Disco de Mötley Crüe: “Shout at the Devil [Bonus Track]”

I just turned 14 when this album was released, and at the time I would go to the drug or grocery store and buy every new "Circus" magazine, or whatever mag was covering the new wave of metal at the time. I read my first article on the hot new band from L.A., Motley Crue, and what they stood for was rebelling, drinking, partying, and having as much sex with great looking women as possible. And the bassist was into black magic and satan, he looked like a huge demon, like the demented, punk bastard child of Gene Simmons. It was early in 1983 and when I saw all the black and red in their band photos, blood, skulls and post apocolyptic imagery, I knew they had to be my kind of band.

"Shout At The Devil" is a consistent, raw, heavy but catchy album that's as dark as it was empowering and inspirational for what would become pop metal in the late 80's. I still have the original vinyl release with the Pentagram on the front, before it was banned and replaced.

Sure in 1983 looking like Alice Cooper or Kiss was still ok, but ended soon after, and I wish they would've kept their dark, gritty edge, but they were always a bunch of egotistic rock star jerks, and that was never bound to happen for fans who were with them "In The Beginning." (pun intended)

My favorite Crue song will probably always be "Knock 'em Dead Kid," and the rest of the album is quality from start to finish - something non-existent on any other Crue album, except for the radio hits of Dr. Feelgood.

With two solid MTV hit singles, "Too Young Too Fall In Love," and "Looks That Kill," Shout has always been an underrated album. Only it and "Dr. Feelgood" are complete albums, and I am not a big fan of the latter and never was. "Too Fast For Love" is closer to Shout in terms of it's raw recording quality and it's production and sound, but also a complete album, without the cheese and filler of "Girls" and "Theatre Of Pain."

Finally one of my best concert memories is seeing them open for Ozzy on the "Bark At The Moon" tour mentioned in the book "The Dirt." I met Ozzy at a record signing and backstage, got his autograph, and watched the Crue put on one of the best opening act shows I'd ever seen. It didn't matter if they were a bit sloppy, they had fire shooting everywhere, a post apocolyptic stage show and theme, they were chugging bottles of Jack Daniels onstage, and had a solid group of songs to play that were heavy and full of energy and attitude. They inspired total chaos and nothing was really off-limits for them, they weren't sensitive hair metal geeks, they were guys who were crazy enough to break a bottle on your head or kick you in the teeth if you got in their way or pissed them off. It was all about annoying the hell out of authority and parents and the government, and as a rebellious early 80's teen, I was all about that.

It's sad to see so few reviews here of this album.

THE BAND: Vince Neil (vocals), Mick Mars (guitar), Nikki Sixx (bass), Tommy Lee (drums). Home town: Los Angeles, CA.

THE DISC: 17 total tracks (16 music tracks, 1 bonus video "Looks That Kill"). The original 11 songs, plus 5 unreleased demos (3 songs from the album, and two new songs). All together, clocks in at approximately 60 minutes. Originally released on Elecktra Records label; digitally remastered and re-released on Hip-O Records.

COMMENTS: "Shout At The Devil" (1983) was my first real introduction to Motley Crue. When their debut ("Too Fast For Love") hit the street 2 years earlier, I thought it was good in a very raw sense... but it didn't hit me like "Shout" did. Where "Too Fast" was all over the place (coarse, unrefined, perhaps even immature), "Shout" was the slick polar opposite... cultivated, well written, professional, polished; a full-blown ripe and ready rock band ready to take on the world. As good as the hits were ("Looks That Kill", "Too Young To Fall In Love" and even briefly the remake of the Beatles' "Helter Skelter" hitting the FM airwaves), the deeper album cuts totally rocked... "Red Hot", Ten Seconds To Love", "Bastard", "Knock 'Em Dead Kid" and the title track were all classics in my book. The bonus cuts here are very worthy. It's great hearing alternate takes on such classic material. The two new songs are equally good - especially since I had never heard them before (I must admit, when I first picked up the new CD, I was hoping "Hotter Than Hell" was a remake of the old Kiss tune... but it's not). The Crue has numerous compilations ("Red, White & Crue" easily being the best) and "Shout At The Devil" is well represented on each. Some fans will say 1989's "Dr. Feelgood" is the Crue's best album. I agree that "Dr. Feelgood" was their most commercially successful release (4 major hits), but not the band's most rock solid collective effort. If you want one studio album from the Crue, it has to be this one. Great disc.

This CD is the last of the non-commercialized Motley Crue CD's. While Theater Of Pain was a decent CD, it wasn't truly a Motley Crue CD. If you like good old-fashion heavy metal that still sounds great today, buy this CD.

Motley Crue. So much time has passed since the debut album, and we have seen everything from simple line-up changes, to Tommy and Neil on reality TV (along with some adults only TV)Nikki Stixx having died what is it, two times, and Mick Mars, the uglist man to pick up a guitar, marry a beautiful women... "Shout of the Devil" is a example of early west coast Metal, and it still hits hard today, over twenty years later. It really makes you think what could have happened it they stayed in this direction, complete with Pentagrams, Skulls,and fire. It doesnt get any more metal then that. Its a shame that The Crue fell victim to the hair metal scene, and even though some of the albums after this were OK "Girls, Girls, Girls" being my favorite of the bunch, nothing would ever top this masterpiece. this is a heavy metal classic, and fans of all forms of Metal should own this one.

back in 1983, i was greatly dissapointed with KISS' decision to drop the make up and opt for an average look. couple that with the fact my favorite member, the space ace has also left in what was back then, a sinking ship, and you'd know why i was so dissapointed. i first saw an ad of this record in an old issue of hit parader and i have to admit that my interest was piqued. here was a band that greatly resembled the masters but definitely looked more awesome and nastier. boy was i right. i wont forget the first time i heard this. it had me floored and creeped out right off the moment at the start of in the beginning. this is motley crue's best album because it rocked with the best of them. it never lets up and it had everything. looks that kill, red hot, bastard still sounds fresh today and can rock with the best of what these new bands can dish out. it showed a band in it's prime and it showed the world that nikki, vince, mick and tommy meant business. it would not sound as good as this again until dr. feelgood in 89. if you ever have to own one crue record all your life, this is it.