Metal Health

Metal Health is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Quiet Riot, released on March 11, 1983. The album spawned the hit singles "Cum On Feel the Noize" and "Metal Health". It was the band's first album to receive a worldwide release, as the first two were released only in Japan.

Metal Health
Studio album by
Quiet Riot
ReleasedMarch 11, 1983[1]
StudioPasha Music House, North Hollywood, California
Genre
Length40:57
LabelPasha
ProducerSpencer Proffer
Quiet Riot chronology
Quiet Riot II
(1978)		 Metal Health
(1983)		 Condition Critical
(1984)
Singles from Metal Health
  1. "Cum On Feel the Noize"
    Released: August 1983 [3]
  2. "Metal Health (Bang Your Head)"
    Released: December 1983 [4]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic link
Rolling Stone(not rated) link
Sputnikmusic3.5/5[5]

Metal Health was the first heavy metal album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart,[6] replacing the Police's Synchronicity at number one in November 1983. Due to its commercial success, Metal Health is regarded by some as the catalyst that opened the door for hair metal's immense popularity throughout the next several years.[7] The album went on to sell more than ten million copies worldwide[8] and over six million in the U.S. alone, being certified six-times platinum by the RIAA.

Overview

The band parted ways with bassist Chuck Wright early in the recording process, and replacement Gary Van Dyke was not working out. Vocalist Kevin DuBrow asked the band's former bassist Rudy Sarzo to take part in the recording of "Thunderbird", a song written as a tribute to the band's founder Randy Rhoads, who died in a 1982 plane crash. While DuBrow began writing the song while Rhoads was still alive, it wasn't completed until after the guitarist's death.[9] The partnership was quite fruitful and Sarzo ended up recording several songs with the band, and he ultimately left his spot with Ozzy Osbourne to re-join Quiet Riot as a permanent member.[10]

In support of the album, Quiet Riot opened for Black Sabbath on their Born Again tour in the US. They also managed to secure a spot on the 1983 US Festival alongside established acts such as Ozzy Osbourne and Judas Priest. Prior to Quiet Riot's US Festival performance, Sarzo was punched in the face backstage by a drunken Osbourne, still bitter over the bassist leaving him to rejoin Quiet Riot several months prior.[10]

Due to the band's subsequent failure to match Metal Health's commercial success, Quiet Riot have at times been referred to as "one-hit wonders".[11] The title track was ranked No. 35 on VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs. "Slick Black Cadillac" is a re-recording of a song that appeared on the band's 1978 album Quiet Riot II.

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Metal Health"
5:17
2."Cum On Feel the Noize" (Slade cover)
4:51
3."Don't Wanna Let You Go"
  • DuBrow
  • Cavazo
4:43
4."Slick Black Cadillac"
  • DuBrow
4:13
5."Love's a Bitch"DuBrow4:11
6."Breathless"
  • DuBrow
  • Cavazo
3:51
7."Run for Cover"
  • DuBrow
  • Cavazo
3:38
8."Battle Axe"Cavazo1:39
9."Let's Get Crazy"DuBrow4:08
10."Thunderbird"DuBrow4:43

Personnel

Quiet Riot

Additional personnel
  • Chuck Wright – bass guitar on "Metal Health" & "Don't Wanna Let You Go"[12]
  • Riot Squad - backing vocals
  • Pat Regan - Keyboards

Production
  • Arranged by Quiet Riot
  • Produced by Spencer Proffer
  • Recorded and mixed by Duane Baron at The Pasha Music House
  • All songs published by The Grand Pasha Publisher, except "Cum on Feel the Noize" (Barn Publishing, Inc)

Design
  • Quiet Riot – artwork
  • Jay Vigon – art direction, design
  • Sam Emerson – photography
  • Ron Sobol – photography
  • Stan Watts – illustrations

Chart positions
Chart (1983–1984) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[13] 39
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[14] 5
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[15] 33
US Billboard 200[16] 1

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[17] 3× Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[18] 6× Platinum 6,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Accolades
Publication Country Accolade Rank
Consequence of Sound US 10 Hair Metal Albums That Don't Suck[2] 3
Rolling Stone US 50 Greatest Hair Metal Albums of All Time[19] 15
Loudwire US Top 30 Hair Metal Albums[20] 11

References
  1. Whitaker, Sterling (March 11, 2016). "How Quiet Riot's 'Metal Health' Brought Metal to the Mainstream". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  2. "Consequence of Sound - 10 Hair Metal Albums That Don't Suck". Consequence of Sound. February 5, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  3. "Quiet Riot singles".
  4. "Quiet Riot singles".
  5. "Review: Quiet Riot - Metal Health | Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  6. DiVita, Joe (July 22, 2013). "10 Best Metal Albums of 1983". Loudwire. Retrieved April 9, 2021. Metal Health' is immortalized in music history as the first heavy metal album to reach the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart
  7. Rivadavia, Eduardo (August 6, 2018). "The 11 Heaviest Hair Metal Songs". Loudwire. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  8. "Quiet Riot - BIO". www.quietriot.band. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  9. Quiet Riot 2001 CD: Liner notes
  10. Sarzo, Rudy (2017). Off the Rails (third edition). CreateSpace Publishing. ISBN 1-53743-746-1
  11. Rivadavia, Eduardo; Franck, John Franck. "Metal Health review". AllMusic. Retrieved April 18, 2010.
  12. "Chuck Wright Interview". Music Legends Online. June 5, 2008. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
  13. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  14. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4451a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  15. "Charts.nz – Quiet Riot – Metal Health". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  16. "Quiet Riot Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  17. "Canadian album certifications – Quiet Riot – Metal Heath". Music Canada.
  18. "American album certifications – Quiet Riot – Metal Health". Recording Industry Association of America.
  19. "Rolling Stone - 50 Greatest Hair Metal Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. August 31, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  20. DiVita, Joe (November 9, 2016). "Top 30 Hair Metal Albums". Loudwire. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
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