The following are Mötley Crüe's albums. Click on the thumbnail for CD information.

Too Fast for Love (81)	Shout at the Devil (83)	Theatre of Pain (85)	Girls Girls Girls (87)

Dr. Feelgood (89)	Mötley Crüe (94)	Generation Swine (97)	New Tattoo (00)	Live Entertainment or Death (03)

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Mötley Crüe is one of the most successful Hard Rock bands to come out of the 80s. Their bad boy antics and love for partying and women earned them the envy of many a young male head banger. The band saw inception in Los Angeles in 1981, quickly becoming a favorite in the L. A. club scene. Their first album, 'Too Fast for Love' was a collection of raw and raucous tracks, including "Live Wire", "Merry-Go-Round", and "Take Me to the Top". The leather-clad, makeup-wearing rockers had no idea just how big they would become and how much trouble would follow them.

Following the cult success of their first album, Electra signed the band and the resulting sophomore effort, 'Shout at the Devil' proved the band intended to become a force in the music scene. Still wearing makeup and leather, the band projected a slightly more evil theme and harder sound than the first release. The band saw their video, "Looks That Kill", become one of the most requested videos on MTV, which catapulted the band to immediate success. This success was temporarily thwarted in the summer of '83, when singer Vince Neil lost control of his car after a night of partying and crashed, killing close friend, drummer Razzle (Nicholas Dingley) of Hanoi Rocks. Neil was eventually charged and found guilty of DWI and motor vehicular manslaughter in '85, and received a short jail sentence and ordered to complete community service.

1985 was a wild year for Mötley Crüe, the legal issues with Neil would finally be put to rest, and with the release of 'Theatre of Pain', the band elevated itself to Superstar status. This album produced a hit single in the remake of "Smokin' in the Boys Room" and another MTV video favorite in the ballad "Home Sweet Home". The Crüe would tour relentlessly in 1985, putting on lavish stage shows, including upside down drumming by Tommy Lee and breaking sound-level records in arena's across the country.

Mötley Crüe continued to enjoy success as each album became more accessible to a wider audience, with such songs as "Girls, Girls, Girls", "Wild Side", "Dr. Feelgood", "Kickstart My Heart", and "Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.)", the band started appealing to the female gender.

In 1986 Tommy Lee tied the knot with actress and sex symbol Heather Locklear and life was good. 1987 proved to be another bittersweet and trying year for the Crüe. 'Girls, Girls, Girls' was released, which produced a string of hits, and Bass player Nikki Sixx (staple songwriter for the band) nearly died (actually his heart did stop temporarily) from a drug overdose. The band needed time to re cooperate and get things back together. They managed to do so and returned with another monster album 'Dr. Feelgood' in 1989.

By 1992 the band had become unstable and tempers finally erupted in the studio, resulting in the jettison of Neil. The band continued without Neil by recruiting vocalist John Corabi, and released the self-titled album in '94. Corabi wouldn't last long and was ejected so Neil could resume his vocal duties. In 1998, Tommy Lee found himself in trouble for abusing his second wife, Pamela Anderson, and ended up in jail. Shortly afterwards, Lee would leave Mötley Crüe to form his own band, Methods of Mayhem. Lee was replaced with seasoned drummer Randy Castillo (ex-Ozzy Osbourne drummer), and released yet another album, 'New Tattoo'. Castillo fell ill and couldn't tour with the band; he would eventually pass away in 2002.

While the Crüe were inactive, they would keep busy with other projects. Tommy Lee was still not interested in re-joining the band and found himself involved in another controversy. This time it wasn't the law but a personal issue; someone close to the Lee's hijacked an X-rated video of Tommy and Pamela, which didn't leave much to the imagination, and would find its way into the bootleg trading circles and of course, the Internet. Nikki Sixx kept busy by writing songs for other artists, and Neil was featured on a reality TV show called The Surreal Life. Tommy also starred in his own reality show about attending college at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (UNL).

Finally, the original lineup of Mötley Crüe embarked on a successful reunion tour in 2005, selling out across the country, and proving that they can still kick ass.

Live Review

The Carnival of Sins Tour with special guests: Sum 41, The Exies, and Silvertide
Live at the Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge in Bristow, Virginia – August 13, 2005

by: The Metal Master
Special Agent to The MotherMetal Team

While some claim that rock ‘n’ roll is making a comeback, Mötley Crüe is
making a strong case that it never left. The Crüe has hit the road in
support of their Red, White & Crüe greatest hits CD, and the tour has become
the surprise hit of the year. As it stands now, Mötley Crüe has the sixth
highest grossing tour of 2005.

The Crüe have tried hard to disassociate themselves from the hair band
movement that they helped to lead in the 1980s, and that was reflected in
their choice of opening bands, which consisted of Sum 41, Exies, and
Silvertide. While the Crüe are certainly entitled to pick whomever they want
to open, it obviously wasn’t done with their fans in mind.

I arrived in time to see all three opening bands. However, I chose to hang
outside and use their performances for background music, drinking the
venue’s rather weak frozen margaritas as I chatted with other Crüe fans. The
margaritas were an astonishing $12 each for the large ones, and had an
alcoholic kick comparable to a thrice-used tea bag. The oil companies seem
like philanthropists in comparison to concert halls these days.

After what seemed like hours, it was finally time for the Crüe to hit the
stage. As I took my seat, I saw a huge red and white striped tent that
underscored “The Carnival of Sins” motif. The lights dimmed, but it wasn’t
yet time for the band. A short animated feature starring the band was shown
on the big monitors by the stage. It was a humorous little ditty about
Mötley Crüe’s various attempts at saving the world from certain destruction
from space.

At the conclusion of the film, a clown, a midget ringmaster, and couple of
scantily dressed and leather-clad chicks took the stage in front of the big
top. After some clown antics and heavy petting between the girls, the big
tent was raised and the Crüe took the stage to the fist-pumping anthem
“Shout at the Devil.” Flames lapped around Tommy Lee’s drum kit as he
manically pounded away at the skins, setting a surreal backdrop to the
music. Mick Mars was steadfast in his riffing, while Vince Neil and Nikki
Sixx animatedly stalked the stage. One would be hard-pressed to tell it was
2005, and not 1985. It was a fast start to an incredible show.

The Crüe’s set list leaned heavily on the glory days of yore. “Louder Than
Hell” was a marked improvement over the studio version, as the live crunch
stripped away the studio gloss that hampered the song on “Theater of Pain.”
Songs like “Looks That Kill”, “Live Wire” and “Ten Seconds to Love” were
pure venom. The bombast of “Primal Scream” translated perfectly live, while
Vince donned a guitar for a spirited version of “Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go
Away.)” The assorted pyrotechnics were bright, loud, and perfectly
synchronized with the music.

After a midget rode a small motorcycle out onto the stage and revved it up,
the band broke out into “Girls Girls Girls.” The visuals featured more femme
on femme action, as numerous lovely ladies twisted and gyrated on long
ribbons that were an erotic nod to the Cirque du Soleil. “Same Ol’ Situation
(S.O.S)” was the perfect sing-a-long opportunity for the crowd, as a
sepia-toned video featuring the story of a man left at the altar played on
the huge projection screens that flanked the stage.

The band played a medley of ballads, starting with “Glitter”, of which the
crowd showed a marked indifference. Indifference turned into elation when
“Glitter” morphed into “Without You”, and pure bedlam ensued when Tommy Lee
played the opening piano chords to “Home Sweet Home.” Almost as if on cue,
the venue was lit up by a sea of lighters at full flame. While Tommy
continued to tickle the ivories, the crowd sang the whole first verse of the
song to the band, as an appreciative Vince Neil looked out silently into the
crowd with awe. This was the transcendental moment of the evening, as the
crowd became one with the band.

That proved to be the only lull of the evening, as Mick segued into
“Kickstart My Heart” with rampant whammy bar abuse and speedy guitar
histrionics. This was the only excess of the night from Mick, as his guitar
sound was thick, and his fills and rhythms were in the pocket. Oftentimes
one-guitar bands sound weak live, but Mick proved to be the ultimate
ensemble player. His guitar work provided the base ingredients for the
alchemy that is the Crüe’s elixir of sound.

No Mötley Crüe show is complete without a Tommy Lee drum solo, which combine
percussive gymnastics with jaw-dropping visuals Tommy certainly didn’t
disappoint during this show, as he started pounding out the beats to “Planet
Boom”, and then flew like a demented Peter Pan up to the rafters. After
hammering on objects that sounded like beer kegs, he flew to the other side
of the rafters, where he was showered in sparks as he clanked out exotic
rhythms. He was clearly enjoying the moment, and gushed over the crowd,
professing his love of playing drums for Crüe fans.

Nikki Sixx also had a short solo of his own, in which he used his bass, a
keyboard, and a theremin in a cacophony of sounds. Jimmy Page of Led
Zeppelin fame used theremins during Zep’s heyday, but Sixx differentiated
himself by being set on fire as sparks and smoke surrounded him.

The latter part of the show featured lots of interaction with the crowd.
Nikki Sixx received a huge ovation when announced that this would not be
Mötley Crüe’s farewell tour. Tommy pulled out a video cam, encouraging the
ladies in attendance to un-tether their brassieres. He enthusiastically
shouted “hardware!” upon seeing a woman with pierced nipples. Vince and
Tommy gave each other a hug, adding to the vibe that the Crüe were happy to
be back.

The Crüe played “Anarchy in the UK” as their finale, and while I never liked
their recorded version, the live element added heaviness and chaos that the
studio version lacked. The crowd gave the band a huge ovation at the song’s
conclusion, and while the set was over 2 hours and 15 minutes long, it was
clear that the audience could’ve handled more.

The show featured every element that Mötley Crüe fans have come to expect
over the years. Vince’s vocals were a marked improvement from when I saw him
at a solo gig in 2004, as he put more effort into enunciating the words to
the songs, and was generally more energetic. He is clearly in his element
performing in arenas.

This was yet another example of the whole being greater than the sum of its
parts. While the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll will always be around, ego,
business, and tragedy often take our heroes off the stage. If you’ve never
seen Mötley Crüe live, you owe it to yourself to check out the original
lineup as they continue to tour. You won’t see many shows this side of the
original Kiss lineup that provide nearly as much entertainment.

The future is fickle. Carpe diem!