Just listened to that song, it's okay I guess. I was always, and remain, a huge sucker for Every Rose Has It's Thorn, which is helped along by the great video that played right into my young rock star dreams. CC DeVille could often sound like a disaster waiting to happen but he was THE guitar player for Poison. And to get back to Motley Crue, I also never heard that they bought songs but then I'm not in the industry so I wouldn't have heard anyway. It is sometimes baffling (and unfair) how a band can write something as great as Wildside along with stuff as weak as Five Years Dead or Bad Boy Boogie, all on the same album. Obviously there are a lot of factors and no band has an album with ten A+ cuts, but it still makes you wonder. And then things come out about musicians being replaced when we otherwise would have had no idea. It's a dirty business with a lot of smoke and mirrors.
Nikki has apologized for GGG's brevity & weaknesses & blamed it all on addiction. Then you have to ask, is it sobriety to blame for the turds on DR. F? To me, 5 Yrs Dead (based on a book by the same name), Bad Boy Boogie, Sumthin' For Nuthin', All In The Name Of . . ., Dancin' On Glass (a pretty strong drug lyric on this) are better than Rattlesnake Shake, Without You, She Goes Down, Sticky Sweet . . . all of which are generic 'sex' Hair Metal tunes (WY the generic, sappy ballad) with easily the worst lyrics Nikki ever wrote. The Dr. F tunes 'pop' more, but lyrically, imho production-wise, etc, The GGG deep cuts beat the Dr. F.
I agree. Imo Dr. Feelgood is a pretty good album but in no way is it the Crue's best album that people make it out to be. When they did Cruefest a few years ago where they played Feelgood in it's entirety, I would have been way more interested if it was Too Fast or Shout, hell even Theatre would have been better.
Yeah, that was beyond terrible. I couldn't even understand half of what Vince was warbling. Really terrible performance.
I had to watch that with my eyes half closed. Egads. Loved the first two records, but after that they lost me.
Another thing I find embarrassing about that is the back up singers. Nice to look at I guess, but it's just so Vegas-y and un-rock n roll to me.
That goes as far back as the Girls Girls Girls tour so it really isn't anything new. At this point they need the backup singers because Vince's voice is toast.
I'd like to subscribe to your newsletter!!! Great post, I agree with most of it. Except for me, while the non singles on GGG are better songs, the Feelgood songs have much better production. On either album though, it's reasonable to criticize the ability to write two or three classic songs and then a bunch of absolute garbage. Especially when Bob Rock is involved; so much is said about his way of making the band do takes over and over again until they were just right. Why wasn't he more critical of the writing? Or did he just realize that that was the best they could do? If you're going to beat a band to death with "you can play better than that" why not say "if you can write Dr Feelgood and Kickstart My Heart, you can write better songs than She Goes Down or Sticky Sweet!!". It makes me wonder again about additional song writing and how much a producer like Bob Rock helps shape the songs. Whose idea was it to change the lyrics in Dr. Feelgood from "I'm the one they call...." to "he's the one they call...", which is much much better?
Anybody going to the final show in LA - PLEASE put up the bit with Cooper and Motley Crue. Us who can't make it would love to see what they have cooked up. After looking at some of the recent posts, looks like I caught a good Vince Neil/Motley show. He was surprisingly vocal that night. It wasn't perfect, but at least he attempted to sing instead of sticking the microphone in the front rows. And being so close, I didn't get cold the whole night due to the ridiculous pyro.
I see someone posted a video of Rock In Rio. I won't defend to my death the performance. Yeah, Vince ain't in top shape, voice ain't what it used to be, etc, etc, etc.... I just can't leave it alone though. What typically happens here (not dismissing or disrespecting anyone) is that someone who hasn't seen the band or singer live themselves (in this case Motley Crue) posts a video of what sounds like and "may be" a not so great performance. Then, someone else who hasn't seen the band recently, comments on how terrible they sound. That's what gets posted and a whole bunch of people base whether or not they'll go to a show on that video and all the comments associated with it. That's a shame. For one, that was the last song of a 2 hr set. Secondly, it was widely reported in MC circles that their Rock In Rio set had ear monitor problems for Vince all night. Hey, I'm not saying Vince is as good as he ever was, and he may be able to do more about his physical conditioning.....but, I've seen 3 shows on this Final Tour with 2 to go, and the band, including Vince, sound fine. Argue or disagree....hate if you want, but YouTube videos suck....often when the band sounds GREAT, much less when they don't. A few in this forum have seen MC on this tour and in recent weeks/months. We'd all say they were great and recommend you go see. Worry not much longer ......in a few months they'll be done and won't be around to cause you so much disturbance.
Here's where I disagree. I'll bet you watch a ton of youtube clips, no? And why would you do that if you believed that it would suck no matter the quality of the performance? I love ya bro, but I sense you're being a bit defensive in the face of a clip that shows a crappy performance by someone you really dig. For me there's a big difference between someone coming in here who really doesn't like the band saying 'Vince sucks' and real fans commenting negatively on his performance (and yeah, using the term 'real fans' sounds pretty obnoxious, doesn't it??). I cannot tell you how bad I wanted to BE Vince Neil in 1984. He was the man! I hope he isn't having health problems, but there's really no excuse otherwise for him to be taking his last shot at the title and being as out of shape as he is. He's got the rest of his life to get fat, he owes it to the fans who are paying top dollar to put his best out there and then get fat as a house in 2016 if he chooses. Because his weight affects his singing, and they're the ones claiming to be going out on top. Funny that there's so much talk of them using back up tapes and Vince's live vocals are right out front for all to hear. I guess I'm inclined to say that if he's going to sound that bad on the last song of a two hour show, maybe the show should only be an hour and 45 minutes. It's totally valid if they were having monitor issues, but this is the big time, I'm guessing refunds weren't ever going to be offered. Vince, as always, is his own worst enemy. It's not out of the norm anymore for him to be scat singing like he's not even sure what the words are. You and I have gone back and forth on our boy DL Roth before too. And I take your point, I could have easily attended a VH gig this year and enjoyed myself knowing there were problems. And I hope you have a great time at those last two Crue shows in December! We'll always have the 1980's!!!!!
Funny since my friends and others who I have talked to said Motley Crue blew away Ozzy when they saw that concert (I couldn't go at the time).
I stand by what I said. I hear what you're saying. Again, I never said that was a great performance. It's the whole YouTube thing. Pick out a show or a part of a show....it can and does often sound bad on YouTube. I know many people who were at that very RIR show who thought MC were great. I don't think it was a great performance by any stretch. Terrible in ear monitor problems all night. People are NOT leaving these Crue shows currently and saying "my God that sucked , , I want a refund, and I sure wish to hell I'd never gone and wasted $ on a tshirt to boot." I can't remember now if you were one who was thinking about going, or who actually went to one of these "Final Tour" shows? However, I know there are a few here who have and one who PM'd me....so glad he went (alone) and enjoyed the hell out of it. He thanked me for my previous comments that caused him to go. I was very clear and have been all along, Vince ain't what he used to be. I'd also say that in all honesty I think he can or could have done more personally than say DLR or P. Stanley to improve his performance. But, I'm attending these shows now...recent. I'm not trying to convince myself of anything. He's had better days for sure, but crowds of 15k ++ a night are enjoying this. For that clip to be posted and for people to say..."oh my God this guy sucks so bad, I'm glad I saw that, I'll stay home," and for me to not post anything in response would be wrong and unfair for someone who has the $ and wants to have a nice night out seeing a band they'll never get to see again. Not that big a deal. Do what you want. I know I've enjoyed what I've seen this tour and I'd be shocked if I don't these last couple. Bottom line: if you watch that clip and think that if you go to one of these final shows you'll be tortured for 2 hours, stay home. But, I'm saying it's not the case, and that clip is not indicative, in the least, of what you'll be experiencing live. Hey, it may happen, but my buddies here and in Calif., and a few here and many on other forums (VHLinks ha, for one) are glad I spoke up, and none have flamed me pissed off that I screwed up their evening. All I'm saying. Nothing to agree or disagree about. I go to way too many shows to let YouTube clips dictate how they really come off live. I saw one show out of like 100 the last few years that had me scratching my head. It wasn't anyone I really liked. I won't even mention who it was. Don't want to piss off ppl or keep ppl home. I don't get off on it. I don't care how ppl spend their money either. If it's your last couple hundred bucks I say listen to the records and don't see anyone. However, if you dig Crue, are going to miss them, always wish you could've seen them and have all your needs met and plenty saved.....go see these guys. Last chance. For real. PS - I don't watch a ton of YouTube clips. Only when they pop up in forums. I GO to the shows. I watch a load of DVDs/Blurays, and listen.....mostly.....to the lps n cds. PSS - no pyro n stuff on YouTube either
Great post. I'll be there and try to get some vid. I bet there will be plenty. Also, you didn't just get "lucky." The shows are great. Glad you loved as much as I have now........and the last 32 years I've been seeing them live.
Usually I will argue that musicians play music for a living. It's what they do. In some cases, it's all they know how to do well. In Motley Crue's case, I'll have to say you are on the mark. Mars looks disengaged and Vince looks like he's going thru the motions and that he doesn't really care that his singing is way compromised. The fact he's overweight doesn't bother me really, although that's what might be hampering his stage presence. I don't expect him to be all athletic at his age, but a little authentic engagement would do well.
I said lucky because basically.......I wasn't expecting it. Went more for Alice and got a HUGE bonus with Vince singing. I figured.......this is their last go-round. I'll enjoy the pyro. NEVER expected to see the place lit up like a firecracker the whole night. Getting a ticket upgrade from 300(top level) to side seats 20ft level one from stage right was an unexpected pleasure. REALLY close and didn't have to stand up all night! It's my guess that if ANY show should be professionally shot, it should be the final one. Saw them 3 times on the Red, White And Crue tour. Been going since Theater Of Pain. Been one hell of a ride. The thing I really liked was what they said on their web page. They picked venues with the intent of the fans getting the FULL Crue experience visually. My wife's brother in law works special effects in the movie industry and when he saw the pictures(especially the flames indoors), he gave me a "readers digest" explanation of what they had to go through to make that happen. Really involved stuff.
I don't much like the production on Dr except for the three great tunes: DR.F, Kickstart & Don't Go Away Mad. I like how GGG sounds, call me crazy. I don't think Motley wrote ANY absolute garbage in the 1980s, personally. If there weren't examples of waaaay worse music I might be a little more critical but, to me, even Rattlesnake Shake is better than other bands' crap. I think those not so great b-sides on Dr still rock really hard. Like I think the riff to Sticky Sweet is huge. The songs boogie, you can dance to them. Much of it is Aerosmith-derived. The choruses are catchy, if a little repetitive. It's an entertaining album with catchy tunes but the lyrics truly blow as compared to Motley's previous stuff. Just an overall more generic sound & message DIRECTLY a result of attempting to top the Warrants & Poisons & Skid Rows who were ruling the scene in Motley's 2 & a half years between records. I think GGG is Motley's most interesting Hair Metal record because it's cock-rock with autobiographical Motley-type songs about drugs & prostitution & murder. Remember, even the videos to GGG were banned from MTV & many other stations. All three singles had censorship issues: Wild Side for its supposed desecration of the Lord's Prayer, GGG for the lurid strip club video & You're All I Need for it's violent & shocking theme. Theatre & Dr. F are Motley's most obvious attempts at sounding like what was popular. I agree that there really does seem to be some amazing editing & rearranging/production happening in the Motley camp before their records are released. Think about how much more sharp & on point & stronger the studio versions are than the existing demos from those days. You brought up DR. F. Great example. When were those lyrics fixed? All the little softening of some of the clumsy edges of the demos, I've always been surprised at how good they worked them up on the albums. Maybe there is some heavy-handed help coming in to these sessions? Hmm
I will say that when I was posting about the differences between Girls and Feelgood I pulled a couple of Girls songs up on youtube to remind myself of the guitar tone. It isn't nearly as anemic as I thought, which is weird considering how many hundreds of times I've listened to that album. When cd's came in and I was intrigued by this new format, Girls was the first one I bought and I still have that disc. And when I said 'garbage' I was engaging in at least a bit of hyperbole. It's just that when you stack up Wildside with Sumthin' For Nuthin', one of those is a classic, probably my favorite Crue tune of all time, and the other is WAY beneath it. Garbage? Probably not, especially to a guy who was sixteen and bought that album new, but not great or even that good.
I hear ya!! That's happening every show. It's an insane spectacle. Kind of one upping what they've done since Carnival tour. Just like the old days. After TOP, they kept topping each tour. Just when you thought they couldn't make it any bigger, they would. They're kicking ass right to the end. I'll admit I'd be kind of bummed if I ended up at one of the shows without Tommy. He's important to the "show" especially. I liked the New Tattoo tour well enough, but not anywhere close to the same without T Lee.
I have seen the Crue live many times over the last 15 years, including Vince solo gigs....it should come as no surprise to anyone that Vince only sings about 50% of the lyrics of which 50% are actually close to in key. The band usually plays pretty well and the stage show is top notch. These shows have been visually fun and offer up a great chance for you and your friends to sing along with the Crue karaoke style!
