Motley Crue - Dr. Feelgood (1989)

This is rehab rock 'n' roll, the boys cleaning their noses, enlisting the help of Doc McGhee, and producing their best album since the leather 'n' lipstick glitz of 'Too Fast...'. Despite the hairspray, gold records and success of 'Theatre Of Pain' and 'Girls Girls Girls', they were still very avergae records after the first two classics, so this was certainly an unexpected return to form, albeit a different venture, with the band opting for a more bloated, bombastic sound, but it sure as hell worked.
'Dr Feelgood' is a heavy record, a commercial record and possibly an album you wouldn't consider to be a heavy metal classic. When you look at track titles such as 'Slice Of Your Pie' and 'Rattlesnake Shake', you'd think that any self-respecting metalhead would be better off running for his thrash records, or even grabbing his old Crue albums, but '...Feelgood' rocks big time.
The production is crisp and clear, the guitars loud, Vince is in fine form and Nikki's tracks are at one cheeky but memorable, without showing the frailty of a majority of tracks that appeared on 'Theatre...'.
The album kicks off with a steady intro before kicking into the riffage of the title cut, and straight away you realise this isn't some cheap glam record where the image detracts from the actual material. Whilst Vince still whines like only he can, the music is solid, Lee's drums a consistent pounding backed by Nikki's vibrant bass and Mars, whose fret work keeps the album chugging along brilliantly.
Hard to fault any tracks here except maybe the all too sickly 'Same Ol' Situation' which sounds like something Poison would vomit out, but the best tracks are without down the Sweet-inspired glam groove of 'Kickstart My Heart' with its juggernaut entrance built from Tommy's shattering gallop and Mars guitars. Cheeky anthems abound in 'Slice Of Your Pie', 'She Goes Down' and 'Sticky Sweet', and only the Crue could get away with tear-jerker power ballad 'Without You', and then come up with the strutting 'Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)'. Purely pompous and pristine, yet focused rock 'n' roll for the masses.
8.5/10