and two amp tracks. Most recordings from
this era typically only have a direct track or
an amped track, but the fact that three separate bass sounds were recorded was evidence of the attention placed on the overall
sound of the rhythm section. The amp
sounds like a slightly overdriven Ampeg SVT,
with one track having a lot of midrange bite
and the other providing a substantial amount
of low end. All three sounds were combined
in relatively equal levels to provide the complete sound. The sound of Nikki’s bass and
amp in this song lends itself well to the solid
pedaling of Tommy’s drums and Mick’s guitar. I couldn’t detect any drums leaking into
the bass tracks, which leads me to believe
that they were overdubbed after the drum
tracks were complete.
Mötley Crüe’s Mick Mars. Photo by Ken Settle
Wide-But-Tight Guitars
The guitar tracks in this song provided the
biggest surprise. Being a fan of Mick Mars
and his love of gear, I figured most Mötley
albums were tracked with many tracks of
layered guitars using different amps, pick-
ups, etc. But for “Looks That Kill” there was
only one performance of the rhythm guitar
track, but two separate tracks. One track
was panned left and consisted of a micro-
phone that was quite close to the cabinet.
The other track was of the same guitar signal
and performance, but it was a distant room
mic that, when panned hard right, combined
with the close mic to create an awesomely
wide but tight stereo field. The same tech-
nique was used for the solo overdub. I know
Mick has always used a combination of
amps mixed together, so I’m not going to
speculate about which amps were used for
this song. All I can say is that the thick, nasal
distortion found on almost all Mötley albums
is instantly recognizable, and when it’s com-
bined with Mick’s unique style it creates a
sound that blends well with the rest of the
band’s instrumentation.
Sparse Vocals
Like most early-era hard rock songs, Vince
Neil’s vocal tracks in this song are relatively
sparse, production-wise. There is a single lead
vocal throughout the song, with a double in
the chorus. Unlike some of the other songs
from Shout At The Devil, I can’t hear too
many punch-ins, which leads me to believe
that Vince’s performance in this song was
lightly comp’d (most likely in whole sections)
SECRETS OF THE MASTERS
from a few different takes. In the mix, a
slight slap delay and reverb was applied to
give it some of the space that Tommy’s live
drums and Mick’s distant amp mics created.
Additional production in the song included a
synth drone in the chorus that followed the
implied chord changes of the guitar, as well
as some background and gang vocal tracks.
I can imagine it now, the Mötley boys surrounding a single vocal mic chanting, “She’s
got the looks that kill!” Classic.
Sonic Magic
Throughout Mötley Crüe’s storied past, there
have been many accounts of recording sessions
that consisted more of girls, drugs, and parties
than actual recording. And although the Crüe
most likely wouldn’t deny that fact, they’d also
be the first to relive some of the musical and
sonic magic that was captured during those
times. “Looks That Kill” and Shout at the Devil
were the foundation that the next 25 years
of Mötley Crüe would be built on. It was the
first time—but certainly not the last—that they
really found their own sound, and today it continues to stand the test of time.
To see and hear how you can play along to and
make new mixes of “Looks That Kill” and other
songs from the original mulit-track masters
(including tab), check out www.jammit.com
PREMIER GUITAR MAY 2010 87
Chris Baseford is a Canadian-born recording engineer/
mixer/producer who has
worked with some of the
top names in the rock music
world. Having spent many
years mixing on large format
analog consoles, Chris has made the transition
to mixing “in-the-box” and continues to push the
boundaries of what is possible in the all-digital
domain of music production.
