John Corabi recently revealed to what extent Motley Crue was utilizing backing tracks during the tour in support of the group’s 1994 self-titled album. Corabi confessed on the Rock Interview Series that he would have rather followed the live approach of an iconic rock band that kept things simple back in the ’70s.
Corabi was specific regarding what was actually happening behind the scenes during the “Motley Crue” tour in 1994.
Corabi said, “Even with Motley back in 94 when we toured, we did use some backing tracks. We used some backing vocals. Tommy [Lee] was singing, Nikki [Sixx] was singing, but we kind of flew in…I want to say they had girls on tour with them prior. So we flew some things in like that.”
He added, “We also flew in…if you’re familiar with the record, the song ‘Misunderstood’, we used to play that live. But we had a 63-piece orchestra in the studio with us. Real orchestra. Played all those parts in the studio, and we were just kind of like, ‘Man, it sounds great…but it’s not full, like the actual track was so.’ So, Tommy played to a click, and we did a mix – a left and right mix – of the orchestra parts, and we flew them in.”
The singer further explained how it is ultimately up to the audience to decide if they have had enough of artists relying on pre-recorded tracks live.
Corabi said, “Something like that, I feel like if it enhances the song, great. Knock yourself out. But the fans aren’t stupid. They know and they can hear when bands are ‘flying in’ or lip syncing or whatever you want to call it. And if they choose to continue to buy the tickets, then it is what it is.”
Corabi’s comments came during the ongoing scrutiny of Motley Crue’s current touring lineup, which has been fronted by Vince Neil since his 1996 return. Adding to the criticism, former Godsmack drummer Shannon Larkin weighed in on his YouTube channel. He said, “Motley Crue uses a click track during live shows. He also claimed that Sixx sometimes appears to be singing when his voice is heard on a backing track.”
Corabi, for his part, made clear in the Rock Interview Series discussion that his own philosophy leans towards the other side of things when it comes to playing live.
He said, “Personally, I’m again a bit old school, so I love those bands like Aerosmith, who historically didn’t use pyro, didn’t use gimmicky bullshit. They just had a wall of amps, a set of drums in the middle, and they just went out, high-energy show, and kicked your ass. Were the backing vocals the way they were on the records? Nope. It was just Steven [Tyler] and Joe [Perry] doing some kind of Stonesy harmony part in their songs. But they rocked. So, that’s where my mindset is. That’s what I try to do.”
