A Month of Guilty Pleasures: Quiet Riot - Cum on Feel the Noize

Quiet Riot became unlikely pop superstars in the early 1980's. They were a Los Angeles based heavy metal band that seemed to come out of nowhere in late 1983, but had, in fact, a long and winding road toward success. The band was formed in 1975 and they had great local club success in L.A., but their first two albums failed to find a US record label willing to release them. In late 1979 the band suffered a blow when guitarist Randy Rhoads left to join Ozzy Osbourne's band. After Rhoads died in a plane crash in 1982, the band was put back together around lead singer Kevin DuBrow. Fortune finally shined on the band in the form of a recording contract from CBS Records, and the album Metal Health was released in 1983. The album included a remake of Slade's #1 UK pop classic "Cum On Feel the Noize." With help from strong MTV support, "Cum On Feel the Noize" made it to the top 5 of the pop singles chart and carried Metal Health to #1 on the album chart.

"Cum on Feel the Noize" is little more than a choral hook surrounded by heavy metal guitar, but it is a massive, memorable hook. Quiet Riot have inspired millions of air guitar solos with this song.

Watch "Cum On Feel the Noize"

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