The Age of Glam Metal

The 80s were know for a lot of things, but “heavy metal bands with big hair” would certainly be high on the list. For this addition to the Off The Record Project, we decided to explore the work of one of the biggest hair bands of the 80s – Motley Crue.

Released in 1983, the band’s second album “Shout at the Devil” made it all the way to #17 on the Billboard charts. The album cover, however, was even MORE memorable. When someone proposed the cover for my project, I knew it was one that had to be done!

The Original

The original Motley Crue cover featured very dramatic portraits of the band members. They used a lot of smoke, gelled lights and a very contrasty overall look.

The biggest part, of course, was getting the models to look right. For those of you who weren’t born in the 80s, trust me – rock bands REALLY dressed like this in the 80s. I can’t explain why. Just trust me on this one.

The New Crue

Four brave moms volunteered to take the challenge and put together their best rocker outfits. My project partner, Julie Spero, took it from there and gave them the full 80s hair and makeup treatment. It was a lot of work pulling it all together, but they managed to get it done!

We got some dry ice and gelled some kicker lights to give that “on stage” look you get in the original. From there, it was just a matter of getting the poses down in a way that conveyed the feeling of the original. Luckily, these mom’s ROCKED it!

As you can see, we made a few modifications to the text. I thought Mommy Crue was a good substitute for Motley and “Shout at the Kids” seemed to fit nicely as well. I was thrilled with how everything came together on this one. I think we managed to capture the look and feel of the original!

Who Is Next?

I’ve got even more covers coming out over the next few weeks. If you’ve been thinking about participating, you better contact me soon. We are almost out of time. The exhibit in Plano is coming up soon and you don’t want to miss out!

Rock on photography fans!