• AllMyVinyl #49
• Band: Quiet Riot
• Album Title: Condition Critical
• Release Date: 27 Jul 1984
• Date purchased: Unknown
• Location purchased: Unknown
• Color of vinyl: black
• Number of discs: 1
• Links: [ Wikipedia | Discogs | Band Website | Complete album on Youtube ]

While most people consider this Quiet Riot’s second album, it’s really their fourth.  The first two with Randy Rhoads never got released out of Japan until 2022, so people consider this their sophomore album.  That’s OK, whether you call it their second or their fourth, it had the unenviable task of following Metal Health, which was a f’in beast of an album when it was released in early 1983.  Quiet Riot blew up so much, it took them down right after this.  BUT before we get to there, we got this album.  Coming off the monster high that was Metal Health, the band was pushed into the studio, and produced Condition Critical.  It’s generally regarded as a let down from MH, but it sold over a million copies itself.  I have to imagine to some extent that was coattails from Metal Health, but still.  When you sell a million albums, it’s gotta mean something.

I was one of those million back in 1984.  I bought this on vinyl, which as I think back 40 years now, is an odd choice.  The album before this was WAY more popular, but I didn’t buy Metal Health on vinyl. I did buy this.  Why I never had vinyl of that but I did on this I can’t recall – detail lost to time. However, my 40 year old vinyl survives now – it was one of the lot rescued from my mom’s basement.  It’s still in great shape too.  Not all of them are, but this one was.  It is 40 years old, but it doesn’t look like it.

The lineup on this album is what’s considered “classic” Quiet Riot.  Kevin Dubrow on vocals, Carlos Cavazo on guitar, Rudy Sarzo on bass, and Frankie Banali on drums I’ve included the back cover of the vinyl here.  Look at the hair! We can tell when this album was produced just by that.  For this lineup being the most well known, it isn’t on the biggest amount of albums.  Quiet Riot has had 14 studio albums to date.  Of those 14, this classic lineup is only on four albums. This one and Metal Health in the 80’s, as well as Alive & Well in 1999 and Guilty Pleasures in 2001.  This one almost didn’t happen.  The stuff that blew apart Quiet Riot after this tour and before the next almost came to head during the making of this record. Rudy wanted to leave but was convinced to stay for the album and tour.  He wouldn’t return to Quiet Riot until late 1998 to work on the Alive & Well album.  He stayed for a few more years until leaving again after the Guilty Pleasures tour.  He returned again in late 2021 after the death of Frankie – he’s now the only member from the classic days (although Quiet Riot itself ceased to have any original members left after Dubrow died).

Anyway…. the tunes…

Sign of the Times – Not bad for an opener track. Seems built for live audience participation. I REALLY like the bass line that plays behind the guitar solo. Always thought that was a cool combo. Don’t usually hear the bass mixed THAT high on guitar solo. Not the strongest track on the album, but not bad at all.

Mama Weer All Crazee Now – OK, we’re doing Slade again. The Slade cover on Metal Health worked SO well, it’s not a huge surprise they’ll go to that well again. Mama isn’t as catchy as Noize was, but it’s a good, catchy single. It did teach me at the time what the phrase “fire water” was. haha. For this I rather enjoy the video more than the song. That’s because it plays off of the Apple 1984 Super Bowl commercial where people are sitting there as mindless slaves – to some extent the Dubrow character here did the same thing – always loved that.

Party All Night – Another single from this album – Kevin sings a bit a higher register in places than he usually did to this point. Not bad, just noticeable. Decent song, not super notable like Bang Your Head, but it’s good a good jam, and I like the beat that runs through it. This too had a music video made, but more about a house party. Given the lyrics of the song, not a huge surprise there. Towards the end of the song, there’s a synth sound that comes in a bit for a short time, which feels really out of place, as QR doesn’t really do keyboards in this way.

Stomp Your Hands, Clap Your Feet – This one has a faster beat than most Quiet Riot songs. Guitar work is just kind of “there”. Kind of a filler track to me. I do like the faster beat, but would have preferred something different as a whole.

Winners Take All – The power ballad. It’s 1984, so we have to have one.

Condition Critical – This songs seems to have more of Frankie than other songs, or maybe it’s just me. It’s a slower song – not SLOW, but not the usual fast type of song QR does. I always loved this song, can’t tell you why. Maybe it was the slower more methodical pace that the song plays out, and it’s not a fast song thing. Which is odd, as I usually prefer the 3-4 min faster songs but this is a great track. Given the turmoil that followed the band after this, I always thought that Condition Critical would be a better title for their next album. This song sounds like it would fit in well with their best overall album – 2006’s “Rehab”.

Scream and Shout – … and we’re back to the 3-4 min long song (this time 4:01) faster song. When I think about Quiet Riot, this song usually gets overlooked. Not sure why, it’s a great track, I really should listen to it more. Nice guitar sound from Carlos.

Red Alert – Eh… Don’t care for this song.

Bad Boy – The kind of title that makes me cringe before hearing the song. Like some nonsense that Poison would put out (shudder).  Song’s not bad at all.  Could go with better lyrics, but the music here is pretty decent.  No argument there, just don’t care for the title/lyrics.

We Were Born to Rock – The album closes out with this track, which is OK.  Another “not bad, but not great” songs.  Just kind of there.  It’s not really filler either, just doesn’t grab me like some of the others do.

So how do I sum this up?  It’s a fair album that tries to achieve what its more popular predecessor did, but doesn’t quite get there.  That doesn’t mean it’s bad.  Some songs on here are quite good.  But I also think if the band wasn’t rushed into the studio to follow up the monster Metal Health, they may have had more time to put together a better record.  But, Quiet Riot has 10 more albums after this – their best was yet to come.