Motley Crue - Saints Of Los Angeles

Eyesore wrote:

Motley Crue, for whatever reason, somehow get far more credit than they deserve in the mainstream media. Somehow they're still "cool" and more "relevant" than other rock bands from that period. And I say that loosely. Maybe it's because they put on concerts that are more akin to Girls Gone Wild videos, I don't know.

Just don't go by the reviews until you've heard the album first. Motley Crue has released some of the worst music out of that era—and still do, when compared to other bands still kicking around—yet they get more positive response from the masses. Makes no sense.

Not hating on the band here, just suggesting a try-before-you-buy mentality.

Sure sounds like hating to me. But that's okay, it's all a matter of opinion. They still sell records, their last greatest hits was platinum (double platinum?) and I'm pretty sure their tours do very well. Plus Tommy is a celebrity and Nikki has a buzz of being "relevant" from Sixx AM going.

I get what you're saying though, no matter what, they always seem to get some form of publicity from the mainstream. I can't really explain that, but the fixation seems to be on their debauchery, which every 80s band took part in. Who knows. My guess is that Nikki is just a really good salesman for his band.

No need for me to try before I buy, I'm a Motley fan.

arttieTHE1manparty wrote:

On the flipside, I think the Crue can't win, no matter what. People complained about the two new songs on their greatest hits package as being "too modern", yet when they do something that even sounds "throwback" they get slammed again.

"Sick Love Song" and "If I Die Tomorrow" are two of my favorite Motley songs. They got a decent amount of airplay at the time where I was living. When I went to see them on their Carnival of Sin tour though, the audience was dead for "Sick Love Song". They cheered when every song started up except that one. Shame.

I would've loved for SOLA to be along the lines of those two songs.

I definitely agree with you about Motley (and veteran bands in general) with the modern/throwback thing. Either they "sold out" by trying to update their sound or they're "stale" for retaining the classic sound.

The crowd was pretty dead for "Sick Love Song" when I saw that tour as well. "If I Die Tomorrow" went over VERY well, however.



ARttie

Hey, I'll be buying the album tomorrow, and the band puts on a fantastic show. Definitely not hating. I'm just suggesting people not buy into mainstream hype when it comes to Motley Crue, that's all. =)

And "If I Die Tomorrow" is one of the best Crue songs ever, even if a dude from Simple Plan co-wrote it. I frickin' love that tune. I even like Generation Swine.

arttieTHE1manparty wrote:

The crowd was pretty dead for "Sick Love Song" when I saw that tour as well. "If I Die Tomorrow" went over VERY well, however.

I can't remember if they played "If I Die Tomorrow" or not. Usually set lists stay the same (unless you saw'em first and the song was REALLY bombing before they got to me), so they probably did, but I don't remember it.

Eyesore wrote:

And "If I Die Tomorrow" is one of the best Crue songs ever, even if a dude from Simple Plan co-wrote it. I frickin' love that tune. I even like Generation Swine.

Swine has some good stuff ("Glitter" is a great song), but overall I didn't like it. You mentioned the s/t earlier, I see a lot of people praising it these days. I'll have to dig that one up and give it a go again. I bought it when they did their remasters and remember only liking "Hooligan's Holiday". But I was on a big Motley kick at that time and wasn't interested in hearing something different sounding from'em.

Oh heck, I just checked my bank account... I'm going to Best Buy to get this sucker right now! Payday's tomorrow anyway, so I'm good.

Yeah, it's $9.99 at Best Buy, so I didn't buy it yet. It was $11.88 at Newbury Comics.

Got it, it's great. So much better than I was thinking it would be and if I was a star-ratin' kinda guy I'd give it (out of 5) a 4.

I'm just half way through my first listen right now, and I'm loving it! This is definitely the best material they've come up with since Dr.Feelgood. Vince actually sounds great; Tommy sounds inspired as ever; Nikki's playing is as prominent as always; and Mick, IMO, rips more than anyone on this album! It sounds like they're hungry again.

So far, my favourite tracks are "Welcome To The Machine", "MF Of The Year", and the title track.

I saw them on CNN last night. Mick is frickin' old as hell! Damn. And Tommy Lee is a dick.

I told people they would like this, but NO ONE believed me! LOL! There is a lot of "classic Crue" on this disc, with just enough to make them relevant to the current hard rock/metal scene. Heck, even Squizz on XM, the modern metal/rock channel, is playing Saints Of Los Angeles...



Arttie

arttieTHE1manparty wrote:

I told people they would like this, but NO ONE believed me! LOL! There is a lot of "classic Crue" on this disc, with just enough to make them relevant to the current hard rock/metal scene. Heck, even Squizz on XM, the modern metal/rock channel, is playing Saints Of Los Angeles...



Arttie

I believed you.

arttieTHE1manparty wrote:

Heck, even Squizz on XM, the modern metal/rock channel, is playing Saints Of Los Angeles...

Really? That's cool. I only listen to the Boneyard & 80s though.

They've always gotten airplay, though. I mean, the were on CNN with Greta van Bells Palsy last night! And they were on because of the album!

Eyesore wrote:

I saw them on CNN last night. Mick is frickin' old as hell! Damn. And Tommy Lee is a dick.

That last time I saw them live on their Carnival of Sins tour, I sat towards the side of the stage. When Tommy was doing his drum solo, the rest of the guys came off the stage and I watched Mick slowly decend down the steps, grasping the handrails, taking one step at a time, looking like he was in extreme pain. He looked worse than my 80 year old grandfather going down them steps. Very sad.

Yeah, and he Mick still rules. They treat him like he doesn't matter, but he has more integrity than the 3 of them combined.

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Really? That's cool. I only listen to the Boneyard & 80s though.

Yeah, I'm pretty much a Boneyard or Liquid Metal guy, too, but my wife LOVES Squizz and I like several bands they play. Squizz has started playing Metallica and Megadeth, also, so they mix it up pretty good.

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Yeah, and he Mick still rules. They treat him like he doesn't matter, but he has more integrity than the 3 of them combined.

I disagree. Nikki has a lot of respect for Mick, and has said so on several occasions. The main problem seems to be Tommy, really. I don't think he even cares about the Crue or any band members now. His management has REALLY screwed with his head, making him think he is THE star of the band. Guy needs to face reality...no Nikki (and to a lesser degree no Vince)=No Motley Crue.



Arttie

arttieTHE1manparty wrote:

my wife LOVES Squizz

My wife? Not as much as I would like.

arttieTHE1manparty wrote:

Guy needs to face reality...no Nikki (and to a lesser degree no Vince)=No Motley Crue.



Arttie

Gotta disagree here. Vince is definitely just as important as Nikki. More so really. We've already seen what happens when they tried to replace him for an album. Of course I am one of those guys that think the singer of a band gives them there identity. The new album is very good and as much of a jerk as Tommy is I'm glad they all jumped on board for this probable last ride.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Eyesore wrote:

I saw them on CNN last night. Mick is frickin' old as hell! Damn. And Tommy Lee is a dick.

That last time I saw them live on their Carnival of Sins tour, I sat towards the side of the stage. When Tommy was doing his drum solo, the rest of the guys came off the stage and I watched Mick slowly decend down the steps, grasping the handrails, taking one step at a time, looking like he was in extreme pain. He looked worse than my 80 year old grandfather going down them steps. Very sad.

VH1 Classic was showing a "Carnival of Sins" Crue concert yesterday afternoon and I noticed that Mick Mars barely moved from his spot on stage (whereas Nikki, Vince, and even Tommy were jumping and running around all over the place). The most he would do was sway from side to side a little. I feel bad for the guy. He's lucky he can still remain upright from the looks of it.

7thSecond wrote:

arttieTHE1manparty wrote:

Guy needs to face reality...no Nikki (and to a lesser degree no Vince)=No Motley Crue.



Arttie

Gotta disagree here. Vince is definitely just as important as Nikki. More so really. We've already seen what happens when they tried to replace him for an album. Of course I am one of those guys that think the singer of a band gives them there identity. The new album is very good and as much of a jerk as Tommy is I'm glad they all jumped on board for this probable last ride.

I think Motley is one of the very few bands where all 4 members are crucial to the band's sound and success. Plenty of bands have carried on with different members to various degrees of success, but when Tommy isn't behind the kit, the band suffers. When Vince isn't singing, the band suffers. If Nikki leaves, the band disintergrates altogether. When Mick finally does kick, nobody is stepping into his platform shoes. They've all tried solo ventures, (except for Mick I think), and for the most part, they've all fallen on their tits. Those 4 guys need each other more than they know and Motley Crue isn't Motley Crue without Vince, Tommy, Mick and Nikki.

[On a side note, does anyone think that Tommy actually enjoys making rock anymore? Or, is he just in it for the money/fame/fans/legacy/etc?[/quote]

Good question and one I think he does for the fame and money. He is so wigger now, and he even has been quoted with in less than a year ago that he is "So over rock". I personally think he is going through a terrible mid-life crisis. Nikki Sixx seems to be handling it all gracefully.

I am still waiting for my album to come in from Amazon to judge its worth.

SoldierUnderCommand wrote:

Yeah, and he Mick still rules. They treat him like he doesn't matter, but he has more integrity than the 3 of them combined.

That seems to be accurate. I wonder why he's never really branched out beyond Motley Crue, outside of some guest spots and co-writes?

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Gotta disagree here. Vince is definitely just as important as Nikki. More so really. We've already seen what happens when they tried to replace him for an album.

But without Nikki, there are no songs. Check the credits....Nikki has written or co-written 95% of their songs and all their "hits" that weren't covers. Additionally, Nikki is the reason there even is a Motley Crue. It was his band all along. Vince, and even Mick, were later additions.

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I personally think he (Tommy) is going through a terrible mid-life crisis. Nikki Sixx seems to be handling it all gracefully.

I can see this to a degree. I just think Tommy's management has convinced him he is bigger than the band, when in reality, he would have been nothing but another punk in LA without them. I also think his messed up family situation plays a big role in things. I think he still believes he and Pam will get back together eventually.

As for Nikki, he pretty well sums things up with Sixx AM and in the Heroin Diaries...he's amazed he's even alive. Even when his life seems to start to crumble again (as with his recent divorce), he still revels in the fact that he's even here. He seems to feel there is a reason that he is still alive and claims he is looking for it.

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I wonder why he's (Mick) never really branched out beyond Motley Crue, outside of some guest spots and co-writes?

I'm probably gonna get slammed for this, but... Mick is the guitarist for Motley, period. He doesn't really fit anyone else's sound, per se, and he has admitted he doesn't really have any desire to tour or record with anyone else. He makes big money, has an EXTREMELY limited touring and video-shooting schedule, and gets to do what he wants. Plus, Mick's been in fairly poor health for many years now, and I've read interviews where he says he only has so much playing in him, and he devotes that to the Crue. Add in the fact that he's a self-described recluse and you probably have a good idea.


Arttie

arttieTHE1manparty wrote:

Yeah, I'm pretty much a Boneyard or Liquid Metal guy, too, but my wife LOVES Squizz and I like several bands they play. Squizz has started playing Metallica and Megadeth, also, so they mix it up pretty good.

Yeah, I actually flipped it on there the other night and one of the songs from Load was playing. I just can't stay away from the Boneyard though, even though I have thought about switching to one of more modern rock/metal stations from time to time. My only gripe about the Boneyard is that they don't support the new bands (and new albums from older bands) enough. And that they play WAAAAAY too much Rush.

spectrefate wrote:

My wife? Not as much as I would like.

Same boat here.

Fat Freddy wrote:

VH1 Classic was showing a "Carnival of Sins" Crue concert yesterday afternoon and I noticed that Mick Mars barely moved from his spot on stage (whereas Nikki, Vince, and even Tommy were jumping and running around all over the place). The most he would do was sway from side to side a little. I feel bad for the guy. He's lucky he can still remain upright from the looks of it.

Yeah, he didn't move when I saw him on that tour either. His guitar solo was absolutely horrible when I saw him live as well, not sure what he was going for because he played fine on all the songs. I'm dreading another solo from him on 7/15...

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And that they play WAAAAAY too much Rush.

I agree 100%!!! My wife laughs when a Rush song comes on because I switch channels immediately!



ARttie

I wonder how many good guitar riffs they would have without Mick though.