Published on Aug 3, 2001
The fact that Motley Crue was still together – no, check that,
still
alive – for their tenth anniversary probably had people
ripping up their Dead Pool tickets. Not only had the band survived,
but they had thrived, going from made-up bad boys to a pretty tight
musical unit. Of course, one can’t help but think the production
hand of Bob Rock had something to do with that success, but the
Crue was on the top of the metal scene.
Decade Of Decadence ’81 – ’91 served two purposes, one of
which would come out of left field. The primary purpose was to
celebrate the band’s 10 years together by putting a fresh coat of
paint on some of their best-known songs. The second was to say
goodbye to singer Vince Neil, who would depart the band for about
six years. (Side note: Though it’s been a while since I listened to
Motley Crue, I seemed to remember
liking
John Corabi with the band.) While I’m a little surprised that
this collection is presently out of print (though that could be
because of the recently-released
Greatest Hits), this is a collection that has some good
moments, though it’s a bit contrived for the long-time fan.
Whether each song had to be re-mixed for ’91 is a question that
the diehards can answer; I just don’t think we needed a new version
of “Live Wire” or “Home Sweet Home” (the latter being a song I just
can’t stand). Just last night, I dug out my vinyl copy of
Too Fast For Love… and the original “Live Wire,” while
raw, was perfect for the time. Hell, the
band was raw back in ’82; why spit-shine something that
wasn’t meant to sparkle? I will admit, though, that “Shout At The
Devil” sounds pretty fresh – though I always did kind of like that
song.
Of the 10 “classics,” the selection is pretty good, covering all
five studio albums to that point fairly. (I’d have thrown in “Too
Young To Fall In Love,” though.) If you’re a newbie to the Crue,
this is a nice way to shake hands with the fiends and staying with
familiar territory. (The live version of “Kickstart My Heart,”
though, sounds a bit raw… wasn’t there a better live
version?)
Decade Of Decadence boasts five additional tracks, ranging
from the blah (“Teaser,” “Angela”) to the killer (“Rock ‘N’ Roll
Junkie” – obviously, Nikki Sixx’s autobiography – and “Primal
Scream”). Their cover of “Anarchy In The U.K.” – well, that’s an
interesting one. When I first heard this back when this album came
out, I hated it, as well as what the Crue had done to a punk
classic. Over the years, though, I’ve thought, “Isn’t the Crue the
right band to perform such a song?” It’s still not my favorite
version – sorry, but the Sex Pistols will never be topped in this
category – but it’s not as dire as I once thought it to be.
Decade Of Decadence ’81 – ’91 is a pretty good summary piece
for Motley Crue, though cleaning up some of the tracks not only
seemed unnecessary, but it seemed to pull away some of their power.
It just goes to prove that you can clean these guys up, but… ah,
forget it.