Album · Compilation · 35 years old this year
Decade of Decadence ’81–’91
Decade of Decadence '81–'91 is Mötley Crüe's first compilation, released on 23 September 1991 through Elektra. It marked ten years since the Los Angeles band's debut, Too Fast for Love, and counted as their sixth album overall. It was the first of several greatest hits collections to carry their name.
It sits between the polished success of Dr. Feelgood in 1989 and the self-titled album of 1994, so it works as a snapshot of the glam metal years before the band's sound shifted. For anyone who wants the heavy, hard rock side of the Crüe in one place, it is a handy way in. It climbed to number 2 on the US Billboard 200, which says plenty about how many fans were ready to have the first decade gathered together.
Decade of Decadence ’81–’91: tracklist, credits and charts
15 tracks · 1:03:04Tracklist
- 1Live Wire (Kick Ass ’91 remix)Nikki Sixx3:17
- 2Piece of Your Action (Screamin’ ’91 remix)Vince Neil and Nikki Sixx4:40
- 3Shout at the DevilNikki Sixx3:14
- 4Looks That KillNikki Sixx4:09
- 5Home Sweet Home (’91 remix)Lee, Neil, Sixx4:01
- 6Smokin’ in the Boys RoomCub Koda and Michael Lutz3:28
- 7Girls, Girls, GirlsLee, Mars, Sixx4:29
- 8Wild SideLee, Neil, Sixx4:40
- 9Dr. FeelgoodMick Mars and Nikki Sixx4:48
- 10Kickstart My Heart (live in Dallas, TX)Nikki Sixx4:58
- 11TeaserTommy Bolin and Jeff Cook5:17
- 12Rock n’ Roll JunkieLee, Mars, Sixx4:02
- 13Primal ScreamLee, Mars, Neil, Sixx4:46
- 14AngelaLee, Mars, Neil, Sixx3:54
- 15Anarchy in the U.K.Cook, Jones, Lydon, Matlock3:22
- Produced by
- Mötley Crüe, Bob Rock, Tom Werman, Geoff Workman
- Recorded at
- Cherokee Studios, Pasha Music House, The Record Plant, Conway Recording Studios, One on One Studios, Rumbo Recorders, Little Mountain Sound, Reunion Arena
- Recorded
- 1981–1991
- Mixed by
- Duane Baron, Bob Rock, Randy Staub, Michael Wagener, Mike Fraser
- Mixed at
- The Record Plant, Little Mountain Sound
- Engineered by
- Duane Baron, Matt Brady, Mike Fraser, Brian Scheuble, Randy Staub, Paul Wertheimer, Mark Wilczak, Alex Woltman, Ross Hogarth, Richard McKernon, Toby Wright, Bob Rock, Biff Dawes, Paul Lani
- Label
- Elektra
- Length
- 1:03:04
Line-up
- Paul Fox · keyboard · guest
- Tommy Lee · drums (drum set), background vocals, percussion
- Mick Mars · guitar, background vocals, electric guitar, other vocals
- Nikki Sixx · bass guitar, background vocals, synthesizer, bass pedals, electric bass guitar
- Jai Winding · keyboard · guest
- Tom Kelly · background vocals · guest
- Vince Neil · lead vocals, background vocals
- Richard Page · background vocals · guest
- Emi Canyn · background vocals · guest
- Marc LaFrance · background vocals · guest
- Donna McDaniel · background vocals · guest
- Bob Rock · background vocals · guest
- David Steele · background vocals · guest
Singles
- “Primal Scream” · August 1991
- “Home Sweet Home '91” · November 1991
- “Anarchy in the U.S.A.” · 1991
- “Angela” · December 1991 (Japan)
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 1991 | 2 |
| UK Albums Chart · 1991 | 20 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1991 | 9 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1991 | 10 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1991 | 13 |
| Swiss Albums · 1991 | 22 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) · 1991 | 24 |
| Swedish Albums · 1991 | 43 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 1992 | Gold |
| Canada · 1991 | Platinum |
| Japan · 1991 | Gold |
| United States · 1997 | 2× Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
44.7
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
359
ListenBrainz listeners
27k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
—
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Trompe le Monde
Pixies · 1991
Nevermind
Nirvana · 1991
Prove You Wrong
Prong · 1991
Live Train to Heartbreak Station
Cinderella · 1991
Use Your Illusion I
Guns N’ Roses · 1991
Use Your Illusion II
Guns N’ Roses · 1991
No More Tears
Ozzy Osbourne · 1991
Pretty on the Inside
Hole · 1991
The Best of R.E.M.
R.E.M. · 1991
Also released on 23 September
Every year →
The Long Road
Nickelback · 2003
Trompe le Monde
Pixies · 1991
Shout at the Devil
Mötley Crüe · 1983
Live and Loud
Nirvana · 2013
Love You Live
The Rolling Stones · 1977
Havana Moon
The Rolling Stones · 2016
That’s How Strong My Love Is
The Rolling Stones · 2022
Best of the Beast
Iron Maiden · 1996
The Best of Pantera: Far Beyond the Great Southern Cowboys’ Vulgar Hits!
Pantera · 2003
The Singles 1991-1996
Pantera · 1996
More from Mötley Crüe
Full discography →
Too Fast for Love
1981
Shout at the Devil
1983
Theatre of Pain
1985
Girls, Girls, Girls
1987
Raw Tracks
1988
Dr. Feelgood
1989
Raw Tracks II
1990
Mötley Crüe
1994
Quaternary
1994
Generation Swine
1997
Greate$t Hit$
1998
Live: Entertainment or Death
1999
New Tattoo
2000
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Mötley Crüe
2003
Red, White & Crüe
2005
Carnival of Sins
2006
Saints of Los Angeles
2008
The Dirt Soundtrack
2019
Cancelled
2024
From the Beginning
2025
Live Wire EP
2026
The best of 1991
All of 1991 →Nevermind
Nirvana · 1991
Metallica
Metallica · 1991
Ten
Pearl Jam · 1991
Use Your Illusion I
Guns N’ Roses · 1991
Use Your Illusion II
Guns N’ Roses · 1991
Out of Time
R.E.M. · 1991
No More Tears
Ozzy Osbourne · 1991
On Tour Now!
Guns N’ Roses · 1991
Badmotorfinger
Soundgarden · 1991
Kerplunk!
Green Day · 1991
Innuendo
Queen · 1991
Gish
The Smashing Pumpkins · 1991
More on Elektra
The label →
Ride the Lightning
Metallica · 1984
Kill ’Em All
Metallica · 1983
News of the World
Queen · 1977
The Game
Queen · 1980
Sheer Heart Attack
Queen · 1974
Jazz
Queen · 1978
A Day at the Races
Queen · 1976
Stiff Upper Lip
AC/DC · 2000
Bossanova
Pixies · 1990
Reinventing the Steel
Pantera · 2000
Dr. Feelgood
Mötley Crüe · 1989
Greatest Hits
Queen · 1981
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1991-09-23; musicbrainz + wikidata 1991-10-01 (8 days apart, likely another territory)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 1 October 1991 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 23 September 1991 | |
| Wikidata | 1 October 1991 | |
| US release | 1 October 1991 | earliest US date |
8 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | US | Elektra | other | |
| 1991 | US | Elektra | 020831429320 | other |
| 1991 | CA | Elektra | 075596120425 | other |
| 1 October 1991 | US | Mötley Records | 075596120425 | original |
| 5 October 1991 | US | Elektra | 075596120425 | other |
| 19 October 1991 | US | Elektra | 075596120425 | other |
| 19 October 1991 | US | Elektra | 075596120418 | other |
| 25 October 1991 | JP | Elektra | 4988053604290 | other |
Cover art sources
fanarttv · upscaled: major: best source 1000x1000, upscaled to 1500 (x1.50)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| fanarttv ✓ | 1000×1000 | upscaled: major: best source 1000x1000, upscaled to 1500 (x1.50) |
| coverartarchive | 1432×1389 | rejected |