From the Beginning
is a career-spanning compilation from hair metal icons
Mötley Crüe
, one that serves more or less as a greatest-hits collection with entries from most of the band's phases. It plays out in chronological order, kicking off with songs from their rough-edged first few albums. "Live Wire" from their 1981 debut,
Too Fast for Love
, is an evergreen anthem for proudly reckless youth, while songs like "Too Young to Fall in Love" and "Shout at the Devil" are made up of meaty riffs and bashing rhythms, exhibiting a heaviness that would get injected with more pop sheen on later output. The collection includes five songs from
's 1989 album and their commercial peak,
Dr. Feelgood
, and is unsurprisingly lighter on material from the band's shakier output in the '90s and beyond. There are a few cherry-picked post-
selections such as the 1991 single "Primal Scream" or the metalcore-leaning "Dogs of War" from the 2024 EP
Cancelled
. The unexpected gem of
is a newly recorded remake of the band's 1985 power ballad featuring none other than the queen of country music,
Dolly Parton
.
Parton
's voice would be inspiring if she were reading the phone book, and her presence breathes new life into this 40-year-old relic of a bygone era; this track alone makes
worth the spin. ~ Fred Thomas