lambchops's Full Review: Decade of Decadence: '81-'91 by Motley Crue
Hair bands in the 1980’s were like boy bands in the 1990’s. Both groups were good looking, appealed specifically to young women, and exhibited a questionable level of talent. Regardless of the band’s sound of the musical quality, these hair-sprayed and coiffed boys made it big time and time again.
You know their names. Skid Row, Slaughter, Tesla, Cinderella, Whitesnake. You know their music…it populated rock radio for almost an entire decade. You know their routine. Good looking boys mixed with long hair, tight pants, heavy guitars, drugs, and booze. The most stereotypical of these bands (without extending into the pure crap of copycat wanna be hair bands) was Mötley Crüe.
At the helm of the mega 1980’s band were four tattooed wild boys. Vince Neil provided the screeching vocals, Tommy Lee thumped away on the drums, Mick Mars lent a glam guitar, and Nikki Sixx played the bass. Mötley Crüe came about after Lee and Sixx met in 1981 and decided to form a band. Immediately upon formation, the foursome released their independent debut Too Fast For Love. It sold quite well, and the band was signed to a major label deal.
Shout at the Devil hit the shelves in 1983. The album went platinum and struck a chord in radio listeners…critics would never quite pick up on the band’s sound. It was harsh, loud, and flamboyant. Their look and behavior were similarly fitting to the music. The band’s success continued throughout the 1980’s through the newly sober release of 1989’s Dr. Feelgood.
But, as with everything else pertaining to hair bands the 1990’s brought failure and lackluster sales. Grunge ruined the metal god. Mötley Crüe released a few new albums in the 1990’s, but none of them sold well and the band lost their contract by the middle of the decade. Most recently, 2000’s New Tattoo was released by Beyond to a dwindling number of fans.
Decade of Decadence is the ideal album for sometimes fans of Mötley Crüe. It includes all of the band’s greatest hits from their first ten years together. Of course, it also acts as a career retrospective since the band produced little music of interest in the 1990’s even to previously devout fans. Listening to the 1991 collection, it’s apparent that much of the Mötley Crüe lacks relevance in today’s musical landscape. It’s not particularly musical nor does it have much societal impact. This isn’t to say that I don’t get a kick out of some of the songs.
Nothing about Mötley Crüe will ever be considered ‘classic.’ But, I can’t help but to find some merit in the pure entertainment value of these offerings. They even cover (for some odd reason) the Sex Pistols’ classic punk tune Anarchy in the U.K. in addition to providing fans with two new tracks Angela and Primal Scream.
My favorite song here is undoubtedly Dr. Feelgood. I suppose it’s as a direct result of Junior High. Whatever the reason, I do get joy out of the song with its driving drums and massive guitar solos. The long and loud introduction lasting nearly a minute is typical of many of the bands of the era relishing in their rock talents. This track is probably one of the most memorable songs on this album and in the hair metal/glam rock genre in general.
And then there’s the strip club anthem Girls, Girls, Girls. It’s not musically innovative, but the subject matter helped Mötley Crüe to carry the single to the top. I’m not impressed, but so far as purely brainless party music goes, this example remains a likely poster child.
Home Sweet Home was one of the first rock ballads to really make a mark on MTV. The delicate piano in this remix is refreshing. When it’s paired with the loud, midtempo, and obnoxious guitars the goal of this song becomes crystal clear. They are looking to sound tender and thoughtful for the sake of the ladies while still remaining rough and tough for the guys. Not a bad idea it seems. This song is one of the best ever from the band.
Shout at the Devil and Smokin’ in the Boys Room are also important to speak at least briefly about. The former is rock music sans the hair influence. It seems harder and more real than some of the later offerings. I personally think that Mötley Crüe sounds the best they ever have on this track. Smokin’ in the Boys Room remains a perennial favorite and is a remake of an earlier song from Brownsville Station. It’s a tossup as to which is better, but that said I’d recommend the song to fans of the original and of Mötley Crüe.
There are a few issues with this album. I don’t like the new tracks much. They are boring and forced in comparison to the earlier offerings. I also find the remake of Anarchy in the U.K. to be sacrilege. If you’re going to redo such a classic punk track the least you could do would be to do it well. In addition, the live version of Kickstart My Heart is painful to listen to. Maybe that’s as a result of my general disdain for live tracks intermingled with studio ones. Maybe it just bites.
Besides those few problems, this is a serviceable album. Mötley Crüe is one of those hair bands that young bands modeled themselves after in the late 1980’s. They made it okay to wear leather and makeup and use hot pink Aqua Net. The foursome put together some decent tracks, but I do suspect that their image will outlast their sound. Decade of Decadence is a good album for people unwilling to buy the entire Mötley Crüe catalog (like me). It’s only an average album on the whole, but there are some shining moments that warrant its ownership.
Track Listing:
1. Live Wire - (Kick A** '91 Remix)
2. Piece Of Your Action - (Screamin' '91 remix)
3. Shout At The Devil
4. Looks That Kill
5. Home Sweet Home - ('91 remix)
6. Smokin' In The Boys Room
7. Girls, Girls, Girls
8. Wild Side
9. Dr. Feelgood
10. Kickstart My Heart - (live)
11. Teaser
12. Rock N' Roll Junkie
13. Primal Scream - ('91)
14. Angela - ('91)
15. Anarchy In The U.K. - ('91)
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.