Hey Folks since Nikki Sixx has buried his head in the ground like an ostrich in regards to ignoring the Wicked Super Awesome self titled Motley Crue album from 1994. Ex lead vocalist John Corabi has taken it upon himself to record and release the 94 classic album played in its entirely from start to finish and let me tell you all’s its a brilliant release…
I can’t stop listening to Motley Corabi…..
Recorded live in Nashville back in late 2015! No overdubs Rock N Raw!
John enlisted some local dudes and that would be Jeremy Asbrook(guitar) Tommy Daley(guitar) Topher Nolan(bass) as well as John’s son Ian Corabi who does a fantastic job playing the drums!
Now before you all say cover blah band blah blah. Ummm Nope! The thing is John sings this album like its 94 again which is phenomenal and the backing dudes deliver this album musically in spades…
Opening track Power To The Music sets the table as once you hear these updated versions it takes you right back to when Motley originally released the self titled.
For me though second track in Uncle Jack is one of the best tracks on this album. Yeah Uncle Jack is fucking creepy but give these guys credit as the cheese was chased out of the Vince Neil fronted Crue in regards to this track. Love it when John shifts gears vocally from the verse to the chorus. Basically Johns vocals are wicked. It’s like he’s gargling razor blades and chasing it down with Tequila! Bam make no mistake, distinctive comes to mind….
Hooligans Holiday the lead off single from the self titled 94 rings true to a blast from the past. Love the whole Motley Grunge thing they were going for and It’s always a great debate on why the 94 tanked quick off the charts. (still went Gold) Timing? Singer Change? Perhaps. Who knows though as that Crue album over the course of the last 24 years has over time next to the Too Fast For Love album I would have to say is the next best Crue album.
Just saying….
Misunderstood is a 8 minute build up of all things down the sonic highway. Chill verse which ramps up during the chorus and lets for a second think if the Crue had recorded an 8 minute track with Vince? Ok… wait! Let’s not go there!
Always loved the short n sweet acoustic Zeppelin workout on a track called Loveshine. Thats the thing with this album is Motley was trying to go for different atmospheric sounds on the album. I will give them full credit for that move. At the time I thought they where chasing the Grunger Dudes that were selling records. I think there is an underlying theme that these songs can draw you in and boot you right in the Ass!
Did someone chirp the word Cowbell?? Yup here’s Hammered and this is a great driving hard rock track. This tune is a wicked jam song that rocks with a wicked groove and credit John’s son Ian on the drums. The young fella does a fantastic job throughout this whole shebang. Wonder when the last time Thomas Lee Bass listened to this album?
I always dug Til Death Do Us Part. Cool off beat rhythms followed by a huge ripping guitar solo proves that this album/song showed the band had chops and I wonder if even Crue themselves if they could would be able to pull this thing live off?
Great backing vocals along with John’s Lead Vocals deliver Welcome to the Numb which almost has a Aerosmith vibe to it. Smooth n Groove. This song just clips at a decent pace.
Let John sing the tale of the Reefer in Smoke The Sky
‘Smoke my hoochie, you say that I’m the Devil, really T.H.C.
“Marco Polo hailed it heaven, Socrates inhaled it, too.
Mister President, tell the truth.
You’re the great exaggerators since 1932.
Telling evils of the reefer, but all through time we’ve smoked the sky.”
Check out the video posted. It’s not from this album but it’s from the same time frame that John was doing the album in full.
From the first time I heard this track this was serious Crue. I know Nikki Sixx has dissed John saying he didn’t do much but I’m tending to disagree with the multi millionaire as up till 94 Motley never wrote Lyrics that made this much sense! I mean how do you go from tunes lyrically like She Goes Down and Sticky Sweet to Smoke The Sky? Exactly you inject new Blood and Corabi delivers in spade vocally and lyrically!
Droppin Like Flies just steam rolls along the Corabi highway at full throttle. Love the total groove and speed this tune just drives at. Great drums as well propel this tune forward. I must also add that this album you have to admit has the coolest song titles anywhere. Course a great album with cool song titles must have the tunes to back it up and this album does that…think I said something like that earlier!
Once again another gear change and that’s Driftaway which ends the 94 album. More acoustic Zep like rock that had Motley ditching the big typical Power Ballad formula and trying different things that actually succeed..
10,000 Miles Away is actually a bonus track that is added to the end of the album. Guess back in 94 Each Crue guy did a track on their own and it came out on a 4 song EP called Quartenery but 10,000 Miles Away is the Japanese Bonus Track version which will make Mr Ladano happy! This is a great track as I had never heard it before.
Kudos for Mr Corabi for giving us Fan Boys want we wanted which is the Motley 94 album played front to back. No change ups or mash-ups but delivered LIVE!
Seriously though Sixx has always dismissed this album which is unfair but thats the choice he made. To call it Motley Crue and not include anything off of it on many Crue compilations is a BullShit move.
Nothing officially live was documented during the 94 Crue tour so its good to see that John all these years later took it upon himself to do something about it!
Case you’re wondering I purchased this off of iTunes for $9.99. Amazon.ca has it for about $14 bucks on CD. Either way ….
GET THIS!
Fuck I didn’t know he even included 10,000 years.
Of course I WILL get this…after I check the Japanese edition…yada yada…
Been listening to the 94 Motley a lot in the past 2 weeks. That and also Quaternary. So yeah I am dying to get this. The couple tracks he did with Union were not enough for me!
As for this, “Marco Polo hailed it heaven, Socrates inhaled it, too.
Mister President, tell the truth.” oh that bring me back to the Clinton years. “I didn’t inhale…” Sure you didn’t Bill! Nobody inhales…
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Actually that Debut Union was a great record also along with the Live album they did as well…they do a great version of Cheap Tricks Surrender on there….
This Live album is a must!
But you know that!
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Yup I sure do. I mean this original album is one of my favourites of the entire decade…and my favourite Motley Crue period. John was too nice a guy for those dirtbags!
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Actually I think its one dude in CRUE whose being Pissy Pants…
It was great to John hook up with Mars on whatever Mars is doing….
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Yeah and I don’t think Tommy Lee has any real issues with John Corabi. It’s just one who, who always seems to promote himself as THE songwriter in the band. A claim that Vince Neil has always disputed, saying “We all wrote”.
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Yeah well go and watch youtube clips of those interviews with Motley Circa 94 and Sixx just loves the guy..album stalls and its the new guys fault…
Will add that John tells a cool story on how he joined Crue….he does it in a cool way and does not diss anyone…
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Just ordered Corabi with a side of Black Sabbath – The End.
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Nice ….Ozz an Corabi! Money well spent!
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I doubled down on the Sabbath. Looks like the DVD version has a bonus CD called the Angelic Sessions?
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Cool …Itunes just had the straight live album…
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I hope I purchased wisely. From what it looked to me, the regular album is 17 tracks. And this “Angelic Sessions” is a separate CD, about 6 tracks or so. Stuff like “The Wizard”. And it was only available with the DVD. So naturally I ordered both, with a shot of Corabi.
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Cool look forward to seeing what you receive. The Sabbath is good for a Live music/Lead vocal studio kinda album ….haha
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HAHAHAH. It’s that bad? Did you review it? I think you did….
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HAHA…..Not bad at all. The music is awesome. The vocals are awesome but when it comes to Ozzy ..too awesome sounding live …
Yes I reviewed it…made my Top 10 Live Releases as well….
Great to hear After Forever/ Dirty Woman and Snowblind…good purchase…
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The only way to know for sure would be to compare to bootlegs of the same show.
Oh well, I had to get it, and I’m sure I’ll enjoy Ozzy telling the crowd that he wants them to go extra, extra, extra, extra fucking crazy.
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He doesn’t cuss too much actually which is Fuckin awesome for a change……haha
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The less Ozzy talks, the better! Remember the live Reunion album? He tells the story of how they got the name Black Sabbath. “And then Geezer says, how about Black Sabbath?” REALLY? That’s the story. Jeez, come on Ozzy.
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I forgot about that ….haha…I need to dig out Reunion and spin it…been a real long time since I heard it…
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Remember some guy jumps on stage with Ozzy? “What the fuck was that, man? I thought I had a siamese twin!”
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HAHA….Silly old Goat!
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Meant to add I don’t want to do that compare the two as I viewed the double live Halen the same way..
At least Roth left his blown out vocals at time alone which was good…
Warts n All
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Off topic here…
I’ve been digging through my CDs because I have lots that are still sealed and I want to get them listened to.
Apparently I have all the Led Zeppelin remasters. I didn’t know that until just now. LOL I thought I was missing Physical Graffiti. Nope, here it is, still sealed! I have about 20 albums here still sealed, most of them are multi disc sets. I better get on these. First up — Rainbow – Monsters of Rock 1980.
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You have more sealed albums than Walmart has on the shelf….haha
Rainbow 80…thats with Bonnet singing right?
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Yes one of only a few gigs he did? I also have a box set here, 3 discs of live Rainbow from 1979! A Dio double live from 1993. Flying colors double live. Rush double live, the last one. Five sealed Zep remasters. Foo Fighters Sonic Highways. Whitesnake – 1987 box set and Marillion – Misplaced Childhood box set.
And I just went and ordered Corabi and Sabbath. Real smart, “LeBrain”.
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Well get cracking at em fella!
Wait til u get into those Snake Demos….
Bonnet had a short run with Rainbow and MSG I think he lasted one gig before he got the boot
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I have one of his MSG singles on clear vinyl! Bought at Records on Wheels in Guelph in early 1990.
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With McCauley?
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No it’s Graham Bonnet, the song is called “Dancer”:
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Nice. Assault Attack the album that its from is brilliant…
Cozy Powell drummed on the demos and than quit. Ted Mckenna basically played Cozy’s patterns to a T on the final version…
If you come across this MSG album grab it….
Martin Birch produced it and it must be one of his last ones before Maiden locked him up
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There you go spending my money again.
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Good thing it’s a long weekend and I have time to open some of these and listen!
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Go Get Em Fella!
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I always remember a cool part of “The Dirt” book was Corabi discussing the whirlwind that was his time in the Crue. Of course, he took the high road, unlike the other drama queen(s)!
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Exactly!
Corabi was the Fall Guy for the Crue….
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(Not so) patiently waiting here in the USA for my pre-ordered physical CD from RatPak Records. The ‘94 Motley album is one of my all-time favorites and much thanks to Corabi for bringing this out!
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For sure! U will not be disappointed!
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RatPak is usually pretty good about pre-order deliveries being in my mailbox before or on release date. This time they are a day late.
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I’m sure on Monday it will be there…
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Hey Uncleb13, is the RatPak CD different in some way? (I ordered from amazon)
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Sorry, Mike! Just saw this comment by you! Yes, I got the Deluxe Edition from RatPak. Autographed booklet by JC, with a guitar pick and jewel case and some other goodies. Not sure if this differs from yours. I always order directly from RatPak for their releases and get a deluxe-er-ish edition (hopefully the artist sees a few more $).
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That’s pretty cool! I reviewed my copy today — just the plain old CD though!
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Hey I got the plain digital release with squat packaging….but I had to get it stat!
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I am not surprised with your assessment as it was awesome. I really loved the opening guitar on Hammered and yes, the 10,000 years song was a great bonus, I might have to get the physical edition rather than just streaming. Great review.
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Thanks Mr Snow!
It was the first thing I looked for on iTunes on New Release Friday…one of the faster clicks to purchase i have done lately…haha
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That’s a quick turnaround on the review. And thanks for the heads up on it’s release. I have it playing most of the day and I have to say it’s amazing. The Crüe were never this good live.
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Usually I cannot hammer out reviews this quick but the odd release will spur me on and Live 94 did just that…
Having said that I’m still trying to finish up a Metallica review that I started a few weeks ago…
Glad your digging this…..Howled at your comment about the Crue….haha
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Not a fan of yon Crue lot, but I have to admit that you’ve got me intrigued about the 94 album and this live album.
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This Crue was a different animal than 80’s Crue! 80’s CRUE= Wham Bam Thank Ya Mam!
Whereas 94 Crue= Dirty Back Alley filled with Creeps/Junkies and Ho’s….
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So, this guy Corabi really improved things when he was there… or at least turned them on their head for a bit?
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Yeah Corabi did…the album stalled and he became the fall guy….
Sixx and those Motleys had just signed a 25 million record deal at the time and than kick out the singer…
Sooooooooo…you can see how John took the fall…
The Suits put the heat on…new guy had to go. 24 years later its perhaps there best work….
NO CHEESE ZONE!
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Righto – you’ve sold it to me. I’ve added the self-titled album to my Apple Music library!
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Nice man…let me know your thoughts on it!
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Man… I’ve been listening to this today. It’s pretty great… “if it weren’t for these fuckheads…” haha.
Anyhoo, although I’m not familiar with these tunes, I’ve enjoyed this immensely. I’ll be hitting up the Crue album pronto.
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Yeah Corabi’s stage banter is great as well…he comes across as a great guy…
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He definitely seems to be enjoying things and seems fairly grounded.
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J…its real cool your giving this album a shot! Awesome …
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Somehow I have this in my collection… I will get to it and come back!
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WOWZERS!
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I know. It’s a shocker. But a happy one!
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Listening now. WOW, John STILL has the voice. And no surprise but the band can cut it.
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Corabi’s boy plays wicked drums….
This album is a cooker Mikey..
Look forward to your spin on it…
Its all Killer….No Filler
The more I listen to this album the more I realize this is the Ultimate F.U to Sixx…
Let the music do the talking!
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I’m listening on Spotify right now
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Awesome! Let me know your thoughts!
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Yeah it’s good Deke
He does a good job and I really like how Poison Apples turned out live. I always thought it was too over produced on the album but live it’s raw and sleazy.
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Some footage of JC doing Hooligans
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AWESOME
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