Throwback Thursday: Saints of Los Angeles, by Motley Crue

Ok, so honestly it's hard to believe that this album, Motley Crue's Saints of Los Angeles is already about a decade old. I'm not even THAT old and I still remember when it first hit the shelves. It didn't stay on the shelves for long, I'll tell you that much. This was Motley Crue's grand return to the public limelight and a return to form in terms of musical style. Sadly it was also the last full length record they did before finally calling it quits for good a couple years ago.

As I said, Saints of Los Angeles was a return to classic 80's form for the Crue. Over the years (through the 90's and whatnot) the band had taken a more alternative direction that had kind of alienated their core fan base. However, when this album came out it brought everyone back in droves. It had the crunch, the sleaze, and the melody that classic Crue had, but with more modern production to give that extra bit of punch and clarity.

The title track "Saints of Los Angeles" drove 80's metal fans wild. That foreboding opening bass line with some other audio bits thrown in create this amazing build-up and tension that makes things that much more explosive and eargasmic when the band kicks in. It drives, has some serious balls, and honestly feels like it could have come out in 1989 on the band's iconic hit album Dr. Feelgood. It has pretty much all of the signature characteristics of a Motley Crue single.

"Chicks = Trouble" was always one of my personal favorites back in the day. In retrospect I can see it being sexist in some ways but I choose to look at it more as a song that talks about specific kinds of people in general that just cause problems in your life especially since it was written about the kinds of women that used to give Nikki Sixx trouble during the worst parts of his heroin addiction. Regardless, it's got some good riffing, melody, and charisma to it.

Honestly, I can't say there are much in the way of any bad tracks from Saints of Los Angeles. Maybe that's just me looking at it from rose coloured nostalgia goggles, but the fact that it became as popular as it did at the time I don't think I'm too far off the mark. Maybe not a perfect album, but still a damn good one. I would definitely recommend it as a crucial album to have in any collection of Motely Crue or 80's metal albums in general.

Saints of Los Angeles, by Motley Crue receives 4 out of 5 stars.

Track List:

1. L.A.M.F.
2. Face Down in the Dirt
3. What's It Gonna Take
4. Down at the Whiskey
5. Saints of Los Angeles
6. Mutherfucker of the Year
7. The Animal in Me
8. Welcome to the Machine
9. Just Another Psycho
10. Chicks = Trouble
11. This Ain't a Love Song
12. White Trash Circus
13. Goin' Out Swingin'

Buy the album on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Saints-Los-Angeles-Motley-Crue/dp/B0018AK9QQ/ref=sr_1_1_atc_badge_A2N1U4I2KOS032_twi_aud_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1529650415&sr=8-1&keywords=saints+of+los+angeles