Now Playing: Alive and Well (1999)
Topic: Quiet Riot
Following the early success of Quiet Riot, it seems that everything since their 1983 smash hit album Metal Health was a struggle. With their album sales and popularity tanking in the mid to late 80s, finally hitting rock bottom with the abysmal self-titled Quiet Riot in 1988 (the album that featured Paul Shortino on lead vocals), it seems that the 90s weren't any kinder to the heavy metal act. It seems that with each album Quiet Riot released in the 90s, it was distributed through a different record label. Be in Moonstone Records for the brilliant 1993 album Terrified (the best QR album in my opinion), or Kamikaze Records in 1995 for Down To The Bone, or in 1999 with Alive and Well by Cleopatra, there was a new label with each passing album. Why was this? What happened? These are questions that I simply cannot answer, but it is indeed a curious thought.
As for Alive and Well, the album is just weak. Aside from Terrified, there aren't many flawless Quiet Riot albums to be heard. Alive and Well suffers from some incredibly bland song progression and utterly banal lyrics. Immature songs like "Slam Dunk (Way To Go!)" really drag this album down. "Angry" is another stinker. This record even includes an unsatisfying cover of AC/DC's "Highway to Hell."
Two songs of the first nine new recordings are actually good. The opening track, "Don't Know What I Want" is vintage Quiet Riot and has a great hook and some really awesome and thunderous drums. "Overworked and Underpaid" is another solid effort. Unfortunately the rest is poor.
The other saving grace of this album is the latter half of it which is comprised of re-recorded songs from the QR library. They re-record some of their best and most successful songs, and the new iterations are actually very impressive. I love the new iteration of the QR classic, "Don't Wanna Let You Go" with its refreshing acoustic approach. Also, "The Wild and The Young" is also a spirited re-recording that boasts a very enthusiastic and energetic sound. Other hits like "Cum on Feel the Noize" and "Metal Health (Bang Your Head)" are also a treat to hear all over again.
These re-recorded tracks are a great addition and ultimately salvage what is otherwise a rather bad overall product. However, these re-recorded songs also serve as a reminder that QR's most popular and past material is eons better than the compositions on the rest of Alive and Well. I commend Quiet Riot though for including these re-recorded tracks. Frankly, I wish more bands would do that in their own newer albums. I'd love to hear Van Halen re-record "Runnin' With The Devil" or the Scorpions to re-record "Rock You Like A Hurricane", to use them as examples. The re-recording of certain songs can be construed as a compromise to the original versions, but I feel it's just a nice service for the fans.
Alive and Well as a whole is something of a mixed bag. It has some very strong moments, be it the two solid new songs, or the new versions of QR classics. However, the rest of the package is marred with a directionless sense of songwriting and composition.
TRACK HIGHLIGHTS:
"Don't Know What I Want"
"Don't Wanna Let You Go 1999"
"The Wild And The Young 1999"
"Cum on Feel the Noize 1999"
"Metal Health (Bang Your Head) 1999"
"Overworked and Underpaid"
-Kurt L.
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