Quiet Riot: Setlist- The Very Best Of Quiet Riot - Live

Historically speaking Quiet Riot was one of the first bands that I was able to see in concert on my own and don't laugh because you know that each and every one of you went to a show or two with your parents standing safely in the shadows to observe the shenanigans. While I know that I am dating myself, it was back around the time when they had just released their al Healthum and they were appearing at the long shuttered L'Amour's in Brooklyn. At the show I was blown away by the bands delivery and skill and overall catchy tunes and that made listening to their "Setlist" live CD an absolute treat since we don't really have too much of a representation of the band during its early years in the live sense. Some music historians will remember easily how the band once found Randy Rhoads among its number but this release focuses on what was musically established by the classic lineup of Kevin DuBrow, Frankie Banali, Rudy Sarzo and Carlos Cavazo. After reviewing a couple of these releases so far, I was happy to find the "Setlist" collections offering up the occasional unreleased tune or two, but the Quiet Riot edition must be lauded for its presenting 50% unreleased tracks from the band in concert. The album also primarily focuses on two years in the bands life (1983 and 1984) and with that comes off as very vintage in their history. The younger generation of fans today might need to look into the album collections of their older siblings or parents to find a copy of Metal Health and its recommended action to better absorb a band that helped build a music scene at the time. Metal Health is strongly celebrated on this collection and presents us with six of the albums original ten tracks. We get the classic Slade tune "Cum On Feel The Noize" and the title track along with my long time favorite "Run For Cover". I would have liked to hear "Thunderbird" or "Breathless" but I will not complain with what we did get here since it was so satisfying. The band shows themselves to be a hungry Metal machine and DuBrow screams over blistering Cavazo guitar riffs and thunderous Banali drumming.

The rest of the CD delivers material from the bands sophomore album Condition Critical which while good at points, was not as well-received as its predecessor. During their most prominent years DuBrow was a little too vocal about the bands successes and it worked against him which was a shame. My favorite from the album was always "Stomp Your Hands, Clap Your Feet" based on the double bass drum pattern and the way the chorus flowed but it is without question that the band also shined on their second Slade cover "Mama Weer All Crazee Now". That song has a great video so find it on YouTube. I liked "Sign Of The Times" as well, but there was not too much about that album that got me as much as the debut. Audio wise it is true that some of the production on this release could have been better but who knows what the band was working with in terms of resources at the time these tunes were delivered. In the end this still delivers a fantastic picture of the band during their initial heyday and becomes a fine means to look back upon their accomplishments. The band changed members a couple of times over the years but reunions with the classic lineup happened here and there. Sadly all band activity came to an abrupt halt with the death of Kevin DuBrow back in 2007. I remain hopeful that the surviving members choose to press on in his name or maybe record some memorial concerts in his behalf but at the time of this albums review that hardly seems likely. My hope is that some of these offerings have a video counterpart that might see release in the eventual future. Having enjoyed the band from such an early point in my own Metal upbringing I can highly recommend this album for your collection as it is successfully able to take you back to the time when Metal ruled the land with an iron fist.

About The Setlist Collection: These releases are packaged in what is termed Eco-Friendly cardboard sleeves and that means there is not much to the actual package and hence less impact on the environment. It opens like a book, and the CD fits neatly into a slot. There is a single photo and some track listings but to see more you need to put the CD in your computer. Doing this offers the buyer a PDF of the booklet that gives you a couple of additional photos and some liner notes about the track selection. There is also a complete discography listing and each reference leads you to the Sony online store so you can make a purchase. They also offer up "recommended selections" should you have some additional interest in what they are releasing. I liked this but felt with the use of the online side that a few secret tracks could have been offered and perhaps more photos as well. They are very reasonably priced.

Track Listing:

1. Of The Times
2. Let's Get Crazy
3. Mama Weer All Crazee now
4. Slick Black Cadillac
5. Anytime You Want Me
6. Party All Night
7. Band Your Head (Metal Health)
8. Run For Cover
9. Love's A Bitch
10. Stomp Your Hands, Clap Your Feet
11. Gonna Have A Riot
12. Cum On Feel The Noize

Added: September 12th 2010
Reviewer: Ken Pierce
Score:
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Language: english

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