Search - Quiet Riot - Live! In The 21st Century: 20 Years Of Metal Health (DVD) on DVD

Awesome

03/20/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Don't let the naysayers sway you from checking this DVD out. The gripes are unfounded. Kevin's hair is fake? OH MY GOD HOW CAN I ENJOY THE PERFORMANCE?! NEXT YOU'LL TELL ME THAT ALICE COOPER HASN'T REALLY KILLED HIMSELF ON STAGE ALL THOSE TIMES! Kevin has a tan!? GOD SAVE US! How could music made by people with tattoos or tans be entertaining?! And then there are the folks have "grown" and "evolved" past good time rock and roll. If you are a fan of the band and don't have hang ups about tans, tatts, hair, and can still enjoy fun rock that you loved when you were younger- check this DVD out! Put it on, kick back, and rock!"

Alive and well . . .

trebe | 12/30/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Quiet Riot broke out of LA's vibrant metal scene in 1983 with their crunching anthem Metal Health. Some 20 years later on Live! in the 21st Century, the group is still intact, and looking good for rockers in their mid 40's, fronted by the ever boisterous Kevin DuBrow, with colorful Rudy Sarzo on bass, and Frankie Banali bashing the drums. Guitarist Carlos Cavazo, who can still pass for an 80's version of The Monkees Mickey Dolenz, has lost none of his skills as a stringbender.

While drawing selections from Metal Health and Condition Critical, the band's set features material from just two other studio recordings. The group performs three songs from Terrified, a somewhat obscure 1993 release, and a pair from 2001's Guilty Pleasures. Songs like Vicious Circle and Psycho City definitely rock hard, however the song selection results in a package that may not be too familiar to the casual fan.

Recorded at The Key Club in Hollywood, the performance is not a straight ahead metal assault, as the group takes an acoustic break to perform Itchykoo Park and Don't Want to Let You Go. The later is an under appreciated tune, that while still good acoustic, is a killer tune in the original electric version. Performing Thunderbird, DuBrow and the band pay tribute to Randy Rhodes, the guitarist who left Quiet Riot to achieve legendary status playing with Ozzy Osbourne, before perishing in a plane crash. While Rhodes may have been there at the beginning, it was Cavazo's signature licks that helped bring Quiet Riot to prominence, and it seems a bit unfair that he be cast in Rhodes's shadow after all this time. These days Cavazo displays his versatility covering classic metal tunes playing with the Hollywood Allstarz.

The quality of the video is clear and sharp, and views mostly unobstructed. Sound options are 5.1 Dolby surround sound and standard stereo. The bonuses are mostly assorted short clips from the mid 80's, and a slide show. Nice, but an interview with the band, or career retrospective would have made it more complete. In addition to the DVD, a CD with audio of the performance is also included.

At this time Quiet Riot still exists, but minus Cavazo and Sarzo. So unless there is a reunion (always a possibility) this is may be your best opportunity to see the classic lineup in a recent performance. The show is a bit uneven, and all the songs may not be familiar, but fans of the band should not be too disappointed. With the current popularity of metal near "condition critical', it's good to see that acts like Quiet Riot are still around and kicking. QR has a CD of live material scheduled for release in January 2005. Bang your head, metal health will still drive you mad.




"

Is it hot in here or is it just me?

Jen | 11/18/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD rocks. From start to finish, it is a Quiet Riot lovers dream. The sound is incredible, it was the first thing to really grab my attention, and the picture quality is perfect. From the begining song "Vicious Circle" to the awesome finish with "Metal Health (Bang Your Head) I felt just like I was in the front row.
Having seen Quiet Riot live many times, I can say that the DVD performance truly captured the energy and excitement you feel when you see them live. Getting pumped up through "Vicious Circle" and "Slick Black Cadillac", I was banging my head during "Terrified" and hungry for more. And more is what you get! With "Mama weer all crazy now" and the powerful "Feel the Pain". Now the set takes a turn and goes acoustic, with an awesome performance of "Itchykoo Park". Kevin and Carlos on guitar and Frankie Banali on Conga drums. One of my favorite parts of the whole DVD. Next up is "Don`t wanna let you go" one of my favorite Quiet Riot songs, and having never seen the band perform the song live it was a real treat for me to see it on the DVD. Thunderbird: words can hardly describe how this wonderful song touches you during the DVD performance. With footage of Randy Rhoads throughout the song, you are left teary eyed.Picking you back up with "Danger Zone" and "Sign of the times" you are then mezmerized by Carlos` shreading guitar solo "Battle Axe" with awesome camera angles and killer lights, taking you into "Psyco City" and then a most awesome drum solo "Swinging Lumber". You just don`t want Frankie to stop! Not since John Bonham`s performance of "Moby Dick" from the Led Zeppelin DVD have I been so hypnotized by a drum solo!The set then goes into "Cum on feel the noize", the Who`s "My Generation" and last but not least, the anthem "Metal Health (bang your head)".With all of that plus bonus features of home video clips, this DVD is a Headbangers dream come true! I highly recommend it to any Quiet Riot fan.To the band: Thanks for 20 years of great music and fun!"

Cool beans!

Jen | 12/03/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First off, this DVD has very good video and audio quality. That's the product that you're actually buying isn't it? The picture is very crisp and tightly shot. It's a small stage in a club setting, so what more can you really do? The audio is equally impressive.

As for content.. the set list is good and the overall performance is average. Rudy Sarzo's bass is a little low in the mix, or it could be that drummer Frankie Banali's accessive overplaying drowns him out. Despite the mix, which ironicly is produced and engineered by Banali (big surprise), Sarzo is as flashy as ever and gets the job done. I've always considered Banali a great drummer (especially during his stint with WASP) but he plays surprisingly sloppy throughout the set. He simply overplays, most notably during "Slick Black Cadillac". DuBrow's voice, like always, is uninspiring but he manages to hit most of the notes, so he's not hiding anything under his wig. Carlos Cavazo, as always is very good from start to finish. Not his best performance, but he continues to remain one of my favorite hard rock/metal players. IMO, he's a severly underated guitarist.

The low point of the show for me were the acoustic numbers. Let's face it, QR is your basic one dimensional band. They're not Tesla! Absent was a personal fave, "Let's Get Crazy" and "The Wild & The Young". Present was The Who's "My Generation", which by the way was tapped off with the intro to "Black Sabbath". Looking at the order of the setlist, it's easy to assume this band has a lot of "fluff" in their arsenal. 2 of the 3 closing tracks are the 2 "big ones" ("Metal Health" & "C'Mon feel the Noize" sandwich "My Generation"), so you get the feeling that they are keeping the audience around to hear what they came for most to see on this tour. An extended version of "Metal Health" closes out the set and covers a lot of ground including a brief "Party All Nite" teaser.

Overall I would definitely recommend this DVD. The quality is great and if you're a fan of the band you should get it. That's what a true fan is anyway. If you like the QR live '89 DVD with Paul Shortino, who I consider one of greats, then you'll love this. The quality is night and day. This 21st Century package destroys the '89 DVD, despite the fact that Shortino destroys DuBrow as a vocalist.

-PHiL"