Wednesday, November 21, 2012

CD Review: Saints Of Los Angeles, By Motley Crue



Being the rock fan that I am, I was really stoked when I heard that Motley Crue would be releasing a new album in the summer of 2008.  The album's first single was the title track, Saints Of Los Angeles.  The song was shipped to radio in advance of the release, and heavily played to promote the record.  It is based on the strength of this tune that I couldn't wait to get my hands on the album.  The song had that classic Crue vibe; it was solid hard rock with an in-your-face attitude.  Needless to say that by the time the release date was finally announced, I was chomping at the bit.  I had already pre-ordered the disc from amazon, and eagerly awaited its arrival.

When it finally came, I was momentarily at a loss.  I was sort of disappointed at first, because I was expecting a classic Motley record that would stand up well next to their 1989 masterpiece, Dr. Feelgood.  Unfortunately, this wasn't what I got.  Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that I hated it or anything...at least, not completely.  However, I have to say that it definitely took me a couple of listens to warm up to this one.  There is more than enough good material here to make the disc worth buying; it has many strong points...one of them being some very menacing guitar work on the part of Mick Mars...but overall, I didn't feel that it was the Crue's best effort.

The album kicks off with a spoken-word intro, reminiscent of the band's 1983 album, Shout At The Devil.  It then segues into the slightly punk-influenced Face Down In The Dirt, which is a decent track, but not one of my personal favorites.  The next track, What's It Gonna Take, was the first that really stood out to me.  It has a great groove, and the wah-wah guitar tone used on the chorus just suits the song perfectly.  Also, this song is one of two...the other being the title track...that contain exceptional vocals by Vince Neil.

Next up, we have Down At The Whiskey.  This is a fun tune, but again, not a favorite.  The music is enjoyable, but the lyric is a downright cheesy ode to the band's club days.  The nostalgic feeling of this song adds to the cheese factor.  I guess I am not terribly interested in hearing a band whose members are now entering middle age attempt to relive the debauchery of their lost youth!  In my opinion, you wouldn't be missing much if you skipped this one altogether.

This brings us to my reason for buying the disc in the first place.  Saints Of Los Angeles is classic Crue in every sense.  The combination of Tommy's thundering drums and Nikki's pounding bass are about as subtle as a concrete baseball bat to the base of the skull, to which Mick's growling guitar is the perfect complement; he really bares his fangs on this one, folks!  On top of all of this, add Vince's shrill shrieks, and viola, instant masterpiece!

I found the track after Saints to be pretty interesting as well.  MF Of The Year is another heavy tune where Mick shines.  As for the remaining tracks, they are cool enough, but in my opinion, there was nothing else of real interest until I got to track eleven, This Ain't A Love Song.  I guess it was just my type of song.  Again, the other tracks aren't necessarily bad, they are just not what appeals to me personally.

I think my biggest problem with this album is that it lacks cohesion; the song styles are all over the place.  This is definitely an album that you will have to hear and judge for yourself, though.  Some may like the tracks that I did not care for, while others may agree with my assessment.  As I said earlier, it's a strong record with enough good songs to make it worth the cash, but overall, not the best Motley Crue record.

No comments:

Post a Comment