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Saints of Los Angeles

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Saints of Los Angeles
Studio album by
Mötley Crüe
ReleasedJune 24, 2008 (2008-06-24)
Recorded2007–2008
StudioThe Lightning Bolt Garage, Los Angeles, California
Genre
Length44:03
Label
Producer
Mötley Crüe chronology
Carnival of Sins Live
(2006) 		Saints of Los Angeles
(2008) 		Greatest Hits
(2009)
Singles from Saints of Los Angeles
  1. "Saints of Los Angeles"
    Released: April 11, 2008
  2. "Mutherfucker of the Year"
    Released: August 25, 2008
  3. "White Trash Circus"
    Released: February 25, 2009

Saints of Los Angeles is the ninth and final studio album by the American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, released on June 24, 2008, by Mötley Records and Eleven Seven Music. This was the only full-length studio album with the band's original lineup since 1997's Generation Swine, following the return of drummer Tommy Lee, the last to feature guitarist Mick Mars before his dismissal from Mötley Crüe in 2022, and the last before their initial dissolution in 2015. Following its release, the band has avoided releasing any further albums in favor of releasing singles.[2]

Saints of Los Angeles debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard chart, selling about 100,000 copies in its first week.[3] It debuted at No. 14 on the Australian ARIA chart, No. 5 in Sweden, No. 3 in Canada, No. 47 in Italy, and No. 9 in Finland (although it climbed to number 6 in its second week).

The album's first single, its title track, was their second highest-charting single in the US mainstream rock charts, peaking at number 5. However, subsequent singles fared less well: "Mutherfucker of the Year" peaked at number 29 and "White Trash Circus" at number 37 on mainstream rock charts.[4]

Writing and recording

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Bassist Nikki Sixx stated in his blog that he believed the band were "on to some of the better songs we've had in years".[5] A tentative working title – The Dirt – was eventually scrapped.[6] "The album is loosely based on The Dirt," said Sixx. "Each song is like a mini-story, and you can plug it into the book. Some of its funny, some of its serious and in-your-face. It's like a typical, successful Mötley Crüe record."[7]

The album features production and songwriting from members of Sixx's other band Sixx:A.M., as singer James Michael and guitarist DJ Ashba are involved in almost every song. Frequent Aerosmith collaborator Marti Frederiksen also was heavily involved with the songwriting process. Though it was not well known at the time, Ashba's contributions to the album were quite substantial, as he performed the vast majority of the guitar work on the album while Mick Mars' work was discarded. Sixx later confirmed that almost every guitar part was played by Ashba, saying that Mars "couldn't play his parts or remember his parts" in the studio.[8]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic54/100[9]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
Consequence of SoundD[11]
Los Angeles Times[12]
Now[13]
Q[14]
Rolling Stone[15]
Record Collector[16]
The Skinny[17]
Sputnikmusic[18]
Uncut[19]

Saints of Los Angeles was met with "mixed or average" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 54 based on 11 reviews.[9]

In a review for AllMusic, critic reviewer James Christopher Monger wrote: "Mötley Crüe have been trumpeting their hedonism for so long and so loudly that it's become more of a caricature than a way of life, and while Saints of Los Angeles is the best thing they've laid to tape since their codpiece heydays, it's more of a walk down memory lane/Sunset Strip than a legitimate call to arms."[10] Bram Teitelman of Billboard said: "While not every song is a winner, the title track and sleaze anthem "This Ain't a Love Song" are standouts.[20]

Tours

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Two tours, Crüe Fest and the Saints of Los Angeles Tour, supported the album. Crüe Fest ran during the summer of 2008, with supporting bands Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Sixx:A.M., and Trapt.[21] The Saints of Los Angeles Tour ran during early 2009 and supporting bands were Hinder, Theory of a Deadman, and The Last Vegas.[22]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Nikki Sixx, James Michael, DJ Ashba, and Marti Frederiksen, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."L.A.M.F." 1:23
2."Face Down in the Dirt" 3:44
3."What's It Gonna Take" 3:45
4."Down at the Whisky" 3:50
5."Saints of Los Angeles" 3:40
6."Mutherfucker of the Year"
3:55
7."The Animal in Me" 4:16
8."Welcome to the Machine"
  • Sixx
  • Mars
  • Michael
  • Ashba
  • Frederiksen
3:00
9."Just Another Psycho"
  • Sixx
  • Mars
  • Michael
  • Ashba
  • Frederiksen
3:36
10."Chicks = Trouble"
  • Sixx
  • Mars
  • Michael
  • Ashba
  • Frederiksen
3:13
11."This Ain't a Love Song"
3:25
12."White Trash Circus"
  • Sixx
  • Mars
  • Michael
  • Ashba
  • Frederiksen
2:51
13."Goin' Out Swingin'" 3:27

Singles

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The first single, "Saints of Los Angeles", was released on April 11[23] and started airing on radio stations on April 15, 2008.[6] The song was given further promotion through the music video game Rock Band, being released as downloadable content on the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Store on the same day.[24] A video for the single was premiered at a press conference by the band on April 15. The song was performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and the Late Show with David Letterman. Jacoby Shaddix from Papa Roach, Josh Todd from Buckcherry, Chris Brown from Trapt, and James Michael from Sixx:A.M. all make cameos at the end of the video. This act had also been done as the band performed the song on their previous Crüe Fest tour. The song was featured in commercials and in promos for X-Games 14. The single version of "Saints of Los Angeles" does not include the backing vocals and the introduction from the gang vocal version. The title track was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance but lost; it was Mötley Crüe's third nomination. Their previous nominations for "Dr. Feelgood" and "Kickstart My Heart" in the same category saw losses to Living Colour. The January 2009 issue of PlayStation: The Official Magazine lists Mötley Crüe's "Saints of Los Angeles" as fifth on its list of "Rock Band’s Five Most Unexpectedly Rockin' Downloadable Songs".[25]

"Mutherfucker of the Year" was the second single to be taken from "Saints of Los Angeles".

Personnel

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Mötley Crüe

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Additional musicians

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Production

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  • James Michael – production, engineering, mixing
  • DJ Ashba – co-production, additional engineering
  • Viggy Vignola – additional engineering
  • Dave Donnelly – mastering

Charts

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Singles

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Year Title Chart Position
2008 "Saints of Los Angeles" Mainstream Rock (USA)[45] 5
"Mutherfucker of the Year" Mainstream Rock (USA)[45] 29
"White Trash Circus" Mainstream Rock (USA)[45] 37

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[46] Gold 50,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "Motley Crue". timeout.com. July 22, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2023. 2008's Saints of Los Angeles, was at its best when it reprised the ludicrous glam metal that had made these guys so popular in the first place
  2. ^ https://planetradio.co.uk/planet-rock/news/rock-news/vince-neil-no-crue-album/ [bare URL]
  3. ^ Hasty, Katie. "Coldplay Scores Second Week Atop Album Chart" billboard.com. July 2, 2008.
  4. ^ "Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  5. ^ Nikki Sixx Online Diary Archived April 26, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ a b "MÖTLEY CRÜE: New Song Available For Streaming". Blabbermouth.net.
  7. ^ "Sinners & saints". canada.com. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012.
  8. ^ Greene, Andy (June 24, 2023). "Mick Mars Goes to War With Mötley Crüe". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Saints Of Los Angeles". Metacritic. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  10. ^ a b Monger, James Christopher. "Saints of Los Angeles - Mötley Crüe". Allmusic. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  11. ^ Alex Young, Alex (June 30, 2008). "Album Review: Motley Crue – Saints Of Los Angeles". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  12. ^ Wood, Mikael (June 24, 2008). "New CDs: Watson Twins, G. Love, Motley Crue, Hacienda Brothers". Los Angeles Times.
  13. ^ "MÖTLEY CRÜE Saints Of Los Angeles (Motley)". Now. July 3, 2008. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  14. ^ The album finds them hamming up their debauched image to the point of self-parody. [Oct 2008, p.149]
  15. ^ Hoard, Christian (June 26, 2008). "Saints Of Los Angeles". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  16. ^ Shooman, Joe (September 25, 2008). "Saints Of Los Angeles - Motley Crue". Record Collector. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  17. ^ Drever, Ryan (January 17, 2010). "Motley Crue - Saints Of Los Angeles". The Skinny. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  18. ^ Donnelly, Dave (June 25, 2008). "Review: Motley Crue - Saints of Los Angeles". Sputnikmusic.
  19. ^ Their resolutely adolescent outlook is set to the usual thunderous drums, fiddly-widdly guitars and fist-pumping choruses, though none possessing the magnificent dumb charm of '89's 'Kickstart My Heart.' [Oct 2008, p.101]
  20. ^ Teitelman, Bram. "Saints of Los Angeles". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 22, 2008. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  21. ^ "Concert Announcement: Cruefest with Motley Crue". STLtoday.com. April 15, 2008. Retrieved April 18, 2010.
  22. ^ "MÖTLEY CRÜE Kicks Off New Tour - Feb. 2, 2009". Blabbermouth.net. February 2, 2009. Retrieved April 18, 2010.
  23. ^ "Motley Crue, 'Saints of Los Angeles' - Song Premiere". Spinner.com.
  24. ^ Dustin Burg. "Xbox 360 Fanboy: Rock Band debuts Motley Crue 'Saints of Los Angeles' single". joystiq.
  25. ^ "Rock Band’s Five Most Unexpectedly Rockin' Downloadable Songs," PlayStation: The Official Magazine (January 2009): 58.
  26. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Mötley Crüe – Saints of Los Angeles". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  27. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Mötley Crüe – Saints of Los Angeles" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  28. ^ "Mötley Crüe Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  29. ^ "Mötley Crüe: Saints of Los Angeles" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  30. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Mötley Crüe – Saints of Los Angeles" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  31. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Mötley Crüe – Saints of Los Angeles". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  32. ^ "Charts.nz – Mötley Crüe – Saints of Los Angeles". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  33. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Mötley Crüe – Saints of Los Angeles". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  34. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  35. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Mötley Crüe – Saints of Los Angeles". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  36. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Mötley Crüe – Saints of Los Angeles". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  37. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  38. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  39. ^ "Mötley Crüe Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  40. ^ "Mötley Crüe Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  41. ^ "Mötley Crüe Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  42. ^ "Mötley Crüe Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  43. ^ "Mötley Crüe Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  44. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  45. ^ a b c "Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  46. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Motley Crue – Saints of Los Angeles". Music Canada. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
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