Crucial Crue: The Studio Albums 1981-1989 5 Pc Boxset

Release Date: 17 Feb 2023

Format: Vinyl & CD

Price: Vinyl: £133.05 CD: £39.59 (Amazon UK)

Label: BMG

Score: 5/10

When this release arrived at Voodoo Radio it must have been a no-brainer regarding who to ask to review it, right? I mean, it’s not exactly a secret that as a dyed-in-the-wool Glam/Sleaze/Trash Metal Valkyrie (Note not Hair….NEVER HAIR!!!) that Motley Crue are my favourite band of all time. Sure, lots of people hate them but hey-ho that’s life. As a result, when the Boss asked me if I fancied reviewing this release, I screamed ‘Yes, Yes and thrice YES!!!’

For this girl the Crue epitomised the decadence and excess of 80’s Metal and they lacked the musical pretentions of so many of that era. Founder Nikki Sixx sorta wanted to form a Punk Rock outfit that was then sucked into the Sunset Strip scene and subsequently became the total Gods of it!!

Right now, Motley Crue are riding a wave of popularity born upon the back of the Netflix release, ‘The Dirt’, based upon the band’s autobiography of the same name. Unfortunately, in my not-so-humble opinion, that has led to an almost vampyric desire to sup at the pulsing artery of ‘cashing in’!

Sure, I realise that the music business is a business and that the musicians, our heroes, if you will, are trying to eek a living from it, but does anyone, apart from maybe Nikki’s bank manager need another Motley Crue boxset? I know what my answer is but hey, you decide for yourself!!

This set then is drawn from the Crues’ releases from the height of their success. ’81-’89 were the years when Motley Crue lived the most decadent, don’t give a f**k years of their career, and when they unleashed the classics that endure to this day!! How many times has ‘Kickstart My Heart’ been featured in movies, TV shows and adverts, for instance? And why? Because it’s an awesome song FFS!!!

The albums themselves are awesome. As a fan, my favourite has always been their debut, ‘Too Fast For Love’. It had the raw hard edge of four starving kids playing in-your-face rock n roll/Metal with no greater desire than to make enough money to get drunk, wasted n laid!!! No If’s no Buts, no bullshit!!!

Each release had its own aura, driven by the vision of Bassist Nikki Sixx and none made any pretence of ‘navel gazing’.

So, each of the albums on its own is a work of the Glam Metal art. This boxset though, JUST AIN’T!!

If you’re a Crue fan, you’ll already have their discography in your collection, you’ll maybe have the 40^th Anniversary release, complete with bonus tracks. If that’s the case then this release is nothing new to you, sure the albums are remastered and sound fab, but the track lists are the same as when the originals hit the shops. There’s nothing new to be had from owning this release.

As a result, this just leaves a bad taste in my mouth, almost as if the attitude is one of, ‘Hey they’ll buy anything, honest!’ and I’m sure some hardcore collectors WILL do just that. However, I’ll save my pennies and enjoy my copies of the first five Motley Crue releases.

I’ll always award the individual albums a hearty 10/10, however this lacklustre collection scrapes an equally lacklustre 5/10 and a very disappointed Must Try Harder!