The group members, Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, Mick Mars and Vince Neil are well known for their bad boy antics and hard rocking lifestyles. From the very beginning, these boys have either caused problems or problems found them. During their first circuit in 1982, they were actually apprehended at the Edmonton International Airport because they wore their spiked stage clothes through customs. Officials at the airport impounded everything the band carried that they thought indecent or unsafe. No worries for the group though, it was all a publicity prank and it worked beautifully!
During the 1980's, Mtley Cre was involved in a apparently unending cycle of loose women, substance abuse and run-in's with the police. There was a night in 1984, an allegedly drunk Vince Neil was involved in a horrific frontal collision. His passenger, Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley of the band Hanoi Rocks was killed in the crash. Neil was sentenced to 30 days, but spent a measley eighteen days in jail for the incident. Later, the group turned tragedy into music and published box sets irreverently called "Music To Crash Your Car To".
The alcohol & drugs were sweeping over their lives in a major way. In 1987, Nikki Sixx actually was thought dead from a heroin O.D.. His heart stopped and that could have been his demise. Fortunately for Sixx, the paramedics did not give up and gave him two shots of adrenaline to his heart. Obviously, he lived to rock on. This little incident gave the group the stirring for the song 'Kick Start My Heart' from the 'Dr. Feelgood' release.
It was not long after Sixx's near-death experience that the bands managers stepped in. It was time for a serious treatment if this band was going to keep moving forward. The managers refused to allow the group to go on a European circuit, fearing that more than one would drop dead on the road. The reality of their doings and the consequences must have hit them where it hurts. All the members finally got themselves sober. While the others preferred to go into a rehabilitation program, Mars chose to deal with his habituations on his own.
Despite their larger-than-life battles with addictions throughout the 80's, they still managed, in some manner, to piece together several popular albums. To this day songs from the releases, 'Shout At The Devil', 'Theatre Of Pain' and 'Girls, Girls, Girls' get alot of radio-play. But it was not until 1989, with a clean and sober band that they were at long last able to produce a number one album, 'Dr. Feelgood'. Everyone, even the band thought that their sober efforts were far better than anything they had done before.
The 1990's bestowed more trouble for the Cre. They published their 6th studio album, 'Decade of Decadence' in 1991 and it reached the number two spot on the charts. Then, in 1992, Neil either left the band or was fired, depending on who you hear the story from. He was quickly replaced and the group released a self-titled album that reached #7 on the charts. Finally, in '97, the group reunited and published still another album, 'Generation Swine'. The disk did not do very well commercially, which led to them leaving their record label, Elektra.
In '98, after their contract with Elektra had expired, the band found themselves in a unique place. They are one of the select few groups to have full control both over their catalog of masters and publication. With this newfound ability, the group re-published all of their albums and included many demos and previously un-published tunes.
In '99, Tommy Lee left the group to pursue his own solo calling and to avoid further battle with Neil. He was replaced and the band continued to tour and hit the studio, but fell short of true success. Sixx likewise went his own direction and played for the groups "58" and "Brides Of Destruction". It took five years, but the band finally did reunite and got busy recording a new compilation release called 'Red White & Cre'. They as well went on a couple of tours, including their 2005 tour, 'Carnival of Sins' and the 2006 'Route of All Evil' tour that they co-headlined with the group Aerosmith.
Just last month, Mtley Cre released their latest recording, 'Saints of Los Angeles'. Critics say the album is some of the best work they've ever produced! It's a severe flashback to the band's former style and a welcome one at that. Seems these "bad-boy" rockers are still going after their original mission to rock the world as hard as they can.
By: Vin DeWolfe
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