Mötley Crüe Tops Charts Again—But What Does That Say About Rock Today
According to Forbes, Mötley Crüe is back on the music charts in the USA, despite not releasing a new album. You might be wondering how that’s possible. No, it’s not about the Cancelled EP, but rather the reissue of their album Dr. Feelgood—35 years later.
Let me just say this upfront: I am a fan of Mötley Crüe, and if it weren’t for them and their influence, this website and my particular taste in music probably wouldn’t exist. But on the other hand, for a 35-year-old album to top the charts in 2024 feels like… a bit much, doesn’t it?
According to the Forbes article, Mötley Crüe tops the Top Hard Rock Album Charts, with the article even adding, “That’s not unexpected, as they faced the least amount of competition on that tally.” Wait, unexpected? What about all the other bands that have released albums recently, some of whom weren’t even born when Dr. Feelgood first came out? Where are they? Where are the albums from our Junkyard Rock Stories Awards, for instance?
And that’s not all. According to the article, Mötley Crüe has also appeared on other Billboard charts like the Top Album Sales, Vinyl Albums, and Top Rock & Alternative Albums.
To be honest, I don’t even know what criteria are used to measure the success of a band, song, or album these days. But I assume the same standards would apply to bands like Crazy Lixx, Suicide Bombers, Wildstreet, (just to name a few) and others who released albums this year and fall into the same genre as Mötley Crüe. Yet, they’re nowhere to be found on these charts. Simply nowhere.
And it’s not just them—there aren’t even some of the relatively “bigger” bands on these lists. So why is that? Why is it that someone would rather buy a 35-year-old reissue of a Mötley Crüe album, which they very likely already own, instead of spending that same amount on four or five albums from new bands (because for the price of this reissue, you could probably get several “regular” albums) and thereby support those artists not only financially but also morally in continuing their careers?
No, no… it’s better to grab Dr. Feelgood and every possible reissue year after year, and then complain on social media about how Vince Neil can’t sing anymore and Nikki Sixx uses backing tracks. Double standards, right? Oh, and yes, to make the stupid unboxing video on YouTube that no one really cares.
In that case, rock music, hard rock, and hair metal, if you will, get exactly what they deserve. They remain where they are if the only measure of a band’s value by “fans” is whether people recognize them from 30 years ago, or if they were on TV, radio, or in magazines that were fed to us back in the day. If they weren’t, then there’s no need for them to exist. Nostalgia is toxic right? Overall stagnation? Being stuck in the past? Double standards in rock?Yeah, all of that!
By the way, my friend Richy Kearns explained all this perfectly in the latest episode on his YouTube channel and I am totally sure he is right!
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