Yell! Magazine’s Album Picks Of The Week: Rocking Out To ’80s

Evil here… Wow, what a weird “selection” and weirder comments. First off, Back in Black, is almost front to back memorable. The songs that you list as “forgettable” are among my favorites on the album. And to pull a sucker punch and fault this album for simple lyrics is like faulting GSP for being a good fighter… all of AC/DC’s songs had silly lyrics, it’s kind of the point of the band.

VH’s 1984, while great and fun and upbeat and full-on party music, is far from their best… and more specifically, best from the Roth era. I can name three albums from the Roth years that top 1984: Van Halen, Women and Children First, and Fair Warning, heck, I might even slide VH II in there. OK, again with the lyrics. Yes, while most of their lyrics were party/girl focused, they did have some lyrics that had something to say, namely “And The Cradle Will Rock” (about a teen gone astray and going down a dark path), “Dirty Movies” (well, it’s about a girl going into a certain industry), “Mean Streets” (about life on the street and growing up tough with no future), “Runnin’ with the Devil” (about living the fast life and ultimately finding it empty)… point being that their lyrics weren’t always so empty. Actually, come to think of VH party albums, I might say that VH II tops 1984, what with songs like “You’re No Good,” “Dance the Night Away,” “Bottoms Up!,” “Women in Love…,” and “Beautiful Girls.”
Dr. Feelgood, yes, good album, yes very polished, no, not the best from Crue, no, not the ultimate example of glam godliness, no, not the best Crue party album. What? No comment on the simple lyrics? If most of the songs on this album are forgetful, how is this among the best 2 albums from Motley Crue? How is this the best from the glam metal era? Should gone with Too Fast For Love if you wanted fun, memorable, exciting, party-mode Crue. Shout at the Devil is great, but ultimately too dark if you’re going for party. Girls, Girls, Girls sucks, save for the title track and “Wild Side.” Theater of Pain was another great album, which actually might be the most underrated in their catalog.

As far as Motley Crue being glam, well… I can see how they could be considered as part of the genre, but they always seemed to be just outside the fringe. They were a little more raunchy, a little less polished, definitely sleazier, a bit tougher, a bit heavier. Sure, they may have looked the part with the Theater album, but I can name X bands that could easily overpower Crue in the glam department: Cinderella, Ratt, Poison, Faster Pussycat, Warrant, Britney Fox, etc.