 With a gritty reputation that was arguably equaled only by Guns N' Roses,
Mötley Crüe's infamous antics made them a force to be reckoned with in the '80s.
As one of the first and most influential hair metal bands of the '80s, Mötley
Crüe had a series of hit albums, the biggest and most noteworthy being 1989's
Dr. Feelgood. The band continued to court controversy into the next decade, even
when their recording career took a downturn through a series of well-publicized
mishaps and run-ins with the law. Mötley Crüe's beginning can be traced back to
1981, when bassist Nikki Sixx (born Frank Ferrana) and drummer "Tommy Lee" Bass
decided to leave the bands they were in at the time and pursue a new project
together. Bob "Mick Mars" Deal was hired to play guitar and "Vince Neil" Wharton
was added as vocalist. The band went through several name changes before Mars
presented them with Mottley Krue, recalling a time when his previous band was
described as a "motley looking crew." After agreeing on this name and altering
the spelling somewhat, the newly formed group began to play at local clubs and
soon became cult favorites, known for their unique stage theatrics.
The band soon met up with Allan Coffman, who financed their first album, Too
Fast for Love, on their own small, independent Lethur Records label; the record
sold a surprising 20,000 copies. After signing to Elektra Records, the band
released Shout at the Devil in 1983, which featured the hit video "Looks That
Kill." The record went platinum, but the band's success was temporarily brought
to a halt when Neil was involved in a deadly automobile accident on August 12.
Driving under the influence of alcohol, Neil crashed into another car, killing
his good friend and passenger Nicholas Dingley of Hanoi Rocks; the other victims
emerged with broken bones and brain damage. Neil was found guilty of vehicular
manslaughter and driving while intoxicated, and was incarcerated for 30 days in
1985, in addition to performing community service and paying a large cash
settlement. By the time Neil had been sentenced, however, the band's newest
record, Theatre of Pain, had already been released and soared up the charts,
making the band stars and producing their first Top 40 hit with a cover of
Brownsville Station's "Smokin' in the Boys' Room."
After a short hiatus, the band regrouped with Neil to film a music video for
"Home Sweet Home"; the first hit power ballad to be aired on MTV, it became
their most requested music video for four months straight. A 44-minute home
video cassette, Uncensored, was released in 1986, containing rare live footage
and interviews; meanwhile, Lee married actress Heather Locklear. A year later,
Mötley Crüe released their fourth album, Girls Girls Girls. The uncensored video
for the popular title track was immediately banned from television, not airing
until a slightly cleaned-up version was released. The group finally embarked on
their own tour, but the European dates were canceled when Sixx suffered a drug
overdose and nearly lost his life. Over the next year, all four members sought
out drug rehabilitation and Mötley Crüe remained out of the spotlight. They
returned, clean and sober, in 1989 with Dr. Feelgood, which hit number one on
the Billboard charts due to the strong singles "Kickstart My Heart," "Don't Go
Away Mad (Just Go Away)," "Without You," and the infamous title-track, which
became their first Top Ten single.
After another worldwide tour, they released a compilation album, Decade of
Decadence, in 1991. The album opened at number two, and a home video of the same
name was released shortly afterwards. The group created their own record label,
Mötley Records, and signed a new contract with Elektra for $25 million.
Unfortunately by this time, the music industry that made them famous was
beginning to change, and the pressure to keep pace with the times began to take
its toll on the band members' camaraderie. In 1992, sessions for Mötley Crüe's
next album turned ugly, and Neil was fired and replaced with vocalist John
Corabi, formerly of the Scream. The 1994 product was Mötley Crüe, which peaked
at number seven in the U.S. and eventually went gold, but was ultimately a
commercial disappointment (as was a supporting tour). In early 1997, Corabi was
fired and Neil rehired for the much-hyped Generation Swine. (Corabi resurfaced
alongside former Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick in the group Union.) Though
Generation Swine opened at number four, it was sharply criticized and fell off
the charts before long. In 1998, the band released Greatest Hits, but shortly
after the supporting tour, Lee was arrested for spousal abuse against wife
Pamela Anderson and sentenced to jail time for most of the year. Meanwhile, the
group's deal with Elektra fell apart, and Mötley Records switched its
affiliation to the Beyond label, with the band acquiring the rights to its back
catalog.
After numerous bitter encounters with Neil, Tommy Lee left the band in 1999
to form Methods of Mayhem, who released their self-titled debut late that year;
he was replaced with Ozzy Osbourne drummer Randy Castillo. That year, the
revamped Crüe issued remastered editions of all their studio albums (complete
with bonus tracks) plus the rarities collection Supersonic and Demonic Relics.
An album of all new material, New Tattoo, appeared in the summer of 2000. Also
in 2000, Sixx found time to launch a side project, 58. On the eve of the Crüe's
tour in support of New Tattoo, Castillo was stricken with an undisclosed illness
and sat out the tour to recuperate. Instead of canceling the tour, the Crüe
temporarily enlisted Hole drummer (and lifelong Crüe fan) Samantha Maloney.
In May of 2001, the band issued an over-the-top, tell-all biography, The Dirt
(which even included input from former drummer Lee), that quickly became a
best-seller. Around the same time, Neil embarked on a brief solo tour of U.S.
clubs and looked for a new solo record deal, but remained adamant that he was
still a member of Motley Crüe. Sixx used the downtime to write material for
other bands, including Tantric, Meatloaf, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, and James
Michael. Sadly, Castillo passed away in the spring of 2002, and the band
announced their hiatus would probably last into the next year. Sixx also began
talking about reuniting the original lineup for a farewell tour, but Tommy Lee
quickly went to the press and told them that his relationship with Vince Neil
was simply too poor for that to happen. Controversy surrounded the band again as
former producer Tom Werman sued the band for unpaid royalties, Neil's former
wife Heidi Mark publicly accused him of physical abuse, and Neil was kicked off
a nationally syndicated radio show for being too drunk to maintain an interview.
Tour drummer Samantha Maloney was also mixed up in things as Sixx decided to
write a mean-spirited posting on his website in retaliation for the public
acknowledgement of a feud between her and his wife due to his infidelity during
their 2000 tour. Rumors of a reunion continued to swirl during 2003-04, even as
Mötley Crüe members stayed busy with individual projects. Both Tommy Lee and
Vince Neil participated in celebrity shows, Lee as the focus of a half-hour show
on NBC featuring the rock star attending college classes and Neil in the first
season of The Surreal Life. Sixx toured and released an album with his new band,
Brides of Destruction. The reunion rumors finally came true in late 2004 when
the four original members announced dates for a full tour in 2005, their first
in more than six years. The tour coincided with the February release of the
band’s double-disc greatest hits collection, Red, White & Crüe. ~ Barry Weber &
Greg Prato, All Music Guide
Contact Grabow for more information or to book Motley Crüe
for your next corporate or private event.
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