I've heard the name, and I'm aware they are one of the American mainstream rawk bands. But I know no more than that, and I can't name any of their songs. I've just had a quick look at Guns N' Roses, with whom this band are compared, so I thought I'd have a quick look at this motley crew of rawkers.
Wikipedia:
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Hollywood, California, in 1981 by bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, with guitarist Mick Mars and lead vocalist Vince Neil joining right after. The band has sold over 100 million records worldwide. They have achieved seven platinum or multi-platinum certifications, nine Top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 chart (including 1989's Dr. Feelgood, which is Mötley Crüe's only studio album to reach number one), twenty-two Top 40 mainstream rock hits, and six Top 20 pop singles.
The members of Mötley Crüe are often noted for their hedonistic lifestyles and the androgynous personae they maintained. Following the hard rock and heavy metal origins on the band's first two albums, Too Fast for Love (1981) and Shout at the Devil (1983), the release of its third album Theatre of Pain (1985) saw Mötley Crüe joining the first wave of glam metal. The band employ elaborate live performances, which include flame thrower guitars, roller coaster drum kits, and the use of pyrotechnics such as fireworks and lighting Sixx on fire. Mötley Crüe's most recent studio album, Saints of Los Angeles, was released on June 24, 2008. What was planned to be the band's final show took place on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2015. The concert was filmed for a theatrical and Blu-ray release in 2016
One of the most notorious and successful bands of the hair metal era -- who managed to carve out a career long after the era ended -- Mötley Crüe have continually burned in a blaze of drugs, debauchery, and platinum hits. Their glammed-out image, hard-partying reputation, and knack for melding pop hooks to heavy metal theatrics took the band to the top of the charts repeatedly throughout the '80s, with records like 1985's Theatre of Pain and 1989's Dr. Feelgood ensuring them sold-out arenas around the world. Their wild lifestyles took a toll, however, and by the early '90s the band imploded, with lineup changes and legal turmoil derailing them. They remained one of the more beloved bands of the pop metal heyday, and the 2000s saw a renewed success with the reunion of the original lineup. New albums like 2008's Saints of Los Angeles arrived sporadically, and they have toured constantly; in 2019, they were immortalized in The Dirt, a full-length biopic focusing on their infamous early years. After contributing several tracks to the soundtrack of the horror film The Retaliators, Mötley Crüe released the 2024 singles "Dogs of War" and "Cancelled" ahead of their next studio album.
Albums
 |
| Too Fast for Love (1981) |
Debut album opens with a piece of fast hard rock in the style of Deep Purple. It's decent, well done, mostly unrelenting (there is a slower patch in the middle). Pretty par for the course for early Seventies hard rock. A little cliched and dull for the early Eighties, and there's nothing in it to make it stand out. If you went to a hard rock gig, and these guys were the opening act, you'd jog your head in time to the music, acknowledge that the band are in the right place for a hard rock gig, and then go to the bar for some drinks and a chat with your mates until the real band came on. The rest of the album carries on in this cliched sub-average manner, with nothing catching the attention. Contemporary reviews found the album cliched with poor musicianship, but a number liked the speed and rawness of the band.
Essentially, this is a dull album. Dated, unoriginal, and poorly played. But it has some speed and energy. Best track is probably "Too Fast For Love"
Essentially, this is a dull album. Dated, unoriginal, and poorly played. But it has some speed and energy. Best track is probably "Too Fast For Love"
All tracks are written by Nikki Sixx, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Live Wire" | 3:14 | |
| 2. | "Come On and Dance" | 2:47 | |
| 3. | "Public Enemy #1" |
| 4:22 |
| 4. | "Merry-Go-Round" | 3:22 | |
| 5. | "Take Me to the Top" | 3:43 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Piece of Your Action" |
| 4:39 |
| 7. | "Starry Eyes" | 4:28 | |
| 8. | "Too Fast for Love" | 3:22 | |
| 9. | "On with the Show" |
| 4:07 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Toast of the Town" (B-side of "Stick to Your Guns" single) |
| 3:35 |
| 11. | "Tonight" (Raspberries cover) | Eric Carmen | 4:27 |
| 12. | "Too Fast for Love" (alternate intro) | 4:19 | |
| 13. | "Stick to Your Guns" | 4:23 | |
| 14. | "Merry-Go-Round" (live in San Antonio, Texas) | 3:56 | |
| 15. | "Live Wire" (video) | 12:18 |
AllMusic: 8
Score: 2
 |
| Shout at the Devil (1983) |
A fairly solid and energetic hard rock album in the style of AC/DC and the British New wave of British heavy metal (NWBHM). Unadventurous and cliched, and somewhat dated, with no interesting or catchy songs. But listenable on a limited level. A tad better, though also a tad cleaner, than the debut album. Swings and roundabouts.
All tracks are written by Nikki Sixx, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "In the Beginning" |
| 1:13 |
| 2. | "Shout at the Devil" | 3:16 | |
| 3. | "Looks That Kill" | 4:07 | |
| 4. | "Bastard" | 2:54 | |
| 5. | "God Bless the Children of the Beast" (Instrumental) | Mick Mars | 1:33 |
| 6. | "Helter Skelter" (The Beatles cover) | Lennon–McCartney | 3:09 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Red Hot" |
| 3:20 |
| 2. | "Too Young to Fall in Love" | 3:34 | |
| 3. | "Knock 'Em Dead, Kid" |
| 3:43 |
| 4. | "Ten Seconds to Love" |
| 4:17 |
| 5. | "Danger" |
| 3:51 |
AllMusic: 9
Score: 2
 |
| Theatre of Pain (1985) |
Somewhat rocky, but boring. There's little here of interest. The best thing is the cover of "Smokin' In The Boys Room", and that's just a straight cover of the original from more than 10 years earlier. That cover, and the supremely lacklustre cover of "Helter Skelter" on Shout at the Devil, where as a supposedly raucous heavy metal band they couldn't match the noise and menace of a pop group from the Sixties, for fucks sake, indicates to me that this is a band lacking in ideas, originality, and true spirit.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "City Boy Blues" | 4:10 | |
| 2. | "Smokin' in the Boys Room" (Brownsville Station cover) |
| 3:27 |
| 3. | "Louder Than Hell" | Sixx | 2:32 |
| 4. | "Keep Your Eye on the Money" | Sixx | 4:40 |
| 5. | "Home Sweet Home" |
| 3:59 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Tonight (We Need a Lover)" |
| 3:37 |
| 7. | "Use It or Lose It" |
| 2:39 |
| 8. | "Save Our Souls" |
| 4:13 |
| 9. | "Raise Your Hands to Rock" | Sixx | 2:48 |
| 10. | "Fight for Your Rights" |
| 3:50 |
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 8
Score: 2
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| Girls, Girls, Girls (1987) |
A little faster and closer to Motorhead and to AC/DC. Still somewhat boring, and redundant compared to those bands.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wild Side" | 4:41 | |
| 2. | "Girls, Girls, Girls" |
| 4:30 |
| 3. | "Dancing on Glass" |
| 4:18 |
| 4. | "Bad Boy Boogie" |
| 3:27 |
| 5. | "Nona" | Sixx | 1:27 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Five Years Dead" | Sixx | 3:50 |
| 7. | "All in the Name of..." |
| 3:39 |
| 8. | "Sumthin' for Nuthin'" |
| 4:49 |
| 9. | "You're All I Need" |
| 4:32 |
| 10. | "Jailhouse Rock (live)" (Elvis Presley cover) | Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller | 4:39 |
AllMusic: 8
Score: 2
 |
| Dr. Feelgood (1989) |
All lyrics are written by Nikki Sixx.
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "T.n.T. (Terror 'n Tinseltown)" | Sixx | 0:42 |
| 2. | "Dr. Feelgood" |
| 4:50 |
| 3. | "Slice of Your Pie" |
| 4:32 |
| 4. | "Rattlesnake Shake" |
| 3:40 |
| 5. | "Kickstart My Heart" | Sixx | 4:48 |
| 6. | "Without You" |
| 4:29 |
| 7. | "Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.)" |
| 4:12 |
| 8. | "Sticky Sweet" |
| 3:52 |
| 9. | "She Goes Down" |
| 4:37 |
| 10. | "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)" |
| 4:40 |
| 11. | "Time for Change" |
| 4:45 |
AllMusic: 9
Score: 3.5
 |
| Mötley Crüe (1994) |
All lyrics are written by John Corabi and Nikki Sixx; all music is composed by Corabi, Sixx, Mick Mars, and Tommy Lee, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Power to the Music" | 5:12 | |
| 2. | "Uncle Jack" | 5:28 | |
| 3. | "Hooligan's Holiday" | 5:51 | |
| 4. | "Misunderstood" | 6:53 | |
| 5. | "Loveshine" | 2:36 | |
| 6. | "Poison Apples" |
| 3:40 |
| 7. | "Hammered" | 5:15 | |
| 8. | "Til Death Do Us Part" | 6:03 | |
| 9. | "Welcome to the Numb" | 5:18 | |
| 10. | "Smoke the Sky" | 3:36 | |
| 11. | "Droppin' Like Flies" | 6:26 | |
| 12. | "Driftaway" | 4:00 |
AllMusic: 4
Score: 2
 |
| Generation Swine (1997) |
AllMusic: 4
Score: 2
 |
| New Tattoo (2000) |
Boring as usual. This is the year 2000, and they are still churning out music that was old even when the band were formed in 1981. People are clearly buying this stuff because they have bought into an image of the band and are fond of that image.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hell on High Heels" | 4:15 | |
| 2. | "Treat Me Like the Dog I Am" |
| 3:40 |
| 3. | "New Tattoo" |
| 4:18 |
| 4. | "Dragstrip Superstar" |
| 4:22 |
| 5. | "1st Band on the Moon" | Sixx | 4:25 |
| 6. | "She Needs Rock & Roll" |
| 3:59 |
| 7. | "Punched in the Teeth by Love" |
| 3:32 |
| 8. | "Hollywood Ending" |
| 3:43 |
| 9. | "Fake" |
| 3:44 |
| 10. | "Porno Star" | Sixx | 3:45 |
| 11. | "White Punks on Dope" (The Tubes cover) |
| 3:39 |
AllMusic: 6
Score: 2
 |
| Saints of Los Angeles (2008) |
The band rollick along quite merrily, incorporating some of the fun of Nu Metal, though with stupid, old fashioned, cliched screeching metal guitar solos. I am liking this more than I thought I would. The title track is a piece of juvenile good fun rock that I wished they'd done a lot more of.
All tracks are written by Nikki Sixx, James Michael, DJ Ashba, and Marti Frederiksen, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "L.A.M.F." | 1:23 | |
| 2. | "Face Down in the Dirt" | 3:44 | |
| 3. | "What's It Gonna Take" | 3:45 | |
| 4. | "Down at the Whisky" | 3:50 | |
| 5. | "Saints of Los Angeles" | 3:40 | |
| 6. | "Mutherfucker of the Year" |
| 3:55 |
| 7. | "The Animal in Me" | 4:16 | |
| 8. | "Welcome to the Machine" |
| 3:00 |
| 9. | "Just Another Psycho" |
| 3:36 |
| 10. | "Chicks = Trouble" |
| 3:13 |
| 11. | "This Ain't a Love Song" |
| 3:25 |
| 12. | "White Trash Circus" |
| 2:51 |
| 13. | "Goin' Out Swingin'" | 3:27 |
AllMusic: 6
Score: 3
Music Video Singles
* "Live Wire" (1982) - USA - UK
* "Looks That Kill" (1984) No 54 USA - UK
* "Smokin' In The Boys Room" (1985) No 16 USA No 71 UK
* "Home Sweet Home" (1985) No 89 USA No 51 UK
* "Smokin' In The Boys Room" (1985) No 16 USA No 71 UK
* "Home Sweet Home" (1985) No 89 USA No 51 UK
* "Kickstart My Heart" (1989) No 27 USA. - UK
* "Saints of Los Angeles" (2008) - USA - UK
The videos portray the band as a bunch of young and stupid boys. Their appeal to young American males makes more sense when seeing the videos - they are all a bit Bill & Ted, a bit like your crazy friends, or at least what you'd like your friends to be like. They are quite cute and appealing and fun. They are, essentially, a heavy metal boys band for boys.
Their biggest hits are shown above, with their peaks being No 6 in the USA and No 26 in the UK.
Discography
Shout at the Devil (1983) [2]
Theatre of Pain (1985) [2]
Girls, Girls, Girls (1987) [2]
Dr. Feelgood (1989) [3.5]
Mötley Crüe (1994) [2]
Generation Swine (1997) [2]
New Tattoo (2000) [2]
Saints of Los Angeles (2008) [3]
Summary
Motley Crue are not a band that anyone intelligent or reasonably informative about rock music would recommend. They are very derivative and lacking in ideas and originality. There are few to no compensating factors. They are not great musicians or singers. They don't look cool. They were mostly popular in their home country of America, and appear to have been liked by somewhat uncritical teenage boys with limited knowledge of the bands on whom Motley Crue based their music style and image. They had a somewhat exaggerated image of being bad boys which was helped by occasional car crashes while drunk. The music videos give some sense of their appeal - a bunch of young looking boys dressed a bit like Kiss and New York Dolls, having a Bill & Ted of a time. There's nothing cool or intelligent here. Nor is there intended to be. This presents as a heavy metal boys band for boys.They are a minor heavy metal band who had some commercial success in the Eighties, but are nothing more than a footnote in the history of heavy metal music.
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