THE ALBUM OF THE DAY IS… MOTLEY CRUE, DR. FEELGOOD
I mean, c’mon, dude: this album is a fucking classic. It’s fashionable to take pot shots at Bob Rock now that he’s helped to ruin Metallica, but he’s also helped create some of the best bar metal in the world: I defy you to hear this shit on the jukebox right before last call and NOT begin to sing along (I’ve seen whole bars erupt into choruses of the title track; Top Gun got it all wrong).
What’s kinda crazy is how well this album holds up in comparison to so many of the Crue’s peers: Vince, Nikki, Tommy and Mick don’t seem dangerous, exactly, but they do seem legitimately sleazy. Not only does “Kickstart My Heart” have more swing to it than those creepy old fat neighbors who keep asking you and your wife if you wanna “trade” sometime, but the chorus is literal: Nikki Sixx was, (in)famously, legally dead after a drug overdose, and needed a shot of adrenaline to the heart, Pulp Fiction-style. “S.O.S” isn’t just as anthemic as all get out, but it’s 97% guaranteed to induce sexual intercourse at any given moment while being played- the guitars are that slinky. “Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)” is, kinda surprisingly, built around a melody fit to be sung around any campfire (in between rounds of “Kumbaya” and whatever Beatles song your friend who only knows three chords just learned how to play) but also offers relationship advice that is, like, totally zen. And that riff for “Dr. Feelgood?” Heavy as FUCK, man! Duhn-duh-duh-duhn-duh-duhn-duh-duh-duhn-duh-DUHN. AND it’s like Scarface: The Song!
Of course, special attention must be paid to “Without You,” which, for my money, totally gives “Home Sweet Home” a run for it’s money in the power ballad department. I never knew what that weird thing Mick plays during the solo was (and please, commentors, don’t post the answer- I really don’t care), but not only does it sound totally kick ass, but the riff the rhythm part is playing behind it just breaks my heart every time. I wanna go back in time and dance to this song at my prom after just having punched out the jock and stolen the girl.
So, uh, ANYWAY… best hair metal album ever? It’s certainly a contender.
-AR
What? You don’t own Dr. Feelgood
