By Vinnie Apicella

They were never one of my favorite groups but I think today I'll give them their just due. How this band's still standing after all the highs and lows they've endured during their near two decade career is an absolute mystery to me. But let's face it, rock and roll needs Motley Crue! One of the more influential acts to surface during the early 80's glam/rock scene or whatever you wanna call it, The Crue lived the rock and roll lifestyle to the hilt and still managed to create some pretty inspiring music along the way. Represented live for the first time, "Entertainment or Death" is a two-disc retrospective that highlights their best work as clipped from various shows ranging from their earliest performances on up to the present. Disc one features the best of the early years sticking solely to the first two records, "Too Fast for Love" and "Shout at the Devil" and the somewhat "controversial" image that first placed them on societies then mounting blacklist. All the old favorites are here beginning with their big MTV hit "Looks that Kill", "Too Young to fall in Love", and of course "Live Wire", which for 1984 comes across astonishingly well. Disc two of course follows suit from the "Theatre of Pain" days on up to their last great record together, 1990's "Dr. Feelgood". In succession, the hits "Wild Side", "Girls Girls Girls" and "Dr. Feelgood" were all recorded during the last year or two and show that little's changed in the band's performing ability even if they've yet to completely mesh in the studio. And on that note, no there's nothing listed from their last studio disc "Generation Swine" though it would've been interesting to hear how much of their modern vibe would've come across live. Suffice it to say nothing from the ill-advised self-titled recording with Corabi made the cut here either-to the surprise of no one we'll assume. Hey, Motley Crue is what rock and roll's all about and has remained true to the decadent excesses that first made them a hit with dissident youths some eighteen years earlier. "Entertainment or Death" is a fitting statement to a band most comfortable tearing up the stage for thousands of satisfied onlookers and this double-live sample of packaged rebellion will serve notice to any and all that old Dr. Feelgood ain't ready to go away just yet…

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