1. Riot spra… Read Full Bio ↴There are multiple artists that perform under the name:
1. Riot sprang from the basement of Mark Reale's home in Brooklyn, NY in the summer of 1976. In 1977 they had recorded and released their first album "Rock City" for New York's Firesign Records. Able to to obtain various licensing deals throughout the world, "Rock City" quickly found an audience. Capitol Records quickly signed Riot, who soon entered the studio to record their second album "Narita" which would be released in 1979. It was in 1981, however, that Riot released what is considered by most fans to be the band's most definitive album "Fire Down Under".
Early History
Riot began when Kon-Tiki members Mark Reale (guitar) and Peter Bitelli (drums) recruited Phil Fiet (bass) and Guy Speranza (vocals) and recorded a four-track demo which they hoped would be included in a proposed compilation of new rock bands. While waiting for the project to get off the ground they added Steve Costello on keyboards.
Reale took the various demos to New York based producer Steve Loeb, who also owned Greene Street Recording Studio and the independent label Fire-Sign Records. Loeb turned down the compilation proposal but signed Riot. The band added second guitarist Louie Kouvais, replaced Fiet with Jimmy Iommi and recorded its debut album, Rock City. After a promising start and support slots with AC/DC and Molly Hatchet, the band were unable to maintain momentum, and were on the verge of breaking up for good by 1979.
In that year however, the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal took off, and the band came to the attention of Neal Kay who spread the word about them in Britain. British fans bought imported copies of Rock City which was recorded and produced by Steve Loeb and released on Loeb's Fire Sign Records. Encouraged, Loeb recorded the band's new album Narita. In the course of recording, Kouvaris was replaced by band roadie Rick Ventura.
Subsequent to a successful support of Sammy Hagar on his US Texas tour Capitol Records offered Riot a worldwide deal for Narita, mostly to support Hagar. Capitol and Hagar needed a harder, younger edge to associate with him, so Riot was chosen if they agreed to support Hagar on his UK tour. Hagar and Riot had a successful tour, but Riot was dropped by Capitol as soon as they were finished promoting Hagar.
Riot's management, Billy Arnell, Ezra Cook and producer Steve Loeb spent their last dollars remaining from the Capitol advance retaining important indie FM radio promotions to promote the Riot album. They put it on as many radio stations around the country as possible, thus raising the radio profile enough to where Capitol picked up their option for another record. And thus began Riot's biggest selling album titled Fire Down Under.
When the record was completed some months later, Capitol turned the record down calling it "commercially unacceptable" which put the band in contractual limbo. Capitol also refused to let the band out of the contract and insisted if the band wanted off Capitol, they would have to sue. A campaign was organized and financed by producer Steve Loeb and managers Ezra Cook and Billy Arnell with fans around the world, but especially in the UK where the fans picketed the offices of EMI Records. Finally Elektra Records worked things out with Capitol's Rupert Perry and signed Riot and immediately released Fire Down Under which then soared into the Billboard Top 100 chart.
Breakup and Resurrection
Singer Guy Speranza had difficulty melding his religious convictions with his role in the band and was replaced by Rhett Forrester (b. 22 September 1956 – d. 22 January 1994) for the next album, Restless Breed (1983). Though a striking frontman, any hope of a major breakthrough was sunk by a combination of Forrester's erratic behaviour on the road and a changing of the guard at Elektra. The next album, Born in America, (1984) was self- financed by Steve Loeb and was released on Quality Records, an independent Canadian label. Support melted away, leading to the band's disintegration.
After stints with his own band (Narita) and abortive reformations of Riot, Reale mended fences with producer Steve Loeb in New York. He kept Don Van Stavern from Narita on bass, recruited Bobby Jarzombek (1988 - 1999) on drums and Greene Street Studio Manager Dave Harrington brought in Tony Moore for vocals. A resurrected Riot was born. Loeb cut a four track demo at his Greene Street Studio in Soho NY and along with real estate maven turned rock manager Vince Perazzo brought the band to CBS Associated, who offered the band a worldwide deal. Resultant albums Thundersteel (1988) and Privilege of Power (1990) renewed fan interest around the world, particularly in Japan, where they maintained their strongest subsequent following.
The revived band was from then on dogged by continual personnel and record company changes. But, by virtue of Loeb's willingness to self finance every record that followed until his departure from the production chair in 1995, Riot was able to continue making records. All told, Loeb produced or co-produced 13 Riot albums in his 19 year association with Mark Reale and the different configurations of Riot. Reale continued to steer the band into the turn of the century, releasing albums roughly every couple of years.
Rhett Forrester was shot dead during a robbery in Atlanta Georgia in 1994, and original vocalist Guy Speranza died of pancreatic cancer in 2003.
On January 25, 2012, founding band member Mark Reale died of complications resulting from Crohn's disease at the age of 56. Immediately following his death, the band, featuring the "Thundersteel" lineup, performed several previously-booked east coast shows and the "70,000 Tons of Metal" cruise ship gig without him. A new Riot compilation was released following the shows, and at the request of Mark's father, the name "Riot" was put to rest. However, some former members of the "Thundersteel"-era lineup began work putting together a new band performing music in the same vein as Riot. The band was officially re-launched as "Riot V", the name alluding to the addition of Todd Michael Hall as the fifth official singer, replacing Moore. Van Stavern revealed that Moore had chosen not to continue with the band to spend more time with his family.
In 2014, Nick Lee, a former student at the guitar classes run by Flyntz, joined as the new co-lead guitarist for the band, replacing deceased Reale, and Frank Gilchriest rejoined the band in place of Jarzombek, who had quit the band to focus on his activities with Fates Warning. Their new album Unleash The Fire was released in Japan, under the name Riot, in August 2014. This is the band's first release since the death of Reale.
Todd Michael Hall said about the "V" letter: "The official name for the band is Riot V, but we do have this confusion with the Japanese release versus the European release. I was told that the Japanese record label considered the release to be a continuation of the previous contract with "Riot", so they did not want to use the V"
2. Composing of Tom Davidson & Daniel Magid, is a duo of dubstep producers based in Los Angeles, California. They were originally from Israel.
They have released songs on Monstercat, Dim Mak and Insomniac records.
Overdrive
Riot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Something's sayin', boy you got to go on.
I'm feelin' overdrive, you're sittin' at my side.
Can you hear my wheels begin to squeal ?
I can't go no more,
My foot's to the floor.
We'll be lucky to get out alive,
In overdrive, in overdrive.
Can you hear my wheels begin to burn ?
I got my foot to the floor,
My hands on your clutch.
I'm gonna make my pistons pump,
Right through the roof.
I can't go no more,
My foot's to the floor.
We'll be lucky to get out alive,
In overdrive, in overdrive.
I can't go no more,
My foot's to the floor.
We'll be lucky to get out alive.
In overdrive, in overdrive.
Yeah, come on.
Oh, hit the highway,
And don't look back.
Ah, can you feel my hot rod?
Oh yeah, oh yeah, come on.
Oh shake me, yeah, come on.
I'm in overdrive, look out, look out
The lyrics of "Overdrive" by Riot describe the excitement and thrill of driving a car in high speed. The singer is driving his car, which he calls his "automobile," feeling the urge to push it to the limit because he is in "overdrive." He wants to see how fast his car can go and is determined to make the pistons pump right through the roof. His foot is on the floor, and he's got his hands on the clutch, ready to hit the highway and never look back. Despite the dangers of reckless driving, he revels in the adrenaline rush and speed, feeling alive.
The lyrics are a celebration of the freedom and adventure that driving can bring. The car is a symbol of personal power, and the act of driving is a way to assert oneself on the world. The imagery of the wheels squealing and burning, the pistons pumping, and the car speeding through the roof convey a sense of excitement and danger.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm travelin' in my car, I call my automobile,
I'm driving my car which I'm fond of and call it as my 'automobile'.
Something's sayin', boy you got to go on.
An inner voice pushing me to move further.
I'm feelin' overdrive, you're sittin' at my side.
I'm excited and ready to go, you're accompanying me in this journey.
Can you hear my wheels begin to squeal ?
The sound of my accelerating car is getting louder.
I can't go no more,
My foot's to the floor.
We'll be lucky to get out alive,
In overdrive, in overdrive.
I'm pushing my car to the limit, we might be risking our lives by driving at such high speed.
Can you hear my wheels begin to burn ?
The friction generated by my speeding wheels is causing them to heat up.
I got my foot to the floor,
My hands on your clutch.
I'm pressing my accelerator pedal to the maximum and holding your gear shift lever simultaneously for maximum speed and acceleration.
I'm gonna make my pistons pump,
Right through the roof.
I'm going to push my engine to work at its full potential.
Yeah, come on.
Encouraging the listener to join in the excitement of the ride.
Oh, hit the highway,
And don't look back.
Ah, can you feel my hot rod?
Oh yeah, oh yeah, come on.
Let's drive fast and forget everything else, do you feel the power of my car?
Oh shake me, yeah, come on.
Asking the listener to join in the thrills and excitement of the ride.
I'm in overdrive, look out, look out
I'm driving in a high state of excitement and speed, be careful.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: G. SPERANZA, M. REALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sheik Habibi
Amazingly ahead of their time for the 70s! This kickass debut transcends the hard rock limitations of their contemporaries as a solid heavy metal album.
Josh Tyler
@New Ingvaeona Sir Lord Baltimore might have something to say about that.
New Ingvaeona
Sheik Habibi This was the first American heavy metal album
RychleTube
It's hard to believe that music as heavy as this was released as early as 1977 :-0
ACAtheROCK
Believe me when i tell you...and i know heavy metal...this album was as heavy as it gets...1977,these guys should have been more famous
Fernando Penalva
REALLY ACAtheROCK?
Zag Hag
They made classic metal albums and as legitimate hard rock-metal artists that is the principal goal and what they can take pride in b/c they live to rock, they're enthused and the songs eloquently express the passionate desire //It's important not to succumb to egoistic ambitions, not give a fuck about being overrated or underrated, and not sell your soul for commercial success.
gonzo13743
One of metals most UNDER RATED bands.
New Ingvaeona
ACAtheROCK First American metal band
Edward Zwirecki
1 of the best shredding riffs of all time RIP MARK