Theatre of Pain

by

Mötley Crüe

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The popular myth is that Theatre Of Pain is Motley's weakest album - as opined by no less than the band itself! I offer this review by way of an alternative viewpoint.

I was 16 when this album came out. At the time I was (and still am) a huge Iron Maiden fanatic. Having dabbled in the fun-but-hardly-life-changing Quiet Riot and Def Leppard (plus ol' Purple and Sabbath which just seemed so...70s) I was totally floored by Motley's Shout At The Devil in every way - the look, the attitude, the riffs etc etc and they shared my top spot along with trusty old Maiden through the 80s.

The great thing about Theatre was that it was such a dramatic left turn from Shout. The image was all Nikki's commedia dell'arte concept with the flowing trenchcoats and the `comedy/tragedy' design. Glam? I didn't even know what glam was at that age and to the best of my knowledge David Bowie was the dude who sang `Let's Dance' right? No, this was just the Crue being bizarre! There's no way this could be compared to Marc Bolin or The Sweet in their indian feathers.

Musically the Crue had opened it up - ditching the straight-ahead crunch of Shout and moving into bluesy grooves, big melodies, and lush production. Mick had opened (or reopened) his guitar palette with slide and acoustics. Nikki was playing 8-string basses and synths, and Tommy had famously added piano to his arsenal. This was probably the first album where I really noticed the production, the use of keyboards and dynamics plus the ginormous drum sound! The songs covered a wide stylistic spectrum from the full-on rock of Fight For Your Rights and the bluesy City Boy Blues to the 70s acoustic RYHTR and the lush Home Sweet Home.

When people write this album off as an 80s party record they're not paying attention. The only `party' tune is Smokin' In The Boys Room - and that's a cover! With the exception of We Need A Lover (which is a disturbing ode to gang sex) the lyrics explored mortality (Use It Or Lose It), civil rights (Fight For Your Rights), loneliness and dissatisfaction (City Boy Blues, Home Sweet Home), grim street realities (Save Our Souls) and the wonderful ode to cash Keep Your Eye On The Money. I don't recall Poison ever writing `Martin Luther heard the truth, the colour of our blood's the same' or `Don't look to Jesus to change the seasons, it's the American dream'.

Theatre Of Pain polarised the so-called metal community. For many `metalheads' the keyboards and trenchcoats were too much and they fled to the waiting arms of Metallica and Slayer. But for guys like me this was the best time to be a rock n roller. Albums like Theatre opened the doors to other ways of looking at music beyond the clichés that heavy metal loves to bestow upon itself. Obviously I have a romantic bias but this was a great time - my time.

I have to say I'm also a little cynical about the surrounding mythology of `Theatre' - the claims of drugs and general non-participation of the band and their consequent distancing of themselves from the album. I read everything I could get my hands on at the time and I seem to recall Tommy Lee in particular being very excited about the broad musical journey the band had embarked on. Similarly Circus magazine visited the band in the studio at the time of recording and were surprised to find the Crue very much in control, on top of their game, and the very antithesis of their public image. Obviously I wasn't there and can't say for sure but, well, just something to think about!

Ross Halfin says in a VH1 doco that the Crue's fanbase was (and is) the `American moron'. This seems such a shame to me, true or otherwise, because I think Motley Crue made interesting music and explored equally interesting ideas. Theatre Of Pain exemplified this period where rock/metal became much more than just amps and beer and tits. Time has obviously diluted the effect but in their day albums like this (or Blackie Lawless production opus `The Last Command' or even Ratt's first album) were really out there and different. Or maybe I'm kidding myself, but if I am that's why I love Theatre Of Pain!

When reading Motley's autobiography, I was pleasantly surprised about how forthcoming Nikki Sixx was about the band's songwriting deficiencies during the height of Crue mania. As heroin started to take control of his life, the band's leader and chief songwriter went into a creative stupor as well after `Shout at the Devil' which was the band's breakthrough. `Theatre of Pain' was a huge seller but in hindsight the songs, except for the singles "Smokin' in the Boys Room" and "Home Sweet Home" and maybe album opener "City Boy Blues" are of top shelf quality. Much of the rest of the writing is tired, clichéd drivel. Never one of metal's most talented bands anyway, Motley seemed to rely more and more on their tour shenanigans and outrageous behavior for their popularity than for the quality of their music which was never more suspect than during the mid-to late `80's. To call `Theatre of Pain' Crucial Crue with an abundance of compilations available would seem disingenuous to say the least. But Vince didn't have to go to jail (is this guy the luckiest man who ever lived?) and the band could soldier on as their fan base (and addictions) continued to escalate despite the mediocrity of their music.