Ah, Mötley Crüe in the early 80s, the very embodiment of period heavy metal excess. This was the era of lipstick, spandex, makeup, and big hair that defined a good chunk of the 1980s metal scene. And of course it was the era of innumerable hair metal bands - lots of them. Few are revered today outside of a comparatively small subset of acts held in respect by older metal fans, but in the early 80s Motely Crüe were hitting their stride and reaching upwards toward the height of their fame, and this sophomore release is the one that did much of the heavy lifting that ultimately got them there. Released in 1983, Shout at the Devil's original artwork featured a pentagram embossed on a black background, and this in fact is the cover image that was on my vinyl copy of this album. This artwork was unfortunately changed on the compact disc releases to the artwork seen above and has not been seen since. Shout at the Devil is Crüe at their best and most musically ferocious, the quintessential L.A. glam metal release, replete with memorable Crüe classics such as "Shout at the Devil," "Looks That Kill," and "Too Young to Fall in Love." Not coincidentally, it's also my favorite of the three Crüe albums in my collection - after Theater of Pain, their sound became just too slickly produced and glammy for my taste. So how does the original 1985 CD release compare to the later 2003 remaster?
