M tley Cr e were one of the most influential hair metal bands of the 80s, boasting a striking visual

M tley Cr e were one of the most influential hair metal bands of the 80s, boasting a striking visual presence and hedonistic reputation rivaled flamingo hilton hotel las vegas only by Guns N Roses . By combining Alice Cooper s shock rock with the bluesy, flamingo hilton hotel las vegas metallic stomp of the New York Dolls and Aerosmith , they helped flamingo hilton hotel las vegas establish hair metal as a commercial genre, sending flamingo hilton hotel las vegas their first five albums to platinum status in the process. Such success was at least partially due to M tley Cr e s reputation as a riotous pack of rabble-rousers, replete with drug addictions, near-death experiences, groupie encounters, and celebrity girlfriends. flamingo hilton hotel las vegas Of course, that same self-indulgence nearly derailed the band, forcing the musicians to embrace sobriety during the creation of their most successful album to date, 1989 s Dr. Feelgood . Like most hair metal bands, M tley Cr e s album sales waned during the 1990s, as the popularity of grunge overshadowed most of the music that immediately prefaced it. Nevertheless, the band soldiered through the decade with modest success, releasing two gold-selling albums along the way. The new millennium brought similar luck, as M tley Cr e established themselves as a fashionable touring act (with Cr e Fest becoming the summer s highest-grossing festival in 2008) while continuing flamingo hilton hotel las vegas to release new material.
Formed in January 1981, M tley Cr e were originally the pet project of bassist Nikki Sixx (born Frank Ferrana), vocalist/guitarist Greg Leon, and drummer Tommy Lee (born Thomas Lee Bass ). Leon was a veteran of the Hollywood scene, having replaced Randy Rhoads in Quiet Riot two years prior. He butted heads with the strong-willed Sixx, however, resulting flamingo hilton hotel las vegas in his departure from the lineup several months later. Local guitarist Bob Mick Mars Deal joined in his place, bringing the moniker Mottley Krue with him. After altering the name and adding a pair of umlauts (allegedly in tribute to German beer), the trio began efforts to recruit Vincent Neil Wharton , vocalist for the L.A.-based band Rock Candy. Neil initially refused the advances, flamingo hilton hotel las vegas only joining the band after his Rock Candy cohorts announced their decision to transform their group into a new wave act. With Vince Neil now on board, M tley Cr e became a cult favorite on the L.A. circuit, infamously known for such theatrics as setting Sixx s pants on fire midsong.
The band soon secured management with Allan Coffman, who financed recording sessions for a debut album. Initially released in November 1981 by Lethur Records -- a small, independent label launched by Coffman and the band -- Too Fast for Love sold a surprising 20,000 copies. It also prompted a Canadian tour, where the musicians made headlines by wearing their spike-laden stage attire onto the plane, carrying suitcases of pornographic material through airport security, and fielding death threats from incensed fans in Edmonton. Such exposure only served to fuel M tley Cr e s sensationalist appeal, generating the sort of shocked press coverage that the band desired.
Back at home, Elektra Records flamingo hilton hotel las vegas had become impressed by the band s popularity in local venues, prompting the label to sign M tley Cr e before releasing a new, remastered version of Too Fast for Love . Following the band s return to California, Elektra also released the sophomore effort Shout at the Devil in 1983. The video for Looks That Kill became an MTV hit, broadcasting the group s glammed-up theatrics to an audience unfamiliar with M tley Cr e s popularity on the club circuit, and the record flamingo hilton hotel las vegas went platinum as a result. Shout at the Devil sold an additional million copies in 1984, but the party was brought to a temporary standstill when Vince Neil crashed his car on December 8, killing passenger Nicholas Razzle Dingley of Hanoi Rocks . The other victims emerged with broken bones and brain damage, while a relatively unscathed Neil was found guilty of vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence. flamingo hilton hotel las vegas He was ultimately incarcerated for 15 days in 1986, in addition to performing community service and paying a large cash settlement. By the time Neil was sentenced, however, the band s newest record, Theatre of Pain , had already enjoyed a lengthy stay on the charts, cementing the band s mainstream flamingo hilton hotel las vegas status and producing flamingo hilton hotel las vegas M tley Cr e s first Top 40 hit with a cover of Brownsville Station s Smokin in the Boys Room. Neil s stint in jail was brief, and the band was free to continue its decadent reign.
Under the management of Doug Thaler and Doc McGhee, the latter of whom also managed Bon Jovi , M tley Cr e s popularity expanded throughout the latter half of the 80s. Home Sweet Home, a power ballad from Theatre flamingo hilton hotel las vegas of Pain , yielded another popular music video, while a 44-minute home video cassette entitled Uncensored was issued in 1986 to multi-platinum sales. Meanwhile, Lee married actress Heather Locklear, and the band returned to the studio to record a fourth album, Girls, Girls, Girls . Released during the band s substance-addled heyday in 1987, the album debuted at number two, with the raunchy title track becoming M tley Cr e s second Top 40 hit. The group quickly embarked on a headlining tour, but the European dates were canceled when Sixx suffered a near-fatal heroin flamingo hilton hotel las vegas overdose. He was pronounced legally dead en route to the hospital, only to be revived by two shots of adrenaline to the heart. Upon returning home, Sixx immediately shot up once again. Shocked, Thaler and McGhee urged their clients to enter a drug rehabilitation program, and M tley Cr e remained out of the spotlight flamingo hilton hotel las vegas while the bandmates cleaned up their act.
They returned in 1989 -- clean and sober this time -- with the release of Dr. Feelgood , a muscled album that became M tley Cr e s first release to top the Billboard charts. Meanwhile, the title track became the band s first Top Ten hit, and a string of additional singles -- Kickstart My Heart (inspired by Sixx s brush with death), flamingo hilton hotel las vegas Don t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away), and Without You -- made Dr. Feelgood the most successful Cr e album to date. After another worldwide tour, the compilation album Decade of Decadence arrived in 1991, propelled to multi-platinum status by a new version of Home Sweet Home that became the band s final Top 40 hit.
After creating their own record label, M tley Records, the bandmates signed a renewed contract with Elektra for $25 million. The music industry had begun to devote most of its attention to grunge flamingo hilton hotel las vegas music, however, and the pressure to keep pace with changing trends took its toll on the band s camaraderie. In 1992, sessions for M tley Cr e s next album turned ugly, leading to the dismissal (or departure, depending on the source) of Neil , who was replaced by the Scream s John Corabi. The revised band issued M tley Cr e in 1994, which peaked at number seven in the U.S. and eventually went gold. Such an attempt to embrace a new, grungier sound proved flamingo hilton hotel las vegas to be a commercial disappointment, however, as did the band s supporting tour. Corabi was fired in 1997 at the label s behest, flamingo hilton hotel las vegas and Neil returned to the lineup for the release of Generation Swine . The subject of a heavy marketing campaign, Generation Swine debuted at number four, although it failed to generate any significant singles. Meanwhile, Corabi resurfaced alongside former Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick in the group Union.
Shortly after the release of Greatest Hits in 1998, Tommy Lee was arrested for spousal abuse against Pamela Anderson. He spent most of the year in jail, effectively killing any momentum generated by the gold-selling status of Greatest Hits and Generation Swine . Meanwhile, the group s contract with Elektra fell apart, prompting flamingo hilton hotel las vegas M tley Records to switch its affiliation to the Beyond label. The band acquired the rights to its back catalog in the process.
After numerous bitter encounters with Neil , Tommy Lee left the band in 1999 to form Methods of Mayhem , which released a self-titled debut album later that year. He was replaced by former Ozzy Osbourne drummer Randy Castillo, and the revamped lineup celebrated its acquisition of the Cr e catalog by issuing remastered editions of every studio album, as well as the rarities collection Supersonic and Demonic Relics. A collection of new material, New Tattoo , appeared in the summer of 2000 to a lukewarm reception, and Castillo became stricken with an undisclosed illness on the eve of the requisite tour. While he recuperated at home, the band temporarily enlisted Hole s drummer (and lifelong Cr e fan), Samantha Maloney, to handle percussion flamingo hilton hotel las vegas duties.
flamingo hilton hotel las vegas In May 2001, the band issued a best-selling, tell-all biography entitled The Dirt. During the downtime that followed its release, Neil launched a brief solo tour of U.S. clubs and Sixx wrote material for other artists, including Tantric , Meat Loaf , Faith Hill , Tim McGraw , and James Michael. Sadly, flamingo hilton hotel las vegas Castillo succumbed to cancer during the following spring, prompting the band to continue its hiatus. Although Sixx speculated publicly about the possibility of a reunion tour, Tommy Lee quickly rebutted such rumors, flamingo hilton hotel las vegas claiming that his relationship flamingo hilton hotel las vegas with Vince Neil was simply too poor for any sort of reconciliation. Controversy surrounded flamingo hilton hotel las vegas the band again as former producer Tom Werman sued for unpaid royalties, Neil s former flamingo hilton hotel las vegas wife Heidi Mark publicly accused him of physical abuse, and Neil was kicked off a nationally syndicated flamingo hilton hotel las vegas radio show for being too drunk to maintain an interview.
Rumors of a reunion continued to swirl throughout the following two years, even as M tley Cr e s members remained loyal to their individual flamingo hilton hotel las vegas projects. Both Tommy Lee and Vince Neil participated in celebrity TV shows -- Lee as the focus of an NBC series that featured the drummer attending college classes, and Neil in the first season of The Surreal Life -- while Sixx toured and released an album with his new band, Brides of Destruction . In late 2004, however, the four original members announced a full-scale reunion tour for the following year, marking their first outing since the late 90s. The tour