Motley Crue’s Mick Mars Retires from Touring
Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars has announced his retirement from touring. A rep for the band issued the following statement to Variety: “Mick Mars, co-founder and lead guitarist of the heavy…

Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars has announced his retirement from touring.
A rep for the band issued the following statement to Variety:
"Mick Mars, co-founder and lead guitarist of the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe for the past 41 years, has announced today that due to his ongoing painful struggle with Ankylosing Spondylitis (A.S.), he will no longer be able to tour with the band. Mick will continue as a member of the band, but can no longer handle the rigors of the road. A.S. is an extremely painful and crippling degenerative disease, which affects the spine."
The Crue recently announced a world tour with Def Leppard for 2023. So far, there's no word yet as to who will fill in on guitar, but Variety notes John 5 is rumored to fill in.
Mars famously joined Motley Crue after Nikki Sixx responded to his ad in the local Los Angeles newspaper The Recycler. Mars's ad was just seven words: "Loud, rude and aggressive guitar player available." For over 40 years, Mars has been on the wild Crue ride and played on all nine of the band's studio albums. Motley Crue has sold over 100 million albums worldwide.
Motley Crue, through all of the obstacles (and there have been plenty), has managed to survive for four decades. It's an overwhelming thought when you think about it.
Just reading or watching The Dirt gave fans an idea of the absolutely insane things the band has gone through. From drugs to horrific tragedies and everywhere in between, The Crue has seemingly seen or done it all.
The latest chapter in the band involves the exit of Mick Mars. The guitarist retiring from touring with Mötley Crüe in October 2022 seemed to come out of nowhere. Apparently, the band thought the same.
Nikki Sixx told Guitar World, "We never saw it coming that Mick wasn’t going to be able to tour and was going to have to quit the band."
At the time, Mötley Crüe was about to hit the road again with Def Leppard following the success of The Stadium Tour. Sixx expressed that after Mars' retirement, the band didn't want to let fans, Def Leppard or tour promoter Live Nation down. This then led them to bring in guitarist John 5 to fill in for Mars. Sixx referred to the substitution as "a no-brainer in a horrible situation -- something we did not ask for or want.
RELATED: 14 Mötley Crüe Items That’ll Make Fans Shout At The Devil
Of course, a lot has played out in the press in the aftermath of Mars' retirement. To begin with, Mars filed a lawsuit against Mötley Crüe alleging his percentage of band profits was cut from 25 percent to 5 percent.
He claimed in his lawsuit the band held a meeting to "unilaterally" remove him from Mötley Crüe. He was also allegedly removed from many of the band's various corporations and LLCs. Additionally, Mars claims bassist Nikki Sixx repeatedly "gaslighted" the guitarist. Sixx told Mars he consistently forgot chords and fans were complaining about his playing. (Mars claimed in the lawsuit Sixx "did not play a single note on bass during the entire U.S. tour" and accused him of using backing tracks and pantomiming.)
While this issue is still ongoing, let us not forget they've provided rock fans with quite the catalog of songs, with a number of those tunes now considered rock/metal classics.
From the classics to the deeper cuts, here are the 40 best songs of Motley Crue, ranked.
40. “Angela” - 'Decade of Decadence’ (1991)

39. “Fight For Your Rights” - ‘Theatre of Pain’ (1985)

38. “Bitter Pill” - ‘Greatest Hits’ (1998)

37. “Sick Love Song” - ‘Red, White & Crue’ (2005)

36. “Loveshine” - ‘Motley Crue’ (1994)

35. “Rattlesnake Shake” - ‘Dr. Feelgood’ (1989)

34. “Keep Your Eye On The Money” - ‘Theatre of Pain’ (1985)

33. “Time For Change” - ‘Dr. Feelgood’ (1989)

32. “Power to the Music” - ‘Motley Crue’ (1994)

31. “Raise Your Hands To Rock” - ‘Theatre of Pain’ (1985)

30. “Toast of the Town” - B-Side/’Too Fast For Love’ (2003 Motley Records CD Reissue)

29. “The Dirt (Est. 1981)” - ‘The Dirt Soundtrack’ (2019)

28. “Misunderstood” - ‘Motley Crue’ (1994)

27. “Afraid” - ‘Generation Swine’ (1997)

26. “Come On and Dance” - ‘Too Fast For Love’ (1981)

25. “Hooligan’s Holiday” - ‘Motley Crue’ (1994)

24. “If I Die Tomorrow” - ‘Red, White & Crue’ (2005)

23. “Saints of Los Angeles” - ‘Saints of Los Angeles’ (2008)

22. “Starry Eyes” - ‘Too Fast For Love’ (1981)

21. “Dancing On Glass” - ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’ (1987)

20. “Without You” - ‘Dr. Feelgood’ (1989)

19. “Smokin’ In The Boys Room” - ‘Theatre of Pain’ (1985)

18. “Piece of Your Action” - ‘Too Fast For Love’ (1981)

17. “Tonight (We Need A Lover)” - ‘Theatre of Pain’ (1985)

16. “On With The Show” - ‘Too Fast For Love’ (1981)

15. “Ten Seconds to Love” - ‘Shout At The Devil’ (1983)

14. “Girls, Girls, Girls” - ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’ (1987)

13. “Same Ol’ Situation (S.O.S.)” - ‘Dr. Feelgood’ (1989)

12. “Too Young to Fall in Love” - ‘Shout At The Devil’ (1983)

11. “Too Fast For Love” - ‘Too Fast For Love’ (1981)

10. “Public Enemy #1” - ‘Too Fast For Love’ (1981)

9. “Live Wire” - ‘Too Fast For Love’ (1981)

8. “Primal Scream” - 'Decade of Decadence’ (1991)

7. “Dr. Feelgood” - ‘Dr. Feelgood’ (1989)

6. “Shout At The Devil” - ‘Shout At The Devil’ (1983)

5. “Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)” - ‘Dr. Feelgood’ (1989)

4. “Looks That Kill” - ‘Shout At The Devil’ (1983)

3. “Wild Side” - ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’ (1987)

2. “Home Sweet Home” - ‘Theatre of Pain’ (1985)

1. “Kickstart My Heart” - ‘Dr. Feelgood’ (1989)
