Lewd and Crue 'd

I was going to say Saints & Sinners but I think that's a Whitesnake album title.

Before I weigh in on Motley Crue's new CD, I should probably say what I think of the band in general. I like Motley Crue but consider myself a fair weather fan. When it comes to one of the best hair bands of the 80's I mainly like the hits. There are people who grew up on the Crue and see them as their band, the music they had the time of their life to and represented the ultimate in 80's teen rebellion. I'm not one of those people, no logical reason for it, for some reason I prefer many hair bands I consider less talented on an objective level (like Ratt or Whitesnake). Maybe it was the sleaze factor or the hypocracy of seeing Vince Neil do R.A.D. commercials while higher than a kite. Either way, I've been listening to the new disc streaming online and do like them so here it goes!

The new disc is Saints of Los Angeles and is the first concept album I can recall in their career. It traces their story as a band based on their best selling biography The Dirt. As far as big money reunion cash in's go, Saints is pretty good. Motley Crue try hard to reconnect on a musical level with each other as their performance avoids coming across stiff or wooden (sometimes these type of reunions sound like a bunch of people e-mailing their recorded parts to each other from separate locations) and show they still have some chemistry together. Having a concept allows them to write with a newfound perspective on their favorite topics (which is their debauched lifestyle and girls, girls, girls).

Highlights include the "Shout At The Devil"ish title cut and the modern rock style ballad "The Animal In Me". And when it comes to Motley Crue, it's hard not to appreciate a song called "Chicks = Trouble" because it has them written all over it. It seems wrong to hear a Motley Crue album without a song title like that one. The burnt out fast beat of "Welcome To The Machine" makes an impression as well. Thankfully, the Crue don't overdo their attempt for a modern edge this time around (unlike Generation Swine) leaving it at roughed up guitar sounds and no synthesizers to make them current.

There are some drawbacks, mostly stemming from the concept of the album. The first five songs are really descriptive and place you in the middle of their hunger for success and dirt poor existence with the rampaging "Face Down In The Dirt" or the swanky "What's It Gonna Take". But when the band hits the big time, the story gets lost. Parts of the bands hey day get addressed (girls, career burn out) but some parts are missing (enjoying success, explicit drug addiction) and lacks a song to tie everything together for this part of the story. It ends well with "White Trash Circus" and "Goin' Out Swingin" to bring you to the present. Sequencing also becomes a problem because while the individual tracks are strong they don't flow together well musically. The transitioning from the beat of one song to the next is awkward and doesn't let the album gel as a whole.

Saints of Los Angeles isn't quite the triumphant return most would like to see from this group, but it does put their best foot forward and comes across as an earnest effort to rawk. All of the members contribute and seem dedicated to putting on a good show. There is some creative growth in the songwriting and anything that gets vastly underrated guitarist Mick Mars out of the house is a good thing. Saints lacks a killer cut to seal the deal, but has other strengths to make it worthwhile.