By Mita Tate
Before the infamous Pamela Anderson sex tapes, the scandalous autobiography that forever changed the way we look at musicians (or at least Motley Crue) and a VH-1 reality show featuring a bloated Vince Neil getting over $100,000 worth of plastic surgery, Motley Crue was just a group of decadent rockstars who spent their spare time shooting alcohol into their veins, overdosing on heroin and having orgies with underage groupies.
In 1988, guitarist Mick Mars, bassist Nikki Six, lead singer Vince Neil and the man known more for his endowment than his drumming skills, Tommy Lee reunited sober and drug free to record their fifth studio album. But would a sober Motley Crue still be able to live up to their debauchery-filled past? Their future was uncertain, but with the help of producer Bob Rock, best known for his work on Metallica’s 1990 self-titled, they created Dr. Feelgood, an album that has been praised by critics and even hair metal purists.
Dr. Feelgood is filled with just that, feel good hair metal with no pretenses about what it is. Motley Crue knew they weren’t trying to save the world with their music, and don’t pretend to. Anthemic hard rock and future happy hour sing-a-long is what Dr. Feelgood is all about.
Dr. Feelgood proved to be Motley Crue’s highest selling album and gave the band their first top ten single with “Kickstart My Heart,” as well as several other hits including “Same Ol’ Situation,” and “Dr. Feelgood.”
A song about guitarist Nikki Sixx’s infamous overdose, “Kickstart My Heart” gave Motley Crue their first top ten single and is considered by many Motley Crue’s shining moment. Featuring fast paced catchy hooks and lyrics like “Ooh, are you ready girls? / Ooh, are you ready now? / Ooh yeah / Kickstart my heart,” Motley Crue was on top of their cheesy game.
After Dr. Feelgood, Neil was fired (although later rehired) and the band found a new singer and changed directions. This was short-lived however, but the impact has lasted forever. While Motley Crue has recently reunited and are currently touring with a new album filled with original material, they have yet to re-capture their classic sound and Dr. Feelgood remains as a final testament to the fun, decadent times long gone.
The Chronicle gives ´Dr. Feelsgood´, by Motley Crue four out of five stars.