Saints Of Los Angeles

Saints of Los Angeles is the ninth studio album by the American hard rock band Mötley Crüe, released on June 24, 2008. It is the band's first studio album in eight years, and the first to feature the band's classic line-up since Generation Swine. Bassist Nikki Sixx stated in his blog that he believes the band are "on to some of the better songs [they've] had in years".

A tentative title for the album was The Dirt, however this was eventually scrapped. Nikki Sixx notes that: "the album is loosely based on The Dirt. Each song is like a mini-story, and you can plug in into the book. Some of it's funny, some of it's serious and in-your-face. It's like a typical, successful Motley Crue record."

Saints of Los Angeles debuted at #4 on the Billboard album charts, selling about 99,000 copies in its first week of release.^[4] It also debuted at #14 on the Australian ARIA album charts, #5 in Sweden, #3 in Canada, #47 in Italy, and #9 in Finland (although it climbed to #6 in its second week).

Though the band's first single, the title track, was their second highest charting single in the US mainstream rock charts ever peaking at number 5. Subsequent singles fared less well. "Mutherfucker of the Year" peaked at number 29 and "White Trash Circus" peaked at number 37 on mainstream rock charts.

Singles

"Saints of Los Angeles"

The first single, "Saints of Los Angeles", was released on April 11 and started airing on radio stations on April 15, 2008. The song was given further promotion through the music video game Rock Band, being released as downloadable content on the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Store on the same day. A video[1] for the single was premiered at a press conference by the band on April 15. The song was performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Late Show with David Letterman. Jacoby Shaddix from Papa Roach, Josh Todd from Buckcherry, Chris Brown from Trapt, and James Michael from Sixx A.M. all make cameos at the end of the video. This act had also been done as the band performed the song on their previous Crüe Fest tour. The song was featured in commercials and in promos for X-Games 14.

The single version of "Saints of Los Angeles" does not include the backing vocals and the introduction from the gang vocal version.

The title track was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Hard Rock Performance but lost; it was Mötley Crüe’s third nomination. Their previous nominations for "Dr. Feelgood" and "Kickstart My Heart" in the same category saw losses to Living Colour.

The January 2009 issue of PlayStation: The Official Magazine lists Motley Crue’s “Saints of Los Angeles” as fifth on its list of Rock Band’s "Five Most Unexpectedly Rockin' Downloadable Songs."

"Mutherfucker of the Year"

"Mutherfucker of the Year" is the second single to be taken from "Saints of Los Angeles". The video was shot over two nights—July 15 in Clarkston, MI at DTE Energy Music Theatre and July 16 in Tinley Park, IL at First Midwest Bank Amphitheater.

"White Trash Circus"

Fans were encouraged to vote for the song of their choosing for the next single from SOLA. The contest was between "Chicks = Trouble" and "White Trash Circus", with "White Trash Circus" earning more votes and being chosen as the new single. The music video for "White Trash Circus" was released on February 25, 2009. The video features Tyler Connolly of Theory of a Deadman, Sully Erna of Godsmack, Ryan McCombs of Drowning Pool, and John Allen of Charm City Devils.

Tours

Two tours, Crüe Fest and the Saints Of Los Angeles Tour, supported the album. Crüe Fest ran during the summer of 2008; supporting bands were Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Sixx:A.M., and Trapt. The Saints of Los Angeles Tour ran during early 2009; supporting bands were Hinder, Theory of a Deadman, and The Last Vegas.

New Tattoo

New Tattoo is the eighth studio album by the American hard rock band Motley Crue released in 2000. Artistically, New Tattoo shows the band going back to their sleazy rock sound that gave them commercial success in the 1980s. Long time drummer Tommy Lee left the band a year before, and was replaced by former Ozzy Osbourne drummer Randy Castillo on the album.

Album

Background

The original line up of Mötley Crüe, which consisted of singer Vince Neil, bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee and guitarist Mick Mars, had reunited for the Generation Swine album and tour in 1997 mainly out of pressure from their management and record company.^[1] Even though the group had reunited, problems still existed between Lee and Neil, as Lee felt that the band had been going in a backward direction since Neil rejoined the group. Lee was also having domestic problems with his wife, model Pamela Anderson, which, after an altercation following an argument, led to him serving time in jail.

During this time, Motley Crue and Elektra Records severed their 17 year relationship together, with Motley Crue gaining full ownership of its music catalog and publishing rights. The break with Elektra allowed the group to form its own label, Motley Records, to release future projects on.

Lee's legal problems forced the band to decline invitations from Ozzfest and various radio festivals,^[2] though the band managed to record two new songs for their 1998 Greatest Hits album, "Bitter Pill" and "Enslaved," which were more in vein of their 80s output compared to their work during the 1990s.

While Lee was in prison, he decided that he was going to leave Motley Crue and start his own project, which eventually became Methods of Mayhem. Lee stayed with the group for the tour of their greatest hits album, but after each show he would retreat to his portable studio and work on material for his new project.

Recording

Mötley Crüe teamed up with producer Mike Clink to record the album that Sixx felt should have been the successor to their 1989 album, Dr. Feelgood. With Lee gone, the band hired Neil's longtime friend Randy Castillo, who was Ozzy Osbourne's drummer for 10 years, to take his place.

Reaction

New Tattoo debuted at #41 on the Billboard 200 and slid down shortly after. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the album has sold about 203,000 copies in the U.S. to date. Right before the tour in support of the album, Castillo fell ill. He was consequently replaced by Hole drummer Samantha Maloney. Castillo died on March 26, 2002.

Generation Swine

Generation Swine is the seventh studio album and final for Elektra Records by the hard rock band, Mötley Crüe released on June 24, 1997. The album is the first to feature singer Vince Neil since Dr. Feelgood, and the last to feature the original line-up until Saints of Los Angeles.

Album

Background

Following the commercial failure of the Mötley Crüe album and tour, the band was under pressure by executives at Elektra records to return Mötley Crüe to the level of commercial success that the band enjoyed in the 1980s.

The band, then officially consisting of vocalist/guitarist John Corabi, bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee and guitarist Mick Mars, were so frustrated with the failure of the previous album and tour sales that they fired numerous people around the group, including their accountant, manager Doug Thaler, and their producer Bob Rock. The band then hired Allen Kovac as their new manager and started looking for another producer to work with for their next record which was originally titled Personality #9.

After the mass firing, the band was called to a meeting with Warner Bros. CEO Doug Morris to discuss the current state of the band. At the meeting, Morris tried to convince Sixx and Lee to get rid of Corabi, as he wasn't a "star," and reunite with original singer Vince Neil. Sixx and Lee were not interested in the idea of working with Neil again, and insisted on keeping Corabi in the group. With some additional convincing from Elektra CEO Sylvia Rhone, Morris agreed and the band continued with their work.

Recording

Mötley Crüe had returned to the studio with the intention of recording a straight rock record that was to be more aggressive than the Motley Crue album was, and with Rock producing they had recorded material such as "The Year I Lived In a Day" and "La Dolce Vita." The band was so excited about the new music, that according to Corabi; "At the end of each day we'd walk around the studio carrying our huge cocks in our hands because the music rocked so hard."

After Rock was fired for being "Too expensive and overproducing the music,"^[1] the band eventually chose Scott Humphrey to take Rock's place, with both Sixx and Lee agreeing to serve as co-producers on the album. After Humphrey, Sixx and Lee took over as producers, the recording process became very disorganized, as Humphrey and Sixx regularly argued over ideas for the album. Mars' role in the band was greatly reduced due to an ongoing feud between him and Humphrey, and Corabi grew increasingly frustrated with the sessions as well, as he would learn and write material only to find it completely changed by the time he returned to the studio.

As the recording of the album continued, the band was still being pressured to reunite with Neil, and Corabi decided that he had had enough of the frustration of working under the pressure that the band and Humphrey were putting on him. With Corabi out of the band, the door was now open for Neil to return.

Neil, meanwhile, had been busy with his own solo career and the untimely death of his daughter Skylar, when Kovac had approached him with the same idea of reuniting with Mötley Crüe as Morris had presented to Sixx and Lee earlier. Neil, like Sixx and Lee, was against the idea of working with the band again, but Kovac had planted the idea of a reunion in Neil's head that eventually changed his mind. After meeting with Sixx and Lee, Neil agreed to rejoin the band and finish the album whose title had now been changed to Generation Swine.

Musically, the album shows Mötley Crüe trying to update their image and sound, and shows the band experimenting with current sounds such as electronica and alternative rock throughout the record. Most of the album was written while Corabi was with the band, and as such Neil (whose voice is higher and cleaner than Corabi's) had difficulty adjusting his voice to the new material and sound.

Even with Neil back in the band, the album proved to be a departure from traditional Mötley Crüe albums. Besides the aforementioned experimentation with various types of music, the album featured Sixx and Lee on lead vocals for the first time. Sixx was featured on lead on the song "Rocketship," which was written as a love song to his new romance with model Donna D'Errico, and sang lead on parts of "Find Myself" and "Beauty". Lee was featured on lead vocals on the song "Brandon", which was a namesake song to his first born son, and his then-current wife, model Pamela Anderson.

Lyrically, Generation Swine ranges from songs about drugs and prostitution such as "Find Myself" and "Beauty," to the anti-suicide stance on "Flush," and familial love on "Rocketship" and "Brandon."

Reaction

Generation Swine debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Gold by the RIAA on August 27, 1997. Despite the strong charting debut, the album failed to return the band to the level of critical and commercial success that had been hoped for with the reunion, and according to Nielsen SoundScan the album has sold about 306,000 copies in the U.S. to date. Rolling Stone gave the album two stars, noting that "...Fans who like to be rocked to pieces crave consistency, and Generation Swine is more schizophrenic than Wesley Willis."

"Afraid" was released as the first single from the album. The video featured Hustler publisher Larry Flynt, who also put the band on the cover of an issue of Hustler that year. "Afraid" reached #10 on the US mainstream rock charts, but that too did little to generate interest in the album. The band felt that the album's sluggish sales were due to Elektra not promoting the album properly, claiming that the label was only interested in promoting R & B acts. Rhone discredited this claim though, stating that Mötley Crüe were a major priority for Elektra and that the label had spent a large sum of money in order to get the band to perform "Shout at the Devil '97" on the American Music Awards in January of 1997.

Speaking of the album in 2008, singer Vince Neil states that the album was "terrible" due to "too much experimenting".

Generation Swine would be the group's final release on Elektra Records, as the label and Motley Crue would break their relationship off in early 1998. Future releases from the group would come from their own Motley Records.

Motley Crue (album)

Motley Crue is Motley Crue's self-titled album released on March 15, 1994. It was the band's first and only album released with singer John Corabi, and was the first album of new material released by the band since their 1989 album, Dr. Feelgood.

The album, which was recorded under the working title of Til Death Do Us Part, was the first release by the band after signing a 25-million dollar contract with Elektra Records.

Album

Background

Following the success of the Dr. Feelgood and Decade of Decadence albums and tours, the members of Mötley Crüe were tired and needed to take a break from the non-stop pressures of the road. Instead of being given a break, the band, then consisting of singer Vince Neil, bassist Nikki Sixx, guitarist Mick Mars, and drummer Tommy Lee, had returned to the studio to begin work on the follow-up album to their 1989 album Dr. Feelgood. While working on new material in the studio, Neil and Sixx had a falling out that led to Neil quitting the band (or being fired, depending on the source), effectively leaving Mötley Crüe without a singer.

Meanwhile, John Corabi was the singer in a band called The Scream when he read an interview that featured Sixx in an issue of Spin magazine. In the interview, Corabi found out that Sixx was a big fan of The Scream's first record, Let It Scream. Corabi wanted to get in contact with Sixx and thank him for the compliment, as well as possibly opening the door for collaborating with Sixx on material for the next Scream album, so he had his manager get the number to Mötley Crüe's manager, Doug Thaler. After speaking to Thaler's secretary, Corabi was told to leave his phone number so that Sixx could get in contact with him. Not thinking much of it, Corabi left his number and continued with his responsibilities with The Scream.

After receiving a phone call from Sixx and Lee, where they informed Corabi that Neil was no longer in the band, he was invited to audition. After a couple of sessions, the band told Corabi that he was their choice for Neil's replacement, but told him to keep quiet about it until they were able to work out some pending legal technicalities, as Elektra could have possibly reneged on the band's new contract if the label knew Neil was gone.

Dr Feelgood (album)

Dr. Feelgood is the fifth album by the American hard rock band Mötley Crüe, released on September 1, 1989.

Reception & sales

Dr. Feelgood topped the Billboard 200 chart, being the first album Motley Crue had recorded after their quest for sobriety and rehabilitation in 1989. In addition to being Motley Crue's bestselling album, it is widely regarded by music critics and fans as being their strongest.

Dr. Feelgood has sold more than 6 million copies in the U.S. alone, and went Gold in the U.K.. In various interviews, members of Motley Crue stated that it was their most solid album from a musical standpoint, due in no small part to their collective push for sobriety.

"Dr. Feelgood" and "Kickstart My Heart" were both nominated for Grammy awards for Best Hard Rock Performance, but lost twice to Living Colour.

Other uses

As of October 14, 2008, the album, minus the opening track "T.N.T. (Terror 'N Tinseltown)" because of length and playability, has become downloadable content for the Rock Band video game series.

To mark the twentieth anniversary of the album, Motley Crue performed the album in its entirety at Crue Fest 2.

Production and marketing

Canadian producer Bob Rock provided the record with a lush, vibrant sound, applying production values which had been lacking from the band's previous releases.

Rock found the process of working with Motley Crue difficult, describing the band as "four L.A. bad asses who used to drink a bottle of wine and want to kill each other." In order to minimize conflict and allow production of the record to proceed smoothly, Rock had each member record their parts separately.

Influences

The lyrics of "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)" feature a reference to a previous song by the band, "Too Young to Fall in Love."

Lars Ulrich of Metallica asked Bob Rock to produce their eponymous album, after being impressed with Rock's production work on Dr. Feelgood.

Nike SB created a shoe based on the album cover.

The riff from the song "Slice of your Pie" is taken from the song "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" by the Beatles.

Girls Girls Girls (Motley Crue Album)

Girls, Girls, Girls is the fourth studio album, released on May 15, 1987 by the glam metal band Mötley Crüe. The record features a more blues-influenced sound than their previous albums and contains the hits "Wild Side" and "Girls, Girls, Girls". The record also reflects the band's hard-living lifestyle, and pays homage to their love of riding fast, large motorcycles, drinking whisky, and spending long nights at strip clubs. There are darker sides to the album as well, notably Nikki Sixx's song "Dancing on Glass", about his addiction to heroin, and "Wild Side", which tells of destructive lifestyles and the pitfalls of decadence. The album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard charts. On the week it might have reached No. 1, Whitney Houston's second album, Whitney, debuted at the top of the charts. Eventually, the group's 1989 album Dr. Feelgood would go on to claim the top Billboard spot. Members of the band have stated that if they hadn't managed to write two successful songs that this album would have been the end of their careers. This is because they were all fighting addictions to drugs and alcohol. Controversy surrounded Girls, Girls, Girls' third single, "You're All I Need", which, although a power ballad, featured lyrics that detail a lover's grisly murder.

Theatre Of Pain

Theatre of Pain is the third album by the hard rock band Mötley Crüe, released on June 21, 1985. Released in the aftermath of singer Vince Neil's arrest for manslaughter on a drunk driving charge, the album marked a step away from the traditional heavy metal sound of Shout at the Devil towards a more glam rock influenced metal record, in both sound and image.

Theatre of Pain contains the hits "Smokin' In the Boys' Room" and the power ballad "Home Sweet Home". The album reached #6 in the US charts, and #36 in the UK. The album was certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA on June 5, 1995.

Theatre of Pain is dedicated to Hanoi Rocks former member Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley, who was killed in the car crash that resulted in Vince Neil's arrest.

Shout At The Devil

Shout at the Devil is the second studio album by American hard rock band Motley Crue, released on September 26, 1983. The songs "Looks that Kill" and " Too Young to Fall in Love" charted on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Shout at the Devil" also charted on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks.

Overview

A warning that the album may contain "masked backwards messages" is included. This is in reference to Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee trying to chant "Jesus is Satan" as an underdub on the title track.^[1] Song topics include sex, violence, drugs, and youthful rebellion.

A limited edition "Mini-LP" compact disc version of the album was released in the Japanese market that features the original cover that was previously available only on the vinyl LP release.

In 2003, the band reissued their albums on their own label, Mötley Records, including added bonus tracks from each album's specific era. These bonus tracks are mainly demos for the album, with the inclusion of the previously unreleased song "I Will Survive", a track that was recorded for the album but was not included. "Black Widow" from Music to Crash Your Car to: Vol. 2 box set and the Red, White and Crüe compilation was also left off this album. In addition, the music video for "Looks That Kill" is also included.

Too Fast For Love

Too Fast for Love is the debut album of the American hard rock band Motley Crüe. Originally released independently on November 10, 1981, on the band's Leathur Records record label, the album was produced by Michael Wagener. With some parts re-recorded, it was re-mixed by Roy Thomas Baker, re-mastered and re-released on August 20, 1982 on Elektra Records in the US and WEA internationally. While the album only reached number 77 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the US, it would ultimately reach platinum status. Musically, the album mixes elements of punk rock, glam rock, and heavy metal. The album cover is a tribute to The Rolling Stones' album Sticky Fingers. Metal-rules.com ranked the album number 31 on their list of the 100 greatest heavy metal albums.

Original track listing

All songs were written by Nikki Sixx, except where noted.

1. "Live Wire" – 3:16
2. "Public Enemy #1" (Sixx, Lizzie Grey) – 4:23
3. "Take Me to the Top" – 3:46
4. "Merry-Go-Round" – 3:27
5. "Piece of Your Action" (Vince Neil, Sixx) – 4:40
6. "Starry Eyes" – 4:30
7. "Stick to Your Guns" – 4:20
8. "Come On and Dance" – 3:11
9. "Too Fast for Love" – 4:11
10. "On With the Show" (Neil, Sixx) – 4:08

Singles:

1. Live Wire

There are three known vinyl pressings of the Leathür Records version, along with one known cassette release and an incredibly rare silkscreen red picture disc promotional CD. The first vinyl pressing had white lettering on the cover and the record label was white with black lettering. The back cover photo of Vince Neil shows him with a massive hairdo which was airbrushed in as his hair color did not show well on the white album sleeve. The second pressing has red lettering on the cover and the record label is again white with black lettering. Vince's hair has also been fixed on the back cover photo. The second pressing also has a slightly different photo insert of the band. The third pressing has red lettering on the cover and the record label is black with white lettering. The first pressing seems to be the rarest, with only 900 copies pressed. The second pressing seems to be the most common one available on the secondary market. Although some sources indicate that the Leathur version also contained the song "Toast of The Town", this is incorrect. This song was the B-side to a 7-inch vinyl single of "Stick to Your Guns" which was self-released by the band on the Leathür Records label prior to the recording of the Too Fast for Love album.

It was remixed and re-released on August 20, 1982, by Elektra Records, with whom they had recently signed their first recording contract. The Elektra version contained a different track order and omitted the song "Stick to Your Guns" as well as the first verse from the title track. However, the initial release of the album on Elektra in Canada (on both vinyl and cassette) was not the remixed version, but instead was the original Leathur Records version with the Elektra label on it, and included the song "Stick to Your Guns". This was released two months before the re-mixed version was released by Elektra worldwide. The reason for this was that Mötley was about to embark on a Canadian tour and Elektra wanted to ensure that a product was available while the band was touring the country. Once the remixed version was completed, later Canadian pressings were the same as the Elektra version everywhere else.

Motley Crue Discography

The official discography of Mötley Crüe, a hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, consists of 9 studio albums, 2 live albums, 2 EPs, 6 compilation albums, 3 box sets, 9 DVDs, 25 singles, and 26 music videos.

Motley Crue is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The band was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold more than 80 million album copies worldwide,^[1][2] including 25 million in the U.S.

The band members have often been noted for their hard-living lifestyles; all members have had numerous brushes with the law, have spent time in jail, have suffered long addictions to alcohol and drugs, have had countless escapades with women, and are heavily tattooed. Their ninth studio album entitled Saints of Los Angeles was released on June 24, 2008, while a film adaptation of their best-selling autobiography The Dirt is due to be released in 2011.

Former Members

(Samantha Malloney)

(Randy castillo)

(John Corabi)

Current Memmbers

(Vince Neil)

(Tommy Lee)

(Nikki Sixx)
(Mick Erie)

Legacy

Acts such as Papa Roach, Buckcherry, Adelitas Way, Linkin Park, Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, Moby, Murderdolls, Backyard Babies, Private Line, Slipknot, The Living End, Belladonna, Mana, and Hardcore Superstar, have all cited Mötley Crüe as an influence in recent years, most notably for Too Fast for Love and Shout at the Devil. Disturbed drummer Mike Wengren has also cited Tommy Lee as an influence to his drumming. Mötley Crüe's early look in music videos has also been parodied by a variety of artists such as Bowling for Soup, Beck, Red Hot Chili Peppers, New Order, Aerosmith, and the Backstreet Boys.

The band has been featured on a number of VH1 countdown shows, "Dr. Feelgood" was ranked the #7 Greatest Air Guitar Song, "Live Wire" was ranked the #17 Greatest Metal Song Of All Time, and "Home Sweet Home" was ranked the #12 Greatest Power Ballad Of All Time. Mötley Crüe was featured several times on VH1's 100 Most Metal Moments, the highest spot being #3. VH1 included the Tommy Lee sex tapes, The Dirt, and Ozzy Osbourne's and Nikki Sixx's pee. all featured in the countdown. Mötley Crüe has also been one of the many bands featured on VH1's Behind the Music. The band was also ranked #19 on VH1's list of the most popular hard rock bands. Mötley Crüe was also ranked tenth on MTV's list "Top 10 Heavy Metal Bands of All-Time".

Building on the popularity and the desire of fans to see The Crüe between World tours, a wide variety of tribute acts who celebrate and pay homage to the different eras and albums over the years has developed. Red Hot, a tribute from L.A., captures the look and feel of the Shout at the Devil era with black and red leather pants. Theatre of Pain captures the spandex and lipstick attitude of the album of the same name. And Carnival of Sins Live rounds out the tributes with a rendition of the current Crüe image that brings to mind the crüdeness of the Mötley moniker. The band even has an all-female version from New York City, Girls Girls Girls, who cover all eras of the band's music without emulating the look of any specific Crüe era.

Reunion And Renewed Success 2004 Present

A promoter in England, Mags Revell, started the ball rolling for Mötley Crüe's reunion when he started a promotion that basically revealed how fans wanted the band to reunite. After meeting with management several times, in September 2004, Sixx announced that he and Neil had returned to the studio and had begun recording new material. In December 2004, the four original members announced a reunion tour which began February 14, 2005, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The band's latest compilation album, Red, White & Crüe, was released in February 2005. It features the band members' favorite original songs plus three new tracks, "If I Die Tomorrow", "Sick Love Song" (co-written by Sixx and James Michael), and a cover of The Rolling Stones' classic "Street Fighting Man". A small controversy was caused when it was suggested that neither Tommy nor Mick played on the new tracks (duties were supposedly handled by Vandals drummer Josh Freese). However, a VH1 documentary of the band reuniting would later show that Lee did indeed play on some of the tracks. The Japanese release of Red, White & Crüe includes an extra new track titled "I'm a Liar (and That's the Truth)". Red, White & Crüe charted at #6 and has since gone platinum.

In 2005, Mötley Crüe was involved in an animation-comedy spoof Disaster!, which was written by Paul Benson and Matt Sullivan and which was used as the introduction film to concerts on their Carnival of Sins tour.

In 2006, Mötley Crüe went on the Route of All Evil Tour, co-headlining with Aerosmith. This was another well attended tour following the Carnival of Sins tour of 2005. In June 2007, Mötley Crüe set out on a small European tour. A lawsuit was filed by Neil, Mars and Sixx against Carl Stubner, Lee's manager. The three sued him for contracting for Lee to appear on two unsuccessful reality shows the band claim hurt its image.^{[citation needed]} It was reported on Motley.com that the lawsuit has been settled.

On June 11, 2008, the band and manager Burt Stein filed suit against each other. Stein was Vince Neil's personal manager and also, according to the band and rival manager Allen Kovac, served as the band's manager at one time. The band and Kovac sued in Los Angeles County Superior Court, claiming Stein was not entitled to a cut of Motley Crue's earnings. Stein sued the same day in Nashville's federal court, saying he was entitled to 1.875 percent of what the band makes.^[11] Other litigation between the parties also ensued in Nevada. In July 2009, lawyers for both sides announced that the disputes had been "amicably resolved" through a "global settlement".

Mötley Crüe's ninth studio album, titled Saints of Los Angeles, was released in Japan on June 17, 2008 and in America on June 24, 2008. The album was originally titled The Dirt, as it was loosely based on the band's autobiography of the same name, but the title was later changed. Saints of Los Angeles features the band's original lineup.

Mötley Crüe had announced that the movie The Dirt, based on the book written by Mötley Crüe and Neil Strauss, might be released in 2009. However, as of September 2009, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) lists 2011 as the probable release date. This is still subject to change, particularly because the "status" of the movie was listed as "unknown" in April 2009 (the date of IMDb's last update to "The Dirt")^[13]. Rumors about the cast of characters in this movie include Christopher Walken as the famous rock and roll star Ozzy Osbourne and Val Kilmer as David Lee Roth.

iTunes picked "Saints of Los Angeles" in their "Best of 2008" in the Rock category as the number one song; the song was also nominated for a Grammy Award in the "Best Hard Rock Performance" category. The song was released in the music game series Rock Band as downloadable content the day the single was released. Additionally, the entire Dr. Feelgood album was released as downloadable content in Rock Band as well, excluding "T.n.T. (Terror 'n Tinseltown)".

The band played the Download Festival in Donington Park (June 12-14, 2009), playing on the second stage on Friday night.

The band made a guest appearance in the season finale of "Bones" on May 14, 2009 entitled "The End In The Beginning", performing the classic song "Dr. Feelgood".

Mötley Crüe headlined the "Crüe Fest 2" festival, which ran from July to September 2009. Supporting them were Godsmack, Theory of a Deadman, Drowning Pool, and Charm City Devils. In addition to performing a set featuring material from Saints of Los Angeles, the band also celebrated the 20th anniversary of Dr. Feelgood by performing the album in its entirety on each night of the tour and re-releasing the album as a special 20th anniversary deluxe addition. Tommy Lee recently announced that there will not be a Cruefest 3 in summer 2010, but instead the band would work on new material and is expected to tour Cruefest 3 in summer 2011.

Years Of Turmoil 1992–2003

After Decade of Decadence was released, Neil left the band in February 1992, at a time when other bands in the '80s glam metal scene (Ratt, Stryper, White Lion, Europe & Britny Fox) also broke up. A controversy exists to this day over whether Neil was fired or quit. Sixx has long maintained that Neil quit the band. However, Neil disputes this and insists that he was fired. Neil was replaced by John Corabi (formerly of Angora and The Scream). Mötley Crüe's commercial success waned throughout the 1990s, although their self-titled March 1994 release made the Billboard top ten (#7). Thaler would manage the band alone until 1994, at which time the band did a mass-firing when their album, Mötley Crüe, failed to meet commercial expectations.

The band reunited with Neil in 1997, after their current manager, Allen Kovac, and Neil's manager, Bert Stein, set up a meeting between Neil, Lee, and Sixx. Agreeing to "leave their egos at the door," the band released Generation Swine. Although it debuted at #4, and in spite of a live performance at the American Music Awards, the album was a commercial failure, due in part to the band's label's lack of support. The band soon left Elektra and created their own label, Mötley Records.

In 1998, Mötley Crüe's contractual ties with Elektra Records had expired, putting the band in total control of their future. This included the ownership of the masters of all of their albums. In announcing the end of their relationship with Elektra Records, the band became one of the few groups in history to own and control their publishing and catalogue of recorded masters. In 1999, the band re-released all their albums, dubbed as Crücial Crüe. The limited-edition digital re-masters included demos, live, instumental, and previously unreleased tracks.

In 1999, Lee put his role in the band on hold to pursue a solo career due to increasing tension with frontman Neil. He was replaced by Randy Castillo, who drummed on several Ozzy Osbourne albums. Randy died of cancer on March 26, 2002. No replacement had been named, which sent the band into a hiatus following a 2000 tour in support of their studio release, New Tattoo. New Tattoo charted at #41 and sold fewer than 200,000 copies. Former Hole drummer Samantha Maloney filled in on the tour to promote the album. The Salt Lake City performance of the tour is featured on the DVD Lewd, Crüed & Tattooed..

Within the following six years, Sixx played in the bands 58 and Brides of Destruction, while Lee formed Methods of Mayhem and performed as a solo artist. Neil continued touring on an annual basis as a solo artist, singing mostly Mötley Crüe songs. Mars, who suffers from a rare hereditary form of arthritis called ankylosing spondylitis, went into seclusion in 2001.

A 2001 autobiography entitled The Dirt packaged the band as "the world's most notorious rock band". The book made the top ten on the New York Times best-seller list and spent ten weeks there.

Rise To International Fame 1984–1991

After playing the US Festival, and with the aid of the new medium of MTV, the band found rapid success in the United States. The band members were as well known for their backstage groupie antics, outrageous clothing, extreme high-heeled boots, heavy make-up, and seemingly endless abuse of alcohol and drugs as for their recordings. Their mixture of heavy metal and glam rock stylings produced several best-selling albums during the 1980s, including Shout at the Devil (1983), Theatre of Pain (1985), and Girls, Girls, Girls (1987), which showcased their love of motorcycles, whiskey and strip clubs, and which told tales of substance abuse, sexual escapades, and general decadence.

The band members have also had their share of scrapes with the law and life. In 1984, Neil was driving home from a liquor store when he was in a head-on collision; his passenger, Hanoi Rocks drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley, was killed. Neil, charged with a DUI and vehicular manslaughter, was sentenced to 30 days in jail (though he only served 18 days). The band would later release two box sets entitled "Music to Crash Your Car to".

On December 21, 1987, Sixx suffered a near-fatal heroin overdose. He was declared legally dead on the way to the hospital, but the medic, who was a Crüe fan, revived Sixx by giving him two shots of adrenaline to the heart, bringing him back to life. His two minutes in death were the inspiration for the song "Kickstart My Heart", which peaked at #16 on the Mainstream U.S. chart, and which was featured on the 1989 album Dr. Feelgood. From 1986 to 1987, Sixx kept a daily diary of his heroin addiction and eventually entered rehab in January, 1988. In 2006, Sixx published his diaries as a best selling novel: The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star, and in 2007 Sixx's side project band Sixx:A.M. released The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack as a musical parallel to the novel.

Their decadent lifestyles almost shattered the band, until managers Thaler and McGhee pulled an intervention, and refused to allow the band to tour in Europe, fearing that "some of themm would come back in bodybags". Shortly after, all the band members except for Mars underwent drug rehabilitation; Mars cleaned up on his own.

After finding sobriety in 1989, Mötley Crüe reached its peak popularity with the release of their fifth album, the Bob Rock produced Dr. Feelgood, on September 1, 1989. On October 14 of that year, it became a No. 1 album and stayed on the charts for 109 weeks after its release. The band members each stated in interviews that, due in no small part to their collective push for sobriety, Dr. Feelgood was their most solid album musically to that point, and indeed, it was their best selling album to date.^{[citation needed]} The title track and "Kickstart My Heart" were both nominated for Grammys in the Best Hard Rock Category. The band did find some success at the American Music Awards, as Dr. Feelgood was nominated twice for Favorite Hard Rock/Metal Award, losing once to Guns N' Roses' Appetite for Destruction, but winning the following year, beating out Aerosmith's Pump and Poison's Flesh And Blood. Mötley Crüe was also nominated twice for Favorite Hard Rock/Metal Artist.

In 1989, Doc McGhee was fired after breaking several promises that he made to the band in relation to the Moscow Music Peace Festival including giving his other band, Bon Jovi, advantages with slot placement. Doug Thaler then soldiered on as sole band manager.

On October 14, 1991, the band's first compilation album, Decade of Decadence, was released. It peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 album chart. It was reportedly designed as "just something for the fans" while the band worked on the next "all new" album.

Band History Formation and early years 1981-1983

Motley Crue was formed on January 17, 1981 when bass guitarist Nikki Sixx left the band London and began rehearsing with drummer Tommy Lee and vocalist/guitarist Greg Leon. Lee had worked previously with Leon in a band called Suite 19 and the trio practiced together for some time with Leon eventually deciding not to continue. Nikki and Tommy then began a search for new members. Sixx and Lee soon met guitarist Bob "Mick Mars" Deal. Mars was quickly auditioned and subsequently hired by Sixx and Lee. The newly formed band did not yet have a name. While trying to find a suitable name, Mars remembered an incident which occurred when he was playing with a band called White Horse, when one of the other band members called the group "a motley looking crew." He had remembered the phrase and later copied it down as Mottley Cru-. After modifying the spelling slightly, "Mötley Crüe" was eventually selected as the band's name, with the stylistic decision to add the two sets of metal umlauts supposedly inspired by the German beer Löwenbräu, which the members were drinking at the time. The group was still in need of a singer. Lee had known Vince Neil from their high school days at Royal Oak H.S. in Covina, California and the two had performed in different bands on the garage-band circuit. On seeing him perform with the band Rock Candy at the Starwood in Hollywood, California, Mars suggested Mötley Crüe hire Neil. At first Neil refused the offer. However, as the other members of Rock Candy became involved in outside projects, Neil grew anxious to try something else. When Lee made one final appeal to audition, Neil accepted and was hired.

The band soon met their first manager, Allan Coffman, "the thirty-eight-year-old brother-in-law of Mick’s driver friend Stick".^[6] The band's first release was the single "Stick to Your Guns/Toast of the Town", which was released on their own record label, Leathür Records, which had a pressing & distribution deal with Greenworld Distribution in Torrance, California. In November 1981, their debut album Too Fast for Love was self-produced and released on Leathür, selling 20,000 copies. Coffman's assistant Eric Greif set up a tour of Canada, while Coffman and Greif used Mötley Crüe's success in the Los Angeles club scene to negotiate with several record labels, eventually signing a recording contract with Elektra Records in late spring 1982. At Elektra's insistence, the debut album was then re-mixed by producer Roy Thomas Baker and re-released on August 20, 1982, two months after its Canadian Warner Music Group release using the original Leathür mixes, to coincide with the tour.

During the "Crüesing Through Canada Tour '82," there were several widely-publicized incidents. First, the band was arrested and then released at Edmonton International Airport for wearing their spiked stage wardrobe (considered "dangerous weapons") through Customs and for Neil arriving with a small carry-on filled with porn magazines (considered "indecent material"); both were staged PR stunts. Customs eventually had the confiscated items destroyed. Second, while playing Scandals Disco in Edmonton, a spurious "bomb threat" against the band made the front page of the Edmonton Journal (June 9, 1982); assistant band manager Greif and Lee were interviewed. This too ended up being a staged PR stunt perpetrated by Greif. Lastly, Lee threw a television set from the upper story window of the Sheraton Caravan Hotel. Canadian rock magazine Music Express noted that the band were "banned for life" from the city. Despite the tour ending prematurely in financial disaster, it was the basis for the band's first international press.

In 1983, the band changed management from Coffman to Doug Thaler and Doc McGhee. McGhee is best known for managing Bon Jovi and later Kiss (starting with their reunion tour in 1996). Greif subsequently sued all parties in a Los Angeles Superior Court action that dragged on for several years, and coincidentally later re-surfaced as manager of Sixx's former band, London. Coffman himself was sued by several investors to whom he had sold "stock in the band", including Michigan-based Bill Larson. Coffman eventually declared bankruptcy, as he had mortgaged his home at least three times to cover band expenses.

Motley Crue

Motley Crue is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The band was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Motley Crüe has sold more than 80 million album copies worldwide, with 25 million in the U.S.

The band members have often been noted for their hard-living lifestyles; all members have had numerous brushes with the law, spent time in jail, suffered long addictions to alcohol and drugs, had countless escapades with women, and are heavily tattooed. Their ninth studio album, Saints of Los Angeles, was released on June 24, 2008, while a film adaptation of their best-selling autobiography, The Dirt, is due to be released in 2011.