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