QUIET RIOT - Condition Critical 12" Vinyl LP Album

Spencer Proffer is one of those behind-the-glass power players who didn’t need a mic stand to leave fingerprints everywhere. After launching Pasha Records in 1978, he locked into his most famous run with Quiet Riot from 1983 to 1986, producing Metal Health, Condition Critical, and QR III—that whole era where the drums got huge, the hooks got sharper, and the mix sounded like chrome. He also worked with Canada’s Kick Axe on Vices (1984) and co-produced King Kobra on Ready to Strike (recorded 1984, released 1985). In my head, “Proffer-era” equals tight, glossy, arena-ready impact—built to slam on vinyl and still sparkle on FM.

George Marino is one of those behind-the-glass legends who made heavy music feel larger than the room it was playing in. Before the mastering console became his throne, he was a Bronx guitarist doing the NYC band grind in the 1960s with groups like The Chancellors and The New Sounds Ltd. Then he went pro for real: starting at Capitol Studios in New York (1967), and eventually becoming a long-running force at Sterling Sound (from 1973 onward). For a collector like me—living in that sweet spot where 1980s heavy metal, hard rock, and a dash of prog-minded ambition collide—Marino’s credits read like a stack of essential sleeves: Holy Diver (Dio), Tooth and Nail (Dokken), Stay Hard (Raven), Master of Puppets (Metallica), Somewhere in Time (Iron Maiden), Among the Living (Anthrax), Appetite for Destruction (Guns N’ Roses), Slippery When Wet (Bon Jovi), and Blow Up Your Video (AC/DC). That’s the kind of resume that doesn’t just “master” records—it weaponizes them, but with taste. George Marino Wiki