1145. Ozzy Osbourne + Motorhead / Hellraiser [Single]. 2021. 5/5

“Hellraiser” was written for the Ozzy Osbourne album No More Tears which was released in 1991. It was one of several songs on that album that was co-written not only with guitarist Zakk Wylde, but with Motorhead bassist and frontman Lemmy Kilmister, a role Lemmy performed with several artists through the years. The lyrics are very much about the touring musician, the life on the road, and would have pulled vey much from the trio’s own experiences and feelings about their life and roles.
The version recorded for Ozzy Osbourne’s No More Tears album is typical Osbourne – the high range vocals filled with melodic choruses, rumbling bass and drums and superb soling and riffing from Wylde at his peak. It has always been considered one of the highlights of the album.
Whether it was the success of Ozzy’s song, or whether Lemmy just enjoyed the song itself as it was, but Lemmy was approached to have Motorhead record their own version of the song, which would then be used on the soundtrack of the film Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth - Movie Soundtrack. The Hellraiser films, conceived from the book of the same name by Clive Barker, were the epitome of horror films in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, and so the addition of this version of the song (which appears over the closing credits) was a winning solution. At the same time, the song also appeared on Motorhead’s album March ör Die which was also released in 1992. It is the Motorhead version of the song, with some of the lyrics changed to suit their own metal style and with different solo riff and singing style.

With 2021 being the 30th anniversary of the song appearing on No More Tears, and with Lemmy now having left us some five years ago, to celebrate the moment a new version of the song has been released. Through the wonders of technology, the two versions of the song you have just heard have been spliced together, in order to create a duet between the two great metal vocalists along with the varied versions of the song itself. An animated music video has also been created which really is a joy to watch, and is worth checking out on YouTube if you have not yet seen it.

For me, each version proves just how good a song it is, that it is able to flex and stretch to each different way it has been put together, and to me that suggests just how strong the bones of the song are.

1081. Motörhead / Clean Your Clock [Live]. 2016. 3.5/5

And so here we are, at the end of the road. The final curtain has been drawn and we have the last release from a band that spanned 40 years and inspired several generations of musicians and artists. A live album, a final live album, to round out a discography that managed to continue to be relevant through the multitude of changes in the popularity of music during that time. It’s a chance to listen, to take stock, and to enjoy.

When it comes down to it, this album really only owes its existence to the fact that it was recorded live just six weeks before Lemmy’s untimely death. That may seem like a simplification, but in essence it is the truth. Yes the tour it was recorded on was to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the band’s formation and would no doubt have found its way into our hands at some stage because of that. And though there is a changing of the guard when it comes to the set list – not entirely, but probably enough to just make it interesting in comparison to the great live albums of the band’s past – would most people have been inspired enough to buy it if not for the position it now holds?
That position of course is the last ever professionally recorded material by Motörhead prior to Lemmy’s death and the obvious closure of the band as a result. It’s interest does lie in listening to Lemmy performing a mere six weeks before he was diagnosed with the ravenous cancer that took his life a couple of days after the diagnosis. He had been having health problems for a long time, and many shows in the past 18 months had been cancelled because of it. But on these two days he managed to get through both gigs, and the result of that first night is here.
Nostalgia will always win out in the end, and that is what I feel here. Lemmy is noticeably weaker vocally than in the past, and it isn’t just age that is wearying him. The DVD video of this gig shows a man who is wasting away in front of your eyes, and that does come across in the music here. Not so much that it destroys the songs, but in comparison to even the dual live releases of 4-5 years ago it isn’t the same. Still, to hear “When the Sky Comes Looking For You” from the Bad Magic album and “Lost Woman Blues” from the Aftershock album is worth it.

An era ends and it’s a sad way to go. But perhaps this album is a fitting way to do so. Motörhead was always known as a live band, THE live band. They played for their fans and gave their all on stage. Motörhead performed only nine times more after this gig, which gives this recording a special place in music history. It may not be the best live album you will ever hear, but it’s one you should listen to at least once and reflect on the legacy that Motörhead left on the world of music.

Rating: “Only way to feel the noise is when it's good and loud, so good you can't believe it's screaming with the crowd”. 3.5/5

1080. Motörhead / The Wörld Is Ours - Vol 2: Anyplace Crazy As Anywhere Else [Live]. 2012. 4/5

Much like I said in my review for the previous album, the positives and negatives of live album releases are many and varied. There is little doubt that if a band is going to make a habit of making live releases – something Motörhead has become proficient in over the years – then the material must good enough to encourage the fan to part with their hard earned cash to buy them. This relates not just to the quality of the performances themselves, but the material of which they are performing. A boring live performance makes no one happy.

Putting aside the good things for the moment, there are a couple of problems straight up with this release. The fact that it contains their entire performance from Wacken in 2011 is not one of them, but the set list probably is. Apart from a couple of minor changes it is the same set list that they did for the majority of this tour, and therefore almost identical to the set list found on the previous release. This creates a problem for the fan when it comes to buying, because what is here that is any different to what you may already have? What exacerbates this is the material that is brought in to fill out the second CD, because most of it also has been repeated and on this release itself. For goodness sakes, there are THREE separate versions of “Killed By Death” on this album alone, and I love this song, but surely no one needs three versions of it on! It’s nice to hear the band at Sonisphere and at Rock in Rio, but when it is just the same songs we have already heard it could be described as superfluous.

Despite this, the whole package is another very good live album. The band sounds great, though Lemmy’s vocals do at times sound like they have been given a heavy workout. The idea of recording the tour thoroughly, and giving the fans the chance to hear material from six different concerts over the course of that time is noteworthy. You just have to be up for hearing those songs on multiple occasions. And that’s not always an easy thing to do.

Rating: “We are Motörhead, and we play fucking rock and roll!”.  4/5

1079. Motörhead / The Wörld Is Ours - Vol 1: Everywhere Further Than Everyplace Else [Live]. 2011. 4/5

There are positives and negatives of releasing a live album. But when it comes to a regular litany of live releases the major problem you have is ensuring each has a uniqueness that enables it to be different from the previous live album or the future live album, so that you can maximise the sales. Because let’s face it, if you are only playing the same songs live all the time, then just how do you expect to sell live albums? This is just one of the questions that needs to be acted on when you are on the verge of releasing two live albums, almost back to back.

The Wörld Is Ours - Vol 1: Everywhere Further Than Everyplace Else was recorded over the first half of the tour that followed the release of the album The Wörld Is Yours. With the studio album, this album and the follow up live album it gave Motörhead three years with consecutive album releases, enough for even the most diehard fan to digest.
There are three parts to the two CD collection. It has the entire 17 song setlist from Santiago, Chile in April 2011, with the four final song taking up the first part of the second CD. It contains two songs off the new album (“Get Back in Line” and “I Know How to Die”), two from the previous album Motörizer (“Rock Out” and “The Thousand Names of God”) and one from Inferno (“In the Name of Tragedy”). The remainder are all from the distant past and are mostly classed as the fan favourites.
The remainder of the second CD is filled with songs from two other shows, one in New York and one in Manchester. While there are a few different songs here than were played in Chile, there are also a few double-ups, which seems a little strange for a release such as this. I don’t have a problem with the band filling space with different songs from places they have played on tour, but the same song? It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

Is this a good live album? Well yes, it is. It fulfills the brief by having new material the band is touring on and the great songs. The question could be asked though as to whether it could be better? Possibly, but that precludes the fact that there are plenty of songs from the band’s back catalogue that I would have liked to have heard. That’s not what this is about. It is a faithful recording of this tour – the first half anyway – and for that it is well worth the effort.

Rating: “You know me, you can't resist, Devil's grip, the iron fist”. 4/5

1078. Motörhead / The Wörld Is Yours. 2010. 3.5/5

Having reached into their fifth decade as a band the ability to stay relevant probably hasn’t ever been at the forefront of the minds of these three gentlemen. From the outside it always appears that they go into the studio and lay down the songs they have inside them at the time. The fact is that by staying true to themselves they have done more to keep their sound alive than they could have by looking for a constant shift in style. And as such they presented as their first album of the 2010’s the disc entitled The Wörld Is Yours.

My immediate reflection was that this is a much more rock ‘n’ roll based album than the band has produced for some time. Since the acquisition of Cameron Webb as producer, a man who has looked to bring out the more heavy and perhaps aggressive side of the music, this is much the direction that the songs have come out. And that isn’t to suggest that this is lacking in either of those elements, it is just that the songs do have that old rock melody infused back into them, something that hasn’t necessarily been the case for some time. Here, at least, is an element that can be used to differentiate this album from the other recent releases. At least one of the titles of the tracks, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Music”, sort of makes this a dead giveaway, and this is the most rock ‘n’ roll track of the album.
So with the sound of this album generally pulled back into that rock rhythm, and without any songs that would be called out and out heavy and without any tracks that could be called ballads, we have a Motörhead album that doesn’t have that kind of experimentation. Instead we have ten tracks that settle for that comfortable middle ground that the band does so well, in the style that is the best attribute of the three piece.
“Born to Lose” is a title that has been decades in the making coming as it does from one of Lemmy’s favourite quotes, but it makes for a good opening track. “I Know How to Die” may well be seen to be prophetic in 2018, but more than that it is the upbeat tempo and fun song style that makes the best Motörhead albums. Ditto for “Get Back in Line” and “Devils in My Head” which goes at the same tempo and is fun to sing along to.
“Waiting for the Snake” and “Brotherhood of Man” are the two songs here that are a little off-template in comparison to the others. “Waiting for the Snake” is almost AC/DC-like throughout, holding on to its rhythm pattern all the way through. “Brotherhood of Man” on the other hand has a very “Orgasmatron” guitar sound to, and seems like either a sister track or an effort to revisit that sound from that album. The album then rushes to a conclusion, with “Outlaw” charging hard with drums and guitars blazing. “I Know What You Need” is a cracking track, being one of the harder songs on the album, while the closer “Bye Bye Bitch Bye Bye” leaves noting to the imagination and ends the disc on a highly positive note (musically at least).
While there has been a steady trend in Motorhead’s albums over the previous decade, the ones that stand out from the pack are the ones that have that consistent tempo that is not necessarily super-fast but higher than average through the songs, have Mikkey’s drums standing out in the mix, have Lemmy’s bass leading the rhythm rather than being just a part of it, have Phil’s solo’s and riffs forward and starkly in the mix, and Lemmy’s vocals being strong and bold. All of those boxes get ticked on The Wörld Is Yours.

Motörhead aren’t reinventing the wheel on this album, but perhaps you could say they have at least have a wheel alignment. The extremities have been shaved off, leaving just the good stuff in the middle. And no matter how you felt about those extremities this album is enjoyable just for the fact that they aren’t there this time around. It’s a comfortable release from a band that knows how to do what it does well.

Rating: “I know what you are, I know what you need”. 3.5/5

1077. Motörhead / Motörizer. 2008. 3/5

Keeping up with their regimented routine of releasing new albums on an almost clockwork regularity, Motörhead brought forth the next album in their growing discography in Motörizer toward the end of the first decade of the new millennium. It is perhaps fair to say that this is about the only thing that is ‘new’ about it. Sure, it contains eleven new songs, and for the most part they are good songs, but there isn’t a lot that could be said to be new about them. As always, and especially with this band, that doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with them. It all just comes down to a matter of taste, and whether too much of something can end up being too much.

If you’ve listened to a Motörhead album sometime in the past forty years then there is a fair chance that you will recognise the way that most of these songs are set out. There is a formula that can be heard, a framework that sometimes gets stretched or moulded by rarely gets strayed from too far. As long as that is done well, and you can feel the energy flowing from the songs then there really is no problem because the music is what is important. This has been a constant throughout the band’s career, and perhaps most especially since the 1990’s when the band reverted back to the three piece it is on this album, and the line-up that has now been stable since that time. Of all of those album released since Sacrifice, there have been some really good albums, and then just some average albums. The level of intensity in the songs on those albums have been the difference, not the writing itself, as the template has rarely differed.
This is when I sit with Motörizer. That danger of doing album after album that in essence has the same formula with a couple of changes, is that there will be times when it doesn’t have enough inspiration of enough twist or turns to really attract either the new or old fans alike. And for me on this album, it has hit the point where I think I have heard better on more recent albums than this one. I make no secret of the fact that I prefer the songs that are faster and harder, whereas most of this album sits back in a more comfortable tempo that that, and as a result I think the energy doesn’t come flowing through as it does with other releases.
I’ve listened to the album more than half a dozen times over the last couple of days, the first time I have done so since its release ten years ago. I remember first getting the album and give it the mandatory number of listens that a new album gets before I can decide what level it goes to, one that will continue to get multiple spins or one that returns to the cabinet. At the time, it returned to the cabinet. Over the last few days, I can still appreciate it for what it is – a middle-of-the-road Motörhead album. “Runaround Man” and “Teach You How to Sing the Blues” open the album well enough, full of a solid drum beat and hard running guitar riff and grating vocals that always provide for enjoyment. After some average tracks “Buried Alive” brings it back to life by upping the tempo again and reinvigorating the energy levels of the album. “Rock Out” and “Heroes” are enjoyable enough songs, while “The Thousand Names of God” ends the album on a positive note.

The problem here is that there is nothing that is absolutely memorable, a song that immediately lights up the album and allows you to find a point to get into the whole tracklist. There are some good songs and there are some average songs. They are not bad, just average. And that is where this album sits with me now.

Rating:  “The war is never over”.  3/5

1076. Motörhead / Live at Brixton Academy: The Complete Concert. 2003. 5/5

There are moments in a band’s career that are worthy of celebrating a milestone. Having toured and recorded for 25 years is one of those milestones worth remembering. This is what faced Motörhead as they approached the new millennium, and a celebratory concert which not only had a terrific set list but the addition of some special guests is not a bad way to do it. Recorded for posterity, this is what we have with Live at Brixton Academy: The Complete Concert.

For anyone who picked up a copy of the band’s previous live album, Everything Louder Than Everyone Else, there is not a lot new for you. The setlist is slightly changed to incorporate some songs from the We Are Motörhead album which is what they were touring behind at the time. It took three years for this to be released for various reasons, but it is worth it. The performances are just as strong as the other live release, and of course there are a few added surprises.
You can take your pick as to what is the best addition to the line-up, and everyone will have their own opinion. On “Born to Raise Hell” the band are joined by Doro Pesch and Whitfield Crane. While Doro’s appearance could be construed as ‘convenient’, Whitfield of course sang on the version of this song that was released on the soundtrack of the movie Airheads alongside Ice T. Nothing much to write home about here to be honest. Slightly more interesting is the appearance of two songs on “Killed by Death”, with Todd Campbell – son of Phil – and Paul Inder – son of Lemmy – appearing on stage and joining in on guitars and some vocals. This was a nice moment for all involved. For me the best moment is the re-appearance of “Fast” Eddie Clarke, who comes on stage and struts his stuff on “The Chase is Better Than the Catch” as well as the closing “Overkill”. Hearing Clarke play his classic solo in “Overkill” again is worth listening to this album by itself. However, along with those that have already appeared coming back for the final song, it also includes Ace from Skunk Anansie and the legendary Brian May from Queen also coming out and adding their guitars to the mix, making it a real celebration to complete the night.

While the album of this gig is terrific, I recommend trying to find a copy of 25 & Alive: Boneshaker if you can, which is the video of the gig. It is exactly the same as this CD but being able to see the band playing it does add to the experience.

Rating: “We are Motörhead… and we’re here to clean your clock”. 5/5

1075. Motörhead / Kiss of Death. 2006. 3.5/5

For as long as I can remember, the general public line about a new AC/DC album has been “oh well, it will just sound like the last one, they’re all the same”. And in many ways that will be true, because the band has their style and they stick to it, because they know they’re good at it, and they know that people will buy it. And that is the main point, they know what their fans like, and so they give it to them. Which is a roundabout way of me coming to review this Motörhead album, Kiss of Death, because if you’ve heard Motörhead before you already know what is on this album. But the best part is… you know you’ll like it.

Kiss of Death utilises the same producer from their previous album Inferno, Cameron Webb, who actively looked to make a more aggressive album. That has flowed on here to their follow up, with the energy that was prevalent on that release once again coming to the fore here. Everything that you hear on this album is quintessential Motörhead and that’s what makes it a good album still. There is something for everyone but more than that there is something for every fan of the band.
You can break the album up into four sections in order to get the best representation of what is gathered here. There are the fast paced and upbeat songs that draw you in, including the scorching opening track “Sucker”, the excellent “Trigger” and “Sword of Glory”, as well as the bonus track on the CD, the re-recorded tribute to The Ramones, simply entitled “R.A.M.O.N.E.S”. These are the four songs that rip along at that pleasing pace that helps makes Motörhead songs great. Then you have the high energy songs, some of which are faster paced and others that are just pushed out there. These include the head bouncing “One Night Stand”, “Devil I Know”, “Christine”, “Be My Baby” and “Going Down”. From here you are faced with the mid-tempo songs, the ones that are paced back in the rock ‘n’ roll section but are no les enjoyable as a result. Here you will find tracks such as “Under the Gun”, “Living in the Past” and “Kingdom of the Worm”.
Mixed in with all of these tracks is the ballad “God Was Never on Your Side”, another of Lemmy’s lyrical postulations on religion and those that lead and follow within the various forms that exist. It’s an interesting song, both musically as it challenges the band and Lemmy’s vocals and takes them to a position that has been tried before by this band but never really successfully, and lyrically as it highlights conventions that certainly can be questioned. As with previous songs of this genre on other Motörhead albums, I think it tends to pull back the momentum of the album at a crucial time, though on this occasion I do quite like the song itself.

Returning to theme of the opening, there is a lot here that will be familiar to fans and the public at large. Mikkey Dee’s hard banging drums are prevalent as always and are still the driving force behind each song. Phil Campbell’s licks and riffs are as potent as the ever have been, and his punctuating solos just as effective. Riding over the crest of the wave is Lemmy’s unique bass sound and vocals that both still give as much pleasure as they did 30 years previous. So come aboard and enjoy yet another terrific release from a terrific band who fought every conceivable change in music over their career and still found their place in the music world.

Rating: “Living in a nightmare, broken dreams, love turned mean, living in the past”. 3.5/5

1074. Motörhead / Inferno. 2004. 3.5/5

For whatever reason – and there are always a multitude of them – I had never listened to this album until I decided to go through the entire Motörhead discography a couple of months ago. In fact I wasn’t even aware that it existed. I had copies of Hammered and Kiss of Death and a big gap in between them. So discovering that it existed and then tracking down a copy to listen to was a fun experience. I wasn’t sure what I expected when I got it. After all, the mid-2000’s was a tricky time for bands of other eras. What I found was, for the most part, surprising.

“Terminal Show” signals the album’s intentions immediately. This is more than just a rock album, this is hard and heavy and fast, with Phil’s guitar screaming out of the speakers with fire and gusto. “Killers” continues on what is an aggressive theme with the boundlessly hard hitting drums of Mikkey driving the guitars to a head-thumping rhythm. “In the Name of Tragedy” and “Suicide” bring back the intensity of the speed and fall back into the military medium rhythm that is the second home of Motörhead’s music. It is the style that you can easily become bored with over time a the song’s central riff and drum fill pretty much remains the same all the way through the song. In some instances it works, usually on the shorter songs. Here on “Suicide” though, at five minutes plus, it can start to get a bit beyond it by the end of the song.
“Life’s a Bitch” goes in a different direction, starting out almost like an old fashion early day’s Elvis rock song, and that beginning lingers on even once you have moved into the song itself. It’s that riff from Phil that sends through those memories. “Down on Me” is a grittier harder song with Phil’s guitar riffing along hard with Lemmy’s bass and Lemmy’s vocals hard at work as well. “In the Black” continues on in this vein, and doubles down a little with Mikkey’s drums coming in harder and more prominently here. I won’t deny I like this song, though it is a real extension of the Motörhead sound, much heavier than they usually like to play. So too “Fight” which is hard and aggressive. I enjoy this section of the album because it does show a side of the band that they haven’t always portrayed, that real heavy metal side that they have generally shied away from in always suggesting they are a rock ‘n’ roll band. This lifts the harder profile, even if it is only through this section.
“In the Year of the Wolf” and “Keys of the Kingdom” change it up again, but still in a completely enjoyable way, while “Smiling Like a Killer” is actually the most ‘normal’ Motörhead song on the album.
Once you get big enough that you don’t have to worry what anybody thinks about you, you can start to do songs that may be considered out of your normal space by critics and/or fans. This is certainly the case here with the final song on the album, as Lemmy does his best Johnny Cash impersonation with “Whorehouse Blues”, an unapologetic blues number that is the antithesis of every other song on the album. It sticks out like a sore thumb, though given it comes at the very end at least it isn’t sucking the momentum out of the album halfway through. In the end you’ll either enjoy this song or just stop the CD once you get to this point. I am more in favour of the second option.

Motörhead’s career has been littered with albums that have varied as to the amount of harder rock they have utilised. Some come out and are very much straight down the line rock ‘n’ roll with a bit more guitar thrown in, while others have ramped it up a little to move to that harder side of the line. This one has certainly had that harder edge to it, without compromising the style the band has been delivering for three decades. Apart from the obvious couple of songs that steer clear of this pigeon-holing of their sound, this album has a lot to offer for those who like me enjoy that heavier sound.

Rating: “Don't give me that runaround, you know I treat you fine”.   3.5/5

1073. Motörhead / We Are Motörhead. 2000. 4.5/5

As so many bands of the heavy metal genre and their offshoots spent most of the 1990’s decade either trying to find a way to survive, or changing their sound to adapt to the times, or did indeed disappear due to the changes that occurred around them, some bands were able to continue on their merry way, providing the same service that they had. Perhaps they weren’t selling as many albums as they were in the 1980’s, or even selling as many tickets to their shows, but there were a few bands out there that kept pumping out albums with the same regularity and the same style of music as they always had. One of those bands was Motorhead. In fact, during this time the band was being elevated into bigger venues in places such as Japan and South American countries like Argentina. Back home in the UK also, promotors found a resurgence in the popularity of the straightforward hard and heavy music that Motörhead offered, and their live shows continued to be well attended. By this point of their career, the band had moved back to the three-piece outfit that seemed to suit the band best, with Lemmy on bass and vocals as always, and guitarist Phil Campbell and drummer Mikkey Dee making up the trio. So well was the band performing that it was thought that they should put out another live album, but first came their studio album “Snake Bite Love” in March 1998. Going out on tour to support that album they recorded their shows in Hamburg which became the live album “Everything Louder Than Everyone Else”, which captured the trio for posterity in the live setting.
When it came to recording their follow up studio album, the band decided against standing still in their current climate. With the band in demand, they didn’t want to knock back any live work, and so it was a haphazard recording process, firstly taking place between June and August of 1999 in Germany, and then January through March in 2000 in California. The production of the album was also shared through several people. It wasn’t the most natural and normal way to go about writing and recording an album, but then Motorhead had never been a band that did things in a normal way. Eventually it all came together for the band's first album of the new decade and century, and perhaps as a statement to the world the title loudly and proudly proclaimed “We Are Motorhead”.

One of the things Motorhead has always done well is an opening track that brings the energy to the album from the outset, and they succeed with that once again here with “See Me Burning” which starts the album off on the right foot and at the right pace, with Mikkey Dee’s wonderful drum solo opening into super-fast riffing from Phil Campbell and Lemmy’s jumpstarted vocals. Mikkey’s drumming is sensational here, showcasing how important he became for the band as the song rushes along to its conclusion. A great start. This is followed by two terrific typically styled Motorhead tracks. “Slow Dance” pulls itself back into a contemporary Motörhead tempo, setting up a head-bobbing lick and hard rocking riff from Phil Campbell’s guitar. Phil’s lovely heavy riff is the mainstay of the song. Lyrically perhaps it doesn’t hit the heights of the music but it is still a fun song to move along to. “Stay Out of Jail” settles nicely into the next level up in tempo and a great rhythm from Lemmy and Mikkey, with Dee’s drumming in particular creating a perfect hard crashing tempo that gives Phil the base to lay down two great solos that continues on with the harder edge to the album that recent efforts. Three terrific songs, all in slightly differing Motorhead styles, give this album a great start.
There has to be a very good reason for wanting to record a cover of a Sex Pistols song, especially one that is as iconic as “God Save the Queen”. Trying to replicate the attitude of that song is something that is difficult no matter who you are. And if you are Motorhead, why do it? Was it just to fill up the album or was it a tribute to the days when the band first formed and started gigging around? Either way, as covers go, it’s a good one, and Lemmy’s cultured tones and Mikkey’s hard drumming create a great version. Following this the album jumps straight back into high gear with the fast paced and loud “Out to Lunch” which has just about everything that make up the best parts of Motörhead. High tempo, high velocity, great solo licks and the drums driving the song along with plenty of bangs and crashes. This has Lemmy’s favoured old-time rock and roll feel to it as well that even by this stage of the band’s career Lemmy is injecting into songs and making it work perfectly.
Side Two opens with a rumbling roller coaster. While “Wake the Dead” has an unlikely double kick and tom drum rolling drum lineage which dominates the track, lower bottom end vocals range from Lemmy that climb back up to the top as the song progresses give this song its appeal, creating an unusual atmosphere for the band’s usual intense rock sound. Then we break out through the end of the song as Lemmy fast chants his lyrics and with Campbell’s solo spot which sends the track out in style.
If there is a problem song on this album for me (and let’s face it, there is), it is “One More Fucking Time”, and it isn’t because of the title of the track. Everything dials back from the start of the song to that uncomfortable clear slow guitar where Lemmy’s vocals go into an awkward phase where they are trying to reach that ballad tone but can never quite reach it comfortably. And yes it is a ballad, and I do have an aversion to the vast majority of ballad track. And yeah I know, ‘just get over it and accept it for what it is’, and I do. But I still often wonder why the band would play songs like this. Because they want to? Because they think they need to? Because it’s a great idea for their career? I don’t know, but this is a ‘skip’ song if ever I’ve heard one, and that makes it superfluous to an album if you are going to be thinking this from the start. It also is far too long, clocking in at almost seven minutes. It’s a lot to expect the listener to struggle through this. On the other side of the coin, Phil’s guitaring is great and his solo that takes out the song is very much a typical ballad track solo. It’s not such a bad song once you get through it but there are only so many times I want to listen to it. It is so different from the belligerence that the rest of the album exudes that it does halt every track of momentum the album has had to this point.
As a pay-off, the last three songs on the album bring us back to where we ought to be, as the short sharp shock that Motörhead does so well. The way that “Stagefreight / Crash & Burn” immediately does what the title suggests, by crashing back into the best Motorhead tradition of fast paced hard rock is terrific, harnessing the best of Lemmy’s vocals and lyrics as Mikkey crashes along on the drums and Phil hammers along on guitar. Great stuff. “(Wearing Your) Heart on Your Sleeve” rolls along in a different style but still each of the three members deliver the goods. Mikkey’s double kick gives the track some extra oomph while the bass and guitar riff become almost guttural along with Lemmy’s vocals along the way. Then we come to the closing title track of “We Are Motörhead”, the absolute epitome of a Motorhead song, the perfect embellishment of Lemmy’s signature bass tone and riff, backed by the drums and guitar riff that belt along in a song reminiscent of their glory days. And as a song written as a tribute to... themselves, it is a beauty. The attitude, the glory that is Motorhead. A closing track that completes what is one of the best Motor head albums you could hope to listen to.

Heading into their fourth decade as a band, there is little doubt that there would be a lot of pundits out there who would be wondering if Motörhead still had relevance in the music world. Despite a stable lineup and the consistent release of albums every couple of years, was the style of music that Motörhead continued to release really what the kids wanted to hear? Motorhead hadn’t changed. They stuck to what they liked and what they knew they were good at. We are Motorhead, and we play rock and roll. The start of the new century had seen such an upheaval in heavy music over a ten year period, it is hard to think now of how rare a breed Motorhead was at that time. They hadn’t changed with the times, they hadn’t acceded to changes the way many other bands had tried to do. They stuck to their metaphorical guns and kept blazing away. And they had survived. No doubt the three amigos (Mark II) didn’t give a rats arse. And no matter what you thought of the albums that they band had put together during the 1990’s, this was something different. This was something altogether more impressive.
From my own point of view, “We Are Motörhead” is an album to set the record straight as to whether they still had it or not.
It was four or five years after this album was released that I first heard it. I caught up on what seems like a dozen Motorhead albums at that time, which was actually only half a dozen, including live releases. Of those albums, this was the last that I listened to, but it immediately made me sit up and take notice. Because as much as I enjoyed those other albums that I listened to at that time, this one was different. It was a step above. Every song came out of the speakers the way Motorhead albums are supposed to. All three band members were at the top of their form. The songs had all of the variables that create the best Motorhead albums.
Yeah OK. There is one song here that troubles me. And although it offers a counter point to the rest of the album, I truly believe that “One More Fucking Time” is the only song here that stops this album being at the very top of the tree. The blasted ballad, once again dragging down album estimations since 1965.It is the only sore point on an otherwise superlative album.
I’ve had this out of its sleeve again this week, the vinyl version that I added to my collection a couple of years ago, and it has been so much fun having it on in the Metal Cavern all over again. And it is a shame that people out there won’t give this band a good run because they don’t enjoy Lemmy’s vocals (which of course, I do love!). Because the musicianship here from Lemmy himself, but especially from Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee is just fantastic. You should not shortchange these guys, they are wonderful musicians, and they rip it up here in grand style.
Motorhead had a few very obvious high points in their career, and this for me is one of them. They climbed their way through the 1990’s and began the 2000’s with an album that is one of the very best releases of that year. They planted the warpig flag and stated their intent to continue to play rock and roll. And so they did, in grand style. And as Lemmy so rightfully puts it in the song that bears their name, “We are the future baby, used to be the past, we are Motorhead and we don’t have no class”

1072. Motörhead / Snake Bite Love. 1998. 2.5/5

If there is one major factor that you can’t take away from this band, it’s that they never stopped producing albums on a regular basis. For the most part, no more than a couple of years ever separated albums being released. That’s a tough thing to do, to keep finding inspiration and ideas on such a scale as to be able to fill the required volume that an album must have. To keep the quality of the product high enough to convince the fans to keep buying them also takes some ability. Somewhere in that, there has to come a time when the product doesn’t quite stack up, and that either more time should have been taken in either writing or recording the album – or both – or that perhaps there needed to be a longer time between releases to ensure everything was right. Maybe, just maybe, this album is one of those points in time for Motörhead.
In several interviews and books, drummer Mikkey Dee has been vehement in his disappointment with the album as a whole, a couple of songs in particular, and the fact that it had all been done so quickly, without any thought of extending. Dee was quoted as saying an extra three weeks would have allowed the band to produce a ‘great’ album instead of a ‘shit’ album.
The previous album “Overnight Sensation” had been the first written and recorded back as a three piece, and so it was hoped that now that the band had settled on this again, that the writing would turn out as solid. Some quarters suggest that the missing piece of Wurzel’s writing may have been an influence in the changing style of the songs. No matter where opinion may lie, there is little doubt that the result is mixed.

Motörhead has always been at its best for me when the tempo is right and the songs have the right mix of heavy guitar and rock ‘n’ roll feel. For the most part there is very little of that balance here. “Love for Sale” and “Dogs of War” start the album off well enough but don’t light any fire like previous Motörhead albums have. The title track “Snake Bite Love” tries to inject a bit of old-fashioned rock ‘n roll into a heavier riff, while “Assassin” changes up the template but doesn’t really work.
“Take the Blame” that follows is probably the best song on the album. It has that fast pace, with blazing drums from Mikkey Dee in particular that dominate the track underneath Phil’s guitar and Lemmy’s bass and vocals, and the attitude that makes the best Motorhead songs.
“Dead and Gone” however is another Motörhead ballad, a style of genre that seems so alien to a band like Motörhead that it continues to be a surprise whenever I find a song like it on their albums. It just doesn’t fit with them, no matter how well written or played it might be. Certainly, Lemmy’s vocals never suit such a song which isn’t a criticism, it’s just a fact. In my opinion at least.
“Night Side” on the other hand just feels like it was thrown together in about five minutes, both musically and lyrically. In many ways it sums up how the whole album comes across, and it comes back to what has been said by the members of the band in the years since. “Don’t Lie to Me” is a typical Motorhead rock n’ roll song, combining that with a fast paced blues guitar progression that is fun enough to listen to, while “Joy of Labour” settles into that slow tempo that reveals the cracks in anything except top shelf Motörhead songs. Listening to Lemmy struggle over the vocals here makes it tough going.
Still, even these songs don’t quite prepare you for what can only be described as the boredom and sameness of the closing two tracks, “Desperate for You” and “Better Off Dead”. Neither of these songs provide even a glimmer of hope for the album. It’s a standard Motörhead progression while Lemmy’s doubled vocals can’t hide the weak lyrical content. It’s not that they are played poorly, just that they are both pulled from the same playbook that has been worn so thin that there is nothing stylish left. The tempo of the tracks is fine, which is at least a positive, but is no magic here that lifts them to a level that is worth getting excited about.

As it turns out, I had never heard this album until more than a decade after its release. Most of Motorhead tended to vanish from the perimeter for a good number of years, and I more or less stuck with the albums that I already knew rather than seeking out their new material when it was released. It wasn’t until around 2010 that I began to go back and find those albums released in that previous 15 years to see just what the band had put up as their offerings, and it is fair to say there was some gems and some wet molten mud. This one was one of the ones that I had problems with overall. The album is just a solid album. It doesn’t really have any highlights, and songs you would pick out to throw on a playlist for the car of a party. And it has a couple of songs that just make you look for the skip button. Which, of course, in the end, is how the damning aspect of an album can be judged.
The continuing changes in the music scene at the turn of the century had affected many long-term bands, with releases by bands like Metallica and Megadeth in particular dividing fans with the changes they had made. The differences here are not through experimentation of changes in taste in the band, but perhaps just through running out of ideas as to how to best bring forth the music that fans of the band loved. They were also battling it out with industrial metal and nu-metal which was the rising force of popularity at the time, which made it all the more difficult to find yourself heard. Whether this albums suffers most from that, or from rushing too much in the writing and recording to really pull out the average songs and replace them with a variant, or if it was simply just a lack of inspiration, this ends up being only an average album in the band’s discography.

1071. Motörhead / Overnight Sensation. 1996. 3/5

For the first time since the early 1980’s, Motörhead reverted back to being a three piece with the departure of Würzel following the recording of Sacrifice. Along with this the band was still faced with being unfashionable in the current music climate, and the minor changes made to their sound over the past few albums either pleased fans or put them off side. In reference point the title of the album, Overnight Sensation perhaps says as much about the time as anything else.

For me this album splits itself into three compartments. There are the usual, ‘average’, ‘everyday’ Motorhead songs, the ones you know will be a part of every album the band records. Then there are the exceptional songs, the ones that have the right energy and drive that electrify the album. And there are also a couple that stretch the boundaries of the band, and as a result the listener.
“Crazy Like a Fox” is just the perfect Motörhead template, based around a great riff throughout and the underlying rhythm at that pace that makes great hard rock songs perfect for listening to. The title track “Overnight Sensation” fits into this category as well, just a perfect Motörhead hard rock sound. There’s nothing new, but when you hear them you know what band it is. “Murder Show” is one of my favourites, because it has the upbeat, jiving riffing, soloing and singing that make it a pleasure to put on an album and let it entertain you. Short, sharp and memorable.
“I Don’t Believe a Word” is as intriguing a song as it was on its release on this album. Can you call it a ballad? I guess it really is, and though Motörhead’s past examples of such songs are ones that I have never really taken to, this one still grabs me every time I listen to it. The bass line throughout, accompanied by the stagnated riff and the solid drum beat make for an interesting song – but it’s just too damn long! At over six minutes, it does wear thin after a while and it loses a lot of what it builds up through the first half of the song. Strangely enough “Shake the World” mixes things up too, with Mikkey Dee utilising the double kick most of the way through the song which is mirrored by the guitar riff which makes for an unusual and unique sounding song for a Motörhead album.

The rest of the album is pretty much what you would expect. “Civil War” is a good solid opening song. “Eat the Gun” and “Love Can’t Buy You Money” are also good tunes that perhaps just shade the others.
Along with the return to the three piece, Motorhead managed to retain or regain, depending on your viewpoint, the sound that had brought them their fanbase. As could be said about many of their albums, there is nothing overly new or experimental here apart from the two songs mentioned, meaning if you like the band you’ll find enough here to tickle your fancy.

Rating: “Something in humanity is real keen to know, these days everybody gets to go to the murder show”  3/5

1070. Motörhead / Sacrifice. 1995. 3/5

Being an old school hard rock or metal band in the 1990’s became a hard and tough slog, what with the onset of grunge and by extension groove metal and nu-metal. Few of the well-established bands of this genre went through this decade without some sort of change to their own musical direction as a result of what was happening in this regard. Some succeeded despite it, others found it was probably a mistake to follow it. Sacrifice always felt like an attempt to experiment in this fashion, and is either a success or not depending on your own tastes to the revolution.

There seems to be a genuine attempt to move ahead with a ‘modern’ sound on this album, which I guess I can appreciate the reasoning of. The problem I have is that on Bastards they were fighting the grunge movement, and did so by moving back towards the sound that made them the band they are. It didn't sell overly well when it was released, and perhaps this also contributed to deciding to go with an updated sound. For me though a lot of it falls flat here because of that. I didn't - and don't - want to hear Motörhead doing groove metal. I want to hear Motörhead doing Motörhead, which for the most part this album isn't.
The opening salvo of “Sacrifice” and “Sex & Death” starts the album off on a reasonable setting, though even from this early stage you are aware of the changes that have crept it. It is the next three songs where big changes are afoot. “Over Your Shoulder” and “War for War” both share the same guitar distortion sound, but more than that it doesn’t change throughout the song. The grunge feel on “Over Your Shoulder” is incorporated into “War for War” which then brings a groove metal feel with it. Such then is the plight of “Order / Fade to Black” where apart from taking on the 1990’s fascination of slow and grunge-ridden guitar riffs also mixes in pieces of the song where they speed it up to a more likely Motörhead speed, but such is the constant change through the song that it is hard to like.
“Dog Faced Boy” is a better song on the album at a good speed and utilising a better effect on the guitars and song. “All Gone to Hell” also makes me feel better about what is coming out of the speakers. “Make ‘Em Blind” and “Don’t Waste Your Time” try to be more like the late 80’s band we know, especially the latter song that utilises rockabilly guitar and piano all thrown into the mix to bring the rock sound back to what Lemmy enjoys best.
“In Another Time” returns to the guitar sound of the earlier tracks, while “Out of the Sun” finishes the album in style with the Phil Campbell solos on this song the most Motörhead solos on the whole album. It actually reminds you that this IS a Motörhead album and not a 90’s knockoff. All of the tracks are short, sharp, belligerent songs, which means that you don’t dwell too much on the fallibility of much of the album which perhaps is for the best.

Apart from the noted trouble the band had with guitarist Wurzel on this album, such that this ended up being the last album he was a part of, this was a comedown for me after the repaired excellence of Bastards. Comparing that to this for me is a chalk and cheese moment. There are moment here that feel worthy of being a part of the extended legacy that the band has made for itself, but there are too many moments where I am left wondering where they saw themselves going at this part of their career. Better was to come once they had rediscovered their roots.

Rating: “And all our yesterdays are now undone, out of the sun”  3/5

1069. Motörhead / Nö Sleep at All. 1988. 4.5/5

The mid-to-late period of the 1980’s decade was a time of rebuilding for Motorhead. Problems with record companies during the time meant that the distribution of the albums they recorded was always hampered, and with the ever-evolving style of music also becoming a factor, the relevance of the band to the next generation was also proving to be a tough call for the band. The band continued to record and tour, and it became the band’s live shows that were their saving grace at this time, as crowds continued to turn up to watch and sing along to the classic songs the band had produced during the late 1970’s and into the early years of the 1980’s.
No matter what fans of the band thought about the material that was being released on the studio albums throughout the majority of the decade of the 1980’s, there was still little doubt that as a live band Motörhead was still the ace in the pack (slightly pun intended). The band’s groundbreaking live album “No Sleep Til Hammersmith” is still regarded as one of the best live albums ever in the heavy metal genre, and it had covered the best of the band’s material up to its release. By the time we had reached 1988 however, there were new albums and newer material that had not received this treatment, and with the band at a crossroads in regards to album sales, there is little doubt that a new live album would have had the accountants eyes spinning. The disagreements between the band and its label continued as a result of this however. The band had wanted to release the song “Traitor” as the live single from the album, whereas their label overruled them and decided to release the money hoarding favourite “Ace of Spades”. The band refused, and thus those singles printed were unable to be released. This, along with several other matters, had the band fighting to get out of its contract for the next three years, something that stalled any further releases from the band in that period. It was not he first nor last time Motorhead had these kinds of problems, and it made for a stressful time for all involved.

Given this version of the band had been mostly responsible for the newer material that the band had recorded, it was only logical that they like to be recorded in the live environment. Motorhead had already done Hammersmith, and most live albums at that time had similar recording locations. Motorhead decided against that, and this album was recorded at the Giants of Rock Festival in Finland in 1988, something that the Finns lapped up by buying the record in large quantities when it was released. The band also made the decision that this album would be 90% new material, songs that had been written and recorded since that first epic live album was released. And for that makes this a much better album than it would have been with a 50/50 mix. Obviously, they had to include a couple of the great songs in their setlist for the concert, and what better ones to include than “Ace of Spades” and “Overkill”, both of which are killer versions here. The remainder of the setlist and therefore the album tracks are songs taken from the recent albums of release at the time.
What is immediately noticeable is that the newer songs all sound immensely better live than on their studio versions, and it made me wonder that perhaps with a little less rush and a bit more time to get the songs in the right framework that perhaps those couple of albums would have been better. Both of those albums where the majority of these songs come from, “Orgasmatron” and “Rock n Roll”, suffered from the short time span allotted to them being written and recorded, and listening to those songs here you get a much better picture of how they SHOULD sound. Still, beggars can’t be choosers, and there is no doubt that for me songs such as “Doctor Rock”, “Traitor” and “Dogs” are infinitely better on this release than their original studio release. I really enjoy them here, and the band does a great job in bringing the live interpretation to the stage. I am less impressed with “Just Cos You Got the Power”, song that turned up on the B side to the single release of “Eat the Rich”. It drags on far too long for a Motorhead track and doesn’t have the same energy that the other songs do here. It was misplaced. For me it is on a similar level to “Metropolis” which appears as a bonus track on some editions of the album. It has never been a favourite of mine.
The second half of the album is just as good as the first half, with terrific versions of “Eat the Rich” and the powerful “Built for Speed” leading into a cracking version of “Deaf Forever”. This is the best part of a live album, showcasing not only the older well-known songs but showing that the newer material still stands up great on stage. I feel fortunate that I discovered these songs before hearing them on this live album, as they possibly would have been destroyed for me if I had been used to their live versions before hearing the studio versions. Speaking of older material, the album concludes with brilliant versions of “Killed by Death” and “Overkill”, making for a terrific live album in the process.

We’ve been over this ground before but let's do it again. When you get a live album, it should almost always be a 5/5 experience, because you should have the band’s best songs in their perfect environment. “No Sleep at All” is no different from that template. The fact that almost every song here has not been released on a live album before makes it a perfect companion piece to the brilliant “No Sleep til Hammersmith” because there are only two repeat tracks, and they are both brilliant anyway. And as I’ve mentioned before, it showcases just how good the material is from those much maligned Motorhead albums “Orgasmatron” and “Rock n Rock”, because all of the versions here (apart from that B side) are sensational. The album showcases this terrific foursome, the version of Motorhead when they had two guitarists, in their best light. Both Wurzel and Phil Campbell play off each other nicely hear and are great to listen to. Phil Taylor still has his best foot forward on drums, and Lemmy is in top form throughout.
I, for some reason or another that I can’t recall now, didn’t listen much to Motorhead live albums, I tended to stick with the studio material that I knew so well, so it wasn’t until later on that I listened to the (now many) live album catalogue. And while everyone agrees “No Sleep til Hammersmith” is their pinnacle, this album really isn’t that far behind. When I first got it, I played it a lot, firstly because the versions of the songs here are awesome, but also because it IS an era that gets passed over, and this album proves that it isn’t anywhere near as ordinary as is sometimes spoken of.
There had been a varying reception for the previous four Motörhead albums prior to this, and given that most of the material on this live album is from those albums, you can expect that its reception would also be varied. I think it is the perfect example where a live album can introduce people who may have only gotten this album for “Ace of Spades” and “Overkill” to newer songs that they mightn’t know, and allow them to discover just how good the new material (some of it at least) is, and perhaps go back and have another listen to it. Apart from my stated hesitation for a couple of tracks I think this is a belting album and is the perfect addition to Motörhead’s discography, given it doesn’t just repeat what had come before on “No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith”, it complements it perfectly.

1068. Motörhead / Rock 'n' Roll. 1987. 2.5/5

Ten years on form their eponymous debut album and Motörhead had seen the highs and they had seen the lows. Whereas the first five years after that debut release had been filled with big crowds and high adrenaline songs that forced their way into the public perception, the following five years had been dominated by band changes, genre changes and perhaps the feeling that the younger bands in the market were starting to go past them both musically and in popularity. Whether or not they needed to stay relevant was perhaps only a part of the question. Certainly the best way to regain any lost ground was to put out an album that recaptured the imagination of their fans and kept their music out there in amongst the growing torrents that included thrash metal and hair metal. To be honest, Rock 'n' Roll got swallowed in the stampede.

At a time when bands with as varied music selection such as Iron Maiden, Metallica, Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe and Bon Jovi were storming the charts and airwaves, Motörhead’s new album was lost in the tidal wave. In fact, the only way I had any idea that it was out in the market was from the single “Eat the Rich”, which had its video playing on the music video shows at the time of these other band’s videos. It actually became something of amusement for myself and my mates through the lyric:

“Come on baby, eat the rich,
Put the bite on the son of a bitch
Don't mess around, don't give me no switch,
C'mon baby eat the rich
C'mon baby eat the rich”

The problem being was that this created mirth and laughter rather than fist pumping and head banging. And once I heard the album, this is what it lacked all the way through. The album is titled Rock 'n' Roll but did it contain anything that was really exciting for the punters out there wanting to listen? When I first got it, I was comparing it to Master of Puppets, Somewhere in Time, Hysteria, Slippery When Wet, Girls, Girls, Girls and Dream Evil. All very different albums of different genres of metal and hard rock, but each of them lapped this album, and left it fumbling in their wake.

30 years later, and though I can now listen to it without having to compare it to the other albums I was listening to at the same time, it still hasn’t grown on me any more since. The up-tempo vibe is a positive, but there is very little in the way of a hook or a grab to drag you into the album and give you a counterpoint to use to find real enjoyment. “Eat the Rich” is the only song I can really say stands out for me on the album, and that is only because of that video and that lyric from all those years ago. Thankfully it wasn’t the end for the band, because there are still very worthwhile albums that followed this down the track, but this one has never been one of them for me.

Rating: “Crossed the ocean in a silver bird, flying into another world”. 2.5/5

1067. Motörhead / Orgasmatron. 1986. 3/5

It was a turbulent time for Motörhead through the middle part of the 1980’s. The band had lost guitarist Eddie Clarke, who had been replaced by Brian Robertson and who had then been dismissed himself after the tour following the previous album. This led to long term drummer Phil Taylor also handing in his resignation, and along with now no longer having a record contract they were tough times for a band that was being nominated as a major influence on every new heavy band coming into the market. By the time the smoke had cleared Motörhead had not one but two new guitarists along with a new drummer, and the album that came to fruition from all of this was Orgasmatron.

Given the differences in style that seemed to cruel the last album to the ears of fans and critics, you can probably understand the direction that this album went in. The addition of two guitarists increased the wall of noise coming out of the stereo speakers, and while it isn’t necessarily a fuller sound it most certainly is a different guitar sound again. In some songs it comes across as similar to many Motörhead classics, but in other places the phasing and distortion and pedal effects make themselves present right in the front of the mix. The title track and closing song “Orgasmatron” is one of the best examples of this. Not only is the tempo dropped to a slow crawl, the guitars are distorted and twisted and creating what is a unique sound for a Motörhead song, while Lemmy intones about his thoughts on the hypocrisy of religion, politics and war. It is unusual when you first hear it, and it does take some time to get used to it, but once you do it is enjoyable. “Doctor Rock” is a more straight forward rock song that the band likes to play, though is another where I find the unusual format hinders my liking of the song. Add to this “Claw”, which not only integrates the same sort of song arrangement but then has Lemmy screaming the title throughout the final third of the song. I still feel that on Another Perfect Day Lemmy’s vocals never sounded better. Here though, and especially on these two songs, it feels that he’s deliberately trying to steer clear of that, and to me it is an overreach.
There are some great classic tracks here though, even if most of them have been forgotten over the years by some fans. The opening track “Deaf Forever” is a beauty, cranking along in old school Motörhead style that is a pleasure to listen to. “Nothing Up My Sleeve” and “Ain’t My Crime” also get the album off to a great start. “Mean Machine” is one of the better songs and yet I have always felt that it could have been better, that it just lack a spark that could have lifted it even more. The opening to side two of the album is excellent, with the opening riff of “Built For Speed” reeling back in the doubters and producing a headbanging action with immediate effect. This is followed by “Ridin’ With the Driver” which is also at the right tempo and energy to keep the album moving, and then finished off with the aforementioned “Doctor Rock” and “Orgasmatron”.

This album is a grower, and like most of the albums Motörhead released in the 80’s and 90’s sometimes you have to be in the right mood to appreciate them. Another Perfect Day sounded great from all aspects but the songs didn’t quite resonate. On Orgasmatron the sound is perhaps closer to the base Motörhead sound but is still different enough to stand apart. I am still about 50/50 as to where this stands with me overall. As a first outing for the second coming of Motörhead the band it does promise more than it probably delivers in the end.

Rating: “March or croak, flame and smoke, burn forever in eternal pain”. 3/5

1066. Motörhead / On Parole. 1979. 2.5/5

As all fans will know, this album was the originally recorded, going-to-be-debut-album from Motörhead, that was shelved by the record company because they feared it was not going to sell. It was from this that, a year later, most of this material was re-recorded on another label and released as the eponymously titled debut album. Following the success of this and the follow up album, there was an obvious cash-grab available for this and so it was released to the public without the band’s endorsement. I guess that is the music business for you. Still, in a day and age where it is regular business to release demo versions of songs from albums for the public to listen to, this becomes an interesting exercise in comparing two close eras of the band.

These original recordings had Larry Wallis on guitar, and a fairly different recording and mastering from what occurred on the debut album. Whereas the sound on Motörhead utilises a heavier sound and with more influences steeped in the punk evolution, here on On Parole the sound of the songs is actually quite clean, and much more in the style of rock than any harder variations of the genre. The lyrics certainly may not be of a similar softer standard and they probably still keep this apart from the usual rock song anthem quality, but the difference in the music in there for everyone to hear. In the end it doesn’t change things dramatically, as the good songs are still good here, though it does perhaps leave the lesser songs with a higher mountain to climb. The other major factor apart from the cleaner sound is the guitar. While Wallis is serviceable here, he is not in the same class as Eddie Clarke and his ability to own the song. If nothing else, the change of guitarists following the non-release of this album initially improved the band no end.
Five of the songs here made the final cut when the debut was re-recorded, and they are the best songs on show. They were the three songs that Lemmy was involved in writing – the legendary “Motörhead”, as well as “The Watcher” and “Lost Johnny” – the song co-written by drummer Phil Taylor, “Iron Horse/Born to Lose”, and the Wallis penned song “Vibrator”. Some of the others featured on B-sides and other small releases while some would have vanished from the face of the planet if this hadn’t been released in the long run.

Whether or not you believe this should be considered as a part of the full Motörhead discography – personally I don’t include it – it does provide a glimpse of what may have been, and just what a difference a bit of tweaking can do with a band’s sound. As a moment in history it is probably worth more than as an individual release.

Rating: “On iron horse he flies, on iron horse he gladly dies”. 2.5/5

1065. Motörhead / No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith. 1981. 4.5/5

It tends to follow in a band’s career that once you have released three or four studio albums the band is comfortable enough in itself and in its craft that it decides the time has arrived to release a live album. Why? Well a live album shows the real talent of the band, the ability to relate to their audience, and the ability to showcase the songs they have spent time on in a studio and examine just how they sound in the live environment, which is where a band spends most of its life. And so it was with Motörhead when they brought out this album No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith.

No doubt Motörhead was always a live band. I say this not having had the pleasure to see them live, but they built their reputation on loud raucous shows which is what enabled them to get a record deal in the first place. So the usual problems with recording a live show now come to pass. Firstly, to try and transfer the energy and sheer belligerence of a live show onto vinyl and not lose the impact, and to have a great set list that will showcase the very best that the band has to offer.
So how does No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith stack up? On the first point it is difficult for me to judge not having seen them live to compare, but to my ears this sounds great. The band sounds great, the mix is right, and the crowd noise is at the right level, not overbearing the songs not in the background. It is noticeable the lack of banter from the band between songs, but perhaps that just got taken out in the editing process.
In regards to the set list, that’s another matter. The band had the best songs from four albums to choose from, not only for their touring list but for what they wanted to put on this album. And many of them are their very best. The opening blazing of “Ace of Spades” into the rocking “Stay Clean”. The speed of “The Hammer”, the spitting of “No Class” and the excellence of “Overkill”. The tribute of “(We Are) The Road Crew” and the great finish of “Bomber” and “Motörhead”. All of these songs are terrific. But then the middle gets a little dreary with “Iron Horse” and “Capricorn” and “Metropolis”. Surely “Damage Case” had to be in there? Still, those three songs do sound better live than I would say they do on the studio versions, but for me they just pull this back a little from greatness.

As a live moment in time, capturing the band at one of their theoretical peaks, this is a great listen, and it doesn’t muck around either, 40 minutes from start to finish. It perhaps cannot fully reflect the greatness of Motörhead as a live band, but it comes as close as you are going to get.

Rating: “Another beer is what I need, another gig my ears bleed”. 4.5/5

1063. Motörhead / Motörhead. 1977. 3.5/5

I wonder how many people there are out there whose first ever experience with the band Motörhead is their actual debut album, also entitled Motörhead? I know it wasn’t mine. That was the privilege of the Ace of Spades album like I’m sure it was for many. Indeed it wasn’t for many years that I finally got around to getting a copy of the album and actually listening to it and discovering just what kind of a start the band had made back in the day. And while many people seem to have differing opinion in regards to its quality, I’m not sure I agree.

There’s little left to the imagination by the lyrics of most of the songs. Lemmy’s concordance with drugs is right there for everyone to see in songs such as the title track “Motörhead” and “White Line Fever” and “Keep Us on the Road”. So too in the classic “Iron Horse/Born to Lose”. It is a cavalcade of lyrical exposition, and no doubt would have given a lot of parents at the time some concerns (I guess in the long run it probably would now too). The Larry Wallis penned “Vibrator” is also straight forward in what is being sung about. They mightn’t be writing poetry here but then the Beatles did the same thing, just about girls. Didn’t they?
Motörhead has a uniqueness about it, which is played out perfectly on this first album. The three piece, consisting of Lemmy on bass and vocals, Fast Eddie on guitar and Philthy Taylor on drums, are the epitome of a three piece band. They are loud, raucous and constantly in action. No time to simply strum while your partner solos away in a three piece band, each one of the members has to be contributing at all times to keep the songs moving, and they do that perfectly here. And the uniqueness of each individuals sound is so prevalent here that it sets up the following albums to exploit that. Clarke’s ringing guitar sound, Lemmy’s ‘nang-a-nang’ bass lines and Taylor’s perpetual drumming are classically highlighted here. Sure, the mix and sound mightn’t be A1 in quality, but isn’t the rawness of the material what helps make this album – and indeed the band – what it is? To be fair I think the opinions of those that pass this off because of production issues are overrated. This is part of what makes Motörhead the band they are, a grungy gravelly musical exposition. “Keep Us on the Road” is the perfect example of how I see the band in those days. Whenever I hear the song I can almost see them in that pub environment, crowd squeezed in and loving the band as it sounds.

Given that the album was recorded mostly over a 24 hour period, before a few days were added to help expand the material, this still sounds great today, despite what some experts may tell you. I love the fact that it sounds like a band firing on all cylinders in an effort to get as many songs recorded in as short a time as possible. Certainly the band must have sounded different in a live environment than they do on this album, but that’s what makes this so enjoyable, because it’s laid down in a couple of takes and that’s what you get. Better was to come there’s no doubt about that, but as an opening performance this still has plenty to enjoy.

Rating: “We began at the beginning, moving high and moving fast”. 3.5/5

1028. Motörhead / Under Cöver. 2017. 4/5

With the demise of most of the band, and most importantly Lemmy himself, there was going to be few opportunities to cash in on the Motörhead name going forward. This collection of cover songs, collected from the past 25 years, is not something new. Most fans of the band will either already own these songs on other publications or will have heard them at some time. It is a chance to bring them all together in one album, though in this age of digital music and playlist most could have done it themselves if the mood had hit them. But enough of this negative stuff. It is a Motörhead album after all.

Even with this band, you would have to be hard pressed to believe that some of the songs that they perform here they could pull off in a manner that befits the original. Probably the best case in point is the first song on the disc, Judas Priest’s “Breaking the Law”. There is no way Lemmy is going to match Rob in the vocal range. But what the band does, as it so often does, is make this into a quite serviceable hard rock song, with a slower but perfectly formed tempo, and the vocals dominating over the top. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but you can believe it is a simplified song done simply and well. The same applies with the Sex Pistols’ “God Save the Queen”, where Mikkey Dee’s metronomic drumming takes centre stage, once again keeping a perfect tempo that Lemmy and Phil Campbell perfectly complement the song. It takes the furiously crazy original version and turns it into a perfectly good hard rock song with almost no effort whatsoever. Terrific. It’s a tougher gig taking on a David Bowie song, in a lot of ways but mostly vocally, but that doesn’t stop the trio taking on his “Heroes”. But the technique is used again, disposing of much of the 1970’s antiquity of the song and using the solid base of the Motörhead sound to recreate the song in their image. Okay, so maybe this doesn’t work as well as the first two songs, but this version does grow on you in time. That Lemmy and David passed away within two weeks of each other is perhaps the saddest part of all.
Rainbow’s “Starstruck” was recorded for the Ronnie James Dio tribute album Ronnie James Dio: This Is Your Life, and features Saxon’s Biff Byford on lead vocals. This is a rollicking version of the original track, with Lemmy providing the back-up vocals during the chorus. Neither is an RJD on vocals but it is a fun version all the same. Ted Nugent’s “Cat Scratch Fever” comes from the March ör Die album, and has never been a favourite of mine. I don’t particularly like the song which makes it hard to like this version at all. Then come two Rolling Stones favourites, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and “Sympathy For the Devil”. Both are done faithfully to the original versions though with that Motörhead twang.
“Hellraiser” has always been a fan favourite. Co-written by Lemmy with Zakk Wylde and Ozzy Osbourne, both did versions on their respective albums, March ör Die and No More Tears. Motörhead’s version is both different enough and original enough to hold its own against Ozzy’s version, and was also on the Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth - Movie Soundtrack. Both The Ramones cover of “Rockaway Beach” and the Twisted Sister cover “Shoot ‘Em Down” are serviceable without being anything but what they claim. The star attraction is the cover of Metallica’s “Whiplash”. What Motörhead did here with this cover was brilliant. They literally turned it into a Motörhead song, completed with Lemmy’s recognisable bass run and the changing of the lyrics in the final verse. It is a masterpiece and rivals the original version for magnificence. This is the one song every fan must hear if they haven’t because it truly defines who Motörhead is.

As with all albums that are full of cover versions of other bands’ songs, this is an interest piece, and your interest will wane over time. A week perhaps, or a month. Eventually you will want to go back to hearing the original versions of these songs, and this album will return to your collection and sit there for a very long time before it sees the light of day again. As a curiosity this is fine. As a long-term listener, it is not going to last in the end.

Rating:  “Never stop, never quit, we are Motörhead”.  4/5