''Condition Critical'' is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band

Quiet Riot Quiet Riot is an American heavy metal band founded in Los Angeles in 1973 by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni. The original lineup featured Rhoads and Garni with lead vocalist Kevin DuBrow and drummer Drew Forsyth, though tha ...

. Released in 1984, it was not nearly as successful as its predecessor (1983's ''

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 ...

'') in either fan reaction or sales. It was also given an infamous two-word review in ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'' magazine: "''Condition Terminal.''" However, it did sell over one million copies, peaking at 15 on the US Billboard album chart. Like the band's previous album, ''Condition Critical'' features a

Slade Slade are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Wolverhampton in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The ''British H ...

cover song as the second track. Tracks "Party All Night" (also known as "Party All Nite") and "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" had

music videos A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...

made for them, both receiving some airplay on TV. The same man with a metal mask from the last album cover is on this cover as well as many of the band's subsequent album covers, establishing him as the band's mascot. The character also has cameos in both aforementioned music videos. The track "Stomp Your Hands, Clap Your Feet" shares its title with the original American title to Slade's 1974 album '' Old New Borrowed and Blue''.

Critical reception

As stated in the program ''

Behind the Music ''Behind the Music'' is a documentary television series on VH1. Each episode profiles and interviews a popular musical artist or group. The program examines the beginning of their career, their road to success, and the hardships they may have ...

'', frontman DuBrow's combative attitude towards many

music journalists Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

as well as fellow heavy metal musicians – exemplified by DuBrow labeling the magazine ''

Hit Parader ''Hit Parader'' was an American music magazine that operated between 1942 and 2008. A monthly publication, it focused on rock and pop music in general until the 1970s, when its focus began turning to hard rock and heavy metal. By the early 198 ...

'' as akin to toilet paper – was felt by other band members and their producer to have hurt the album's reviews. DuBrow in later interviews has agreed and expressed regrets.''Behind the Music: Quiet Riot''

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

critic

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, oc ...

gave ''Condition Critical'' a mixed-to-positive review, stating that he found the band's Slade cover to be the best track on the album given the "solid hook" of its guitar riffs.

Commercial performance

The album did not garner the same amount of sales as its predecessor, ''

''. It reached the No. 15 slot on the

Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artist ...

Track listing

All songs written by

Kevin DuBrow Kevin Mark DuBrow (October 29, 1955 – November 19, 2007) 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. Early life, photography ...

, except where noted.

Personnel

Quiet Riot

–

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of th ...

Carlos Cavazo Carlos Cavazo (born July 8, 1957) is an American guitarist best known as the guitarist for Quiet Riot during their commercial peak. He has also played with Snow, 3 Legged Dogg, Hollywood Allstarz, and Ratt. Biography Cavazo was born in Atlant ...

–

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

s *

Rudy Sarzo Rodolfo Maximiliano Sarzo Lavieille Grande Ruiz Payret y Chaumont (born November 18, 1950) 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 play ...

–

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and s ...

Frankie Banali Frankie Banali (November 14, 1951 – August 20, 2020) 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' ...

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

;Additional Personnel *

Chuck Wright Chuck Wright (born September 13, 1959) is an American bassist, best known as a member of the hard rock/heavy metal band Quiet Riot. He originally joined Quiet Riot in 1982, playing bass on the tracks " Metal Health (Bang Your Head)" and "Don ...

- backing vocals *Randy Bishop - backing vocals

Production

Spencer Proffer Spencer Proffer (born Salek Profesorski, December 25, 1948) is an American media and record producer. He is the CEO of Meteor 17, a convergence media production company based in Los Angeles, California, United States. Proffer produced the firs ...

Critical reception

Commercial performance

Track listing

Personnel

Quiet Riot

Production

Charts

Certifications

References