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Review: Jack Foley
HEDONISTIC rockers, Mötley Crüe, are renowned for the
'decade of decadence' that almost killed them, given the sex-and-drug
fuelled party-going lifestyle they enjoyed on LA's Sunset Strip.
Having stood the test of time and survived everything thrown
at them (and consumed), they now embark on the next chapter in
their careers, having reformed for a new world tour and recording
new material.
In truth, Red, White and Crue is more a greatest hits
album than a wonderful celebration of all things new and, as such,
it remains rooted in the excess of the past.
Tracks such as Wild Side, Kickstart My Heart, Shout At The
Devil and Hell on High Heels tend to sum up their
attitude to life in general - live fast, die young and leave a
good-looking corpse.
Their anthem, as such, is the giddy Girls, Girls, Girls,
a gaudy rock and roll monster that serves as their ode to strippers
('dancing down on Sunset Strip').
It's probably their most recognisable track and contains a guilty
pleasure thanks to its chant-along chorus and welcome sense of
familiarity.
As renowned as the band as a collective of personalities is,
however (and members include Vince Neil and Tommy Lee), it's the
exploits of its members that are probably better remembered than
the music.
Most of the tracks on the greatest hits - both old and new -
sound hopelessly dated and all too similar, no doubt designed
with black leather-wearing bikers in mind, or those of a like-minded
disposition to life.
There are elements of the glam-rock that inspired The Darkness,
as well as some guitar riffs that hark back to early Guns N Roses
(Dr Feelgood), but the effect is pretty numbing after
a very short while.
Even new track and recent single, If I Die Tomorrow,
feels like a relic of the past, albeit toned down somewhat from
the more explicit lyrics of their heyday.
Red, White & Crue is, therefore, an album for the
nostalgic among you, or for fans of modern bands such as The Darkness,
who might wish to see where the music really originated from.
The rest need not apply.
Click
here for Motley Crue audio/video
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Track listing:
1. Live Wire
2. Piece Of Your Action
3. Black Widow
4. Looks That Kill
5. Too Young To Fall In Love [Remix - 1990]
6. Shout At The Devil
7. Girls, Girls, Girls
8. Wild Side
9. Kickstart My Heart
10. Dr Feelgood
11. Primal Scream
12. Home Sweet Home ['91 remix]
13. Hooligan's Holiday [Brown Nose Version]
14. Beauty
15. Bitter Pill
16. Hell On High Heels
17. If I Die Tomorrow [Rock Mix]
18. Sick Love Song
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