MÖTLEY CRÜE — Theatre Of Pain (review)

MÖTLEY CRÜE — Theatre Of Pain album cover

Album · 1985 · Glam Metal

4/5 · 2010-04-29
Negoba

The Crue in Transition

I was not a huge fan of Motley Crue during their early phase. The devil worshipping, stripped down metal was not my style in those days, and now I can appreciate some of the riffs but a lot of it just seems very rough. Theater of Pain was the album that saw the Crue turn away from the W.A.S.P. / Accept early 80's style of metal and help establish the standard for glam. This was the album that saw me hop aboard, and I consider this album and Girls Girls Girls to be their peak.

Though Vince Neil's distinctive voice is the signature of Motley Crue, I have always loved the huge tone of Mick Mars. To me, he's combined chops, taste, attitude, and a great love of the sound of the instrument. Up until the point Bob Rock took over, I really enjoyed the sound of the guitars and up until Feelgood they sounded better with each album.

Though this album has the hits "Home Sweet Home" and "Smokin' in the Boys Room," the original rockers aren't quite as strong as on the following album. The band is still finding their footing in a new arena, while maintaining their identity. It's an area where many bands failed and ultimately so follows the Crue. But at this point in their career, the best is yet to come.

Bottom Line: Classic Glam Metal Album

more than 2 years ago
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Kingcrimsonprog wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I love it. I've been really hammering it this month. Just, in a different order.
I actually like it more than Too Fast For Love.
If you took the best tracks from this and Shout, that would be an unstoppable album.

I used to think of Crue as a joke band, of lucky, clueless stoned chancers who couldnt write songs and got by only through tricking people who wanted to believe in a Sex Drugs n Rock n Roll fantasy. This album and Shout helped me understand they were just as real a band as WASP or Megadeth or anyone else, its just that their decadence is more discussed.

Arguably, they are less of a mess than GNR were.

UMUR wrote:

more than 2 years ago

As far as I remember (it´s been a long while since I listened to the album the last time), it´s their worst of the "Classic" albums. I´ll give it a listen before writing a review though. Who knows? I might have changed my mind on the quality of the release over the years.

siLLy puPPy wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Sorry to disagree KCP but i actually love this album as released but i know what you mean about certain albums that work better for you in a personalised manner.

Kingcrimsonprog wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I've come to really, really like this album, but I feel the tracklisting was a bad choice. In my iTunes I run it in this order and it flows way better:

1. Use It Or Lose It
2.Keep Your Eye On The Money
3.Louder Than Hell
4. Fight For Your Rights
5.Raise Your Hands To Rock
6.We Need A Lover (Tonite)
7. Save Our Souls
8.City Boy Blues
9. Smokin' in the Boys Room
10. Home Sweet Home

It feels more like a party album this way