Too Fast for Love

Release history

The first recording session for this album was in October 1981, a half year after the band had first played the Starwood nightclub. They recorded for a few days with engineer Avi Kipper at Hit City West, a small recording studio in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles. There are three known vinyl pressings of this Leathür Records version, along with one known cassette release. The first vinyl pressing had white lettering on the cover and the record label was white with black lettering. The back cover photo of Vince Neil shows him with a large airbrushed hairdo. The second pressing has red lettering on the cover and the record label is again white with black lettering. The second pressing also has a slightly different photo insert of the band. The third pressing has red lettering on the cover and the record label is black with white lettering.

The album was remixed under the supervision of Roy Thomas Baker and re-released on August 20, 1982, by Elektra Records, with which the band had recently signed its first recording contract. The Elektra version had a different track order and omitted the song "Stick to Your Guns", as well as the first verse from the title track. However, the initial release of the album on Elektra in Canada (on both vinyl and cassette) was not the remixed version, but instead was the original Leathür Records version with the Elektra label on it, and included the song "Stick to Your Guns". This was released two months before the remixed version was released by Elektra worldwide. The reason for this was that Mötley Crüe was about to embark on a Canadian tour and Elektra wanted to ensure that a product was available while the band was touring the country. Once the remixed version was completed, later Canadian pressings were the same as the Elektra version everywhere else.

In 1996, Mötley Crüe and Elektra split. Mötley Crüe once again made their own record company called Mötley Records, and re-released all the albums before New Tattoo. The re-released 2002 version of Too Fast for Love includes the Leathür version of the song "Too Fast for Love", "Stick To Your Guns" (omitted from the Elektra release), "Toast of the Town" (previously released only as a b-side to the Leathür Records "Stick to Your Guns" single), the covered song "Tonight" and the live version of "Merry-Go-Round" as bonus tracks.

Reception

Too Fast for Love has received mostly positive reviews. AllMusic reviewer Steve Huey gave the album a rating of four stars and claims that "Mötley Crüe essentially comes across as a bash-'em-out bar band, making up in enthusiasm what they lack in technical skill".

Although released in late 1981, Too Fast for Love did not enter the Billboard 200 until 1982. "Stick to Your Guns" and "Live Wire" were released as singles to promote the album. "Public Enemy #1" and "Merry Go Around" were released as promo singles.

Too Fast for Love was also the earliest of seven consecutive Mötley Crüe studio albums to be certified gold or platinum by the RIAA―every album up to and including Generation Swine (1997) is at least certified gold.

1981 Leathür Records original release

All tracks written by Nikki Sixx, except where noted.

Mötley Crüe

Production