Theatre of Pain in Bloomington, MN

Backing away from the mild pseudo-Satanic posturing on parts of
Shout at the Devil
in favor of a more glammed-up image,
Moetley Cruee
really began to hit their commercial stride with
Theatre of Pain
, which broke them on
MTV
with the power
ballad
"Home Sweet Home"
and a remake of
Brownsville Station
's
"Smokin' in the Boys' Room"
; the latter also landed them on the Top 40 singles chart for the first time. Overall, the guitar riffing sounds less heavy
metal
and more
pop-metal
; similarly, the sound of the record is slicker and more arranged, polished for mainstream acceptance and airplay. A higher percentage of dull filler has crept into the songwriting, but there are still enough high points to rescue the album's momentum. [In 1999,
the Cruee
remastered and reissued
on their own
Motley
/
Beyond
label with five bonus tracks: demos of
"Home Sweet Home,"
"Keep Your Eye on the Money,"
and
"City Boy Blues,"
plus rough mixes of
(the latter an instrumental).] ~ Steve Huey