The names of Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars, Vince Neil and Tommy Lee are familiar to any hard rock fan. Together, they were the classic lineup for one of the most infamous bands around, the outrageous M"tley Cr"e. The band enjoyed a bout of unprecedented success during the glam rock era, then disappeared for a few years, following Vince Neil"s departure. The comeback was less than spectacular, with both the self-titled 1994 release (vocalized by John Corabi) and 1997"s
Generation Swine failing to impress both longtime fans and the press. There were clearly some issues to be addressed, especially in what concerned songwriting. The two new songs included in 1998"s
Greatest Hits compilation partially solved these, but were still a bit off-target in relation to the group"s earlier sound. All this seems to have been resolved in 2000 release
New Tattoo.
Starting off with a humungous rock"n"roll riff,
New Tattoo represents a definite, apologetic return to the band"s roots. The hardened riffs, strong tempos and cheeky lyrics that had characterized the band"s heyday all come back for this album. Yet this isn"t your typical group of old ladies trying to sound as though they were 17; in M"tley"s case, the subject matter of the lyrics has a little more authenticity (see further on). Songs like
Treat Me Like The Dog I Am,
First Band On The Moon and the title track show a youthful energy and will that were sadly lacking in the more alt-oriented 90"s Cr"e.
This, then, is a party-metal album like there hadn"t been one in more than a decade. Yet the group don"t merely rehash their old sound; Cr"e has learned a thing or two from the 90"s , and a few more modern influences shine through in their music. A typical example is the intro riff to
First Band On The Moon, with a dark ambiance clearly lifted from alt-rock. However, these modern touches are merely sporadic: the word of the day here is crunching rock and roll, as exemplified by opener
Hell On High Heels or by
Punched In The Teeth By Love (with vague reminiscences of AC/DC"s
Kicked In The Teeth). As for
White Punks On Dope, it"s an uncompromising Poison-esque boogie, heavily reminiscent of the aforementioned group"s cover of
Your Mama Don"t Dance.
But of course, no glam rock album would be complete without its ballads. Both are strong cuts, and the title track is one of the high points of this album. Imagine a song that rips off the riff and chorus from Alice Cooper"s
Love Is A Loaded Gun, steals a few vocal melodies from Robbie William"s
Supreme (!!) and tops it all off with an shameless carbon copy of Zakk Wylde"s solo on
Mama I"m Coming Home, all the while featuring a lyric that is basically an ode to Vince"s new tattoo:
Quote:
I"ve been out drinking with the boys again
Sorry I"m calling after 2 AM
There"s something that I"ve got to say to you
I know it"s late
But this can"t wait
I just got a new tattoo
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The result, as you may have predicted, is hilarious. The lyrics sound like something a 17-year-old would write, yet because M"tley Cr"e never evolved much past that age mentally, the result is humorous rather than ridiculous. The same goes for
First Band On The Moon, where Vince expresses his dissatisfaction with the Earth girls, and his subsequent desire of taking his band into outer space:
Quote:
There's a problem with the girls here on Earth
They stopped acting dizzy wearing miniskirts
Seems like everything wild is in distaste
Gotta get my band off in outer, outer space
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But there are many other examples.
Treat Me Like The Dog I Am is about"well, being treated like a dog (bondage, anyone?), while
White Punks On Dope is about the decadent Hollywood lifestyle (which the band, ironically enough, have at one point personified, and to an extent still do today).
Then, of course, there are the love songs like
Hollywood Ending and the sleazy songs like
Hell On High Heels or
Dragstrip Superstar, which further enforce the band"s return to their roots.
However, just like other comeback albums, this isn"t entirely perfect. There"s the occasional bland moment (
She Needs Rock"n"Roll), but even these have their charm, mostly due to the band"s fun-loving, tongue-in-cheek mentality (well reflected in the goofy "na-na-na" vocals on
Porno Star. All in all, then, this album ranks as a very positive comeback album for the band, in part making up for weaker solo and joint efforts during the 90"s. Up to this point in time, nothing further has been heard of M"tley Cr"e, in what concerns official releases. However, the band is touring and Nikki Sixx maintains his activity with the Brides Of Destruction. Be sure not to miss them on tour!
(Subsequent rereleases of this album have featured various bonus tracks, The latest edition is a double-disc pack containing some demos and unreleased material on a separate disc. Mine features a very good extra cut entitled
Time Bomb.)
Reccomended Tracks:
Treat Me Like The Dog I Am
New Tattoo
First Band On The Moon
