounding the drums deliver a solid opening tune and well I’ll be damned but those guys that ran that label and that studio Pasha all had one thing in common. That is all there bands had the same production sound QR,Kick Axe and King Kobra there was no difference in the sonics! Hey don’t get me wrong I’m no producer but that’s kinda fucked!

MAMA WERE ALL CRAZEE NOW-Red Flag Number 1 with Condition Critical and QR decide if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. So it’s another Slade cover track 2, just like Cum On Feel The Noize on Metal Health(Slade song,track2) Ummm back than I was not amused by this move I was thinking what a bunch of lazy asses but than again I guess it was snowing in California with whoever made this decision. If this wasn’t already done I could have probably liked this tune more but man ……

PARTY ALL NIGHT- hahaha,so QR wants to make VH like videos? Ok ?? They always fell short like VH’s Hot For Teacher Vid is a classic this is kinda low budget video work. Kinda like if me and Tbone were rock video directors,ie…Budget hahaha… The song is QR telling us to Party All Night Long…..alrighty Dubrow as long as you bring the 1 am Doritos/Quarter Pounder burgers cuz there’s gonna be some munchies going down …….

STOMP YOUR HANDS,CLAP YOUR FEET- I guess is another play on SUMTHIN that Slade had done! So Dubrow is chasing Slade. Ha well thats ok I guess when your influenced by a sound but this is getting ridiculous! This song is ok it just proves the point that some songs just have goofy titles. But back to the Slade thing and I guess you have to give credit where credit is due and Slade themselves had a bit of a resurgence in America with Run,Runaway or sumthin to that effect! So good on you Dubrow for making them gain some notoriety in good ol 1984.

WINNER TAKES ALL-ends side one and this is the QR balladeer number. ….Ummm, Next!

CONDITION CRITICAL- Banali try’s to be Bonham with that drum groove and it’s not a bad song but it isn’t Zep! But this song basically ends Condition Critical for me as the rest well let’s just say…..

SCREAM AND SHOUT – just like song 7 on Metal Health(Run For Cover) this is a double bass drummey for dummeys of rip offs! It’s weak man ….got a craving for QR double bass driving tunes than stick with Run For Cover off of Metal Health ..but would u actually get a sonic craving for QR ?? Hahahaha …..didn’t think so!

RED ALERT- is just a straight ahead plodder of really nothin. Abort,abort The SS QR is taking on water…just like a ship sinking so is QR!

BAD BOY- nothin new here folks just some sappy lyrics and sappy everything…..

WE WERE BORN TO ROCK- let’s finish with a anthem. The only problem is everyone has already exited the building …..this is not a good song! I’m not gonna slam no more cause there’s the door! That’s me talking by the way!

IN CONCLUSION-after laying waste with record sales in 1983 with Metal Health. QR does the exact same thing and try’s to copy the previous albums material but fall way short. The songs are not strong enough to stand the test of time. QR recorded a album by all intent and purposes should have stayed in 1984. Back than even I never really got Into to Condition Critical and I mean yeah QR’s Condition was indeed Critical and just when Ya thought no more slop could hit my turntable …..

Check back Friday !

 

SONIC WAVES…..Quiet Riot/Metal Health

1983 …hmm Beat it just Beat it! said Mikey Jackson and then comes 4 Californians who call themselves Quiet Riot and dump into our Sonic Senses Metal Health!!! Faith is restored cuz if DeKEs is gonna sit through a Jacko vid Ya better slap me outside of the head with some hard rock and Quiet Riot did somewhat deliver….

Allright,Allright stop your giggling. This week of QR Reviews had to be done but back in 83 if you were my age (16)you weren’t laughing u wanted Metal Health! Your getting Metal Health and we’re all gonna be committed together Into the QR Nuthouse!

Well since it was 1983 …the biggie releases for me were the immortal Flick Of The Switch by ACDC, the great classic metalmaster of epics!(ask Tbone) Iron Maiden with Piece Of Mind,Leppard was kicking ass with Pyromania and gulp …QR With Metal Health!

QR Metal Health was the first so-called metal album to go number 1 back in 83.

Yeah man give these guys some credit….Kevin/Carlos/Rudy and Frank sold a ton of albums and if your still laughing at me,yeah well you were right behind me buying it back than so I will laugh back atcha ! Hey cuz that’s how I roll !

So for this week,chill back with your early am coffee or beverage of choice and enjoy the read!( I hope) of QR albums here @Arenarock!

METAL HEALTH-Banali on the drums rolls over and starts off Metal Health and Dubrow drops a blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah ….and we’re off and running and here’s Carlos laying down the solo and Chuck Wright dropping the bass groove(Rudy Sarzo would be back for the photo shoot and be on part of Metal Health but he was just getting off the Crazy Train with its conducter Ozzy Osbourne) and by golly we got ourselves the Metal Anthem of 1983 well Dubrow said that I recall in Circus magazine so his ego was already off and running….

CUM ON FEEL THE NOIZE- Slade cover never heard the original but man QR make it their own and it’s everywhere on video and radio!  Is it just me or does Dubrow look like Ra McGuire (lead singer for Trooper a  Canadian band) brother…hahaha….Carlos rips down the solo and Rudy licks his bass and we got a hit..a real big hit!

DONT WANNA LET YOU GO- Geez 3 songs in the boys slam on the breaks and slow down the action with this tune. It’s not a bad song and it gives a good tempo throughout the song. Carlos shows on guitar that he can let it rip and slow Er down when you have too..

SLICK BLACK CADILLAC -wowzers QR give it gas right off the hop with SBC! And Carlos punches the gas on guitar,while Frankie slams the drums and Kev tells us the cops have a APB on him! Thats good this is a little cooker of a track! I have seen these guys live about 4 times now and this is always the second track of the show! Carlos pulls off some neat little wanky guitar bar action at the end….

LOVES A BITCH- Baaaaaaabeeeee….Dubrow must have been scorned man and well he would really be scorned once the fan base wisened up! Boom. Big power chorus! QR is Rockin and ending side 1 on a high! Good tune.

BREATHLESS-another good studio track. This one as well could have been a single as well. QR definitely had their own sound for this record and they actually stood apart sound wise from all others albeit for a brief time!

RUN FOR COVER- Banali lays some waste on his kit and its a double bass meal deal all the way thru and its one of think the best songs in there repitore if Ya asked me ! Cavazo lays down the solo and Sarzo keeps in at all on the down low with his bass. Dubrow even makes it sound cool you know…..Run For Cover…I’m a hit and run lover! Hahahaha ..it didn’t get any better than that back in 83!

BATTLEAXE- Carlos gets his $1.38(minutes) of guitar solo action and man what a cool title! Not an easy task when the guitar player before you in QR was Randy Rhoads but give Cavazo credit he just did what he did on this record .

LETS GET CRAZY- smash crash bang..holy shit Banali mashes the beginning of the song with the splash of a gong! Cool and QR is off to the races and Dubrow tells us all to get Crazeeeeee! The party is going strong …..

THUNDERBIRD- ahh QR do the tribute tune to their fallen comrade (Rhoads) and end the record with a good track. Dubrow missed his pal and so did many rock fans and give the QR guys credit they delivered a solid ball of rock!

In Conclusion: 83 and it’s Metal Health all the way! So start your laughing cause we all owned it and still do! I mean I was watching the Rangers/Canucks hockey game(Dec 13 2014) and in between face off drops I could hear it over the commentators voice the beginning to Metal Health…yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! 30 years later…..it’s still going….

Slick Black Cadilliac Blows A Tire!

 

Quiet Riot/Inntowner Bar/Thunder Bay/March 1996

So winter 1996 and QR is showing up to Tbay long past there prime but kinda back together with 3/4 of the original Line up consisting of Kevin Dubrow (R.I.P)/Frankie Banali/Carlos Cavazo and some dude who I had never seen before or after for that fact on bass! They were plugging there Greatest Hits release from that year so someone booked em here and well they packed out the place on a weeknight which was good to see because you never know but with Tbay being a Nostaglia town so no surprise than.

Me and TBone secured tickets and went and wow here they come In from outside (straight from there tour bus)with a roadie up a few set of stairs and launch into Mane Attraction and rip into Slick Black Cadalliac and wow these guys are putting on a show feeding me and TBone what we wanna hear and than after Cadailliac ends. Someone in the crowd shouts at Dubrow chirping to him ” Play that Bang Your Head Number” Dubrow says something along the line a of ‘hey pal,this is my band,my show, my songs I will choose to and maybe play that song when and if I want too’ it was pretty close to that. TBone and myself were like WTF…hahahaha…who,pissed in Dubrows cornflakes??! The band than soldiered on you know played the hits,well for them anyways being Cum On Feel The Noise and yes of course Metal Health. They also played Mama Were All Crazee Now,Party All Night. Thunderbird (dedicated to Randy Rhoads) ,Let’s Get Crazy, Down To The Bone,Sign Of The Times . All in all a good show except we were punished meaning TBone called it,Dubrow had his candy striped mic stand  on the side of the stage so he used a regular mic stand. No candy mic stand for the Tbay crowd!

After the show was classic rock 101. The stairs that the band entered which was about three steps up to the stage the same roadie handed em all robes which all band members put on and the roadie held the flashlight for them to go down the three steps out the door onto there tour bus! I wish iPhones were around back in 96 man that woulda been great footage! A former arena band trapped in a bar bands body!