Backing away from the mild pseudo-Satanic posturing on parts of Shout at the Devil in favor of a more glammed-up image, Mötley Crüe really began to hit their commercial stride with Theatre of Pain, which broke them on MTV with the power ballad "Home Sweet Home" and a remake of Brownsville Station's "Smokin' in the Boys' Room"; the latter also landed them on the Top 40 singles chart for the first time.
Overall, the guitar riffing sounds less heavy metal and more pop-metal; similarly, the sound of the record is slicker and more arranged, polished for mainstream acceptance and airplay.
A higher percentage of dull filler has crept into the songwriting, but there are still enough high points to rescue the album's momentum.
[In 1999, the Crüe remastered and reissued Theatre of Pain on their own Motley/Beyond label with five bonus tracks: demos of "Home Sweet Home," "Keep Your Eye on the Money," and "City Boy Blues," plus rough mixes of "Smokin' in the Boys' Room" and "Home Sweet Home" (the latter an instrumental).].
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | City Boy BluesMick Mars, Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx | Mötley Crüe | Play | 04:09 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 2 | Smokin' in the Boys' RoomCub Koda, Michael Lutz | Mötley Crüe | Play | 03:27 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 3 | Louder Than HellNikki Sixx | Mötley Crüe | Play | 02:32 | 5 MB | 16 MB |
| 4 | Keep Your Eye on the MoneyNikki Sixx | Mötley Crüe | Play | 04:39 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 5 | Home Sweet HomeTommy Lee, Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx | Mötley Crüe | Play | 03:57 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 6 | Tonight (We Need a Lover)Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx | Mötley Crüe | Play | 03:37 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 7 | Use It or Lose ItTommy Lee, Mick Mars, Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx | Mötley Crüe | Play | 02:38 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 8 | Save Our SoulsVince Neil, Nikki Sixx | Mötley Crüe | Play | 04:12 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 9 | Raise Your Hands to RockNikki Sixx | Mötley Crüe | Play | 02:46 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 10 | Fight for Your RightsMick Mars, Nikki Sixx | Mötley Crüe | Play | 03:45 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 35 mins | 81 MB | |||||
| 35 mins | 232 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cub Koda | Composer |
| 2 | Tommy Lee | Composer, Drums, Percussion, Piano, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 3 | Michael Lutz | Composer |
| 4 | Mick Mars | Composer, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Slide Guitar, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 5 | Mötley Crüe | Primary Artist |
| 6 | Vince Neil | Composer, Harmonica, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 7 | Nikki Sixx | Bass, Composer, Guitar, Synthesizer, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 8 | Tom Werman | Producer |
| 9 | Geoff Workman | Engineer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |