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ERock band Motley Crue in the mid-'80s. Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/ClassicRock/ (May be subject to copyright) |
The Calgary Stampede announced last week that Motley Crue is going to headline the Stampede in July. It reminded me of that first exposure to the band and how my view changed over time.
First exposure
In the early ‘80s, more and more heavy metal music began to appear, and with it fans called head bangers. When that happened, devout Christians began to criticize the music as satanic and the work of the devil. Some even claimed if you played these records or tapes backwards, called backmasking or backward masking, you could hear subliminal messages of Satan worship.
In the early ‘80s, more and more heavy metal music began to appear, and with it fans called head bangers. When that happened, devout Christians began to criticize the music as satanic and the work of the devil. Some even claimed if you played these records or tapes backwards, called backmasking or backward masking, you could hear subliminal messages of Satan worship.
I went to a Catholic school, and there were people with that view who were not afraid to talk about it. Interestingly, it wasn’t the devout Catholics. It was some of these evangelical Christians. Some even attended record-burning events.
What came to symbolize that whole thing for me was Motley Crue. The first time I saw the name, I think I was in Grade 8 and I kind of scoffed. They used the umlaut, that is the two little dots over the “o” and the “u” in their name. Growing up around the German language that was all wrong, a total misuse of the umlaut.
However, at an impressionable age, raised around religion and the battle between good and evil, God and the devil, I was a little scared by some of their songs and the other symbols they used. The pentagram in particular freaked me out a little, and so did the name of their second album “Shout at the Devil”. It was pointed out they were shouting at the devil not shouting with the devil.
The truth is it was all hyperbole.
I got to high school about that same time, and I seriously started listening to music in the last half of 1984.
That’s when everything changed.
A true fan
In the first couple months of Grade 10 I met Chris Vining, who would become one of my best friends and like a brother to me. He, and a couple classmates, listened to Motley Crue and told me about the guys – Nikki Sixx, leader of the band; Vince Neil, lead singer; Tommy Lee, drummer; and guitarist Mick Mars.
In the first couple months of Grade 10 I met Chris Vining, who would become one of my best friends and like a brother to me. He, and a couple classmates, listened to Motley Crue and told me about the guys – Nikki Sixx, leader of the band; Vince Neil, lead singer; Tommy Lee, drummer; and guitarist Mick Mars.
It was actually Vining who pointed out the difference between shout at and shout with the devil.
He also told me he listened to their first two albums “Too Fast for Love” from 1981, and the aforementioned “Shout at the Devil” from 1983.
That was all preparation for what happened in June of 1985.
“Theatre of Pain”
In the year I had been getting into music, I essentially listened to two radio stations from Lethbridge – 1090 CHEC on the AM dial and LA-107 FM. CHEC focused on singles, while LA-107 was an album-oriented rock station. That meant they would play multiple songs from the same album because the album was the focus.
In the year I had been getting into music, I essentially listened to two radio stations from Lethbridge – 1090 CHEC on the AM dial and LA-107 FM. CHEC focused on singles, while LA-107 was an album-oriented rock station. That meant they would play multiple songs from the same album because the album was the focus.
In that year I started listening to music, I did not hear Motley Crue on the radio one time. Not once.
LA-107 had a hot-20 album countdown on Monday nights and I started listening to that. One Monday night in June of 1985 things changed.
Motley Crue’s third album, “Theatre of Pain” had broken into the top-20. It had cool cover art with the classic smiling and frowning theatre masks and one adorned with – a pentagram. The debut single was a cover of an old Brownsville Station song called “Smokin’ in the Boys Room”. It would go all the way to number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, the band’s first ever top 40 single.
That summer I went to visit my cousins in Brooks, where I stayed for two weeks every summer. My cousin Fred was big into heavy metal, and his copy of “Theatre of Pain” was the first one I ever held in my hands. Fred told me about this power ballad he really liked on the album and, as it turned out, that was the next single released.
It was called “Home Sweet Home”, and is still one of my favourite Motley Crue songs. It was popular where I was at, but only peaked at number 89 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
A few weeks after I got back from Brooks, I was watching Good Rockin’ Tonite on CBC Channel 9 on the peasant vision dial. Host Terry David Mulligan was reminding viewers of some of the contests the show had running. He replayed a clip from a few weeks earlier when Vince Neil and Nikki Sixx were on the show to promote “Theatre of Pain” and their latest single “Home Sweet Home”. The prize was some swag, plus Vince Neil pulled off the draw string from his hoodie as part of the prize.
“Theatre of Pain” would go all the way to number six on the Billboard 200 album chart.
It wasn’t just me coming around to Motley Crue. They had begun to change their sound, transitioning away from heavy metal towards glam metal.
All those “Girls, Girls, Girls”
Motley Crue was back in May of 1987 with their fourth album “Girls, Girls, Girls”. They continued to evolve musically and as Wikipedia describes it, transitioned to more of a blues-rock influenced sound.
Motley Crue was back in May of 1987 with their fourth album “Girls, Girls, Girls”. They continued to evolve musically and as Wikipedia describes it, transitioned to more of a blues-rock influenced sound.
The title track “Girls, Girls, Girls” is the only single I really remember. The first time I heard it was at a dance in the Lister Hall cafeteria in my first year at the University of Alberta in Edmonton in mid-September. I remember dancing so hard with Chris Vining, myt best friend, and all my new friends from res – Doug Armitage, Kim McDonald, Theresa Scheerschmidt, Nora Britney, Roy Aggarwal – that I worked up quite a sweat. I recall being so tired, and with a few beers in me, slamming into Armitage as we danced and him slamming into me. I just remember the feeling of having so much fun.
The single “Girls, Girls, Girls” went all the way to number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart; and the album went to number two on the Billboard 200 album chart.
In that same 1987-1988 period, Motley Crue came to Edmonton, and the concert was all the talk at the cafeteria the next day. While I waited in line, I could hear someone talking about Tommy Lee’s drum kit being in a cage that spun all around.
Going to the doctor
Motley Crue would close out the decade with their biggest album to date. “Dr. Feelgood” came out in August of 1989, and it went all the way to number one on the Billboard 200 album chart.
Motley Crue would close out the decade with their biggest album to date. “Dr. Feelgood” came out in August of 1989, and it went all the way to number one on the Billboard 200 album chart.
Again, I heard the title track “Dr. Feelgood” at another Lister dance in the cafeteria. I had moved floors for the third time in three years, so I was again working up a sweat with a whole new group of friends and still slamming into them. The song ended up peaking at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
The album produced another song I remember fondly. “Kickstart My Heart” came out in November of 1989 and peaked at number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. I remember dancing to it not only at Lister dances, but bars around Edmonton, as I began to venture off campus more and more.
A different doctor
One other really odd memory. In September of 1989, I enrolled in a geography class, taught by Wolfgang Fieguth, who was this kindly German man. Part way through the semester, I was talking to some guys in my faculty about the classes we were taking. When I mentioned geography, they asked me who my prof was.
One other really odd memory. In September of 1989, I enrolled in a geography class, taught by Wolfgang Fieguth, who was this kindly German man. Part way through the semester, I was talking to some guys in my faculty about the classes we were taking. When I mentioned geography, they asked me who my prof was.
Something just came over me. I started humming “Dr. Feelgood” then sang, “Dr. Fieguth”. Unbeknownst to me, one of the guys was in that class too, and laughed pretty hard.
The years after
Motley Crue was well known for the battles with addiction, and how they got clean and sober. They had their fair share of controversy, especially when Vince Niel was convicted of vehicular manslaughter and served 18 days in jail. They also released a best-selling autobiography called “The Dirt” and continue performing to this day.
Motley Crue was well known for the battles with addiction, and how they got clean and sober. They had their fair share of controversy, especially when Vince Niel was convicted of vehicular manslaughter and served 18 days in jail. They also released a best-selling autobiography called “The Dirt” and continue performing to this day.
Parting thoughts
What started out as a love-hate relationship turned into like more than anything. I never became a Motley Crue fan, and have never owned a single album, tape, CD or digital file put out by them.
What started out as a love-hate relationship turned into like more than anything. I never became a Motley Crue fan, and have never owned a single album, tape, CD or digital file put out by them.
But I have a lot of fond memories of working up a sweat while dancing to their songs, and their power ballad “Home Sweet Home” does touch my heart. Then again, I have a thing for power ballads.
That is due, I think, to their willingness and ability to change their style from heavy metal to glam metal and beyond.
That is due, I think, to their willingness and ability to change their style from heavy metal to glam metal and beyond.
It was neat to watch the evolution of this band.
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