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.
Still of the Night
Quiet Riot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Burning passions mixed with pain
Past the point of no return
Nothing stays the same
The streets become our home
Restless souls out on our own
Trapped my ruins made by fools
In the still of the night
With nowhere to turn
We took a roll of the dice
And we learn
And in the still of the night
Streets of fire will burn
As we run for our lives
To survive
Yeah
Voices in the dark
Calling us to play a part
Little be known the razor's edge
Have we gone too far?
Every chance that we take
There is a price that must be paid
It's easy come and easy go
But we are here to stay
Yeah!
In the still of the night
With nowhere to turn
We took a roll of the dice
And we learn
In the still of the night
Streets of fire will burn
As we run for our lives
To survive
Yeah
Oh!
In the still of the night (Of the night)
With nowhere to turn
We took a roll of the dice
And we learn
And in the still of the night
Streets of fire will burn
As we run, run for our lives
To survive
To survive
To survive
And where do I turn
In the still of the night
And what did I learn
In the still of the night
The fires still burn, yeah
Yeah, yeah
The song "Still Of The Night" by Quiet Riot is about living as an outsider, taking risks and pursuing your dreams without knowing where they will lead, and facing the consequences of those choices. The lyrics describe the hardships that come with living a life on the edge, and the feeling of being trapped by the ruins made by fools. The streets become your home, followed by restless souls who are also out on their own. The voices in the dark call out to play a part, but the band questions whether they have gone too far. Despite this insecurity, there is a determination and willingness to pay the price to stay in the game.
The chorus of "Still of the Night" is a reminder that there are no guarantees in life, but the risk is worth it. The lyrics "In the still of the night, streets of fire will burn, as we run for our lives, to survive" refer to the band's pursuit of their dreams, even though it might be dangerous, challenging, and unpredictable. The fires still burn, and the band keeps running for their lives, always seeking ways to survive and thrive despite the odds.
Line by Line Meaning
We're not the ones to blame
We acknowledge that we bear responsibility for our choices and actions, regardless of what others may say.
Burning passions mixed with pain
Our intense emotions and desires have led us down a difficult path that brings both pleasure and suffering.
Past the point of no return
We have reached a moment of reckoning where we can no longer turn back or undo what we have done, and must accept the consequences of our choices.
Nothing stays the same
Life is a constant flux, and even our most cherished beliefs and identities can change over time.
The streets become our home
We have lost our sense of belonging and security in traditional social institutions, and have turned to the urban landscape as a refuge and source of community.
Restless souls out on our own
We feel alienated and disconnected from the mainstream culture and its values, and have formed our own subculture based on shared experiences and struggles.
Trapped my ruins made by fools
We feel trapped by the material and social conditions that have been imposed on us by those in power, who we view as selfish or foolish.
Chasing the unknown
We seek adventure and excitement in the face of uncertainty and risk, rather than settling for a predictable and mundane existence.
In the still of the night
Amidst the quiet and darkness, we are forced to confront our own thoughts and feelings without the distractions of the day.
With nowhere to turn
We feel lost and overwhelmed by the challenges we face, and have no clear idea of how to move forward.
We took a roll of the dice
We made a risky decision without knowing the outcome or consequences, and must now live with the aftermath.
And we learn
Through our experiences and mistakes, we gain wisdom and insight that helps us to navigate the world more effectively.
Streets of fire will burn
The harsh realities of our lives in the urban landscape, with its violence and poverty, will continue to cause suffering and pain.
As we run for our lives
We are constantly struggling to survive against the odds, and must take risks and make sacrifices to stay alive.
Voices in the dark
We are haunted by doubts and fears that arise from the unknown and unpredictable nature of our lives and futures.
Calling us to play a part
We are being challenged to find our role and purpose in the world, and to make meaningful contributions to our communities and society as a whole.
Little be known the razor's edge
We are living on the edge of danger and instability, where even the smallest mistake or misstep can lead to disaster.
Have we gone too far?
We are questioning whether our choices and actions have pushed us past the point of no return, and whether we can ever come back from the brink.
Every chance that we take
We are willing to take risks and make sacrifices to achieve our goals, even if it means facing pain and suffering.
There is a price that must be paid
We are aware that every choice and action has consequences, and that we must bear the burden of our mistakes and failures.
It's easy come and easy go
We recognize that our lives are fragile and transient, and that our fortunes can change at a moment's notice.
But we are here to stay
Despite the challenges and setbacks, we are committed to staying true to ourselves and our values, and to standing up for what we believe in.
And where do I turn
We feel lost and alone, unsure of who or what to trust in a world that seems hostile and uncaring.
And what did I learn
We are reflecting on our past mistakes and experiences, and trying to find meaning and purpose in our struggles.
The fires still burn, yeah
The passion and energy that drives us forward, despite the challenges we face, will continue to burn brightly and fuel our journey through life.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind