.jpg)
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.
