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Mötley Crüe The Bad Boys Of Rock & Roll Are On A Mission

The group members, Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, Mick Mars and Vince Neil are well known for their bad-boy stunts and hard rockin' lifestyles. From the very start, these boys have either made problems or problems found them. On their first circuit in 1982, they were actually apprehended at the Edmonton International Airport because they wore their spiked stage clothes through customs. Officials at the airport impounded everything the group carried that they thought indecent or dangerous. No concern for the band though, it was all a promotional stunt and it worked beautifully!

Throughout the 1980's, Mötley Crüe was mired in a apparently unending bouts of loose females, substance abuse and run-in's with the law. One night in 1984, an allegedly intoxicated Vince Neil was involved in a horrific frontal collision. His passenger, Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley of the band Hanoi Rocks was killed in the accident. Neil was sentenced to 30 days, but spent a meager 18 days in jail for the incident. Later, the band turned hardship into music and released box sets irreverently named "Music To Crash Your Car To".

The alcohol & drugs were overtaking their lives in a major way. In 1987, Nikki Sixx actually was pronounced dead from an O.D.. His heart stopped and that could have been the end for him. Luckily for Sixx, the paramedics did not give up and gave him two shots of adrenaline to his heart. Plainly, he lived to rock on. This little incident gave the band the inspiration for the song 'Kick Start My Heart' from the 'Dr. Feelgood' release.

It wasn't long after Nikki's brush with death that the groups managers intervened. It was time for a sober intervention if this band was going to keep going. The managers denied the group to go on a European circuit, fearing that more than one would croak on the tour. The reality of their conduct and the consequences must have hit them hard. All the members eventually got themselves sober. While the others preferred to go into a rehab program, Mars preferred to deal with his dependencies on his own.

In spite of their epic battles with addictions during the 1980's, they still managed, in some manner, to piece together a few popular releases. To this very day songs from the albums, 'Shout At The Devil', 'Theatre Of Pain' and 'Girls, Girls, Girls' get alot of air-time. But it was not until '89, with a clean and sober band that they were at last able to produce a number 1 album, 'Dr. Feelgood'. Everyone, even the group guessed that their sober efforts were far better than anything they had done earlier.

The 1990's bestowed more trouble for the Crüe. They released their 6th studio album, 'Decade of Decadence' in 1991 and it hit the #2 spot on the charts. And then, in '92, Neil either left the band or was terminated, depending on who you listen to. He was promptly replaced and the band released a self-titled album that reached number seven on the music charts. Finally, in '97, the band reunited and published yet another recording, 'Generation Swine'. The disk didn't do very well commercially, which resulted in them leaving their record label, Elektra.

In '98, after their contract with Elektra had ran out, the group found themselves in a unique place. They are one of the few bands to have full control both over their catalogue of masters and publishing. With this newfound power, the band re-released all of their previous albums and included many demos and formerly unreleased tunes.

In 1999, Tommy Lee departed the group to pursue his own solo career and to avoid encouraging conflict with Neil. He was substituted and the group continued to tour and record, but fell short of genuine success. Sixx also went his own direction and played for the bands "58" and "Brides Of Destruction". It took 5 years, but the band finally did get back together and got busy recording a fresh compilation release called 'Red White & Crüe'. They as well went on a couple of tours, including their 2005 tour, 'Carnival of Sins' and the 2006 'Route of All Evil' tour that they co-headlined with the group Aerosmith.

Just last month, Mötley Crüe published their latest recording, 'Saints of Los Angeles'. Critics are saying the album is some of the best music they've ever recorded! It's a serious flash-back to the band's earlier style and a welcome one at that. Seems these bad boy rockers are still going after their original mission to rock the world as hard as they can.

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