Mötley Crüe is an American glam metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The band is one of the brightest representatives of glam metal of the early 1980s.
The origins of the band are bass guitarist Nikk Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee. Subsequently, guitarist Mick Mars and vocalist Vince Neil joined the musicians.
The Motley Crew Group has sold over 215 million compilations worldwide, including 115 million in the United States. The team was distinguished by bright stage images and original make-up.
Each of the soloists of the Mötley Crüe group had not the brightest reputation behind their backs. At one time, the musicians served time in places of deprivation of liberty, entered into scams with women. They were also seen in drug use and alcoholism.
With dozens of platinum, multi-platinum certifications and top positions on the Billboard charts, the soloists pioneered a new style of performance. On stage, the musicians used pyrotechnics, complex mechanical and electronic installations.
History of Mötley Crüe
The history of the cult glam metal band began in the winter of 1981. Then drummer Tommy Lee and singer Greg Leon (former musicians of the band Suite 19) teamed up with bassist Nikki Sixx.
The resulting trio cannot be called perfect. After several rehearsals, the musicians realized that the line-up needed to be expanded or completely changed. The team decided to advertise in The Recycler.
Thus, the group found Bob Deal, who is known to the public under the creative pseudonym Mick Mars. A little later, another member joined the band - vocalist Vince Neil. He was a longtime vocalist for Rock Candy.
When the line-up was already almost formed, Nikki thought about what creative pseudonym to unite the musicians under. Soon he suggested performing under the name Christmas.
Not all musicians liked the idea with the name. Soon, thanks to Mars, the group received the original and at the same time laconic name of the group Mӧttley Crüe.
Signing of Motley Crew contract with Greenworld Distribution
A few months later, the soloists of the group added umlaut diacritics to the spelling. The musicians placed signs above the letters ӧ and ü. After creating the name, the band members met with Allan Coffman. This acquaintance grew not only into a strong friendship, but also into a decent start to Mötley Crüe's musical career.
Soon the musicians replenished their discography with the first studio album. The collection was called Too Fast for Love. The presentation of the collection was followed by performances in nightclubs. From that moment began the peak of popularity of Mötley Crüe.
Due to popularity, conflicts began. Each of the group members "pulled the blanket over himself" for the right to lead. Despite this, the group managed to keep the lineup. The exception was the period from 1992 to 1996, when John Corabi took over the duties of the main vocalist of Angora. And from 1999 to 2004. drummers were replaced by Randy Castillo and Samantha Maloney.
Signing with Elektra Records
Thanks to the debut album Too Fast for Love, an unknown band became popular. Soon the musicians signed a more lucrative contract with Elektra Records. In 1982, the team re-released the first collection at a new studio.
The tracks of the re-released album sounded even brighter. The attention of music lovers was attracted by the red cover of the collection. The record took the middle position of the prestigious Billboard 200 music chart. In addition, the tracks were highly appreciated by influential music critics.
To secure their status as leaders, the Mötley Crüe group decided to play concerts around Canada. It was a good and thoughtful move. After a series of concerts, the musicians were shown on television, articles were published about them in prestigious magazines. By the way, not all articles were positive.
At the customs control of Edmonton, they were detained with a bag in which there were many banned erotic magazines. A little later, information appeared that the site where the musicians were supposed to perform was mined.
Tommy Lee also decided to stand out. The fact is that he threw a tube TV out of the hotel window. The team was kicked out of the city in disgrace, forever banned from performing in Canada.
The scandalous event drew additional attention to the group. Returning to their homeland, the musicians performed at the US Festival. Then came Ozzy Osbourne, who was on a full-scale world tour in 1983.
Mötley Crüe style
It was during this period of time that the musicians created a unique style. The team members abused drugs, alcohol and did not want to hide it. They appeared on stage in revealing outfits, with bright makeup and high heels.
The compilations Shoutatthe Devil, Theater of Pain and Girls, Girls, Girls have gained popularity among fans of heavy music. Above all praise was that the records took the 1st position of the Billboard charts.
Among the top tracks of the 1980s, compositions stand out: Too Young to Fallin Love, Wild Side and Home Sweet Home. They were written after an accident involving Vince Neil. The drummer of the Finnish band Hanoi' Rocks Nicholas Razzle Dingley died there.
The beginning of a new creative phase of Motley Crew
Music critics noted that the death of the musician marked the beginning of a new creative phase in the development of the group. The band members began to move away from heavy metal towards glam rock. The change in musical style did not affect the lifestyle of musicians who abused drugs and alcohol.
In the late 1980s, Nikki Sixx nearly lost his life due to a heroin overdose. An ambulance quickly responded to the call, and the musician was saved. Then Nikki told reporters that the doctor was a fan of the team's creativity.
A very unpleasant event a little later resulted in the musical composition Kickstart My Heart. The track peaked at number 16 on the Mainstream US chart and was included on Dr. feelgood.
The recording of the fifth studio album took place at the Little Mountain Sound recording studio in Canada. The members of the group were in conflict. There was no question of any friendly and working atmosphere. According to producer Bob Rock, the musicians were like American donkeys ready to kill each other.
Disagreements within the Mötley Crüe band
In the early 1990s, disagreements within the team only intensified. Conflicts were frequent after the group's producer organized a rock festival in Moscow.
Sixx and company released a collection of top songs under the name Decade of Decadence 81-91. The musicians dedicated the record to the "fans", then announced that they were starting to record the album Mötley Crüe.
The album, without Vince Neil, topped Billboard in the mid-1990s. But it cannot be said that the record can be called successful (from a commercial point of view). Because of this, John Corabi hastened to leave the group.
The team was on the brink of collapse. After lengthy conversations, the band members managed to find the strength to assemble the original line-up.
In 1997, the band's discography was replenished with another Generation Swine disc. The album received many favorable reviews. Tracks Afraid, Beauty, Shoutat the Devil'97 and Rocketship were performed at the American Music Awards.
Although the album was popular with music lovers and fans, it was not a commercial success. Then the musicians independently distributed collections.
The Mötley Crüe group has signed a contract with a releasing studio. The musicians were helped to re-release old albums. In addition, the band recorded new releases in the new releasing studio. We are talking about collections: New Tatto, Red, White & Crüe and Saints of Los Angeles.
creative break
Since the early 2000s, almost every member of the Motley Crew group has been busy with solo projects. In 2004, the band members announced that they were taking a creative break.
The silence had to be broken on the advice of promoters and fans. The silence is broken by If I Die Tomorrow, Sick Love Song and tours with Aerosmith.
Already in 2008, the team replenished the discography with a fresh novelty. The album was called Saints of Los Angeles. The collection was nominated for a Grammy and recognized as the best in an iTunes poll.
A little later, the musicians became the organizers and headliners of the Crüe Fest 2 tour. The tour took place in the summer in the United States of America.
After the tour, the musicians went to conquer European countries. Actually, then Nikki Six told fans of his work about his retirement. The last performance took place in Russia in 2015.
Interesting facts about the group Mötley Crüe
- The umlaut diacritic in the form of two dots above the vowels ӓ, ӧ or ü changes the pronunciation of these sounds.
- Nikki Sixx on the first song for the album: "The first song I wrote was Nona, that was my grandmother's name.
- On December 23, 1987, Nikki might have died. The musician was saved in an ambulance from an overdose. The doctors recorded the death, but still the doctor managed to save Six's life.
- The rehearsals of the musicians often began with the use of drugs or alcohol.
Mötley Crüe now
Nikki, after the end of the musical tour, went out to reporters. The musician said that the group will resume activities, as the band members have accumulated a lot of rough materials.
In 2019, director Jeff Treiman directed the biopic The Dirt about the band. A movie based on the book The Filth: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band has been released on Netflix.
In 2020, the band Mötley Crüe held online concerts. The musicians had to cancel the tour. It's all because of the coronavirus pandemic.
