This year marks forty years since the release of Mötley Crüe’s second album Screaming at the devil Released, the album achieved long-awaited success in the United States. An important factor in this breakthrough was the production of Tom Werman, who carefully smoothed out the rough edges and gave the compact, cohesive songs a dynamic sound. A tour supporting the then hugely popular Ozzy Osbourne across North America did the rest. It was then impossible to keep the firmly plastered heads of Sixx, Lee, Neil and Mars away from MTV for years. A good live show and catchy songs laid the foundation for the million-seller who, through all sorts of antics in Hollywood and/or with Hollywood stars, became an American legend. You can now watch those antics on Netflix in the biopic “The Dirt.”
It’s forty years Screaming at the devil It’s still a very listenable album. Glam rock has of course stood the test of time, but it’s certainly not old-fashioned. The sound has been somewhat polished in the reissue (so far). Today the band’s image at the time would be dismissed as laughable and interpreted by the woke movement as an insult to transvestites.
Even though it’s been several years since I last listened to the album, I still love the sound. The songs are short and catchy and Tommy Lee’s drums in particular are very strong. Guitarist Mick Mars handles tight, sometimes punk-like riffs, and then a still-really fit Vince Neil screams over them. Beatles cover Helter Skelter It does not stand out from the tone and fits well between the two exciters cad And quickly Red hot. Four decades later, many songs from that album are still part of the band’s setlist. This actually says it all. A classic album by a band that is more popular in the US and Canada than in Europe. This year the band toured Europe with Def Leppard, but the Netherlands were skipped. We haven’t seen the band in Holland since 1984 (then as support for Iron Maiden). I doubt that will happen again.
