"Live Wire" is a live staple of the band, even today. The best use of a cowbell this side of Blue Oyster Cult, Tommy Lee shows that he was not just a pretty face. A perfect blend of punk speed and metal ferocity, the song is easily one of the band's best. "Come On And Dance" is next. Very raw, it sounds basically like a glorified demo. Lee lays on more cowbell, and guitarist/mascot Mick Mars produces a very dirty and muddy sounding guitar mix, but it is somehow punchy without being over the top. Vince Neil shows off some nice pipes, and lays down a nice and lusty vocal. Good song. Public Enemy #1 is not one of my favorites. It lacks the bite of the first two tracks, my lighter and poppy, but somehow not very catchy. Not a bad song, but very thin-sounding. "Merry-Go-Round" is one of my favorite songs by Crue. Basically a pop song, it is an early example of a Crue ballad a la "Home Sweet Home". Very sweet and innocent, it's an early Crue classic that is sadly not played enough live.
"Take Me to The Top" is another quasi-punk/metal hybrid. Very fast and driving, the song has the simplicity of a punk song, but is somehow heavier and more aggressive. Very basic, it really shows that Crue has always been more about attitude and theatrics than musical complexity. A decent song. "Piece Of Your Action" almost makes the album a concept album. Another tribute to sexual conquest, I am not a big fan of the production on this track. With only one guitar, the song doesn't sound fleshed-out enough. The solo is sparse and simple, and Nikki Sixx's bass playing reveals some of his early limitations. Not a band song in itself, but terrible production. "Starry Eyes" is another song suffering from poor production. The song itself is very different musical from any other song released by the band, and makes me wonder about who its composers or co-composers were. In any case, not a bad song either, just very different-sounding. Somewhat 1970s-sounding, like a demo from the early pre-Crue days on the Sunset Strip. The title track, "Too Fast for Love" is a killer classic. A very nice metal-lite riff is the centre-piece of the song. The influence of the Sex Pistols can be heard all over this track, very snotty, but also meaty and aggressive. A great song. "On With the Show" closes the album. Vince's singing is somewhat more off-key than usual in this song. Lee's drum is over-busy, and lacks accuracy. The whole song feels sloppy, unfinished. Skip.
"Too Fast For Love" is not a great album. Motley's best album in my opinion is the underrated "Girls, Girls, Girls". But, it is a decent first effort. Despite being musically simple, it makes up for that fact with charisma and balls. You could do better, you could certainly do worse.
Rating-6.5/10
Good review!, directly at the point of Motley Crue thanks!
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