Customer Reviews

New Tattoo

5 star:		(84)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

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.

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."

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.

This disc has everything longtime Crue fans love about the band...loud guitars, fun (and cheesy)lyrics, Vince's distinct vocals. Thanks, Nikki, Vince, Mick (and Randy) for making a good rock n' roll record. "Hell on High Heels" is an instant Motley classic, and I really like the title track and the hidden track "White Punks on Dope." After being dissapointed with the album Motley Crue and Generation Swine, it is good to hear that these guys are back to the Dr. Feelgood era sound. I highly recommend this cd!

First and foremost... I am a life-long, devoted, and dedicated Cruehead, HOWEVER, I must say that I am HIGHLY disappointed in this album. I was eagerly awaiting it's release for a year, visiting the Motley.com website daily for updates and the like. Then it happened... it was released, and it fell upon deaf ears.

This album has nothing significant to offer... it reminds me of what all the other Crue albums would sound like if they didn't include their respective 2 or 3 hits each. The album spent a day or two in my changer and was then removed... I can't even stomach it! Yes, it's that bad.

If you are looking for REAL Motley Crue, avoid this album at all costs. Better investments in Motley are (in order of worthiness): Too Fast for Love, Shout at the Devil, GirlsX3, and even Generation Swine (perhaps their most under-rated album ever, but definately their most ambitious and experimental). Also avoid Dr. Feelgood, which sounds like Poison with a harder edge.

This is Motley's last studio album unless Nikki's songwriting returns to it's roots.

Decent 2000 effort,the Crue's eighth album.Drummer Tommy Lee is replaced here with veteran skinsman Randy Castillo(Ozzy,Lita Ford-R.I.P.).Thought this release was rather comparable with 'Dr.Feelgood',but a tad BETTER.Mostly because the guys make a full effort to return to their rock&sleaze roots.Best tracks include "Hell On High Heels","She Needs Rock&Roll","Punched In The Teeth With Love" and their unlikely cover of The Tube's "White Punks On Dope".Do check this one out.

I don't see why every one is bashing New Tattoo! People complained about Crue '94 and Generation Swine because it was too much of a departure from the Shout, Girls and Feelgood style. Everybody bitched, everybody pissed and everybody moaned . So...Nikki and the boyz decide to release a good 'ol fashioned Crue album to satisfy all these "hair rockers" that are now Losing their hair or aging very ungracefully by the time of it's release. What they gave us is a Motley Crue record. In the same style of those mentioned previously. It has all all the trimmin's!!!! Arena anthems, ballads and just plain ol raunch and roll. For this recording, Tommy Lee stepped aside to focus on Methods of Meyhem (another EXCELLENT attempt for what it is...) and former Ozzy drummer Randy Castillo joined the Crue, pounding away like clockwork. Songs like hell on High Heels, Treat Me Like the Dog I Am, New Tattoo, Punched In The Teeth By Love are perfect Motley Crue songs. Catchy, sleezy, melodic Crue songs to suit the taste buds of any Crue fan. See, what happened is this album came out as metal changed. Gone were the 80's style metal that we all know and love dearly. I am a fan of each and all genres of all eras, and New Tattoo gets a 4 out of 5 for me. Why not 5? Well, while it's a decent release, it's not a very stong one. The 4 is for the good tunes and for an EXCELLENT cover of the Tubes', White Punks On Dope! The other thing that makes this a very strong 4 is the sound quality! A crystal clear engineering job well done...if only the first 4 could have been recorded like this...! To Mr. Randy Castillo, thanks for giving us one more round of skin pounding before making you way to rock and roll Heaven. R.I.P brother...we'll NEVER forget you!

The New Tattoo album is unreal. Out of 11 songs 11 are great. It was very good for the Crue to get back to the "old" style. I have been a Motley fan my entire life and this is definately one of the best albums they have ever put out. It is an excellent CD and I can't wait for them to come here on tour!

First of all, I like Motley Crue. At times, I love them.

and as little as 4 years ago, I was hailing them for "Bitter Pill" and "Enslaved." Those songs are incredible!

Alas, this is the first Crue album that doesn't do it for me. Isn't that strange! Well, yes and no. Maybe I have a little more tolerance/patience/acceptance than many people, as I don't seem to start calling albums "bombs" or whatever until 2 or 3 albums after everyone else. Only with the most recent ventures of the likes of Def Leppard or Aerosmith, let's say, do I begin to be a little worried.

And it's only because I love the bands so much. I won't give New Tattoo 1 star, because that means poor, and this album isn't poor. Nikki and the others probably just really wanted to get back to rocking (funny how all bands get that idea after making an album that unnecesariily thinks it needs to be up with the times), and I really respect that.

Only problem is, I don't feel it this time. Dr. Feelgood was magic, but here... I feel that Nikki, Vince, and Mick were so eager just to make this TYPE of album, it was hastily written. In other words, the concept (and the production!) was there for the taking, but... it's just one of those albums where the magic doesn't make it to tape, and I feel that maybe Nikki or Mick themselves wrote some of those songs without having the wonderful lightbulb come on that says "this song will be GREAT." Rather, some of the music sounds forced ("Treat me like a Dog"), like they had to try a little TOO hard to sound sleazy and fun. So, these songs could have been great, but even in the most uptempo/rocking times ("Fake", "First Band on the Moon", "Porno Star"), I just don't feel the sincerity. "Hair Band Haters" never have felt that, and many others stopped feeling it after 1989. Well, it took me this long to unfortunately start feeling similarly.

Although not wonderful, there were good creative moments on both the album with Corabi and "Swine." "New Tattoo" is the first album I have ever bought where it's as if I was given a musical numbing medication... I just don't feel anything ANYWHERE, from start to finish. Isn't that strange?

I wanted nothing more than for the Crue to evolve and rock on, Leeless or not, I try to be openminded... and Castillo (RIP) wasn't the problem, I loved him on No More Tears, I just sense that Nikki will never find it motivating to MUSICALLY evolve, which, to his pardon, very few rockers do. And he isn't all that skilled as a bassist, of course. Still, I was optimistic, waiting patiently ever since Dr. Feelgood, not for a remake of it, but for an evolution FROM it, and not just an evolution in production and modern technology, though that's fine too. I love Nikki's personality and attitude, and he is very intelligent and well articulated. I'd also like to hear SOME songs reflect that; it's cool to party to songs about women, but I think the Crue is capable of a little more diversity, which would just make the album a little more interesting, overall.

The one possible exception is "Hollywood Ending," there's parts in that that I think Vince put emotion into, and the songwriting intrigues me. Some may find cheese, but don't think I do. The title track also is a cool song. But that's it. The real rockers, although well meant, just don't rock like rock should!

Anyone wondering how to start getting into Motley, don't get this album first, but do get it at some point, so you get some sense of chronology Although I scorn Greatest Hits packages for the ridiculous commercial motives, I will say that Decade of Decadence AND their Greatest Hits have EXELLENT new (at the time) songs. If this album doesn't get you off, don't think that you won't like the band. There's just much better stuff out there.

This album just isn't fresh and rocking to me, but I'm happy for those of you that it is, cause I'm missing out!

It sounds like Motley and that's the problem. It's better than the Saints of LA, I'll admit that. I liked their self titled with Corabi because they took chances with it by creating an all-new sound for themselves. They weren't afraid to take that chance and they pulled off agood record for it. IMO, by taking a step back for New Tatoo and trying to re-visit their 80's Dr. Feelgood era sound, they suffer for it. While this is not their best record, it's still better than most of the music out their right now. Recommended, but only after you get their back catalog first.