MOTORHEAD - CLASSIC ALBUM SELECTION
Universal

Regardless of how many albums they produce, or how long the current line up has been together, for many people, Motorhead’s peak period came at the beginning of the 1980s’s, with a series of hit albums and – astonishingly – singles that put the band at the top of the heavy metal tree just as the genre was undergoing a huge revival. Now, those early Bronze Records albums are available in a box set that is considerably cheaper than the previous high-priced collectors edition that had been condemned by the band’s main man Lemmy.

Listening to these early LPs again, it’s fascinating to see how the band developed their sound, and how it quickly became all too generic. At the time, Motorhead really were the fastest, loudest, dirtiest band out there – heard now, they seem almost sedate at times. That’s not a criticism of the band though – time marches on after all, and if it wasn’t for their influence, metal may well have developed in very different directions.

The only really essential album here is Ace of Spades – an album that kicks off with the iconic title track and doesn’t stop for air until the last track. It’s Motorhead personified – loud, grubby, sleazy and brutal. With other classics like (We Are) The Roadcrew and Love Me Like a Reptile, this is most certainly classic stuff, with barely a duff moment throughout.

On the other hand, Bomber is too laden down with plodding blues numbers – only the title track is memorable, the rest likely to be somewhat disappointing to all but the most hardened Lemmy fan.

As for the rest – Overkill is solid enough, though lacking in any stand-out moments, and Iron Fist shows a band already settling into a rut – while the title track is strong (and gave the band their last hit single), the rest is pretty anonymous. It was also the final album to feature guitarist Fast Eddie Clarke, who quit the band in disgust at the recording of Stand By Your Man with Wendy O. Williams. He was replaced by ex-Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson for Another Perfect Day, which is the most disposable album in this set. While certainly not awful, it’s very much representative of a band who had decided on their sound and were sticking with it, no matter what. While fans will point to later tracks that hit the spot – Eat the Rich, Killed By Death – the fact remains that no Motorhead albums were going to reach beyond the hardened fan base from this point onwards (in fact, you wonder how many of the people attending Motorhead gigs have heard any of the stuff they’ve done in the last thirty years).

Also included here is the classic live album No Sleep Til Hammersmith. One of the great live recordings, this is perhaps how Motorhead should be heard – louder, rougher and grubbier than on any studio recording. There have been plenty of live Motorhead recordings since this, but Hammersmith is the only one you need.

A mixed bag for sure, but given the low price, one worth checking out.

DAVID FLINT

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