Posted 5:14 PM by Alfred

"Whoever said hair metal wasn't thought-provoking, must have never met Quiet Riot." - William Shatner

William Shatner, formerly Captain Kirk of the Starship Enterprise, TJ Hooker, sliding across cars like a madman, lounge singer, price-line ho, and now washed up guest celebrity host of VHI one-hit-wonders.

Quiet Riot "Cum on Feel tha Noize" was the one hit. But it was a big one in 83. A cover version of an old song by a glam rock group called "Slade." This was years after Randy Rhoads, their legendary guitarist out of La Crescenta, CA left their asses and became Ozzy's axe-man. In fact Rhoads had died in a plane crash the previous year, a promising spark extinguished way too soon.

"Cum on Feel tha Noize" was the lead single off of their album Metal Health, which went on to sell 6 million copies.

Metal Health was the first record I ever bought. And I do mean record, vinyl, baby. My parents had a pretty big record collection, Beatles, Neal Diamond, Elton John, among other stuff, so I grew up with records as my music media. I remember the Quiet Riot vinyl was put out by a company called Pasha, and they had a really trippy label on the record itelf, some guy walking through some clouds with a hole through his head through which you could see a like a twig or something.

I rocked that record hard. The two best songs were the afforementioned one hit wonder and the title track. Metal Health. That was the "bang your head" one, "metal health'll drive you mad."

good album. I mean most of the rest was filler, but I was rocking out. I remember we had a Webelo's meeting (last year of cub scouts - never went on to boy scouts) the same night I got the record and I brought the album to show my friends. It was cool cuz my dad and one of my best friend's dad were the scoutmasters for our den. And I remember my buddy's dad checking out the album cover and the back and seeing one song and laughing his ass off.

"Love's a Bitch"

I remember him laughing and laughing at that. I thought nothing of it at the time, but I do remember that it clicked in my mind when I heard years later that my old childhood buddy's parents had split up. I remember having images in my head of my friend's dad going out that same night after being defiled by the Metal Health, and tearing up the bar scene, screamin at the top of his lungs "Love's a Bitch, baby, love's a bitch, makes you crazy, yeeeaaaahhhh."

But it probably wasn't so dramatic.

Damn right fukn Quiet Riot is thought provoking.

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