Now remastered with added gut-wrenching bass, this debut album from Motorhead was cut in 1977 over a few speed-driven days at Escape Studio, and it shows. From the opening bass roar of the eponymous title track it is non stop, relentless, churning, brain damaging, heavy rock'n'roll. This is no ponderous heavy metal band fronted by some poodle-headed castrato - no this is the real deal, down dirty and greasy and with its boots firmly rooted in rock'n'roll. Ian 'Lemmy' Kilmister had the right background to finally create Motorhead in 1975. Brought up on rock'n'roll in the 50s he had been a member of the Shel Talmy-produced beat group the Rockin' Vicars, had a stint as roadie for Jimi Hendrix and was then in Roundhouse favourites Sam Gopal's Dream in 1969, before joining the ultimate psychedelic weirdos Hawkwind.
However Lemmy was too much for them and was deported after a slight altercation with customs over substances at the Canadian border. Hawkwind's loss was the world of rock'n'roll's gain as the group, first named Bastard, renamed Motorhead, was founded. The blue touch paper was effectively ignited on a new and lethal approach to 'heavy music', culminating in the spawning of speed metal by the 'bastard children' of Lemmy's brain child.
After a disastrous beginning and a couple of false starts and personnel changes, Motorhead accidentally made an album for Chiswick Records. It started out as a farewell single and ended up as the beginning of a career that continues to this day.
Not only is this issue remastered from the original analogue mixes, bringing out the full frequency, in-your-face grunge, but there is a sleeve note from Chiswick Records supremo Ted Carroll telling the full hair-raising story of the roller coaster ride that was the making of Motorhead by Motorhead. We have added City Kids, the B-side to the Motorhead single and the four cuts that appeared on the later out-takes EP "Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers" released first in 1980.
As Lemmy once said... "If Motorhead moved in next door to you, your lawn would probably die". You better believe it!
By Roger Armstrong
