Motley Crue -- 'Red, White & Crue' greatest hits [review]

Motley Crue
"Red, White & Crue"
(Hip-O/Motley Records)


Since the band's first album, 1982's "Too Fast for Love," Motley Crue have been called everything from the bad-boys of metal to a hair band to washed up has-beens.

With all these labels to choose from, one thing is clear: Motley Crue is a venerable hard rock/metal band that has amassed an impressive back catalogue over it's 20 plus years in the business. And the band knows it too.

"Red, White and Crue" is only the newest of a handful of "hits" collections the band has released over the years. There was 1991's "Decade of Decadence," 1998's "Greatest Hits" collection, not one but two box sets of hits ("Music to Crash Your Car To") along with a collection of b-sides ("Supersonic and Demonic Relics") and a live set. With all these collections already floating around, what's the point of yet another one?

Well, not only is this the best of the greatest hits collections (barring the box sets), but there's also some new gems on here that any fan of the band would enjoy having in their collection. And as an introduction to the band, this set is simply amazing. Two discs long, "Red, White & Crue" is more of a chronological tour through the band's career, opening at '82's "Too Fast..." (though there is one older track) and travelling right through to 2000's "New Tattoo," closing with three new tracks (including a cover of Rolling Stones' "Street Fighting Man").

The set opens with "Live Wire," a song which somehow still manages to seem as relevant, energetic and "rockin'" as it did 23 years ago. "Piece of your Action" and "Too Fast for Love" also made the cut, but two other tracks from this era steal the spotlight here: 1981's "Toast of the Town," the band's first, independently-released single, and "Black Widow." "Toast..." is a track that didn't make the cut for the "Too Fast For Love" album (although it was added onto the re-release in 2003); "Black Widow" has not been available until now. While both are strong tracks, "Toast..." is the better of the two as "Black Widow" seems slightly repetitive (like the band was thinking of reworking it but never got around to actually doing it).

"Shout at the Devil" is well-represented here ("Looks That Kill," "Too Young to Fall in Love," the "Helter Skelter" cover and the title-track), while "Theatre of Pain" is all but ignored (only the "Smokin' in the Boys Room" cover and "Use it or Lose It").

Of course it wouldn't be a Crue collection without the stripper anthem "Girls Girls Girls." And along with "Wild Side" and "All in the Name of," the twisted and controversial (at the time) love song "You're All I Need" also made the cut.

Disc one closes with the "Dr. Feelgood" tracks: the rocking "Kickstart My Heart" and "Same Ol' Situation," the forced ballad "Without You," "Don't Go Away Mad" and finally, one of the band's biggest hits, "Dr. Feelgood."

Disc two picks up in the 90s, with the three newer cuts off the "Decade of Decadence" album (the "Anarchy in the U.K." cover, "Primal Scream" and the 1991 remix of "Home Sweet Home"). Surprisingly, the band included some John Corabi material (the band's front man in the mid-90s after Vince Neil was fired -- prior collections essentially ignored this time in the band's career). There's an edit of the bluesy rocker "Hooligan's Holiday" and version of "Misunderstood." Two instrumentals off the rare EP "Quaternary" release (the tecno-rocker "Planet Boom" and the bluesy "Bittersuite," the later of which begs the question why didn't the Crue do more instrumentals?) are also included.

Three tracks off the Neil welcome-back-album, "Generation Swine," are here. Included with the title-track are the lacking "Beauty" and oft-overlooked "Afraid" (albeit a different mix). The "new" tracks off the 1998 hits collection, "Bitter Pill" and "Enslaved," mark the final older recordings featuring drummer Tommy Lee. Two "New Tattoo" tracks (featuring the late Randy Castillo on drums) are tacked on just to represent that album ("Hell on High Heels" and the single version of "New Tattoo").

Then, the original line-up of the Crue recorded three new tracks for inclusion here, including the Nikki Sixx (Crue bassist) and Simple Plan penned "If I Die Tomorrow" and "Sick Love Song." "If I Die..." is the set's first radio single and, while there\'s discontented rumblings due to the Simple Plan tie-in, the song actually has a great sound, even if the lyrics are slightly lacking. As for "Sick Love Song," the track sounds good but sounds nothing like Motley Crue, the verses are pseudo-rapped while the chorus sounds like some new rock/metal band (though there is a cool Mick Mars solo on here so not all is lost). The disc closes with the Stones' cover.

Overall, this is a comprehensive overview of a more-than-noteworthy band that made various waves in the rock and metal scenes over the past 20 years. It's definitely a great collection and worthy of a recommendation.

Nirvana -- 'With the Lights Out' box set [review]

Nirvana
"With the Lights Out"
(DGC Records)


More than 10 years since the death of the band's front man led to an abrupt end of the group, Nirvana fans finally got their hands on a "holy grail" of sorts: a four disc box set of the groups demos, hard-to-find songs and other rare material.

I really want to love this set. When you first take a look at the contents, you can't help but think this is the best box set to ever be released -- there's just so much material included. But is the wealth of the sonic offerings really enough to sell "With the Lights Out?"

It's a real catch 22 when you look at it ...

On one hand, it would seem to be a fan's most treasured wish: to hear all the songs you grown to love stripped down to their barest forms in some cases; to be able to actually hear a song's progression from acoustic demo to rough track to finished product. Sprinkle in some obscure live tracks and some noteworthy b-sides and you should have a hit on your hands.

It depends on which side of the fence you're looking at this from.

Diehard Nirvana fans should, in theory, be chomping at the bit for something like this. For more casual listeners, it's something to easily overlook. In reality, this is simply a large collection of sub-par recordings that, for the most part, were never meant to be released. And that is the conundrum when you really take a look at this set.

Sure, it's fun to hear an early version of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" or "Rape Me," to hear how the lyrics evolved over time, to see how Cobain and Co. modified the song structures ... but ultimately you're just reminded of the strength of the actual songs and would rather just listen to those.

The initial excitement over hearing something like the acoustic tracks "Beans" or "Clean Up Before She Comes" is soon replaced (after a couple of listens) with a sense of "how often will I really want to listen to something this rough?"

Don't get me wrong, there are some gems here.

On the second disc, outtakes like "Oh the Guilt," "Return of the Rat" and "Old Age" are welcome additions to a fan's collection (for those who hadn't already tracked these songs down). Cobain's solo offering of Leadbelly's "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" (which showed up as a live rendition on the "Unplugged" disc) is a nice gem among the collection.

Disc 3 kicks off with two versions of "Rape Me," an acoustic track with weak vocals, and a more polished demo. The acoustic version sounds more like Cobain still trying to figure out exactly what he wanted to do with the song. The demo is much more lively as the song was really starting to take shape at this point. As a bonus, baby Cobain can be heard (intentionally I'm thinking), crying in the background at various points throughout the song, a nice touch.

The demo of "Scentless Apprentice" is much more raw than the track that eventually found its way onto "In Utero." The whole song sounds like a pretty good jam session, though, it should be noted that the overall sound is almost more Foo Fighters (Grohl's eventual band) instead of Nirvana.

There's interesting acoustic versions of "Serve the Servants," "Very Ape" (sans lyrics with mumbling) and "Pennyroyal Tea" (which was surprising near-completion).

As for "Heart Shaped Box," this is another instance of Cobain still exploring for just the right lyrics ("I wish I could eat your cancer when I get sick;" "Locked in heart-shaped coffins"). The same goes for "Milk It" or "M.V." (a song that wasn't that accessible to being with, I was actually surprised they included a demo of the track instead of the finished version).

Though it isn't labeled as such (read: demo), "I Hate Myself and Want to Die" doesn't sound like the version that eventually went public, unlike "Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip" and "Marigold" (probably the crown jewel of songs that never made it on official Nirvana release with Grohl on vocals), which are pretty much the versions that showed up on international release and b-sides. Same goes for "Sappy" (also known as "Verse Chorus Verse") though the demo was on disc 2.

The most interesting aspects of the set as a whole, is not only the ability to see the songs develop over time, but to see the band actually attempt to fully realize songs. Watching Cobain take "Rape Me" from an acoustic mish-mosh to a raw demo and then to the finished track (on "In Utero") is something fans of bands are rarely able to experience. Then, on top of that, listening to something like "Other Improv" (off disc 3), obviously a glimpse of the band trying to find a song, is just amazing to be able to experience.

On the flip side, how many people really want to pull out demo material when they're in the mood to listen to music. When this set is, musically, over 70 minutes of material spaced out over three discs, one can't help but think there was some way to shorten things a little.

In the end, you are able to say that this is a fantastic look into the inner working of a band, but much like a history book is an interesting look into, well, history. Do you get something out of reading the book? Yes. Do you want to read it over and over? Maybe. "With the Lights Out" is the musical equivalent of a Nirvana text book. It's something that is worth listening to ... at least once in a while. It's just that the really good tracks are spaced out amongst the rawer material, which makes this something only Nirvana diehards would really be interested in.

Pearl Jam -- 'rearviewmirror' [review]

Pearl Jam
"rearviewmirror"
Epic Records


Pearl Jam has had a storied career, starting off just before the grunge explosion and continuing to thrive until this very day. Sure, there's been highs and lows, but Pearl Jam, as a creative unit, have soldiered on through an almost 15 year career.

While most bands attempt to crank out a greatest hits package after a couple of hit albums (like the recently released Creed album encompassing a catalog that spans an unimpressive three albums), Pearl Jam waited and, in turn, made fans wait.

Well, after seven studio albums, 73 official live offerings, a collection of b-sides and rarities and various singles and soundtrack tidbits, the wait is over.

And boy was it worth it.

"rearviewmirror" is spread out over two discs, the first a collection of the band's more "rocking" tracks, while the second is a more retrospective offering. There's nothing "new" here (except for some remixes), but nothing new was needed.

The collection kicks off with "Once" and "Alive," two tracks that sound as fresh and intense as they did back in 1991, made even more so courtesy a Brendan O'Brien remix (O'Brien also remixed "Black" on the second disc). "State of Love and Trust," off the "Singles" soundtrack makes an appearance (explaining why it and its counterpart, "Breath" -- on the second disc -- didn't show up on the "Lost Dogs" collection). There's a solid mix of tracks present, from "Not for You" and "Spin the Black Circle," to "I Got ID" and "rearviewmirror"; the older ("Jeremy" and "Even Flow") juxtapose the newer ("Save You" and "Do the Evolution") very well.

The second disc is far more mellow, presenting Pearl Jam gems like "Immortality" and "Who You Are" as the classics they are. "Man of the Hour," off the "Big Fish" soundtrack, is a welcome addition for Pearl Jam fans who never picked it up upon initial release. The super-hit "Last Kiss," which originally came about as a fan-club "gift" before blowing up on radio, is here, along with the melancholic "Nothingman," the retrospective "Wishlist," and the rocking-yet-moody "Better Man." And the band chose to close things off with one of its biggest songs that was never on a proper album, "Yellow Ledbetter."

All in all, "rearviewmirror" appeared at first to be a fantastic walk down memory lane, but turned into an amazing collection of fantastic songs. Not only is it a great companion piece to the "Lost Dogs" set, but it's a great addition to fans' collections and an even better way to introduce new fans to the band. Highly, highly recommended.