Too Dumb, uh, Fast for Love

My last few posts have come from classic metal bands and I was going to change up the pace a little this time. But earlier today I was listening to Sirius Satellite Radio’s classic metal station and heard some old Motley Crue. Nowadays, the Crue seems like dinosaurs, left over from the hairspray heydays of early-80’s LA. They still occasionally go on the road, Tommy Lee shows up in tabloids and shitty American Idol-style shows, and life goes on.

Once upon a time, though, I truly thought this band was destined to be the next big thing. The first time I heard them was on LA radio station KLOS’ “Local Licks” program. When I was able to find their debut album, I was blown away. I sometimes have in my head what a song should sound like, even though I’m basically musically inept. My first listen to Too Fast for Love had the hooks where I would have them and put the notes in the order I would if I could.

I played the record over and over and over. At 19 years old, my friends and I thought the Crue was the shit! I’m pretty sure if we hadn’t been young military members subject to random urinalysis, our mindless obsession with the band would have dumped us into a similar whores-and-coke lifestyle, albeit with less funding.

Probably around the point Vince Neil killed Hanoi Rocks’ drummer in a drunken car accident, I came to the realization the band wasn’t that cool, and I moved on to other music. But, as happened today, when I hear a track from that debut album, I’m 19 again and flying my “Sleaze Patrol” banner.

The irony, if there is any, would be that in my last post, I wrote that I prefer my rock “dumbed down.” You can’t get much more dumb than this! But tell me it ain’t fun.

From Motley Crue's debut album, Too Fast for Love:

Live Wire.mp3
Too Fast for Love.mp3

posted by aikin @ 9:27 PM