| The Randy Rhoads Years | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | 1993 | |||
| Recorded | 1977–1978 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock | |||
| Length | 43:25 | |||
| Label | Rhino | |||
| Producer | Warren Entner, Lee DeCarlo, Kevin DuBrow, Derek Lawrence | |||
| Quiet Riot chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
The Randy Rhoads Years is a 1993 compilation album from American heavy metal band Quiet Riot. It features previously unreleased and remixed material recorded with band founder Randy Rhoads in the 1970s.
None of the songs on The Randy Rhoads Years are the same versions that appear on the original two Quiet Riot albums. Longtime Quiet Riot vocalist Kevin DuBrow remixed all the tracks at the request of the Rhoads family, with the exception of the previously unreleased "Force of Habit", as that track's master tape couldn't be located. [2]
DuBrow also re-recorded his lead vocals on all tracks with the exception of "Force of Habit". The track "Last Call for Rock 'n' Roll" is a reworking of Rhoads' guitar parts from the track "Mama's Little Angels" on the 1978 album Quiet Riot. The drums on all tracks but "Force of Habit" were re-sampled, and the guitar tracks were played through Carlos Cavazo's Marshall amplifiers to duplicate the sound that Rhoads later achieved as a member of Ozzy Osbourne's band. According to DuBrow, Rhoads used Peavey amplifiers while in Quiet Riot and was never happy with his guitar tone, but was quite happy with his tone later with Osbourne as he had access to better equipment and was using Marshall amplifiers and cabinets. [2]
The song "Trouble" was sped up as DuBrow felt the original was too slow. DuBrow also added wah-wah to one guitar solo, playing the pedal himself through the original guitar tracks. "Afterglow (Of Your Love)" from Quiet Riot II was stripped down and remixed, leaving just Rhoads' acoustic guitar in an "unplugged" arrangement. DuBrow used triangle samples to disguise background noise that could not be removed from the track. The sole live track, "Laughing Gas", featured an extended guitar solo that was spliced together from two separate recordings. It featured pieces of Rhoads' later songs "Goodbye to Romance", "Dee", and perhaps his best known song, the hit "Crazy Train". [2] It also features parts of the "RR" solo outtake that was lost and found during the mixing for the 2011 Expanded Legacy Edition for Blizzard of Ozz [3] and was put on the reissue as a bonus track.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Trouble" (Original version from Quiet Riot II ) |
| 4:28 |
| 2. | "Laughing Gas" (Randy Rhoads Guitar Solo) (Live At The Great L.A. Club The Starwood July 6, 1977) |
| 9:43 |
| 3. | "Afterglow (Of Your Love)" (Acoustic) | 3:22 | |
| 4. | "Killer Girls" (Original version from Quiet Riot II) |
| 4:18 |
| 5. | "Picking Up the Pieces" (Previously unreleased) |
| 3:12 |
| 6. | "Last Call for Rock 'n' Roll" (Original version titled "Mama's Little Angels" from Quiet Riot ) |
| 4:18 |
| 7. | "Breaking Up Is a Heartache" (Previously unreleased) |
| 2:52 |
| 8. | "Force of Habit" (Previously unreleased) |
| 3:10 |
| 9. | "It's Not So Funny" (Original version from Quiet Riot) |
| 3:46 |
| 10. | "Look in Any Window" (Original version from Quiet Riot) | Rhoads | 3:34 |
At the time of release of The Randy Rhoads Years, DuBrow said in the 1993 interview with Guitar for the Practicing Musician that two more releases were forthcoming. He mentioned a second volume featuring more remixed and unreleased tracks, including Quiet Riot's version of "Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)". According to DuBrow, the release of any further tracks completely depended on their quality, and approval by the Rhoads family. He also said a home video release was forthcoming of an early Quiet Riot club show featuring Rhoads. This same video provided the audio for one half of the live version of "Laughing Gas" on The Randy Rhoads Years. [2] To date, neither of these releases have seen the light of day; DuBrow had championed the release of the Rhoads material, and his 2007 death makes the release of any further Rhoads material unlikely.
Quiet Riot is an American heavy metal band founded in Los Angeles in 1973 by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni.
Metal Health is the third studio album by the American heavy metal band Quiet Riot, released on February 28, 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.
Randall William Rhoads was an American guitarist. He was the co-founder and original guitarist of the heavy metal band Quiet Riot, and the guitarist and co-songwriter for Ozzy Osbourne's first two solo albums Blizzard of Ozz (1980) and Diary of a Madman (1981). Rhoads was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.
Kevin Mark DuBrow was an American singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Quiet Riot from 1975 until 1987, and again from 1993 until his death in 2007.
Frankie Banali was an American rock drummer, most widely known for his work with heavy metal band Quiet Riot. His signature tone and iconic drum intros first became famous on their album Metal Health, which was the first metal album to hit number one on the Billboard charts and ushered in the 80's metal band era. He had been the band's manager since 1993. He played drums in the heavy metal band W.A.S.P., as well as with Billy Idol. Banali was briefly a touring drummer for Faster Pussycat and Steppenwolf. In the last few months of his life, he was also an abstract painter.
Juan Croucier is a Cuban-born American musician. He is best known as the bassist for the hard rock/glam metal band Ratt.
"Crazy Train" is the debut solo single by English heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne and was released in 1980 from his debut album as a solo artist, Blizzard of Ozz (1980). The song was written by Osbourne, Randy Rhoads, and Bob Daisley. The lyrics deal with the subject of the Cold War and the fear of annihilation that existed during this period.
Quiet Riot is the self-titled debut studio album by the American Hard rock band Quiet Riot. It was released exclusively in Japan on March 2, 1978.
Carlos Cavazo is an American musician best known as the guitarist for heavy metal band Quiet Riot during their commercial peak. He has also played with Snow, 3 Legged Dogg, Hollywood Allstarz, and Ratt.
QR III is the fifth studio album released by American Hard rock/heavy metal band Quiet Riot. It was released in 1986 on Pasha / CBS. It is the last album to feature lead singer Kevin DuBrow until the 1993 album Terrified.
Rodolfo Maximiliano Sarzo Lavieille Grande Ruiz Payret y Chaumont is a Cuban American hard rock/heavy metal bassist. He remains best known for his work with Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, and Whitesnake, and has also played with several well known heavy metal and hard rock acts including Manic Eden, Dio, Blue Öyster Cult, Geoff Tate's Queensrÿche, Devil City Angels, and the Guess Who. He re-joined Quiet Riot in 2021. Though not a founding member, he is the longest-serving member currently in the band.
Condition Critical is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Quiet Riot. Released in 1984, it was not nearly as successful as its predecessor in either fan reaction or sales. However, it did sell over one million copies, peaking at No. 15 on the US Billboard album chart. Like the band's previous album, Condition Critical features a Slade cover song as the second track.
Down to the Bone is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Quiet Riot, released by Kamikaze in 1995. It was recorded at Ocean Studios, Burbank Calif., The Track House, Van Nuys, Calif., and Paramount Studios, Hollywood, California.
Quiet Riot II is the second studio album by the American Heavy metal band Quiet Riot, released on December 2, 1978.
Terrified is the seventh album by American heavy metal band Quiet Riot. It is the band's first album in five years, and marks the return of singer Kevin DuBrow after his firing in 1987. It is bassist Kenny Hillery's only studio album with the band, and drummer Bobby Rondinelli plays on several songs. Many of the album's songs were featured in Charles Band's movie Dollman vs. Demonic Toys, with the album itself being released on Moonstone Records, the soundtrack offshoot of Band's film company Full Moon Entertainment.
Alive and Well is the ninth studio album by heavy metal band Quiet Riot. It was recorded following a reunion of the classic 1980s Quiet Riot lineup of Kevin DuBrow, Rudy Sarzo, Carlos Cavazo, and Frankie Banali. It featured eight new songs alongside updated versions of six of their classics, including "Cum On Feel The Noize", "Metal Health" and "Mama Weer All Crazee Now", as well as a cover of "Highway to Hell" by AC/DC. This track had previously been released on the AC/DC tribute album Thunderbolt: A Tribute To AC/DC.
Guilty Pleasures is the tenth studio album by Quiet Riot released in 2001. It was produced jointly by John Rollo and Quiet Riot. It is the last to feature guitarist Carlos Cavazo and bassist Rudy Sarzo as official members, though Sarzo later appeared as a guest performer on the band's 2014 studio album Quiet Riot 10 and he eventually rejoined the band in 2021.
Rehab is the eleventh studio album released from the heavy metal band Quiet Riot in 2006. It is their first studio release since 2001's Guilty Pleasures, and is their final studio album to feature lead singer Kevin DuBrow before his death in November 2007. The album has received mixed reviews from fans.
Robert Sarzo, nicknamed "The VuDu Man", is a Cuban-American guitarist. His career has spanned 40 years.
