wolfman309's Full Review: Saints Of Los Angeles [PA] by Motley Crue
With the recent success of Nikki Sixx and his band Six A.M. have had, with his autobiographical album The Heroin Diaries, it is little wonder that he applied the same technique to the newest entry in the Motley Crue catalogue, Saints of Los Angeles.
As the main songwriter for the group on this album, Sixx pens some of the strongest work the Crue has done in many a year. He and the band take you on a trip through the history of Motley Crue. Taking off from the days when they only dreamed of being a rock and roll band,"Face Down In The Dirt" to their days on the Sunset Strip, "What's It Gonna Take" "Down At The Whisky" and continues through all the trappings of stardom. This is not a history lesson for the faint of heart. The world of rock and roll is filled with a lot of debauchery and these boys wrote the book on it, literally.
Musically they show a much broader range than on any album since Dr. Feelgood. Showing their lighter touch with such tunes as the very radio friendly "Down At The Whisky" and "The Animal In Me", they still remember what their stock and trade is with such brutal rockers as "Chicks=Trouble", "What's It Gonna Take", "Muthaf*cker Of The Year" and one of the best rockers ever from the Crue, the title track "Saints Of Los Angeles".They even manage to throw in a bit of humor ala Alice Cooper with a terrific bit of fun called "White Trash Circus".
The band also seems to be trying for a more complete sound. Maybe this is due to the fantastic songwriting of Sixx, but you can hear them stretching their limits in different directions like with the melodic rocker "Just Another Psycho" and the frantic punkish "Welcome To The Machine".
From the standpoint of a fan of Motley, this is easily the best effort the band has ever put out. It really has no weak points other than a useless intro to start the album off. Once the music starts, it is a treat from start to end. The band has never sounded so tight and each of the musicians give performances that sound as if they knew they had something special here. Tommy Lee is amazing this time around. I don't talk about drummers very often but his contribution to this album is far and above the standards of every day rock and roll. Mick Mars has never sounded better and adds some of the most fierce playing of his long career. To top it off, Vince Neil sounds as energetic and strong as anytime in the history of the band. He shows more versatility than on any previous album.
These guys exemplfy the term; bad boys of rock. There history is filled with more peaks and valleys than any other 4 people you could put together. As a band they have to be near or at the top for combined jail time along with the distinction of being the only band that I know of, to have all members in rehab at the same time. It is a miricle that they have made it this far, let alone produce their best album and one of the top disc of this year.
Just a note of warning, parents, if your teenager brings this album home, it is most definitely rated heavy "R". The album is about street life and the inner workings of a rock and roll band. It is not about a church choir!
For those who don't already know the band is:
Vince Neil - Vocals Tommy Lee - Drums Nikki Sixx - Bass Mick Mars - Guitar
The complete album tracks are:
1. L.A.M.F (Intro) 2. Face Down In The Dirt 3. Whats It Gonna Take 4. Down At The Whisky 5. Saints of Los Angeles 6. Muthaf*cker Of The Year 7. The Animal In Me 8. Welcome To The Machine 9. Just Another Psycho 10. Chicks=Trouble 11. This Ain't A Love Song 12. White Trash Circus 13. Goin' Out Swingin'
If you think this Crue album sounds good, then you also need to check out the above album by bassist Nikki Sixx and his band. It is one of the surprise albums to come out in the past few years.
PriceTool.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources,
so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.