Love ‘em or hate ‘em, there’s no denying that Mötley Crüe almost single-handedly kickstarted – and most certainly, popularized and perfected – what is now widely known as either the “hair metal” or “glam metal” style of the ‘80s. And now, metalheads can acquire all of their best-selling (and best-known) albums in one fell swoop, with the release of the limited edition Crücial Crüe: The Studio Albums 1981-1989 box set – available in either CD or colored vinyl configurations. 

The Crüe (singer Vince Neil, guitarist Mick Mars, bassist Nikki Sixx, and drummer Tommy Lee) started out with a bang – with the two best LP’s of their entire career. 1981’s Too Fast For Love sounded like a heavier/more aggressive Cheap Trick (particularly on such tunes as the title track, “Merry-Go-Round,” and “Starry Eyes”), while their commercial breakthrough, 1983’s Shout At The Devil, saw the group toughen up their style with a more metallic approach (the title track, “Looks That Kill,” “Knock ‘Em Dead Kid,” etc.). 

It’s been well-documented (in both book and film form, with The Dirt) of the band’s death-defying party habits, and their extracurricular activities certainly did affect the quality and focus of their next two studio offerings, 1985’s Theatre Of Pain and 1987’s Girls Girls Girls. But regardless, Crüe fans were diehards that supported the band through and through, and both were blockbuster sellers (and spawned such hits as “Smokin’ in the Boys’ Room,” “Home Sweet Home,” “Wild Side,” and GGG’s title track). 

But with sobriety came a “refocus” with 1989’s Dr. Feelgood (which gave us the title track, “Kickstart My Heart,” “Without You,” etc.) – before the Crüe’s golden era eventually came to a close with Neil’s ousting in ’92.