Var ju som sagt på IKEA i söndags och småshoppade lite. Fick förutom ljusstakar, matlådor och en köttbulletallrik även med mig lite tavelramar därifrån, så nu ska jag för första gången i livet pimpa med lite bilder på väggarna. Självklart åker min sötis upp med ett gäng bilder på den största ramen så att jag kan somna gott även fast hon inte somnar bredvid mig. I det andra ramarna kommer diverse galna och glada bilder upp. Fjanten får givetvis pryda ett par bilder och jag tillsammans med vänner kommer så småningom upp en efter en också. Just nu sitter jag på begränsat med utrymme (läs: begränsat med ramar) och begränsat med sjyssta bilder på mig tillsammans med vänner, men om DU som läser detta anser att du ska pryda mina väggar och sitter på en grym bild på dig tillsammans med mig så är det bara att skicka in ditt bidrag till freddesvensson@bredband.net. Sen i efterhand ska jag även göra som Malin att beställa lite bilder från Allposters.com på bl.a. Nikki och övriga Mötley som också ska få sig lite yta på mina tomma väggar

Inte nog med detta lilla pysselprojekt. Snart vankas även pimpning av min jacka. Det ska även göras egna armband och sen också julbakas. Jävla kärring man blivit ;-p

Axplock av urvalda bilder som snart kommer upp…

Såhär in på natten är jag som mest pigg! Konstigt egentligen, men så äre…
Ska strax slå på en film, men innan dess lyssna på underbara Mötley! ♥

Less också på hur livet är just nu, hatar att andra personer har mitt liv i sina händer!
När vart världen så sne att andra kan styra och bestämma över andra? Vi är ju alla lika värda :S
Jaja, har väll inget annat val än “go with the flow”. God Natt

A Steven Tyler le buscan sustituto

La legendaria banda Aerosmith se encuentra en estos momentos en una etapa de crisis, debido a que su cantante Steven Tyler se encuentra prácticamente en el limbo, tratando de poner orden a su vida, por lo que prefirió salir de la banda, aunque existen rumores de que volvió a recaer fuertemente en las drogas.

Por su parte el guitarrista Joe Perry comenzará una gira en Canadá con su banda Joe Perry Project, abriendo para los Mötley Crüe, durante enero y febrero del 2010.

Por otro lado se habla que Aerosmith está buscando un nuevo cantante para seguir vivos, pero la historia de esta banda comprueba que cuando han tocado sin sus integrantes originales de plano son un real fracaso, aunque también la mala relación que han llevado, más sus problemas con los estupefacientes, también ha provocado que su gran nivel musical  baje a la más pura mediocridad.

Así que pensar que Aerosmith sobreviva sin Steven Tyler, cuando su voz  es prácticamente el sello del grupo, es una idea que sus fans podrían considerar ridícula  y provoca cuestionamientos serios sobre el juicio de los demás integrantes de Aerosmith. 

Aerosmith sin Tyler, sería como los Rolling Stones sin Mick Jagger  o Metallica sin James Hetfield, sin embargo ya comienzan a decirse nombres de quién podría sustituirlo y aquí les damos algunas opciones.  

Tom Keifer, quien fuera el frontman de Cinderella, podría ser un sustituto con afán de revancha, porque seguramente conoce al dedillo el material de Aerosmith. Recordemos que Tom se vestía igual de Steven Tyler y hasta tomaba de la misma forma el micrófono. Sería un renacer para este talentoso cantante y compositor, pero esto es sólo un deseo de Inquisidor71, ya que las últimas noticias que se tienen de este talentoso músico es que perdió la voz, debido a unos nódulos en sus cuerdas vocales.

John Corabi fue brevemente el cantante de Mötley Crüe, en la etapa en que esta banda quiso cambiar su sonido radicalmente, pero sin buenos resultados. A pesar de todo, la calidad de este cantante es incuestionable y podría musicalmente dar el ancho en la música de Aerosmith, pero no es tan dinámico en sus movimientos;  nadie baila como Tyler.

Chris Robinson de The Black Crowes podría ser otro candidato ideal, ya que domina esa mezcla de blues-rock con maestría. Quizás tendría que dejar de lado un poco la banda que lo ha hecho famoso para probar qué se siente subirse  al escenario con esta gran banda.

Stephen Pearcy ex cantante de Ratt, modernizó con esta banda, el hard-rock  de los años 80’s. Aunque muchos los comparaban con Def Leppard, la realidad es que su mayor influencia era Aerosmith, sólo que eran más dinámicos en las guitarras. La voz agresiva de este cantante haría un efecto interesante en la música de la banda que dirige Joe Perry.

Sebastian Bach es un intérprete que a pesar de salir de Skid Row hace varios años, ha mantenido su fama con participaciones en series de televisión y en realitys, así como con participaciones en Broadway, así como en uno que otro disco solista.

Su voz ha sido considerada una de las mejores del heavy metal, pero ahí está el problema, no se identifica mucho con el rock-blues, pero seguramente se pondría a ensayar con todo para ser adorado por los fans de Aerosmith.

Josh Todd de Buckcherry es dinámico en el escenario y tiene una voz rocanrolera de primer nivel, quizás sea el que más se adapte a las necesidades de Aerosmith. Por algo los lectores de la revista Rolling Stone lo tienen ubicado como el principal candidato para sustituir a Steven Tyler.

David Johansen quien fuera el frontman de New York Dolls también es otro candidato favorito para entrar a Aerosmith, sin embargo no creo que logre el nivel por el cual se hizo famoso. Sin embargo, si conserva su dinamismo en el escenario podría salir adelante en esta hipotética empresa.

Axl Rose fue influenciado tremendamente por Aerosmith, sino chequen su versión en vivo con los Guns N’ Roses de “Mama Kin”. Y en realidad es el único que lo veo adecuado para la música de esta banda, ya que tiene una gran voz con perfectos  agudos y graves, así como un estupendo manejo escénico. Pero si fuera invitado, su ego probablemente se lo impediría.

Cormac Neeson de la banda hard-rockera The Answer también es mencionada por algunos medios como un ideal sustituto, aunque en mi particular punto de vista no podría mantener el ritmo dramático que impone Tyler en vivo.

David Coverdale, líder de Whitesnake le cambiaría la cara a Aerosmith. Si con Jimmy Page cantó como Robert Plant, por qué no podría hacerlo como Steven Tyler, además su manejo en las vocales del blues-rock y del hard-rock es de grandes ligas.

Nota: También se menciona a David Lee Roth,  a Iggy Pop  y a un tipo que participó en American Idol, llamado Adam Lambert, pero sobre este último, a pesar de su talento, quizás su homosexualidad no sea del agrado de los legendarios Aerosmith.

I just saw another one of those World Wide Net videos that features a crap load of people spontaneously dancing with choreography in public. It’s like a real life version of Wicked or West Side Story taking place in your favorite local watering hole, being caught on camera, and posted to the Internets for everyone to gawk at. This new phenomenon is called “flash mobbing” and I’m not sure if I dig it. When something is called a flash mob, wouldn’t you at least expect to see one boob? It has “flash” right in the title! Anyway, flash mobbing is supposed to stun everyone lucky enough to be a witness and cause them to immediately start video taping the flamboyant dancing on their crappy cell phone camera. The only problem is that there are no authentic witnesses. Ninety-nine percent of the people that we think are innocent bystanders ends up popping n’ locking in perfect rhythm by the end of the production, leaving only 3 mid-westerners with fanny packs as legitimate witnesses. If you think about it, these elaborate dances are no different than a community theater production of Rent at a 4th of July parade in Wichita (I’ve officially exhausted all of my musical theater references…that I’ll publicly admit to knowing about……Les Miserbles…Joseph…Damn it!)

As of today, we have decided to officially leave the world of comedy. That’s right, The Casual Mafia has made a collective decision to stop making funny music videos and sketches and enter the lucrative world of flash mobbing. It’s really the logical next step if you think about. If you’d like to be involved in our first production, call Josh on the new official Casual Mafia Flash Mob Hotline at (800) JOSH-MAC any time between 5 a.m and 7 a.m. We are going to be at the next L.A. Rams home game and we will be doing a musical montage medley featuring songs by Motley Crue, Journey, The Beastie Boys, and The Indigo Girls. Ric will be choreographing so it will be sure to feature lots of Latin spice and sexual ambiguity. We hope you’re as excited as we are and we can’t wait to make history. No dancing experience is required to don’t be shy, call now!

Astazi a fost o zi groaznica, ma rog, doar la scoala. Am facut 3 ore de matematica, consecutiv si aproape nu am avut pauza. Asta nu mai e scoala, e tortura. Si am facut doar probleme de clasa a 7-a. Defapt sunt in a 4-a. Am facut probleme de la un concurs Lumina Math, un concurs la care ma bucur ca nu am participat.

Dar dupa ce am venit de la scoala, a fost suuuper. M-am intalnit si cu Joana, dar n-a stat afara, se grabea sa mearga nu stiu unde.

Am venit acasa la 7, deci de la 4 la 7, am stat toata ziua afara. Si ma bucur. Mi-a ajuns cu matematica pentru tot restul vietii. Ma durea mana dreapta, capul ma durea, gatul si imi lacrimau si ochii. La un moment dat, a tebuit sa scriu cu mana stanga. Si n-am mai facut sport de 4 sau 5 saptamanii, si avem 2 ore pe saptamana. Ba, ca nu avem timp, ca trebuie sa mai facem ceva. Sau inventeaza doamna inv. scuze ca sa nu facem sport. Si acum nici nu ne mai lasa afara, in curte, sa ne jucam. Dar ce pisici suntem?!! Sclavii matematicii?!!! M-am saturat.

Mai departe…Am ajuns acasa m-am apucat sa ascult si, chiar si acum ascult Flyleaf si Unsun. Sunt doua trupe super. Si la L.A. ink am mai aflat de o trupa super. Motley Crue. Sincer nu cred ca este chiar stilul meu, dar ador cum canta.

Am sa va dau 3 melodii. Toate super. Ma rog, pentru rockeri.

Prima oara… Flyleaf – Beautiful Bride

Nota: Melodia este super, dar parca unele scene din cliop nu prea se potrivesc, dar oricum este foarte artistic. Ma rog, asa zic eu.

Mai departe… Unsun – Closer to Death

Pss: Clipul are scene din filmul Underworl, cred ca 2. Eu am vazut si 1 si 2 si 3, si toate sunt suuuper. Ador filmul acesta.

Ultimul…  Motley Crue – Sick, Love, Song

Pss: Unul dintre membrii formatiei este iubitul lui Lat von D.

Gata…Ma duc ca incepe L. A. ink. Am fugit. Bye!!!!

Cassi M

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Vince Neil risks a cramp by hitting the stage while still digesting the meal he ate at Pirate Pete's All-You-Can-Eat Buccaneer Buffet

In my search for blog fodder today, I was surprised to discover a story over at Rolling Stone’s site about the 20th anniversary of Motley Crue’s Dr. Feelgood. It seems like just yesterday that “Kickstart My Heart” was all over Much Music and I was constantly having to rush to turn off the TV.

It’s likely the band and their label will re-issue Dr. Feelgood with a bunch of bonus tracks that are even lamer than the ones that made the cut the first time around in an attempt to lure people who’ve already bought this shit—some of them on cassette, vinyl and CD—into forking out for it again.

While it’s certainly true that I’ve mocked the Crue at every opportunity on this blog, in honour of this auspicious occasion I’ve gone ahead and produced a video in tribute to their hair metal majesty. In keeping with the band’s decrepitness, I decided to cast an elderly gentlemen to perform “Kickstart My Heart”. Unfortunately, the site I used to make it did not furnish me with the option of having my actor perform in drag, which was really the foundation of Motley Crue’s 80s artistry. I was, however, able to set the performance in a cafeteria—the unmistakable inference being that the kitchen does indeed serve up a mean shitwich.

Liam Gallagher Vows To Keep Sucking

Liam Gallagher's fruitless search for gainful employment ends with decision to reform Oasis without Noel

According to the NME, Liam Gallagher has got together with the guys he and Noel hired to replace the original members of Oasis that they fired to put together an album of new material. The new material will be recorded without, of course, Noel Gallagher—which is like Clyde from Every Which Way But Loose driving Clint Eastwood’s truck instead of just signaling right turns.

"Right turn, Liam"

The NME quotes Gallagher as saying, “We’ll do it in a different kind of way now….and I’m feeling confident about the songs. I’m feeling a million per cent confident that they could be better than Oasis.”

It’s good to see that Liam is confident, but confidence—unlike talent—has never really been something he’s lacked. It’s probably fair to say that if anything, Liam Gallagher is over-confident and that’s what has lead him to believe that he can lead some kind of Noelless version of Oasis.

The fact that he claims to be only a “million per cent” confident and not a “billion percent” or “infinity forever per cent” does suggest, however, that Liam has been doing some soul searching and re-evaluating of things since Noel’s departure last summer.

I don’t know whether the new Liam and the hired Oasis hands’ project has a moniker as of yet—and I can’t really be bothered to find out—but if they’re in need of suggestions, how about Suckosis?

Just as a reminder of Liam’s songwriting ability, I’ve made a music video for “Little James” which he wrote for 2000’s Standing on the Shoulder of Giants. The shitwiches on the menu in the caf may look familiar to you. Bon appetit!

Producer: James Michael

Released: 2008

Rating: ****

Slithering towards the dream,
All infected with the same disease,
Awaiting your flesh to be cloaked in silver.
As the fat rats grovel,
Ready to steal your innocence and exploit your soul
Some will hit their knees in a rancid act of desparation
While others search for a hopeless god to save them
For every FOUR, there will be 100,000 fallen
Drowning in a cesspool of awareness that they have failed
This city…full of plastic angels will seduce you…

WELCOME TO LOS ANGELES….

And so begins one of 2008’s most anticipated rock releases. A warning of sorts, but coming from L.A.’s most celebrated scum bags, this is an invitation. An invitation to the party. An invitation to their journey. An invitation to suffer, as they have, to achieve those things in life that are worth the struggle. Perhaps it’s simply a well thought out intro to an album that supposedly “loosely” follows the story of their New York Times Best Seller, The Dirt. If that’s the case, well, then job well done boys because this intro follows in the footsteps of other great Motley intros inluding In The Beginning (Shout At The Devil) and T.N.T. (Dr. Feelgood).

The album kicks things into gear pretty quickly with Face Down In The Dirt, a battle cry for any band or person with the odds stacked against them willing to claw their way to the top in pursuit of stardom rather than live the 9 to 5 lifestyle. With lyrics like, “Met a man from mars and a couple other freaks that night,” it’s also the beginning of our heroes journey. The journey continues with the third song, What’s It Gonna Take. What makes this work for me is the lyrics. It is the story of Too Fast For Love.

Down At The Whisky continues the story, detailing Motley’s chaotic days on the Sunset Strip. This is probably the first song on S.O.L.A. that told me this was a kick-ass Crue album. This is a very melodic, mellow, very……. cool track. Reminds me a bit of the vibe they had on New Tattoo. The Saints Of Los Angeles is the albums first single and is one of the albums best tracks. This song (is it possible you haven’t heard it) KICKS ASS!! Another story teller celebrating the days when Motley was the Strips biggest attraction and brought all their fans back to their house to party, this tune has an infectious chorus that you’ll find yourself singing repeatedly.

MF (Mutha Fucker) Of The Year is up next and is one of the albums best tunes. This song is classic Crue. Middle finger in the air, fist in your face Crue. For those of you who are keeping score at home, it’s actually the way Vince sings the main verse that elevates this song to stellar status.

The Animal In Me is the albums first disappointment and is one of two songs that probably could have been left off S.O.L.A. to make it more concise. It’s a slow(er) song, but by no means is a ballad. It’s actually somewhat awkward and out of place, but by no means terrible. Welcome To The Machine in another lyrical assault on the music industry followed by Just Another Psycho which is the second song I feel could have been left off the album.

Chicks = Trouble is a foot stompin’ proclamation that, yes, chicks do equal trouble. This is one of my favorite tracks from the album. No B.S. just fun traditional Crue. Appropriately, This Ain’t A Love Song is next…… appropriate because as the song states, “This is a fuck song!”. This is the type of tune that would have fit perfectly on Girls, Girls, Girls.

I didn’t sample all of the tracks prior to purchasing S.O.L.A., but I did sample White Trash Circus and fell in love with it immediately. Another foot stomper that celebrates the Crue in all of their dysfunctional glory (If we go another mile we’re gonna kick each other’s ass). One of the albums best.

Goin’ Out Swingin’ closes the album out. A good song, but not the albums best.

There’s a lot to consider when listening to S.O.L.A. It’s the first album of original material since 2000’s New Tattoo and the first that all four original members have recorded together since 1997’s Generation Swine. Swine was recorded when Tommy Lee was still heavily involved with the creative process. New Tattoo was recorded without him. Obviously since New Tattoo the band has reunited, toured and played to sold out crowds world wide. That being said, Tommy Lee has one song writing credit on S.O.L.A. which is This Ain’t A Love Song. This is a Nikki Sixx album……… and a Mick Mars album. A lot of the album was written with James Michael and DJ Ashba, both members of Sixx A.M. It stands to reason that there will be similar styles on both albums. Good news for Crue fans is that some of the albums best tracks are the ones that Mick co-wrote.

An album isn’t just about the music (although that is the most important ingredient). It’s also about the packaging and Motley kicked ass with this release. The inner sleave pick of the band is awesome and Nikki looks God-like.

S.O.L.A. is a logical progression for Motley Crue. Since they broke up and got back together (and broke up again) this band has struggled, creatively. MC94 was a phenomenal release, but no one was listening. Generation Swine was an absolute mess and New Tattoo was a safe move after that disaster. Saints Of Los Angeles picks up where Primal Scream left off. At that moment, Motley Crue was about to embark on a more mature musical journey. I believe that this album is what Motley Crue would have and should have sounded like had the band never broken up. Does this album sound like Girls, Girls, Girls? No, but it’s not 1987 and Motley has always prided themselves on remaining current. If Girls, Girls, Girls is what you were expecting and hoping for you should listen to that album. It kicks ass and is an awesome Crue album. If you want to continue on this ever changing journey with Nikki and the boys, pick up S.O.L.A. It’s great to see that these middle aged monsters of rock still have what it takes to kick ass and offend.

Producer: Various

Released: 2005

Rating: ****

At some point in the 2000’s bands starting releasing elaborate mulit-disc Greatest Hits packages. Many of these packages had cardboard gatefold packaging as well as tell all booklets. I have several including Van Halen’s Best of Both Worlds, Elton John’s Greatest Hits 1970 – 2002 and this one, Red, White & Crue.

As I have said many times on this blog, I both love and hate Greatest Hits packages. I own tons of them, but I also get frustrated talking to people who call themselves fans of a band, yet all they own is a “Best Of” or “Greatest Hits” disc. Call me a purist.

All that being said, Red, White & Crue is a phenomenal retrospective collection of songs from a band that was never supposed to last long enough to release one Greatest Hits package, let alone, this, their second. RW&C was not only an album, but also a tour that marked the 2nd “official” reunion of the original line-up of everyone’s favorite fuck-up’s. The first was Generation Swine, but the timing (aside from the diehards) was not right. That was 1997. By the time 2005 rolled around the world was not only ready, but hungry for a reunion of rock’s ultimate bad boys.

Double disc packages like these allow bands to include all the fan friendly radio hits as well as some of the diehard favorites. These discs do just that. What’s great about RW&C is that the first disc respresents one part of the bands history (the most successful up to that point) and the second disc represents another (the bands least successful). Disc 1 contains all the radio familiar hits while the songs on disc 2 are from the bands less popular albums. Both discs contain a fair number of alternate re-mixes. Disc 1 is far more “listenable” and flows better than disc 2, which some might argue makes it the better disc. But disc 2 contains 3 new songs (1 of which is a cover) and 2 of them are spectacular. Ironically the lead single which announced to the world that the Crue was back was not only the least impressive of the 3 new songs, but I actually think the song is crap. If I die Tomorrow does absolutely NOTHING for me. Perhaps that’s because the song was written, more or less, by Simple Plan, a band I could care less about. The 2nd original song, Sick Love Song, is PURE Crue and KICKS ASS! Most impressive to me are Vince’s vocals. His voice is killer on this track. The 3rd “new” song is a cover of the Rolling Stones tune, Street Fighting Man. While originally a battle cry for the disenfranchised hippies of the 60’s somehow our fearless foursome made it a Sunset Strip Celebration.

Like I said, I am not the biggest fan of Greatest Hits packages. My guess is that most people who purchased RW&C love the first disc and tossed the second one. Diehard fans like us know that both of these discs, while showcasing a different side of our favorite band, are well worth the investment.

Köp Motley crüe – Motley crüe.

This is about a week of catch up or so, so this is one fucking long list!

2009 – The Future Is Soon
Aggrolites, The – IV
Andrew W.K. – Close Calls With Brick Walls
Anti-Flag – The People or The Gun
As Tall As Lions – You Can’t Take It With You
Ataris, The – …Anywhere But Here
Ataris, The – Welcome The Night
Avail – Front Porch Stories
Avail – One Wrench
Bad Brains – Bad Brains
Barry, Tim – Manchester
Big D and the Kids Table, Brian Failure – Beijing to Boston
Black Keys, The – The Big Come Up
Black Sabbath – Paranoid
Briggs, The – Back To Higher Ground
Cloak Dagger – Lost Art
Common Enemy – Living The Dream
Converge – Axe To Fall
Death By Stereo – Into The Valley Of Death
Dost, Andrew – Columbus
Drive Like Jehu – Drive Like Jehu
Drive Like Jehu – Yank Crime
Flaming Lips, The – Silent Night
Full of Fancy – Sweet Baby Jesus
Gabel, Tom – Anna is a Stool Pigeon
Ghostlimb, Fischer – Split
Guns N’ Roses – Chinese Democracy
Hatebreed – For The Lions
Hot Chip – The Warning
Jizz Kids, Guts – A Safe Return To The Forest
Judas Priest – Hero, Hero
Lawrence Arms, The – The Greatest Story Ever Told
Longfellow – And So On
Lucero – 1372 Overton Park
Mad Caddies – Just One More
Mars Volta, The – Is Anybody There
Mars Volta, The – Live At The Electric Ballroom
Max Levine Ensemble, The – Ok Smarty Pants
Monikers – Wake Up
Morrissey – Years of Refusal
Motley Crue – Girls Girls Girls
MxPx – Secret Weapon
Naked Raygun – Jettison
Naked Raygun – Understand
Nerf Herder – American Cheese
Nine Pound Hammer – Sex, Drugs and Bill Monroe
No Use For A Name – Hard Rock Bottom
No Use For A Name – Keep Them Confused
No Use For a Name – More Bitterness
Only Crime – To The Nines
P.O.D. – Payable On Death
Protest the Hero – Kezia
Prozacs, The – Playing The Chords We Love
Real McKenzies, The – 10,000 Shots
Real McKenzies, The – Oot and Aboot
Rehasher – High Speed Access to My Brain
R.E.M. – Automatic for the People
Revolutionary Youth – Bleed Decay
Scorch, Al – This Lonesome World…
Sick Of It All – Call To Arms
Sick Of It All – Life on the Ropes
Sick Of It All – Yours Truly
Skatalites – Stretching Out Vol. 1
Skeletonwitch – Breathing The Fire
Smashing Pumpkins – Gish
Snow Patrol – A Hundred Million Suns
Star Fucking Hipsters – Never Rest In Peace
Strung Out – An American Paradox
Swellers, The – My Everest
Tool – 10,000 Days
Used Kids – Yeah No
Vandals, The – Play Really Bad Original Country Tunes
Vandals, The – Sweatin’ To The Oldies
Various Artists – Glory Daze
Various Artists – Mallrats
Various Artists – New Tales To Tell
Wrister, North Trolls – Split

Está sendo lançado hoje a coletânia “Greatest Hits” do Mötley Crüe. O tracklist inclue verdadeiros hits que marcaram a carreira da banda, tornando o álbum uma ótima maneira de apresentar o “Crüe” a novos fãs.

01. Too Fast for Love
02. Shout at the Devil
03. Looks that Kill
04. Too Young to Fall in Love
05. Smokin’ in the Boys Room
06. Home Sweet Home
07. Wild Side
08. Girls, Girls, Girls
09. Dr. Feelgood
10. Kickstart My Heart
11. Same ‘Ol Situation
12. Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
13. Without You
14. Primal Scream
15. Sick Love Song
16. Afraid
17. If I Die Tomorrow
18. Saints of Los Angeles
19. The Animal In Me (Remix)

A última faixa, a única inédita do álbum, está disponível no MySpace da banda. Para encomendar o álbum, clique aqui.

Blue Öyster Cult “Godzilla”
The Scream “Young And Dumb”
Alice Cooper “Keepin’ Halloween Alive”
Rush “Freewill”
KISS “Strutter”
Lynam “Is This A Heartbreak Or A Loaded Gun?”
Jive Mother Mary “Let Me In”
Sammy Hagar “Privacy”
Slaughter “Up All Night”
Rok Hollywood “Deep Inside”
Winger “Witness”
White Lion “Wait”
Black Sabbath “Time Machine”
’77 “Less Talk (Let’s Rock)”
Airbourne “Runnin’ Wild”
Megadeth “Countdown To Extinction”
Age Of Evil “Slave To The Grind”
Ozzy Osbourne “I Don’t Wanna Stop”
Judas Priest “Judas Rising” (live)
Age Of Evil “Get Dead”
Iron Maiden “Strange World”
Aerosmith “Back In The Saddle”
Britny Fox “Girlschool”
BulletBoys “Road To Nowhere”
Yngwie Malmsteen “Aftermath”
Poison “Talk Dirty To Me”
Lita Ford “Back To The Cave”
Automan “Back In The Sun”
Mötley Crüe “Hooligan’s Holiday”
Firehouse “All She Wrote”
Stryper “Soldiers Under Command”
Felony “Yank That Chain”
Twisted Sister “I Believe In You”

I would never even dream of attempting to discuss if my brain is different from Francy’s.  I studied literature instead of biology for many reasons.  I do however get quite a good laugh over the little things which are different about both of us.  The things which often leave me shaking my head or doing everything humanly possible to expose Francy to something I feel he’s missing out on.

Music-Sadly we do not have the same tastes in music.  The radio doesn’t count since I don’t think anyone really enjoys listening to the radio as in “Wow, I can’t wait to get home and blast a little R102.9 FM!” What’s always struck me as strange is the fact that I lean more towards guy music Metallica, Motley Crue, AC/DC while Francy likes wuss rock.  Oh sure, he claims that as a young man he liked Pink Floyd, yet he’s never watched The Wizard of Oz while listening to Dark Side of the Moon.  I can assure you all that it was a true feat not to chuckle (we’d just started to get serious, so it was a definite no-no) when he told me that the theme to Chariots of Fire* was THE most beautiful song ever recorded. The best thing I could think of to steer him in the right direction was playing Mr Roboto and teaching him some robot dance moves.

*Point well made.  It is a lovely and inspiring film, but like most songs which have been over-used ad nauseum, it lost its cache years ago.

Clothing-I like black.  I don’t like most colors as far as clothing goes because I find them unflattering.  I don’t feel that a skirt is more “elegant” and the reason why sales clerks treat me like dirt when I go shopping.  Since I allow Francy to believe that pleated pants and boat shoes are still reasonable fashion choices, I put the kibosh on critiquing my wardrobe.

Food-By food I specifically mean sweets.  The most common complaint when I bake something is that it’s “too sweet”.  Um, it’s a cookie for Pete’s sake!!!!  This complaint is especially confusing when you see Francy create the following summertime dessert for himself:

Ingredients: strawberries, granulated sugar, spray can whipped cream

Recipe:  Wash fruit, slice and sprinkle with sugar, top (and generously I might add) with whipped cream and sprinkle more sugar on top to make the whipped cream “crunchy”.

I really do love you babe, but can you see where a gal could get confused?

Next time-Tanti auguri as we head into the Christmas season.

Producer: Various

Released: 2003

Rating: ** 1/2

Box Sets, for the most part, are nothing more than an elaborate repackaging of a bands material. Some are the ultimate greatest hits packages. Some focus on a portion of an artist’s career. Music To Crash Your Car To (Vol I) is simply Motley Crue’s first four albums (Too Fast For Love, Shout At The Devil, Theatre Of Pain and Girls, Girls, Girls) packaged together in one collection. There is the original Leathur Records release of Too Fast For Love which is nice for fans to be able to have. Essentially, it’s a different mix. There are a few odds-n-ends including some demo’s and a couple unreleased tracks. None of which are exclusive to Music To Crash Your Car To (Vol I) and can be found on the remastered Crucial Crue releases from 1997. The only track exclusive to this release (that I am aware of) is Tommy’s Drum Piece From Cherokee Studios.

As with most compilations of this sort, Music To Crash Your Car To (Vol I) comes with a fairly extensive book, which is actually the highlight of the box set. Loaded with rare pictures and two essay style articles, I am not certain that the book alone is worth the price of admission. An odd title to say the least, the members of Hanoi Rocks took issue, stating that in light of Vince Neil’s drunken driving accident that killed their drummer, Nicholas “Razzle” Dingley, Music To Crash Your Car To was a tad “tasteless”.

I suppose if you are a “completist” (I am) or if you were simply looking to buy all 4 of these albums, than this may not be a bad purchase. I still think that if you’ve never owned any of the albums in this compilation you should buy the original releases so that you can enjoy the individual album artwork and liner notes. I am a purist before I am a completist. The material contained in this box set deserves nothing less than a ***** rating, I’m simply not a fan of the format. Music To Crash Your Car To (Vol II) picks up with Dr. Feelgood, Decade Of Decadence, MC94, Quaternary and Supersonic & Demonic Relics. A third volume was planned, but has never been released. At the end of the day, if you like Motley Crue’s early work (their most popular) you should enjoy this box set from start to finish.

Producer: Mike Clink

Released: 2000

Rating: *** 1/2

This is one of those albums that wants to be great, but is only good. New Tattoo saw the band returning to a more “traditional” sound. On paper this should have been a great album. Mike Clink was hired to produce the album who produced a little album you may have heard of called Appetite For Destruction. Unfortunately, following the Greatest Hits Tour Tommy Lee parted ways with Motley Crue. New Tattoo would be the 2nd album the band recorded without all 4 original members. Hired to fill Tommy’s shoes was have sticks will travel veteran Randy Castillo. If I am correct this would be his last recording before his untimely death. That being said, Randy was a VERY capable drummer.

The lead off track that told me this could be a great album was Hell On High Heels. This is CLASSIC Crue. This is great hair metal sleaze. From what I understand, this was also a song the band had been kicking around for while. It makes sense because it sounds very much like a song that could have been on Theatre Of Pain or Girls, Girls, Girls. Truth be told, I’d also heard another track prior to the albums release that got me hooked. Porno Star was another classic Crue tune that any hair metal fan can sink their teeth into.

At times New Tattoo almost feels like the band is imitating the genre that they helped to create. The song New Tattoo is good song but is almost a cliche. It’s a song that you could expect any hair band to play. It could be Cinderella, Firehouse or Tesla. The album does shine at times with songs like 1st Band On The Moon (VERY much a song that celebrates everything about hair bands), Punched In The Teeth By Love (what a WICKED riff) and an appropriate cover of The Tubes song White Punks On Dope.

Where this album fails, in my opinion, is Tommy’s absence. He is the Yin to Nikki’s Yang. I honestly don’t care too much for Tommy’s work outside of the band, but he is a MAJOR part of the creative process with this band. New Tattoo is probably the bands lightest album (a crime in this genre) and I equate that to Tommy’s absence. Mike Clink produced Appetite For Destruction, a powerhouse hard rock album, but unfortunately his efforts were not as magical with this album. At times the songwriting is there and the band sounds really good, but there is SOMETHING missing.

Were it not for the band from which this album came, I would probably have given New Tattoo a much better review. The fact is, when you’re Motley Crue you need to bring your “A” game with every release. New Tattoo is a good album for this genre, but it’s just an average Motley Crue album.

Producer: Motley Crue

Released: 1999

Rating: *****

In general, I am no longer the biggest fan of “live” albums. Perhaps it’s cynicism creeping in as I grow older with each and every year. At 9 years of age discovering this music for the first time, “live” albums were an essential part of a fans collection. Too young to attend concerts, “live” albums brought you as close to the stage as your parents would allow. Lucky for me I was a KISS fan, so I had a couple of reasons with Alive! and Alive II to love “live” albums.

Beyond the age of 9 you start to learn some things about the world. Things like it is possible to fix a football or basketball game and all those “live” albums that were the soundtrack to your youth weren’t as “live” as you once thought. Yes, folks, it’s true. Live albums are loaded with over-dubs to clean up mistakes and to help make your favorite band sound perfect. I’ve read articles claiming that the only live portion of some very famous live recordings is the requisite crowd noise. In fact, Paul Stanley has been quoted as saying that, “Alive II is as ‘live’ as it needs to be.” Here’s the frontman for a band whose very success is largely due to an enormously successful live album (Alive!) claiming that the follow up is, well, not all that live.

Also, years ago a live album seemed to mean more. Often times it was a way for a band to thank their fans. These days it’s an easy way for a band and record label to part ways by fullfilling a contract. Based on all that, where do I get off giving this “live” recording a ***** rating? Well, if I recall Nikki Sixx denounced “live” albums for years for some of the very reasons I’ve mentioned. If I am correct, he lambasted Metallica’s Live Shit: Binge & Purge for being anything but live.

Which brings us to this albums ***** rating. While I am quite certain that this album has been……. cleaned up, I am also convinced that it is one of the most genuinely live albums in recent years. I mean, the album makes no effort to hide the fact that Vince likes to drop lyrics. For those of you who have seen Motley (I have 5 times) this album is a pretty fair representation of a good Motley Crue concert. Best part? Motley approached the idea of a live album from a different perspective. Rather than offering fans a recording of a single concert (sidenote: almost all live albums will reveal in the liner notes that the “album” was recorded over the course of several concerts) the band decided to release a live album that showcased recordings over the course of their entire career. The album includes recordings ranging from 1982 to 1999 (the album was released in 1999). In addition, Motley did it right and made this a double disc release. The average concert is 2 hours or more, so why the hell release a “live” CD that is 80 minutes? Finally, the album has the perfect mix of the bands singles and diehard fan favorites. There are some very cool songs included on this album. My favorite tracks are

Knock ‘Em Dead Kid
Too Young To Fall In Love
Live Wire (great intro)
Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
Wild Side (great intro by Tommy)
Without You
Home Sweet Home (my favorite)

There are no liner notes or “thank you’s” from Tommy Lee included on this album because he had left the band during the prepartion for the albums release. The album receives a ***** rating simply because it accomplished what every live album should. It’s an accurate representation of a live concert. What fans hear on this album is what they should expect when they experience Motley Crue live in person. Sure it’s been touched up a bit (I’m sure someone will post something claiming that this album is all studio magic), but at the same time when you see a band live the experience often sounds better simply because you’re there. Blackie Lawless once said that fans often walk away from a concert thinking they’ve seen or heard things that never happened.

As far as live albums go, Motley fans should be proud of this one. Pick up a copy if you don’t have one already.

“Can I say f*** in a temple?”

Susie made sure she signed each and every book (which I believe numbered well over 100)./Photos by Ava Gacser

Ladies and gentlemen, Susie Essman is in the building – a Jewish temple in bucolic East Brunswick, N.J., as a matter of fact.

“Now I’m here with all you lovely Jews,” she said last night with a smile.

The “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star’s appearance included a Q&A and book signing to promote her recently released memoir, “What Would Susie Say? Bullsh*t Wisdom About Love, Life and Comedy,” at Temple B’nai Shalom. The event, coordinated by the Friends’ Health Connection, was $35 and included a copy of the book which Susie graciously signed at the end of the evening.

Naturally, much of the conversation – which was artfully moderated by Susie’s good friend, comedian/actor/former “Saturday Night Live” writer Alan Zweibel – revolved around Susie’s experiences playing her “Curb” alter ego, the wonderfully foul-mouthed Susie Greene.

She admitted that when hired by Larry David to do the show, she was reticent when “LD” (as Larry refers to himself) instructed her to curse out her co-star and “Curb” husband, Jeff Garlin, in an episode called “The Wire.”

“Rip Jeff a new a**hole,” she recalled was the only direction Larry gave her. And after a bit of cajoling, this was the result:

“He let the genie out of the bottle,” Susie said with a laugh.

She revealed that she and Larry have never had a discussion about who Susie Greene is, and that she was the one who came up with Susie’s crazy taste in clothes.

“Susie is a very simplistic character,” she explained. “You don’t cross her, and you definitely don’t cross her kid.”

She said she’s pretty good at holding it together during filming and doesn’t laugh, but that this week’s episode, “Officer Krupke,” sent her over the edge.

When Larry dropped his pants, “just seeing those spindly legs” was enough to crack her up.

Her favorite episode, though, is “The Doll.” She said that was the first time the “Spaghetti western music that’s become my theme song” (I love that music!) was used.

“I don’t know what’s funnier than (screaming), ‘Get me the f***ing head!’” she laughed.

Susie said that despite the fact that most of actors on the show go by their own names – Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, Michael York, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jerry Seinfeld, Michael Richards (you get the picture) – they’re not necessarily playing themselves.

“The only one who is who you think he is is Richard Lewis,” she said.

(Which is a pretty interesting statement, considering his actions in the funniest episode so far of this season, “Vehicular Fellatio.” Clip please:)

“People don’t understand that it’s not reality TV,” Susie added.

Alan agreed, saying that he was just out with Jeff Garlin this week, and people were coming up to Jeff and cursing at him for cheating on Susie – Susie Greene, that is.

Although Susie enjoys being on “Curb,” she said she would like the opportunity to explore different roles… like perhaps on “Mad Men.”

“It’s so beautifully written,” she gushed. “Those characters are so fully drawn.”

You hear that, Matthew Weiner?

One thing is for certain: When Larry originally contacted her about “Curb,” she had no idea it would turn out to be anywhere near as popular its become.

“I never planned to make a living telling people to go f*** themselves,” she said.

A bit about Alan

When Alan Zweibel first came out, I realized my friend Mary Ann and I (who I was again with last night) had seen him perform earlier this year in “Celebrity Autobiography” (also with Susie Essman!) in New York City. He read a hysterical passage from Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee’s memoir, “Tommyland.” Alan, it turns out, was one of the original writers for “Saturday Night Live” and was good friends with Gilda Radner, for whom he wrote her iconic character, Roseanne Roseannadanna. In fact, he’s written a book about that relationship, “Bunny, Bunny: Gilda Radner, A Sort of Romantic Comedy.” Just the little bit he recounted last night was enough to make me want to read the book (and thanks to Franklin Township Public Library, I soon will be!). Alan also talked about his life working in the biz (he’s good friends with Billy Crystal) and his own experiences with Larry David (he was a consultant on “Curb” for a couple of years).

“We all knew that someday the rest of the world will catch up with him,” Alan said, explaining that audiences didn’t seem to appreciate Larry’s sense of humor back in the days when he worked comedy clubs.

Susie agreed, recalling that she and her best friend, Joy Behar, used to hang out with Larry and listen to him complain about women and dating.

“It was all the George stories,” she said and confirmed that “The Phone Message” episode (clip above) was straight out of Larry’s life.

At the end of the evening, Alan hung around the lobby as Susie signed books. He also took the time out to talk with people, signed several of Susie’s books himself and was nice enough to pose for photos, like the one below with me.

And here’s another photo of Susie at the signing:

Producer: Bob Rock & Various

Released: 1999

Rating: *** 1/2

This is very difficult to review because it was never intended to be a full blown album. It’s a collection of rarities and unreleased tracks that the band decided to release on a CD when they were re-mastering all of their albums for the Crucial Crue releases. For diehard fans this is a very worthy CD.

Five of the albums 15 tracks are the bonus tracks found on Decade Of Decadence. These are all excellent and extremely overlooked tunes. 

Teaser – This song clocks in at over 5 minutes long partially due to the ethereal solo section which is nearly a minute and a half itself. This is very cool stuff featuring a thumping, almost driving bass lines with some VERY cool guitar work from Mick. Vince’s vocals are top notch as well. This song kicks ass and I rarely hear Crue fans mention it. 

Primal Scream - This is arguably the bands last hit single. This is a killer song, it’s just sad that it was released in 1991.

Anarchy In The U.K. - A concert favorite that the band plays to this day. Motley has always done a good job of making cover songs sound like their own and this one is no exception.

Rock N’ Roll Junkie - Another slick sounding tune in the same vein as Teaser. All around great song with the band sounding near pefect. Mick’s guitar sound is stellar and Vince’s vocals are intoxicating. It’d be awesome if the band could write and record tunes like this in 2009.

Angela - This is another rarely discussed gem. An all around fun sing along tune that has received little if any attention. It’d be great if the band had the balls to put this in their set list.

The album also contains 3 tunes from the bands mail order only album Quaternary that was offered to fans when they purchased MC94 (during its initial release). The disc contained 5 songs including 1 from each band member and 1 bonus track from the band. For the Supersonic And Demonic Relics release the band chose to exclude Corabi’s solo track as well as the bonus track that he sang on. Sidenote: These are both killer tunes.

Planet Boom - This is Tommy’s song and it’s safe to say that this song very much forshadow’s some of his Methods Of Mayhem music. I happen to like it, but it’s not hair metal by any means. 

Bittersuite – This is Mick’s solo effort. Mick Mars is a huge blues fan and this song showcases that side of him very well.

Father - Nikki Sixx’s ode to abandonment isn’t terribly pleasant, but I actually enjoy it a lot more than I did when I first heard it in 1994.

The albums most interesting songs are the 5 unreleased tracks.

Sinners & Saints - Although it doesn’t say for sure, Vince’s liner notes imply that this song was recorded during the Shout At The Devil studio sessions. The song rocks. This song alone might make this album worth purchasing. It’s got a killer riff and Vince’s vocals are very solid.

Monsterous - At just 1 minute long this is one of the albums losers. It almost sounds like New Kids On The Block. It sounds as if it may have been recorded around Theatre Of Pain or Girls, Girls, Girls.

Say Yeah - Not as bad as Monsterous, but this song is fairly forgettable. It sounds like it was recorded around the same time. Some of the riffs are okay, but the chorus kind of makes me cringe and there is a section before the solo that is quite odd.

So Good, So Bad - This song might sound a little better if it had been fully produced. Some interesting guitar work here including the solo, but there is a reason why it was never included on a studio release.

Mood Ring - This is a boozy mess that is actually quite comical. At best it can be described as a jam session with Vince speaking nonsensical one liners between the breaks including, “I just sold my lightbulb to Ratt, I’m going to live with Hendrix and Janis Joplin knows how to party”.

The final two songs on the CD are an 11 minute ghetto fabulous remixed version of Hooligan’s Holiday courtesy of Skinny Puppy that is total crap and a live version of Dr. Feelgood. I find it interesting that the one song the band chose to include from the Corabi era is some lame version of Hooligan’s Holiday rather than Baby Kills. This was the band song from Quaternary and it kills! If you don’t have it, find it.

Overall I have to say I thoroughly enjoy Supersonic And Demonic Relics. It’s an odd album with absolutely no continuity, but that’s okay. Realistically, this is the stuff box sets should be made of. This is ths shit that diehard fans are aching to hear. How often have you heard that a band entered the studio with 30 or 40 songs. An album contains anywhere from 10-15 songs (average), so what happens to the rest of those tunes. That’s what fans want when they buy a box set not some lame ass over priced greatest hits package (see discussions regarding KISS’s box set).

I’d recommend this album to any diehard Crue fan.

Robert Smith un ejemplo de rocker a seguir con mucho maquillaje

Cuántas veces he escuchado que el rock es un estilo de vida, que de repente me entró la necesidad de cuestionarme hasta qué punto este enunciado puede ser una realidad en una persona común y corriente, fuera de lo que es un rock-star, que sin duda alguna vive de esa música y todo se lo debe a ese género.

Por ejemplo, hay gente que por su ropa, ya sea una camiseta de una banda, su forma de hablar, caminar o incluso su cabellera, te podría dar indicios de que lleva el estilo de vida del rock, pero ¿cuál es ese estilo? o  ¿cuáles son los requisitos para entrar en esa vida?

Quizás algunos me podrían contestar que te conviertes en rockero por llevar la cabellera larga o los pelos parados o una chamarra de cuero al estilo de los Ramones, pero eso sólo entraría en lo que es el mundo vanidoso de la moda.  Desde mi perspectiva personal muchas veces cuando toqué en bares vi gente que se veía rockera y terminaban cantando a Los Tigres del Norte, como cualquier fan de música regional.

De hecho esa actitud de ver personas que podían cambiar de forma extrema de gusto musical, me hizo reflexionar y concluir que no valía la pena seguir armando una banda para tocar ante  gente que no tenía ni idea de lo que era realmente el rock y sólo iban a emborracharse viendote tocar, dándoles lo mismo si tocabas a Metallica o a Caifanes.

Pero….¡ alto! No caigamos en traumas personales,  mejor recordemos lo que alguna vez dijo Johnny Rotten de los Sex Pistols, cuando lo cuestionaron sobre el boom punk que hubo a finales de los 70’s y concluyó que traer pelos de punta como él, no te convertía precisamente en un punketo, sino que tenías que crear un estilo propio para protestar por todo lo establecido, incluso contra el mismo rock, y a él no le caía nada bien la música que hacían  súper estrellas como Queen o David Bowie. Es decir, todo se basaba en ser honesto y criticar abiertamente todo lo que no te parecía, por eso es que siempre etiquetó a su extinto bajista  Sid Vicious como una caricatura del punk.

Y si lo analizamos, The Clash, The Ramones y The Damned, no se parecían en nada, ni en su música ni en su imagen, pero seguían siendo punks, además hicieron la música más honesta de la que se tenga memoria en el rock. A final de cuentas mostraban que tenían un estilo de vida real, que no sólo se basaba en el dinero, por eso es que cuando Green Day aparece, fueron etiquetados como happy punks.

El punk recuperó un poco la rebeldía que dio origen al nacimiento del rock, donde el chico blanco cuestionaba a sus padres racistas por prohibirles que disfrutaran y escucharan música hecha por los negros. Esa maravillosa combinación de gustos de diferentes razas, fue lo que hizo al rock, pero en esencia era un protesta.

Así que llevar un estilo de vida del rock, podría quizás confundirse con que ser uno de esos tipos que hacen manifestaciones por todo para exigir respuestas del gobierno, pero tampoco va por ahí, quizás lo más cercano sea el cuestionamiento intelectual ante la propia vida que llevas o los problemas que ves a tu alrededor. Es como una denuncia constante, pero sin querer realmente hacerte el héroe.

Suena hermoso, pero también está el lado del fanático del rock que sólo quiere divertirse con buenas dosis de volumen con sus mejores bandas, asistiendo a todos los conciertos que pueda, devorando todas las revistas rockeras, comentando todos los sitios que hablen de sus grupos, además de crear su propia colección privada de música para presumirla al primer amigo que lleve a casa, pero corre el riesgo de quedar en sólo una víctima más del consumismo, con la diferencia de que en vez de que compre zapatos, gasta su dinero en rock.

Hace poco U2 cuestionó que su disco no se estaba vendiendo como hubieran deseado y comprobaron -lo que se ha dicho antes- el consumidor de música ya no le interesa tener un CD, sino más bien el archivo para combinarlo con otras bandas. Aunque no lo afirmaron, el cuestionamiento de Bono y compañía iba dirigido hacía que probablemente se estén viviendo los últimos días de popularidad del rock, porque si ellos ya no venden, pues ¿cómo le irá a los demás?

Curiosamente es ahí donde entraría el estilo de vida del rock, ya que en una época donde todos escuchan hip-hop, reggeaton, norteñas, duranguense, pop bailable y otros ritmos, seguir escuchando la música que creó Chuck Berry, Little Richard o Elvis Presley, te hace prácticamente un sobreviviente o hasta un elitista musical y la élite, sin duda, es una forma de vivir.

Ya no importa que no uses pelo largo, incluso puedes usar tu saco y corbata diariamente, vestir traje sastre, y tener la imagen de un padre o madre de familia cualquiera, pero en tus bocinas seguirá sonando Black Sabbath, The Cure, Santana o Def Leppard.

Y mantendrás una actitud rebelde siempre contra lo establecido,  porque seguramente, serás el que más se enfrenta al jefe, el que más ha renunciado a un trabajo, el que más vive apasionadamente, el que sigue soltero, el que más se ha divorciado o hasta el más fiel del mundo cuando encuentras a la compañera que escucha aTestament.

O quizás eres el que se emociona cuando un niño baila con Mötley Crüe, el que vive su vida acompañado siempre con una rola de una banda de rock, el que hace el blog de su estrella favorita sin que la paguen nada, o el que recomienda siempre a un grupo para que te hagas fan de ellos.

Casi puedo apostar  y sino que se me aparezca el diablo ahorita, tú solamente pones a Siouxsie o a Megadeth, a todo volumen en tu vecindario, ya que eres el único en tu calle que escucha rock del bueno, del chingón.

Y eso es un estilo de vida y no depende de tu imagen, sino de lo que sientas y de la pasión que tengas por el rock. Por eso muchas veces me pregunto de dónde sale tanta gente en los conciertos, cuando en tu cuadra todos están escuchando a Wisin y Yandel. Tristemente creo que son los mismos que fueron a ver a Metallica, porque su pareja los llevó.

Mejor relajémonos, pero creo que en pocos años el rock se volverá tan elitista como el jazz, y sólo será para unos miles, ya no para millones, es así donde verdaderamente se volverá un estilo de vida sin ningún cuestionamiento.

SALUD Y LARGA VIDA AL ROCK.

Producer: Various

Released: 1998

Rating: ****

Greatest Hits packages often serve multiple purposes. When Decade Of Decadence was released the band had 10 years of domination to celebrate. Immediately following the release of Decade, the band and Vince Neil parted ways and Motley Crue’s popularity plummeted. In the 7 years between Decade and this release the band recorded just 2 new studio albums, both of which were commercial disasters. With just 2 additional albums to draw from, it might leave fans wondering, “Why another greatest hits package?”

When a band has “lost it’s way” as Motley Crue had with Generation Swine a Greatest Hits package often helps them get “back on track”. This package only has one additional album to draw from since they decided to ignore their Corabi Crue release. Vince was back in the band, so apparently they chose to act as if nothing ever happened.

The band also reenlisted Bob Rock to produce the albums 2 new studio tracks which open the album. Bitter Pill and Enslaved are okay, but in this listeners opinion sound MUCH better than anything from the bands last studio effort, Generation Swine. The two tracks have a more modern sound and fit perfectly with the sound of the day.

The rest of the album tears through the bands, ummm, greatest hits. There are just 2 1/2 songs from Swine (thank God) which are Glitter, Afraid and Shout At The Devil 97.

I have mixed feelings about greatest hits packages. I don’t always agree with them, but I have a lot in my collection. I understand the purpose they serve and for that they are important. What’s impressive about this album is how many hits this band has been able to generate. Often times greatest hits packages consist of 1 or 2 actual “hits” while the rest of the songs are absolute crap. This album is literally the soundtrack for a 10 year time frame. If you had a pulse at some point during the last 27 years chances are you know most of the songs on this album. Is it worth buying? If your a completist like myself, yes.