Eleven Seven Music (6/24/08)
Hard rock
It might have taken upwards of 19 years to do, but the original members of Mötley Crüe finally got together and crafted the album no one thought they had left in them—a proper follow-up to Dr. Feelgood.
Some are talking about the autobiographical nature of the album; the “concept” nature of proceedings. But truthfully, this is the album fans were waiting for back in ’91 or ’92. And that’s not to say this is a retro album, or that it sounds out-of-place in today’s musical landscape. It’s quite the contrary. Crüe bassist and mastermind Nikki Sixx has always continued to grow and develop over the years, from his work with the Brides of Destruction to the Sixx A.M. project, and has strived to remain relevant over the years. If anything, it was that, coupled with the fact singer Vince Neil and drummer Tommy Lee stayed busy through the years, too, that made the band able to slip back into a comfortable situation. Mick Mars might have had his own problems (health, etc.), but it’s not like the Crüe was lying dormant, either.
Saints of Los Angeles is even more anticipated when you consider the history preceding its release. For all intents and purposes, it’s almost the first full-length outing for the band since, well, Feelgood. After touring relentlessly in support of Feelgood, the band re-grouped for the hits package Decade of Aggression in ’91, but things were already beginning to unravel. Shortly, Neil was ousted from the group, and the Crüe released a self-titled effort 1994 with John Corabi on vocals. The album, while some of the best work the band had ever done, was a change in style, and fans didn’t bite. The band reunited with Neil for 1997’s Generation Swine, but the album seemed forced (rumors persist that the album was recorded with Corabi initially, and Neil re-recorded his vocals once the band reunited). Then, Lee left in the late ’90s and the band had Randy Castillo fill in on the drum kit. The original line-up united once more in ’04-’05 to record a couple of new tracks for the Red, White and Crüe collection. And now…
It’s so hard to capture lightning in a bottle. And that’s what happened for the Crüe back in ’89-’90. So if anything was going to re-capture that energy, this is the album. Taken separately, each member might not be the best at what they do (hell, no one ever said Neil was anything more than an adequate singer, if that), but something special happens when these four get into a studio together and are able to check the egos at the door.
Stealing a page from Feelgood, the band kicks off S.O.L.A. with “L.A.M.F.”, which is really just a spoken-word intro for the album and the first actual song, “Face Down in the Dirt”. And what a way to kick off an album. Sixx tears up the bass as the punk-inspired track unfolds, Lee really goes to town during the chorus, and Mars has a great solo thrown in, to boot. “What’s It Gonna Take” and “Down at the Whiskey” are fun little rockers, but it’s the middle portion of this album that really shines.
The title-track is, in a word, killer, channeling a combination of “Dr. Feelgood” and “Primal Scream”, with plenty of solid work from Mars and Lee. And the sing-a-long chorus, featuring Josh Todd (Buckcherry), James Michael (Sixx A.M.), Chris Taylor Brown (Trapt) and Jacoby Shaddix (Papa Roach) is the first “real” stadium anthem recorded in a long time. The Crüe follows that up with “MF of the Year” which is probably one of the best songs the band has ever recorded; from the snarl of the chorus to the crushing groove, it’s a near perfect hard rock/metal song. Then there’s the melancholy and urgency of “The Animal in Me” (another instant Crüe-classic) to juxtapose the urgency and frantic energy on “Welcome to the Machine”.
It’s only after that portion of the album that the band begins to show a little weakness. “Just Another Psycho” and “Chicks=Trouble” are a little light, lyrics-wise, but are still pretty solid musically (especially the up-tempo head-bobbing infectious nature of the latter). “This Ain’t a Love Song” comes across as the only real filler on the album, with weak lyrics and less-than-inspired music, apart from some more good guitar-work from Mars to close the song out. (Of note: Filler isn’t always a bad thing on an album. Each and every track can’t always be a home run, and throwing in something like “This Ain’t a Love Song” to round out the rest of the album can work, but having it anchor the later portion of the album is a poor track-listing decision.)
Closing things out is the raucous and sleazy “White Trash Circus” and the punk-driven “Goin’ Out Swinging”—both perfectly suitable additions to the band’s catalogue.
And there you have it. The total lack of any power ballads is a welcome surprise, and the only questionable elements would have to be the track order (imagine what the album would have ultimately sounded like with the title track as a closer) and some of the lyrics (then again, this is the band that crafted classics like “She Goes Down” and “Rattlesnake Shake”).
Saints of Los Angeles is a very welcome rock album from a bunch of musicians that most thought probably didn’t have it in them. Better than a nostalgia trip, this is a great new album from legends of the L.A. rock scene. You don’t see any of the Crüe’s contemporaries cranking out material like this anymore.
