Quiet Riot's time in the spotlight was brief, but their year of fame produced two of the key songs in '80s metal -- their roaring cover of
Slade's "Cum on Feel the Noize" and the anthemic "Bang Your Head (Metal Health)." There may have been better bands than
Quiet Riot, but they helped prove that metal could hit the pop charts, as long as there was a hook. Of course,
Def Leppard was doing much the same thing at the same time with more style and flair, but there was something about
Quiet Riot's everyman looks and crazzeee schtick that gave them a wide appeal. That and the fact that they had a pair of the dumbest, catchiest metallic singles of their time -- songs that worked so well they became touchstones for a generation of metalheads. It almost doesn't matter that the remainder of their catalog was a hit-or-miss affair -- they had their moment in the sun, which few groups ever get. And all most listeners will want out of a
Quiet Riot collection are those two songs. In other words, the budget-line
Super Hits fulfills that need as well as
Metal Health or The Best of Quiet Riot, the two other albums that contain those two songs. In some ways,
Super Hits is even better than The Best Of, since it isn't burdened by two unnecessary live tracks and has almost all the essentials -- the pair of hits, "Slick Black Cadillac," "Mama Weer All Crazee Now," "Condition Critical" -- on one affordable disc. There's a bit of filler here, too, but no more so than on The Best Of.
Metal Health remains a better portrait of the time, but any casual fan looking for a compilation may want to choose
Super Hits, considering its price and selection. Also, because it has those two songs...