New Tattoo
Forget about everything else Motley Crüe has released in the 1990s--theirself-titled 1994 releaseand its follow-up,Generation Swine, are embarrassments. Instead, wrap your ears aroundNew Tattoo. This is what this band has always been all about: riffs, hooks, sass, raunch, and hair. Except for the fact that they're older and have replaced Tommy Lee with Randy Castillo, going by the band photos in the CD booklet, this could be 1989. True, the Crüe also seem to have gained at least alittlewisdom--the prostitute in "Hell on High Heels" has HIV, fame clearly has its downside in "Fake," and instead of indulging in "Girls, Girls, Girls," the boys have evidently discovered the joys of safe cyber-sex in "Porno Star." On the other hand, the title track is a love song; they evidently miss the old days so much that they're willing to go to outer space for the chance to have that much fun again ("1st Band on the Moon"); and their romances are as problematic as ever ("Hollywood Ending," "Punched in the Teeth by Love"). WithNew Tattoo, the Crüe have recaptured the essence of what made them superstars. Whether that'll happen again is open to question, but it's still a good argument for sticking to what you're good at.--Genevieve Williams