They were founded in 1975 by guitarist Randy Rhoads (later associated with Ozzy Osbourne) with the original lineup of Kevin DuBrow (whose Steve Marriott influenced vocals powered most of their hits) alongside Kelly Garni (bass) and Drew Forsyth (drums). They initially released albums in 1977 and 1978, featuring heavy covers of British invasion era acts The Small Faces and Dave Clark Five, and their work was picked up for release in Japan only.
After Rhoads left, with him replaced by guitarist Carlos Cavazo, Quiet Riot had still had failed to break out of the Los Angeles metal scene with a record contract (unlike their hit British Invasion covering contemporaries Van Halen). Quiet Riot eventually scored a deal with Columbia Records, and their second stateside single was "Cum on Feel the Noize", a remake of the U.K. hit tune by Slade in 1973. Quiet Riot's version opened up a new world for the group. Their song became the first heavy metal single to make the 'Top 5' on Billboard Magazine's 'Hot 100' singles chart, spending two weeks at the #5 slot.
The band was reportedly reluctant to record the song, as none of them were Slade fans, and recorded it in one take, trying to play their worst. The success of the single helped carry parent album 'Metal Health' to the top of Billboard Music Charts pop album charts, making it the first heavy metal album to ever reach the #1 slot. Fortunately, lightening also struck twice as their song "Metal Health (Bang Your Head)" (also known as "Bang Your Head (Metal Health)" or "Metal Health") also received significant airplay, peaking at the #31 slot on the 'Hot 100'.
A #1 album and a top 5 single was unheard of for a heavy metal band in 1983. The 'Metal Health' album also displaced Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'' on the charts, shocking critics, and it paved the way for a new, stronger commercial viability for the whole genre. Still, the band members were arguably unprepared for the spotlight put on them, with acrimony between them and the record company people to come.
The group's follow-up, 'Condition Critical' was a relative disappointment critically and commercially, selling only 3 million units. This release included another Slade cover ("Mama Weer All Crazee Now", which was a UK chart topper for Slade) and numerous musical and lyrical nods to the aforementioned act; whether this was a decision made with the band's support or forced upon them by their producer is still subject to debate, as evidenced in their VH1 'Behind The Music' documentary. As well, frontman DuBrow's combative behavior both in public and in private burned numerous bridges between the band and other musicians as well as the press. The other band members felt that DuBrow had turned what would had been middling or mixed critical reviews into scorn as well as ruined chances at future musical collaborations.
Various factors led to bassist Rudy Sarzo quitting the group in 1985 and joining up with Ozzy Osbourne. The bass slot in Quiet Riot was filled by Chuck Wright. Next, the band released 'QRIII' in 1986, which became another commercial failure and left the group frustrated in terms of where to go. Fed up with DuBrow's antics, the rest of Quiet Riot fired him from his own band and replaced him with former Rough Cutt vocalist Paul Shortino. Wright was also fired and was replaced by Sean McNabb.
The revamped band released 'Quiet Riot' in 1988, which also failed to gain much traction. This 1988 album technically has the same name as their original first album with Randy Rhoads. The band fell apart after a tour that ended in Hawaii in 1989 and DuBrow fought to keep control of the name; Quiet Riot appeared to be in shambles.
By 1991, tempers had cooled enough for the former bandmates to communicate. DuBrow and Cavazo formed Heat, but they eventually switched to Quiet Riot again and released 'Terrified' (1993) with Banali and Kenny Hillery (bass). That same year, DuBrow released a work titled 'The Randy Rhoads Years', featuring tracks from Quiet Riot's Columbia albums and some previously unreleased material (many of which included newly recorded vocals). Hillary left Quiet Riot in 1995, and he committed suicide on June 5, 1996.
Wright rejoined Quiet Riot to play bass. The band released Down to the Bone that same year. The following year (1996), the band released a 'Greatest Hits' album, which included nothing from the original two Rhoads albums and nothing from the two 90s albums but did have a few tracks from the 1988 Shortino album. After that, Rudy Sarzo joined up again in 1997, and the band began touring.
The tour was not successful, and the band was arrested several times; one angry fan sued DuBrow for injuries sustained during a show. The group still managed to release 'Alive and Well' in 1999, which featured new songs and several rerecorded hits. They followed this up with 'Guilty Pleasures' in 2001. Although their days of commercial success had come and gone, those albums received some mixed to positive critical reviews.
Quiet Riot officially broke up in February 2003, and Sarzo joined Dio in the following year. However, they reunited in 2005, with the line-up being made up of DuBrow, Banali, Wright, and guitarist Alex Grossi. The band joined the 'Rock Never Stops Tour' in 2005 alongside Cinderella, Ratt, and Firehouse.
Soon afterwards, Chuck Wright and Alex Grossi had left the band and former L.A. Guns/Brides of Destruction guitarist Tracii Guns had joined, only to leave two weeks later under musical differences. Other recent members of Quiet Riot have included guitarists Billy Morris and Neil Citron, and bassists Tony Franklin, Sean McNabb and Wayne Carver. In an interview with rock & roll comic C.C. Banana in August 2006, Frankie Banali attempted to clarify the matter of Quiet Riot's recent rapid-fire membership rotation, indicating that both Alex and Chuck were both back in the band again.
Quiet Riot's latest album with a line-up somewhat akin to their glory days was released on October 3, 2006, entitled 'Rehab. The band on the album consisted of DuBrow, Banali, Franklin, & Neil Citron. Former Deep Purple bassist and singer Glenn Hughes also made a guest vocal appearance on the album.
On July 13, 2007, Quiet Riot performed at glam metal festival "Rocklahoma." Then on September 19 they gave a free show to service members on Keesler AFB in Biloxi. DuBrow (vocals), Banali(drums), Wright(Bass), & Alex Grossi(guitarist), was the then line-up.
Kevin DuBrow died November 25, 2007, at his home in Las Vegas. He was 52 years old. The cause of death was an accidental overdose of cocaine, and that tragedy appeared to be the end of the group once and for all.
Despite his previous insistence that Quiet Riot could never return as a live performing entity, in September 2010, Frankie Banali announced a new version of Quiet Riot: himself on drums, Chuck Wright on bass, Alex Grossi on guitar and newcomer Mark Huff on vocals. The band sought the blessings of the DuBrow family, recorded new versions of classic hits with Huff singing, and resumed touring. The group has experienced somewhat of a 'broken base' as many fans are unwilling to accept a version of the band sans DuBrow.
The group's latest work is '10', which came out on June 27, 2014 through RSM Records. That incarnation of Quite Riot Made its live debut on December 31, 2013 at Twin Arrows Navajo Casino Resort in Flagstaff, Arizona. Jizzy Pearl of Love/Hate and L.A. Guns among other groups is the current vocalist.
Vocalist Jizzy Pearl departed the band at the end of 2016 to concentrate on his solo career, and was replaced by former Adler's Appetite and Icon vocalist Seann Nicols, formerly known as Sheldon Tarsha. On February 13, 2017, the band announced that they would release a new album Road Rage on April 21. However, in March, it was announced that Nicols had left the band and that James Durbin was the new singer. The band subsequently announced that Road Rage would be delayed until summer 2017 so that all of Nicols' vocals could be replaced by Durbin's with new lyrics and melodies. It was then announced that the new version of the album would be released on August 4 by Frontiers Music Srl.
Banali was forced to sit out several Quiet Riot shows throughout 2019 as he was receiving treatment for stage-IV pancreatic cancer, though he did not reveal his diagnosis until October of that year. He was replaced by either former Type O Negative drummer Johnny Kelly or former W.A.S.P. drummer Mike Dupke depending on each drummer's availability. In September 2019, Durbin quit the band to "follow his own path" according to Banali, and Pearl was rehired as the lead vocalist. Two months later, Quiet Riot's fourteenth studio album, and second and last to feature Durbin, Hollywood Cowboys, was released.
On August 20, 2020, Banali died from pancreatic cancer, which he had been diagnosed with sixteen months earlier, leaving him as the second member of the Metal Health-era lineup to die, following DuBrow in 2007. On September 9, 2020, Quiet Riot announced on their Facebook page that would continue on without Banali, who had wished that they keep the music and legacy of the band alive. He was replaced by Johnny Kelly, who had filled in for Banali on the band's 2019 and 2020 tours. The band embarked on their first tour since Banali's passing in the summer of 2021, and announced, in May of that year, that they were going to release new music in 2022. On August 2, 2021, Quiet Riot announced that former bassist Rudy Sarzo would rejoin the band in early 2022, once again replacing Chuck Wright. However, Sarzo played his first show with the band in nearly two decades at The Groove Music Hall in Woodford, Virginia on November 6, 2021. In December 2021, Sarzo confirmed that new music from Quiet Riot will be released to coincide with their upcoming 2022 tour: "We have a couple of surprises coming up that are already recorded. So they're just waiting to be released. We're gonna release 'em in conjunction when we start touring in February [of 2022]." That same month, he revealed that plans were being made to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Metal Health in 2023.
Bad Boy
Quiet Riot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah!
I thought that I was indestructible
But how could I imagine this
I never gave a second thought
Was only hit or miss
Does that mean that wrong is right?
Guess I got the warning
It happened overnight
Honey, it's only nasty
When it's nasty
And you know that it hurts
When it's right
I'm a bad boy
I'm a bad boy
They call me nasty
They call me bad
'Cause I'm a bad boy
I'm a bad boy
There are the good ways
To be a bad, bad boy
I'm a bad, bad boy
I'm a bad, bad boy
I'm a bad, bad boy
Well my behaviour has been in question
Since the day that I was born
I get on my knees to love and to please
Now you've been warned, yeah
Pay the price if you don't ignite
Now they're trying to pick and choose
You may be the most and know the cost
Yes, come to you
Oh your eyes are on me now
My defence must be bad somehow
Bad boy
I'm a bad boy
Call me nasty
They call me bad
But I'm a bad boy
I'm a bad boy
There are the good ways
To be a bad, bad boy
I'm a bad, bad boy
Show me
And it's only nasty
When it's nasty
And you know that it hurts
When it's right, right, right, right, right
I'm a bad boy
I'm a bad boy
I found all the good ways
Oh show me
Bad boy
I'm a bad boy
I found all the good ways
To be a bad
'Cause I'm a bad boy
I'm a bad boy
Please call me nasty
Please call me bad
'Cause I'm a bad boy
I'm a bad boy
I found all the good ways
To be a bad, bad boy
I'm so bad
So so bad
I'm bad
I'm a bad, bad boy
I'm a bad, bad boy
The lyrics to Quiet Riot's song "Bad Boy" describe the life of a rebellious and promiscuous man, who has never thought about the consequences of his actions. The character in the song thinks he is indestructible and only lives for the thrill of the moment, without giving a second thought to what happens next. The character in the song is filled with adrenaline and lives life on the edge. The character feels that he is desired and loved only when he is doing wrong things because, for him, that means he is living life to the fullest.
However, the character in the song is confronted with the fact that living life without any rules or control is dangerous. He is warned that his behavior is not appropriate and will eventually catch up to him. The lyrics suggest that the reason why he is in this situation is that he was always seeking the thrill of the moment and never thought about the consequences of his actions. But despite all of this, the character remains defiant and continues to call himself a "bad boy" and take pride in his promiscuity and risky behavior.
Overall, the song paints a picture of a man who is living life on the edge and wants to be seen as rebellious and promiscuous, even if it means facing the consequences of his actions. The lyrics add a sense of danger and risk to the song, helping to capture the spirit of the character that is being portrayed in the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
C'mon!
An enthusiastic call to action.
Yeah!
An excited agreement.
I thought that I was indestructible
I believed that I could not be harmed.
But how could I imagine this
I did not consider the possibility of what is happening now.
I never gave a second thought
I did not think about the consequences of my actions.
Was only hit or miss
I only took chances without considering the risks.
While you feed me and it feel so good
I am being pampered and enjoying it, but it may not be the right thing to do.
Does that mean that wrong is right?
Is it acceptable to do something wrong if it feels good?
Guess I got the warning
I should have seen the signs that something was wrong.
It happened overnight
It came as a surprise and suddenly.
Honey, it's only nasty
It may seem disgusting or unpleasant but...
When it's nasty
...it is only bad when it is genuinely harmful or unpleasant.
And you know that it hurts
You are aware of the pain.
When it's right
It is only good when it is genuinely pleasurable or satisfying.
I'm a bad boy
I am a person who defies the norms or expectations of society.
Call me nasty
I am willing to accept a negative or pejorative label.
They call me bad
Others use a negative word to describe me.
'Cause I'm a bad boy
I embrace my nonconformity and disregard for authority.
There are the good ways
There are positive expressions of rebellion or defiance.
To be a bad, bad boy
It is possible to be rebellious without being destructive or hurtful.
Well my behaviour has been in question
My actions have caused people to have doubts or concerns about me.
Since the day that I was born
This might be a part of my nature or personality.
I get on my knees to love and to please
I demonstrate my devotion and eagerness to please others.
Now you've been warned, yeah
I am alerting you to the fact that I am not conformist and may not act in expected ways.
Pay the price if you don't ignite
Experience the consequences of your actions or inactions.
Now they're trying to pick and choose
They are now selecting or excluding people based on their behavior.
You may be the most and know the cost
You might be the most popular, but you must deal with the consequences of your actions.
Yes, come to you
You shall receive your comeuppance.
Oh your eyes are on me now
You are observing me, possibly with disapproval or curiosity.
My defence must be bad somehow
I must have done something wrong that requires defending.
I found all the good ways
I have discovered constructive ways to express my nonconformity.
To be a bad
It is possible to rebel without being destructive or hurtful.
I'm so bad
I am so nonconforming or defiant.
So so bad
My refusal to conform may be extreme, even excessive.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: KEVIN DU BROW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind