Thursday Throwback is a weekly colour scheme inspired by an iconic album cover of yesteryear. This week’s throwback is the 1989 album “Dr. Feelgood” by Mötley Crüe. The colours are as follows:
| Colours | HEX | RGB | HSB | CMYK | LAB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colour 1 | #4C404E | 76, 64, 78 | 291, 18, 31 | 2, 17, 0, 69 | 28, 8, -6 |
| Colour 2 | #C04A56 | 192, 74, 86 | 354, 61, 75 | 0, 61, 55, 24 | 47, 48, 18 |
| Colour 3 | #656D3E | 101, 109, 62 | 70, 43, 43 | 7, 0, 43, 57 | 44, -11, 25 |
| Colour 4 | #A7BFA7 | 167, 191, 167 | 120, 13, 75 | 12, 0, 12, 25 | 74, -12, 9 |
| Colour 5 | #F2F2F2 | 242, 242, 242 | 0, 0, 95 | 0, 0, 0, 5 | 95, 0, 0 |
Dr. Feelgood is the 5th studio album by the American Glam Metal band Mötley Crüe. The album was released on the 28th August 1989 through Elektra Records.
“Dr. Feelgood” was recorded shortly after Mötley Crüe completed drug rehabilitation, marking their first album created entirely sober. Produced by Bob Rock, the sessions took place at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, Canada. The album’s themes reflect the band’s experiences with addiction and recovery, with tracks like “Dr. Feelgood” inspired by encounters with drug dealers and “Kickstart My Heart” drawing from bassist Nikki Sixx’s near-death experience from a heroin overdose.
Initially, the album cover was to feature Allister Fiend as a crazed doctor holding a syringe—a character introduced during the 1983 “Shout At The Devil” era—but this idea was set aside. Instead, tattooist Kevin Brady and artist Don Brautigam collaborated on an iconic design featuring a rock version of the caduceus symbol, which used in US medicine. Brady also modernised the band’s logo for the late 80s.
Upon release, “Dr. Feelgood” achieved immediate commercial success, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and remaining for 114 weeks. It produced five hit singles: “Dr. Feelgood,” “Kickstart My Heart,” “Without You,” “Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away),” and “Same Ol’ Situation (S.O.S.).” The album earned Mötley Crüe their first Grammy nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1990 and went multi-platinum with over six million copies sold in the US alone.
Recognised as one of the greatest hard rock/glam metal albums of the 1980s, it featured in Q magazine’s list of “50 Heaviest Albums of All Time” in 2001 and Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time.” Its polished production influenced many early ’90s rock bands while solidifying Mötley Crüe’s status as defining figures of glam metal.
Today it is regarded as a classic within the rock and metal genres. Songs like “Kickstart My Heart” remain enduring anthems and testaments to Mötley Crüe’s ability to transform personal struggles into compelling music.
Did you like this week’s colour scheme? Do you fancy using it for your next release cover? Then visit the shop or contact the founder!