With "Theatre of Pain," The Crue estabished the template for late-eighties rock. How did they do it without imploding? Watch the whole story here.

AFTER THE EXPLOSIVE SUCCESS OF MOTLEY CRUE’S SECOND ALBUM, 1983's  “SHOUT AT THE DEVIL”, FAME BEGAN TO TAKE A SERIOUS TOLL ON THE BAND.

SONGWRITER NIKKI SIXX’S DRUG ADDICTION, AS WELL AS LEGAL TROUBLES SURROUNDING A VEHICULAR MANSLAUGHTER CHARGE AGAINST LEAD SINGER, VINCE NEIL, SET THE STAGE FOR MOTLEY CRUE TO BE SEEN AS A LEGITIMATELY DANGEROUS GROUP THAT MIGHT IMPLODE AT ANY MOMENT. THEIR SKY-ROCKETING FAME AND MENACING PERSONA LED THEM TO NAME THEIR THIRD ALBUM, “THEATRE OF PAIN”.  AND, IN 1985, WITH THEIR RECKLESS ABANDON ON FULL DISPLAY, THE CRUE WAS READY TO START RECORDING.

THE SESSIONS FOR THE ALBUM TOOK PLACE ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY AT CHEROKEE STUDIOS AND RECORD PLANT WEST, BOTH IN HOLLYWOOD. TOM WERMAN RETURNED TO THE PRODUCER'S CHAIR FOR THE JANUARY RECORDINGS. HOWEVER, NIKKI SIXX CLAIMED--IN RETROSPECT--THAT HE DID MOST OF THE WORK ON THE ALBUM, SINCE WERMAN DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTROL THE BAND OR HOW TO BUILD UPON THEIR PREVIOUS SUCCESS.

DESPITE THE CONTROVERSIES AND IN-FIGHTING SURROUNDING THE CRUE CAMP, “THEATRE OF PAIN” CAME OUT ON JUNE 21st, 1985, PEAKING AT NUMBER SIX ON THE U.S. BILLBOARD TOP TWO HUNDRED--THEIR HIGHEST CHARTING ALBUM THUS FAR.

THE ALBUM’S RELEASE WAS FOLLOWED BY TWO SINGLES: “HOME SWEET HOME” AND “SMOKIN’ IN THE BOY’S ROOM”.  THE LATTER WAS A COVER OF THE HIT NINETEEN-SEVENTY-THREE SINGLE BY BROWNSVILLE STATION AND, WITH “HOME SWEET HOME” MOTLEY CRUE SET THE METAL “POWER BALLAD” TEMPLATE THAT WAS LATER ADOPTED BY THE LIKES OF POISON AND OZZY OSBOURNE.

THESE TWO SINGLES ALSO MARKED THE BAND’S EVOLUTION AWAY FROM THE TYPICAL HAIR-METAL SOUND OF THE EIGHTIES, AND FOUND THEM PLANTING THE “GLAM METAL” FLAG, AND ESTABLISHING A NEW WAVE OF POP-INFLUENCED ROCK’N ROLL THAT WAS STILL HEAVY ENOUGH TO STRIKE FEAR INTO EVERY PARENT IN AMERICA,

WHILE NIKKI SIXX AND VINCE NEIL HAVE BOTH EXPRESSED DISDAIN FOR THE ALBUM, THERE’S NO DENYING ITS SUCCESS AND INFLUENCE, BEING THE GATEWAY FOR MANY MOTLEY CRUE FANS AND LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR BANDS LIKE BON JOVI, DEF LEPPARD AND GUNS ‘N’ ROSES. 

EVENTUALLY CERTIFIED QUADRUPLE PLATINUM BY THE RECORDING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, ITS BOMBASTIC GLAM METAL, TUMULTUOUS BACKSTORY, AND UNDENIABLE REBELLIOUS SPIRIT ALL ADD UP TO WHY MOTLEY CRUE’S “THEATRE OF PAIN” IS THE GREATEST ALBUM EVER...THIS WEEK.

When Drake dropped his first proper album, "Thank Me Later,' it was the beginning of a decade of dominance. How was it made and who was behind the scenes? We'll show you.

STARTING AS AN ACTOR ON SHOWS LIKE NICKELODEON’S DEGRASSI:THE NEXT GENERATION, AUBREY DRAKE GRAHAM BEGAN HIS RAP CAREER DURING THE MID TWO-THOUSANDS. BUT IT WASN’T UNTIL YOUNG MONEY MASTERMIND LIL WAYNE SIGNED DRAKE, AND PROPELLED HIM TO NEW LEVELS OF SUCCESS WITH THE “SO FAR GONE” MIXTAPE.

“SO FAR GONE” WAS MTV’S HOTTEST MIXTAPE OF 2009 AND WAS COMPLEX’S FIFTH BEST MIXTAPE OF THE DECADE. HIT SONGS LIKE “BEST I EVER HAD” AND “SUCCESSFUL” SHOWED DRAKE’S ABILITY TO MIX HIP HOP & RNB WITH POP, AND THE STAGE WAS SET FOR DRIZZY TO BLOW THE LID OFF THE GAME WITH HIS DEBUT ALBUM.

RECORDING FOR THE ALBUM TOOK PLACE ALL OVER THE U.S. AND CANADA IN 2009 AND 2010, INCLUDING AT CHERRY BEACH STUDIOS IN TORONTO AND GLENWOOD STUDIOS IN L.A. THE ALBUM WAS A FAMILY AFFAIR, WITH LIL WAYNE AND BIRDMAN ACTING AS EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS, AND LONGTIME DRAKE COLLABORATORS NOAH “40” SHEBIB & BOI-1DA PROGRAMMING MOST OF THE RECORD.

THE SPACEY PRODUCTION ACROSS THE ALBUM CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO DRAKE’S INFLUENCES LIKE KID CUDI AND KANYE WEST’S TWO THOUSAND EIGHT ALBUM “808S AND HEARTBREAK”. YE HIMSELF HAS PRODUCTION CREDS ON TWO OF THE ALBUM’s SONGS: “SHOW ME A GOOD TIME” AND THE HIT SINGLE “FIND YOUR LOVE”.

FOUR SINGLES PRECEDED THE ALBUM’S RELEASE INCLUDING“FIND YOUR LOVE”, AS WELL AS “OVER”, “MISS ME” WITH LIL WAYNE, AND “FANCY” WITH SWIZZ BEATS. ALL FOUR SINGLES BROKE THROUGH THE TOP FORTY OF THE BILLBOARD HOT ONE HUNDRED.

RELEASED ON JUNE FIFTEENTH, 2010, “THANK ME LATER” DEBUTED AT NUMBER ONE ON THE BILLBOARD TWO HUNDRED AND MADE DRAKE A HOUSEHOLD NAME. IT PROVED THAT DRAKE HAD THE TALENT TO BLEND BRAGGADOCIO WITH VULNERABILITY, AND INSPIRED COUNTLESS ARTISTS OVER THE DECADE INCLUDING TORY LANEZ, BRYSON TILLER AND POST MALONE.

IN 2013, ROLLING STONE PUT “THANK ME LATER” ON THEIR LIST OF “THE ONE HUNDRED BEST DEBUT ALBUMS OF ALL TIME”.

ITS GENRE BLENDING, HIT SINGLES, AND CONTRIBUTION TO THE HIP HOP ETHOS ALL SHOW WHY “THANK ME LATER” BY DRAKE IS THE GREATEST ALBUM EVER...THIS WEEK.