Music Reviews – Rock Formats Music Meeting (6.20.97)

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By: Michael D. Vogel

© June 20, 1997. Michael D. Vogel.  All Rights Reserved.  

Published in: 

The Album Network magazine – June 20, 1997

Mötley Crüe 

Album: Generation Swine

Suggested Tracks: “Find Myself”; “Flush”; “Generation Swine”; “Let Us Prey”; “Rocketship”; “Glitter”; “Beauty”; “A Rat Like Me” & “Shout At The Devil ‘97”

Label: Mötley/Elektra/EEG 

Members: Vince Neil – Vocals; Mick Mars – Guitar; Nikki Sixx – Bass & Vocals; Tommy Lee – Drums & Vocals

Producer: Scott Humphrey, Nikki Sixx & Tommy Lee

Origin: Hollywood, CA

Website: www.motley.com

What You Should Know: Vibrant, powerful performances marked Mötley Crüe as one of the premiere hard rock bands of the 80’s and early 90’s. Their future at the dawn of the 90’s seemed veritably sealed with success. The, music as they knew it – melodic, up-tempo and somewhat experimental hard rock – was sucked into the vortex we now know as Alternative.  Mötley Crüe, however, has stuck to their guns, releasing the music that is their trademark. Their latest, Generation Swine, is no exception, illuminated by a propensity for wild fretwork, pulsating drums and unbridled lung work.

These 13 tracks run the gamut, stylistically speaking. As an indication of the band’s current attitude, Generation Swine opts for sarcasm and wit over angst and derision, both musically and lyrically. With Vince Neil rejoining the group after a five-year hiatus, the vocal delivery that the Crüe has been known for – raw and powerful – adheres to the melodic contours of each track like a surfer carving up a six-foot wave. The arrangements – by turns delicate and hard, spicy and intense – shuttle past every genre in modern rock: psychedella, hard and progressive rock. So is the Crüe back? By all indications, with over 160 rock stations and 2,500+ spins per week – the answer would be a big “SoooWeee”! (That means yes.) ^m^

Scorpions 

Song: “Over The Top”

From The Release: Deadly Sting: The Mercury Years

Label: Chronicles/Mercury 

Members: Klaus Meine – Vocals; Rudolf Schenker – Guitar & Vocals; Ralph Reckermann – Bass; Matthias Jabs – Guitar

Producer: Scorpions

Origin: Hanover, Germany

Website: www.the-scorpions.com

What You Should Know: Scorpions are one of the very few bands to have survived the middle-of-the-road metal of the 80’s. Blending hard, precise, right-between-the-eyes rock with heavy grooves that recall standard metal riffage, Scorpions use big guitars and drums, tipping their hats to the early days without compromising any of the flair of today’s hardedge rock. As a brand-new track on the forth-coming “Best Of” package chronicling their recordings for Mercury Records, this song should take every hard rock enthusiast and die-hard Scorpions fanatic “Over The Top” to unbridled staged of pure rock ecstasy! ^m^

© June 20, 1997. Michael D. Vogel.  All Rights Reserved.  This originally appeared on the Vogelism blog at https://www.vogelism.com, authored by Michael D. Vogel. This article may be shared or reprinted as long as this entire copyright message, including the source location of this article, accompanies it.