After taking a break from album reviews last week and looking at some of my favorite songs, today we will return to the album reviews. This week, specifically will focus on one of my favorite eras of music – the glam metal era. Now, although this era is often criticized, some of my favorite artists come from this length of time, and I could care less what the critics say. That’s one huge mentality I have when it comes to movies and music – critics have no idea what they are talking about and rely on so much bias that their reviews mean nothing. For example, one of my least favorite sites, Rolling Stone, is so unbelievably biased that it infuriates me. In their Top 100 Greatest Artists article, they have Madonna and Michael Jackson placed at 36 and 35 respectively. These two artists, being among the most influential artists of all time, should be way higher on the list – and that is an undeniable fact. Of course, favoring rock and roll to pop, Rolling Stone deems Madonna and Jackson to be of less significance (insert eye roll emoji here)… All rants aside, here is my glam metal album blog, starting with Mötley Crüe’s Dr. Feelgood.
Dr. Feelgood – 1989
-Mötley Crüe-
Track Listing:
- “T.n.T. (Terror ‘n Tinseltown)”
- “Dr. Feelgood”*
- “Slice of Your Pie”
- “Rattlesnake Shake”
- “Kickstart My Heart”*
- “Without You”*
- “Same ‘Ol Situation (S.O.S.)”*
- “Sticky Sweet”
- “She Goes Down”
- “Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)”*
- “Time For Change”
The fifth studio album by Mötley Crüe, Dr. Feelgood is arguably the greatest glam metal record ever made, and certainly the band’s best to hit the shelves. After attending rehab for drug addiction and obtaining sobriety, this album showcases Mötley Crüe’s best musicianship and songwriting. In addition, it was also the only album by Mötley Crüe to reach number one on the charts. The first great song of the album and the title track – “Dr. Feelgood,” features a driving guitar riff, and shows off the skills of guitarist Mick Mars. “Kickstart My Heart” is just a blast. With a fast tempo and pounding lyrics, this is the song to crank the volume up for. I once blew out my phone speakers listening to this song… “Without You,” is a ballad, so of course I love it. Written about drummer Tommy Lee’s recent divorce, “Without You” is a fresh break from the fast paced songs that fill this album. “Same ‘Ol Situation,” just like “Kickstart My Heart,” is a song to play at max volume and rock out to. Finally, “Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)” is a very unique song. It isn’t too fast, but it isn’t too slow. Thus, I like to think of it as a hybrid ballad. For a fun fact, the songs “Slice of Your Pie” and “Sticky Sweet” actually have Steven Tyler, lead singer of Aerosmith, as backing vocals. This is because Aerosmith were recording their album Pump at the same time, in the same studio.
Rating: 8.6/10
Pump – 1989
-Aerosmith-
Track Listing:
- “Young Lust”*
- “F.I.N.E.”*
- “Going Down/Love in an Elevator”*
- “Monkey On My Back”
- “Water Song/Janie’s Got a Gun”*
- “Dulcimer Stomp/The Other Side”
- “My Girl”
- “Don’t Get Mad, Get Even”
- “Hoodoo/Voodoo Medicine Man”
- “What It Takes”*
To make it clear right away, I do not know that much about this album. However, as a huge Aerosmith fan, I know a decent amount, and figured it would be the perfect album to cover since it connects to Dr. Feelgood. Pump is another great example of an album made by a newly sober band, showing off the benefits of not making an album while being completely wasted. The album had many top hits, and is regarded as one of Aerosmith’s best, helping the success of their comeback from their rehab hiatus. As for the songs, the first two tracks on the album are great rockers, and I am pretty sure they are in the ride Rockin’ Roller Coaster in Disney World. The next song, “Love in an Elevator” is truly a blast. Using sexual innuendos pretty much every line, such as using “Livin’ it up when I’m going down” (if you know, you know), this song is just fun. In Rockin’ Roller Coaster, it is redone as “Love in a Rollercoaster,” which sounds good in theory until you crack the innuendos… “Janie’s Got A Gun” is a very strange ballad(?) and is quite popular. My favorite song on the album, however, is “What it Takes,” a true power ballad that ends with a minute of honky tonk horns and instrumentation. The album is solid, but a lot of mediocre songs on the album take away from its overall replay value.
Rating: 7.8/10
I have to agree with you about the critical thing. While I don’t really look at critical reviews for music, movies are a different story and I find myself usually disagreeing with whatever rotten tomato critics say. Who even are these people?? Anyways, I am a fan of both these artists/bands! Mötley Crüe mostly because my dad is big into rock so I’ve grown up listening to their music. I think I almost went to one of their concerts. I listened to Dr. feelgood just now and I am totally vibing with it so I think I will put it on my radar and search them up on Spotify. Similar story with Aerosmith, but their songs have definitely popped up in some of my punk rock playlists haha. Love it!
In my opinion, the glam metal era was essential in making rock n roll so popular and iconic. Although I don’t know too much about these bands, especially Mötley Crüe, I do enjoy their music. Call me basic but I love “Dream On” by Aerosmith because of Steven Tyler’s vocals. Once again, I enjoyed your reviews and can’t wait for the next one!