New Tattoo [Import]

Motley Crue | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 11, 2000)
• Original Release Date: July 11, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Beyond Records
• ASIN: B00004TQRT
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (155 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #147,560 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Hell on High Heels

2. Treat Me Like the Dog I Am

3. New Tattoo

4. Dragstrip Superstar

5. 1st Band on the Moon

6. She Needs Rock & Roll

7. Punched in the Teeth by Love

8. Hollywood Ending

9. Fake

10. Porno Star

11. White Punks on Dope

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Forget about everything else Motley Crüe has released in the 1990s--their self-titled 1994 release and its follow-up, Generation Swine, are embarrassments. Instead, wrap your ears around New Tattoo. This is what this band has always been all about: riffs, hooks, sass, raunch, and hair. Except for the fact that they're older and have replaced Tommy Lee with Randy Castillo, going by the band photos in the CD booklet, this could be 1989. True, the Crüe also seem to have gained at least a little wisdom--the prostitute in "Hell on High Heels" has HIV, fame clearly has its downside in "Fake," and instead of indulging in "Girls, Girls, Girls," the boys have evidently discovered the joys of safe cyber-sex in "Porno Star." On the other hand, the title track is a love song; they evidently miss the old days so much that they're willing to go to outer space for the chance to have that much fun again ("1st Band on the Moon"); and their romances are as problematic as ever ("Hollywood Ending," "Punched in the Teeth by Love"). With New Tattoo, the Crüe have recaptured the essence of what made them superstars. Whether that'll happen again is open to question, but it's still a good argument for sticking to what you're good at. --Genevieve Williams

Product Description

Japanese limited tour edition of the heavy metal act's ninth album. Disc one includes bonus demo versions of 'First Band On The Moon' and 'Porno Star'. Bonus disc features six tracks recorded live in Salt Lake City, 'Kickstart My Heart', 'Same Ol' Situati --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Back To The Beginning, July 15, 2000

By 

"superman1975" (Mishawaka, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: New Tattoo (Audio CD)

This is the album that devout Motley Crue fans have been waiting for since the 80's. The Crue are definitelty rejuvinated and back with a vengeance. Not since 'Shout At The Devil' has Motley Crue recorded such a straight ahead, in-your-face, rock n' roll recording. Even though I am a long time fan and have enjoyed each one of their offerings, I must admit that 'New Tattoo' is a return to their roots that no other album since has reached. Tracks such as "Hell On High Heels", "Punched In The Teeth By Love", and "1st Band On The Moon" evoke a hard driving rhythm reminiscent of early tunes from 'Too Fast For Love' and 'Shout At The Devil'. There is nothing on this CD that in any way deviates from what traditional Motley Crue sounds like, and I mean that in the most positive way. Even lyrically, 'New Tattoo' exhibits the type of angst, sexuality, and pure rebelliousness that Motley Crue has been known for ever since their introduction. The early 80's L.A. "live fast and die young" attitude is more noticeable here than on anything else the Crue have released since 1987's 'Girls Girls Girls'. Keep an ear out for cuts such as "Fake" and "Treat Me Like The Dog I Am" as well. They are dripping with tongue-in-cheeck lyrics and pulsing, guitar driven rhythms. Even the mid tempo title song "New Tattoo" contains the bittersweet feeling of such old Crue ballads as "You're All I Need" or "Merry Go Round". Same thing goes for the album's other semi ballad, "Hollywood Ending". New drummer and Ozzy Osbourne alumni Randy Castillo does more than a decent job of replacing ex-Crue drummer Tommy Lee. In fact, I think the change in line-up actually rejuvinated the Crue. There really isn't much more that can be said about 'New Tattoo'. It is quite simply one of Motley Crue's best efforts, and probably the best pure hard rock recording of the last decade. This CD won't disappoint.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A return to form, January 25, 2006

By 

Daniel Maltzman (Arlington, MA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: New Tattoo (Audio CD)

Motley Crue, arguably the biggest pop-metal band of the 1980s, had a tough time in the 1990s. First there was the falling out and ensuing feud between vocalist Vince Neil and the rest of the band. Then there were the alternative and grunge moments that made the Crue's style of music passé. The Crue responded to the public's change in taste by releasing the grunge-sounding "Motley Crue" (1994) album with vocalist John Corabi that was a huge bomb. Then, despite Neil's return to the band, there was another flop with the faux industrial/alt.rock-esque "Generation Swine" (1997). All the while internal problems persisted. Unable to get along, drummer Tommy Lee and Neil almost killed each other at an Airport in the late 90s. Frustrated with both Neil and the band's audience for not liking the Crue's attempts to modernize, Lee quit the group in the summer of '99 to form the Nu-Metal outfit Methods of Mayhem. The final blow came when the Crue left their record label Electra, although they did receive the complete rights to their master-tapes, so they could re-release and repackage their back-catalogue as they saw fit.

Despite a decade that didn't treat them too kindly, at the dawn of the new millennium, the Crue soldiered on. The first task at hand was finding a new drummer. Randy Castillo, formally of Ozzy Osbourne's band, was tapped to replace Tommy Lee. With a new drummer, a new label, and a fresh perspective, Nikki Sixx, (bass) Mick Mars, (guitar) Vince Neil, (vocals) and Randy Castillo (drums) went into the studio in the spring of 2000 to record their eighth studio album.

For Motley Crue's self-titled album and "Generation Swine," the band tried to modernize. While some fans appreciated the Crue's more modern, updated sound (I personally feel that the self-titled album is the Crue's finest work) the public didn't bite. Fans of old-school 80s rock hated anything that wasn't about T and A, and why would a younger audience want to listen to an 80s rock band try to sound like music of their generation?

For their new album, the Crue decided to return to their roots and make an old-school, 80s sunset-strip, pop-metal album. In order to make an 80s style album, Guns N' Roses producer Mike Clint was brought on board. Assisting main songwriter and Crue leader Nikki Sixx in writing the songs was the unknown James Michael. After a few months in the studio, the Crue unleashed "New Tattoo" in the summer of 2000.

Fans are mixed on "New Tattoo." Some feel that it's the band's best work since "Dr. Feelgood" and a return to the sound of classic Crue after years of trend-hopping. Others, however, feel that it's a half-baked attempt to go back in time, or rehash a style where the well of creativity has long since run dry. To be sure, "New Tattoo" definitely sounds like old-school Crue. It actually sounds as though it could have come out around 1988, between "Girls, Girls, Girls" (1987) and "Dr. Feelgood" (1989).

While I don't love this album, I like it a lot. It has a lot going for it. For one thing, the band sounds great. "Theatre of Pain" (1985) and "Girls, Girls, Girls" may have had well-written songs, but the band was so smacked out of its mind on coke, heroin and booze, the quality of the music suffered. On "New Tattoo," the music is done in a similar pop-metal vein (melodic with a sing along chorus) only now the band sounds focused, and the performance is top-notch. Vince Neil gives the best vocal performance of his career with the title-track and sounds great throughout the entire album. Mick Mars's playing is also great, as his soloing has never sounded better and is pure ear candy. Similarly, Sixx and Castillo offer a solid rhythm section, thus making the band sound tight from start to finish.

"New Tattoo" is not as complex or ambitious as "Motley Crue" or "Generation Swine." It's a back-to-basics type of album, which is fine, as the album is generally very well written. There are a couple of weak songs, like the okay-but-not-great opening (and first single) "Hell on High Heals," and "Punched in the Teeth by Love," which sound like clichéd, by-the-numbers hair-metal. The rest of the album, however, is quite strong. The songs are generally fast-paced hard-rockers, that have good hooks and strong melodies that should definitely please fans of the pop-metal genre. The obligatory ballads, "New Tattoo," and "Hollywood Ending" are far less generic than most of its type, and show maturity, without loosing its edge.

The album's biggest flaw, however, are the lyrics. The Crue's lyrics (especially "Theatre of Pain" thought "Dr. Feelgood") have always been somewhat cheesy, but they're especially bad here, as titles such as "Treat Me like the Dog that I am" and "She Needs Rock N' Roll" would suggest. And while the Crue's lyrics in the past were somewhat cheesy, they were still edgy, and the Crue's members were young, and it was in the 80s, so the band gets a pass for past offensives. But in 2000, a middle-aged Crue has no excuse and the band just sounds goofy. Still, the cheesy lyrics don't ruin the album, as the band's top-notch performance and mostly solid collection of songs are more than enough to make this a strong release.

If you are a fan of Motley Crue or 80s-style hard-rock in general, you will probably get something out of this album. Despite a few bad songs and poor lyrical content, it's still a solid album. On a sad note, Randy Castillo succumbed to cancer and died a few years after the release of "New Tattoo."

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Motley's best CDs, July 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: New Tattoo (Audio CD)

Okay, those of you who were disappointed with Generation Swine/MC94, I know you guys love the 'classic' Motley sound. New Tattoo is classic Motley. The first single Hell on High Heel is a great catchy song, and the song is not even the best song in the album! Nikki Sixx posted some demos in motley.com and I'm sure many Crueheads have heard Timebomb and First Band on The Moon which were killer demos. They're in New Tattoo in their full glory. Treat Me Like The Dog I Am and Punched In Teeth By Love are great rockers. The two ballads are pretty good, although Hollywood ending sounds a bit like 'Creep' by Radiohead. This is Motley at their finest and this album can stand next to Feelgood, TFFL or Shout (their best works). I was happy with Def Leppard's latest album, disappointed with Bon Jovi's latest album but I'm happy again with this album. Get it.