Motley Crue's Theatre of Pain - underrated gem

exact33 wrote:

I think the Crue went through a drought from Theatre until Dr. Feelgood. GGG has some good songs but also has a lot of filler.

Yeah, I pretty much agree with this actually. Absolutely love Dr. Feelgood though.

Smindas wrote:

exact33 wrote:

I think the Crue went through a drought from Theatre until Dr. Feelgood. GGG has some good songs but also has a lot of filler.

Yeah, I pretty much agree with this actually. Absolutely love Dr. Feelgood though.

Loved Dr. Feelgood when it first came out, but it hasn't aged very well for me. Part of it is just burn-out. I played the crap out of that tape way back when. And I think a sub-conscienous part of my brain has a grudge against Bob Rock for what he did to Metallica.

This thread is making me want to break out all my old Crue cd's this weekend and give 'em all a fresh spin. So even though we disagree on the merits of Theater of Pain, Alex, this discussion is re-awakening my interest in all things Motley. Thanks for that.

Quote :

Wow I'm certainly in the minority here when it comes to this album

I've always liked Theatre Of Pain. In fact I'd say I like it a lot. Granted most of it is nostalgia but it still holds up for me even today.

Alex Dee Rokket wrote:

You can feel how Crue matured with this album, and in many ways it feels like the next step from Shout at the Devil. I'm tempted to consider this album part 2 of Shout At the Devil, minus the fact that the songs are not quite as memorable as on Shout. Nevertheless, it is still a solid and consistent album. It is a culmination, a coming of age if you will of Motley Crue's earlier style. It brings together the raw, undiluted attitude of Too Fast For Love mixed in with the anthemic vibe of Shout at the Devil, with a crunchier riffs and an overall heavier delivery.

This is the last pure 'Crue' album before the band would switch to a sleeker production and less consistent songwriting.

Uhhh no, no no no no no. This was WHERE Crue threw in the towel and went streamlined to get into the glam movement full force, from the stage regalia to the music everything suffered here. City Boy Blues, Louder Than Hell and a couple other songs show elements of the old Crue, but they definately changed here for the worst. They even admit it themselves.

One of the most disappointing albums for me given the quality of SHOUT and TOO FAST, there's still a few good songs, and I like it, but it's nowhere close to underrated.

Never was a really big Crue fan, but I probably like this the least of them all. Such a letdown after Shout at the Devil, which is a much superior effort even though I can't seem to get past Vince's voice, which is way too whiny for me.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Smindas wrote:

exact33 wrote:

I think the Crue went through a drought from Theatre until Dr. Feelgood. GGG has some good songs but also has a lot of filler.

Yeah, I pretty much agree with this actually. Absolutely love Dr. Feelgood though.

Loved Dr. Feelgood when it first came out, but it hasn't aged very well for me. Part of it is just burn-out. I played the crap out of that tape way back when. And I think a sub-conscienous part of my brain has a grudge against Bob Rock for what he did to Metallica.

This thread is making me want to break out all my old Crue cd's this weekend and give 'em all a fresh spin. So even though we disagree on the merits of Theater of Pain, Alex, this discussion is re-awakening my interest in all things Motley. Thanks for that.

Feelgood is great! I love the intro into the first song!

Since I picked this up again a couple days ago, I've probably spun it 6 times. Personally, I love it. It still has some of SAtD's dark vibe, but working in the more Aerosmith-y blues attitude. This along with the 2 before it are the perfect Crue trifecta. Beyond this, the material gets spotty for me. I liked songs here and there after Theatre Of Pain, but this was the last album of the Neil era that I really liked.

That said, the Corabi album is still my favorite thing with the Motley name on it...

Metal Misfit wrote:

I've always liked it. It's a continuation of the first two albums. It's not as good as those two but I don't really hear anything different other than "Smokin'" and "Home Sweet Home". Nikki himself has said the album didn't turn out very well but I've always thought different. I bought this album the same time I bought the debut I've loved them both ever since.

Smokin', Louder Than Hell, Save Our Souls, Tonight, HSH, Keep Your Eye on the Money... C'mon, these are Crue classics.

That's how I feel....

Now, IMO, Dr. Feelgood is kinda overrated...

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Metal Misfit wrote:

I've always liked it. It's a continuation of the first two albums. It's not as good as those two but I don't really hear anything different other than "Smokin'" and "Home Sweet Home". Nikki himself has said the album didn't turn out very well but I've always thought different. I bought this album the same time I bought the debut I've loved them both ever since.

Smokin', Louder Than Hell, Save Our Souls, Tonight, HSH, Keep Your Eye on the Money... C'mon, these are Crue classics.

That's how I feel....

Now, IMO, Dr. Feelgood is kinda overrated...

I think Feelgood has a lot of strong songs on it. Theater of Pain just seems flat to me. I still prefer Too Fast for Love over anything they have done though.

ultmetal wrote:

I'd actually say this album was overrated. It sold millions of copies on the two singles, despite the fact that it was mostly filler material.

Not sure if the album is overrated, most of the reviews at-the-time were not all that great. Who cares about reviews, Rolling Stone blasted Led Zeppelin on just about every album they released. I think it is a good album and still stands today. Barring the Smoking single which I never could get, I think it's a solid release. Saw them on this tour and they rocked. The look was stupid, but was the shout look all that great? I've always liked the band and found Neil's voice cool. The band had a streetwise rock with a slight punk sheen sound. Theatre Of Pain had quite a bit of hooks and began diving deeper into hard rock. Tommy smoked on this album. The scene of the day certainly had most metalheads claiming ignorance when it came to this album and that was fine with me, cause that meant the girls came to the concert single.....oh yeah. Stand out tracks Louder Than Hell, City Boy Blues, Raise Your Hands To Rock, and Use It Or Lose It. Most good albums are that way because they are attached with a ton of memories and this album is no different. 18 and nothing to lose, yup life was good.

Theater Of Pain was the last Motley Crue album I ever bought. This record represented everything I hated about the current state of rock and metal back in 1985. It pushed me further away from rock and into the waiting arms of thrash metal. So in a way, this album changed my life forever. Thanks Motley Crue.

I've always liked ToP. The only classic Crue record that never did it for me is Girls Girls Girls.

Dave the Boss wrote:

I've always liked ToP. The only classic Crue record that never did it for me is Girls Girls Girls.

Its because most of that album sucks sucks sucks

manny wrote:

Dave the Boss wrote:

I've always liked ToP. The only classic Crue record that never did it for me is Girls Girls Girls.

Its because most of that album sucks sucks sucks

In their book "The Dirt," I don't think anybody in the band has anything good to say about that record.

You could cherry pick tunes from Theatre..., Girls... and even Dr. Feelgood and make a decent comp or playlist.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

You could cherry pick tunes from Theatre..., Girls... and even Dr. Feelgood and make a decent comp or playlist.

I agree...

Theatre of Pain is my least favorite of the first 5 albums. It does have a couple of killer tracks on it though. Of course Home Sweet Home and Louder than Hell.

I just listened to both "Theater of Pain" and "Dr. Feelgood" yesterday, wondering if I w/could find any redeeming value from what I considered the turds or filler. For years, the only songs that I cared for off "Theater", were "Louder than Hell" and yes, "Home Sweet Home". I found myself actually enjoying some of those songs, which I've been dismissing for years, such as "City Boy Blues", "Keep Your Eye On the Money", "Tonight (We Need A Lover)", "Use It or Lose It" and "Fight For Your Rights".

The overall theme within this album is, it feels unfinished, as if the Crue just didn't want spend a moment more in the studio. It makes sense, they needed their booze, drugs and people to forget that Vince killed someone and totally got away with it...

When it's all said and done, this album pales in comparison to "Too Fast for Love" and "Shout", but I'm finding something I like 30 years removed and that truly comes as a total surprise...

...and by the way, the songs I thought were turds or filler on "Feelgood", remain just that. My God, "Slice of Your Pie", "Rattlesnake Shake", "Sticky Sweet', "She Goes Down" and "Time For a Change" are still beyond awful to me. Just the titles alone should send shivers up and down one's spine.