Illegal Foreign Object

1994 was an exciting, strange, transitional time for music. Soundgarden exploded onto the mainstream with Superunknown, Pantera’s Far Beyond Driven became the heaviest album to top the Billboard Hot 100, Weezer told nerds everywhere that they too could plug in and wail, and MC Hammer went “gangsta” with The Funky Headhunter. Beck proudly proclaimed himself a loser, the formerly red-hot John Frusciante released the decidedly anti-Peppers Niandra LaDes and Usually Just a T-Shirt, and Green Day and Rancid showed the world a happier, more marketable punk rock. Kurt Cobain bit down hard on the barrel and said farewell.

Also in 1994, the glam metal death rattle was heard far and wide. Bon Jovi and Sammy Hagar leaned hard into greatest hits packages to try and remain relevant. Previously bankable stars Alice Cooper, David Lee Roth, Tesla, and Cinderella released studio album duds. Mötley Crüe attempted (and failed) to recapture that ’83 “punk rock” magic.

Despite poor sales, Mötley Crüe’s 6th studio album, the self-titled 𝗠ö𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗖𝗿ü𝗲 (or 𝗠𝗖𝟵𝟰, as many fans call it) packs a wallop. The album is the first (and only) to feature John Corabi on lead vocals. His addition to the band (though met with a ton of resistance from a fan base unwilling to grow beyond the “Girls Girls Girls” sing-along song structures) invigorated the other members, pushing them to record the darkest record of their 40+ year run.

The entire band sounds ferocious throughout. Mick Mars churns out some of the heaviest riffs he’s ever recorded and has called this time in the band his most creatively satisfying. Tommy Lee’s drum sound is 𝑯𝑼𝑴𝑶𝑵𝑮𝑶𝑼𝑺 (listen to “Hooligan’s Holiday” and “Til Death Do Us Part”). Bob Rock’s production on MC94 is nothing short of stellar, and Nikki Sixx’s songwriting benefited greatly from having a vocalist who also wrote songs and played a mean rhythm guitar. This was a band and a producer who took full advantage of Corabi’s bluesier vocals and overall musicianship. You can hear the effort in the sound. That you can also hear an attempt to win over the “grunge” crowd is irrelevant; the band flat out cooks on this album.

There’s no “Dr. Feelgood” on 𝗠𝗖𝟵𝟰; perhaps that’s why it’s the first Crüe album not certified platinum. This record is angrier, deeper, and more sonically interesting than previous efforts by the band (think “Primal Scream” without Vince). What the album isn’t is easier. That’s neither good nor bad, but most of the fan base didn’t come along for the ride (and Nikki isn’t letting anything get in the way of his money). In place of songs that stumble into the “sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll” cliche, MC94 digs a little deeper, tackling child abuse (“Uncle Jack”), our ceaseless destruction of the planet (“Droppin’ Like Flies”), relevancy (“Hammered”), and a renewed sense of love for making music (“Till Death Do Us Part”). The band’s takes aren’t earth-shattering, but they at least show a desire to move beyond strip clubs and all-night drug binges.

Fans didn’t buy it, and the poor sales and backlash led to Corabi’s ousting and the return of Vince Neil. I get it, Vince’s voice is synonymous with Mötley, but the Vince that returned to the band in ’97 wasn’t half the singer he was in ’91. Corabi’s pipes were off the charts. Hell, his pipes are still off the charts.

Nikki has always tried to paint Mötley Crüe as a group of Harley-riding pirates out for wine, women, and song. He remains desperate to hang onto shreds of the punk rock ethos he claimed years before forming the band. The problem, of course, is that there’s nothing “punk rock” about a bunch of excess-chasing millionaires who can’t grow up.

MC94 was an opportunity to recapture Mötley Crüe’s “Us vs. the World” vibe. It was the last time the band raised a collective middle finger at the establishment. The problem was, when they saw a bunch of fingers raised back at them, they panicked and ran right back into the comfortable arms of nostalgia. Mötley Crüe painted a Pollock with Corabi, but I guess the nightly signed lithograph sale that is the paint-by-number performance of “Home Sweet Home” pays better.

Track List:

1. Power To The Music 10/10
2. Uncle Jack 10/10
3. Hooligan’s Holiday 10/10
4. Misunderstood 7/10
5. Loveshine 8/10
6. Poison Apples 6/10
7. Hammered 10/10
8. Till Death Do Us Part 10/10
9. Welcome To The Numb 7/10
10. Smoke The Sky 7/10
11. Droppin’ Like Flies 7/10
12. Driftaway 7/10

Grade: 83