Battle of the Bands 80's Hair rock edition, Semi-final Crue VS Def Leppard

Who rocked it better

  • Motley Crue

    Votes: 11 52.4%

  • Def Leppard

    Votes: 10 47.6%
  • Total voters
    21
  • Poll closed .
I went to a concert at City Field right after the pandemic shut down ended. The acts that day were Joan Jett, Poison, Motley Crue, Def Leppard.
Joan Jett was great.
Poison knocked it out of the park.
Then Crue took the stage and I was 15 again! I lost mind and my voice was gone for a week just chanting CRUE! CRUE! CRUE! CRUE! Mars wailed on his guitar, Vince was still decent on vocals. Its only the 3rd time I've seen them live and I never came out of one of their shows able to talk.
After that Def Leppard came out and could not match the energy generated by Motley Crue.

I am going with CRUE! CRUE! CRUE! CRUE! \nn/
 
LiveeviL2000 said:
yeah, he declined quick in the last 5 years.
fun vid, but sad really.
Click to expand...
I WOULD feel bad had it not been for how the other 3 dumped on Mick by saying he wasn't capable of playing anymore. Mick countered by posting live footage of his guitar work and he sounded like Mick. Meanwhile, Vince clearly struggles and he's still there


Again, I'm going with Crue none the less
 
Clockworkmike said:
I WOULD feel bad had it not been for how the other 3 dumped on Mick by saying he wasn't capable of playing anymore. Mick countered by posting live footage of his guitar work and he sounded like Mick. Meanwhile, Vince clearly struggles and he's still there


Again, I'm going with Crue none the less
Click to expand...

Yeah, Mick is the only one that can still play (if Nikki Sixx ever could at all that is). Even in recent footage I saw Tommy Lee sounded terrible and whatever limited ability the Razzle-Killer Vince Neil had was gone half way through making the second record. What made the band was Mick's ripping guitar and the greatness of the songs on the first record, not the quality of the musicianship IMO.
 
Well, I kicked this one around for awhile. On the one hand, Motley Crue is known as a very rockin' group and they have fostered the raunchy "rock-n-roll lifestyle". However, that means less than nothing to me. Admittedly, Def Leppard expanded their palate after the first few albums which did give a certain "pop" element. To those seeking a harder core, this is a turn-off.

I see them as having broadened their reach with their own particular take on rock and '80s metal, which itself was a rather varied thing. To me, they made their music more interesting.

So, I feel I may be voting on the losing side this round, but my vote goes to Def Leppard.
 
gball said:
Yeah, Mick is the only one that can still play (if Nikki Sixx ever could at all that is). Even in recent footage I saw Tommy Lee sounded terrible and whatever limited ability the Razzle-Killer Vince Neil had was gone half way through making the second record. What made the band was Mick's ripping guitar and the greatness of the songs on the first record, not the quality of the musicianship IMO.
Click to expand...
That's how I see it: Mick WAS the sound. You look at them now and even the guitars don't sound good, when that was the last thing keeping them interesting. John 5 is talented, no question, but it's the wrong fit and he can't get that style and sound that Mick has
 
Clockworkmike said:
That's how I see it: Mick WAS the sound. You look at them now and even the guitars don't sound good, when that was the last thing keeping them interesting. John 5 is talented, no question, but it's the wrong fit and he can't get that style and sound that Mick has
Click to expand...

Yup. That old story about about how they found him through an ad he placed in The Recycler that said "Loud, Rude, Aggressive guitar player in need of a band" pretty much sums him up. Ain't nothin' subtle about the guy, and I will never forget dropping the needle and hearing 'Live Wire' blast me in the face for the first time - finally something that was actually different. John5 is one of the flat-out best players on the planet but far too refined a player to ever replicate the rawness of Mick, which is what made them special.
 
gball said:
John5 is one of the flat-out best players on the planet but far too refined a player to ever replicate the rawness of Mick, which is what made them special.
Click to expand...

Maybe I'm making a faulty comparison, but, in a way, it's like Tommy Thayer vs. Ace Frehley.

Truth be told, Tommy is probably a better guitar player than Ace, but Ace has a certain gutsiness about his playing.
 
I went to an AI site and it was fun to plug in "Which was the superiour rock band: Def Leppard or Motley Crue"
I won't share the results here to colour the vote, but points made were interestingly similar to many of the comments here
from both sides.
 
smitty_p said:
Maybe I'm making a faulty comparison, but, in a way, it's like Tommy Thayer vs. Ace Frehley.

Truth be told, Tommy is probably a better guitar player than Ace, but Ace has a certain gutsiness about his playing.
Click to expand...

Maybe from a "technical" standpoint Thayer is "better" - I don't know. But I find him incredibly boring to listen to.

Ace not only had that crazy energy where it all felt like it would fall apart any second, but when I go back and listen to those early albums he is playing some of the most unexpected, out there stuff and somehow making it all work. Plus, let's face it, Ace is the guy that launched a million lifelong obsessions with the instrument.
 
it's 5PM CST. I'm calling it for the brits. One vote ahead after a day and a half of voting 10 votes to 9.
I can't stop the poll, to vote if you want, but this one is over!

 
gball said:
Maybe from a "technical" standpoint Thayer is "better" - I don't know. But I find him incredibly boring to listen to.

Ace not only had that crazy energy where it all felt like it would fall apart any second, but when I go back and listen to those early albums he is playing some of the most unexpected, out there stuff and somehow making it all work. Plus, let's face it, Ace is the guy that launched a million lifelong obsessions with the instrument.
Click to expand...
Yep. Biggest reason I started playing guitar.
Got my first LP in 2017 and of course, it was a cherry sunburst
 
Last edited:
crying.gif
 
And another thing...
Ace is like Ozzy.
How?
If you want to know how great those guys are, just listen to someone else try to convincing pull off their stuff. Nobody can do it, not even close.
 
gball said:
And another thing...
Ace is like Ozzy.
How?
If you want to know how great those guys are, just listen to someone else try to convincing pull off their stuff. Nobody can do it, not even close.
Click to expand...
Yeah I've heard people slight Ozzy for years as jot being a great vocalist. But I've never heard anyone sound like him either, so that has to mean something
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top