r/Motorhead

Killer album

Up until a couple months ago, I only knew two Motorhead songs: Ace of Spaces and The Game. I liked both and thought I’d try and get into the band. So I listened to every album multiple times – probably 6-12 times each – to get to grips with the band.

I thought I’d share my thoughts on each album so I’ve ranked them all and lift a mini-review for each. I’d like to hear what people think: what you agree with, what you disagree with, etc.

 

22. Hammered (2002)

Unfortunately, I think this is just a really mediocre album. It’s just kind of plodding and dull without any real song that stands out for me. There’s no real purpose or vision or even a gimmick behind it – it’s just one generic mid-tempo boring song after another. I couldn’t hum one bar or sing one line of lyric from it to you. Actually, I could sing the chorus to Brave New World because it’s just the title repeated over and over.  I’ve got nothing nice to say about the record so I’ll move on.

 

21. Bad Magic (2015)

I feel bad in a way for ranking so low Lemmy’s last album but I just don’t think this record has many high points. It doesn’t have low points either, exactly – it just sort of progresses without either offending or delighting. There’s no song here I really wanted to come back to or even really part of a song I wanted to return to. A lot of these later albums feel like they’ve just been made for the sake of making an album as opposed to having something specific to express or communicate. I don’t hate it but ultimately that’s because it’s not interesting enough to hate – it plays it safe and consequently it’s just okay.

 

20. Motörizer (2008)

For me, this album is just ‘Kiss of Death’ mk.ii, so my thoughts on that album below apply here. I just feel it’s similar but even more generic. The songwriting feels a bit lazy in places – ‘Rock out… with your cock out…’ isn’t exactly Milton.  I like the chorus to English Rose but in general there’s very little about this album I find memorable. I can listen to it and not be unhappy but nothing of it remains with me afterwards. Totally forgettable.

 

19. Aftershock (2013)

An album where I like the style more than the actual content. The bluesy vibe on Lost Woman Blues and Dust and Glass hearkens back to their early days, which is welcome. Do You Believe has a decent chorus and I think Keep Your Powder dry is a good line. It’s just a little generic as an album and doesn’t really stand out in any positive way from the albums surrounding it. Fine but nothing special.

 

18. Sacrifice (1995)

This is the first album where Motorhead go ‘full metal’ after experimenting with it on Bastards. It’s pretty heavy but – full disclosure – I’m not a big fan of heavy. I think the change in style helps shake up a sound that had become stale but it’s only really a mask for what is fundamentally a fall-off in songwriting quality. Ironically, I think the non-metal songs are the better songs on it: Sex and Death, which is a punk song, and Don’t Waste Your Time, which is rock n roll. I don’t think this is a bad album, it’s just lacking the standout songs other albums boast.

 

17. Snake Bite Love (1998)

Despite marking a welcome return to a more old-school style, this album is pretty inconsistent in terms of quality. There’s parts of the album I really like. Love for Sale’s a decent song if a little overlong, I like the backing vocals on Dogs of War, and I think Snake Bite Love has an old-school amorous vibe to it that they lost somewhere along the way. Dead and Gone also strikes the chord they’re going for I think and is probably the best song on the album. In other places, I feel it’s a little weak. Take the Blame, Night Side, and Joy of Labour aren’t going to make many top ten lists. It’s just very mediocre in too many places despite some good songs here and there.

 

16. Motorhead (1977)

It’s a pretty raw record and the Motorhead style is still clearly developing at this stage. At points it’s not quite there yet. Vibrator sounds like a Buzzcocks song, it’s not quite there, and Lost Johnny is still too 70s metal, very by the numbers and lyrically high fallutin. Also, I don’t know if anyone’s noticed this, but The Watcher appears to be a rip-off of Leavin’ Here. But Motorhead the song is good and I love the chorus to Iron Horse. You can hear the roots to Overkill in places like that and so it’s a good album for me, but more in terms of what it promises than what it delivers.

 

15. Kiss of Death (2006)

This was an album I wanted to like more than I did. I think the rock n roll style across is really good but like some other albums around this point in the list, there just isn’t enough standout tracks. I really like Christine – I think that’s probably my favourite song off it. God Was Never is apparently a popular track from it but by this point we’ve had like a hundred ‘God Not Real’ songs from Motorhead and I feel like the theme is pretty much played out by this point. Obviously after 30 years you’re going to end up regurgitating the same stuff but they’re regurgitated it better than they do across this album. It’s fine – perfectly listenable – but a bit bleh.

 

14. The Wörld Is Yours (2010)

It’s probably clear by now that I don’t think they’re last few albums are the most inspired things they ever wrote. But I think this one has a little bit more about it than the rest. ‘Get Back in Line’ is a good line itself and I think Brotherhood of Man is fun as a grim, cynical kind of look at humanity. Outlaw has a good chorus as well – a lot of these songs have good elements but it’s not sustained across the whole track. It stuck with me a little more than the other albums released around this time, which I guess is something.

 

13. March ör Die (1992)

Much like 1916, I classify this album as a bit of an unfortunate detour, at least in places. You can kind of split it across Motorhead songs and ‘Ozzy’ songs – I Ain’t No Nice Guy is a bit contrived but I have to admit it’s not a terrible song. Hellraiser is the best song on the album but it isn’t a Motorhead song for me. Elsewhere, the quality of the songs shows why they made this shift. The actual Motorhead style songs are totally uninspired and basically not worth the mention. March or Die is the most original and best of the lot but it’s a bit of an ordeal – you wouldn’t want to stick it on in the shower. This isn’t an album I can see myself returning to in its entirety.

 

12. 1916 (1991)

I know a lot of people like this album but I’m not a big fan. I think, like a lot of ‘metal’ bands (I know, I know), they realised they needed a new direction by the 90s, but this wasn’t it for me. Where they write ‘Motorhead’ songs, it’s okay – I’m So Bad and Make My Day are decent enough album tracks. Ramones is a fun detour and No Voices is good for a later Motorhead style song. But Love Me Forever is a clear attempt to write a radio-friendly single that I think just sucks. I hate this style of song. I also don’t like the experimental stuff: Nightmare/The Dreamtime is just a miss for me, I don’t actually care for 1916 as a song. I think it’s just grammy bait – as a spoken-word piece, I don’t think it’s particularly original or even all that poignant. It’s been done and done better. Overall, a bit of a swing and miss, but not ‘bad’ as an album.

 

11. Bastards (1993)

I think what’s interesting about this album is the lean towards metal. After teasing a more commercial sound, this is a lot harder record than the couple that preceded it. You can see this especially on Burner and Death or Glory, though they’re still experimenting on songs like We Bring the Shake. For me though, the quality of writing is just ‘okay’. It’s a reinvigorated Motorhead but I’m not sure it’s a substantially better Motorhead. There’s not a lot of standouts on the album for me. Born to Raise Hell is the obvious single and the best song on the album. Don’t Let Daddy is a powerful song but it’s a bit grim, I wouldn’t really want to listen to it that often. It’s an okay album – don’t love it, don’t hate it.

 

10. Inferno (2004)

This is another late-career album with unexpected energy. After the lacklustre Hammered, it seems as though they recovered a bit of impetus with this and it’s got some interesting songs across it. Killers, Life’s a Bitch, and Fight are just album tracks but they’re not generic or boring – this makes it a really easy listen from start to finish. What it’s lacking for me is standout songs. In the Name of Tragedy I think was the single but it’s a little boring I think. Whorehouse Blues is just not for me – I want a bluesy song, but not an actual blues song. In the Year of the Wolf is my favourite track on the album – it’s just a fucking cool song. I don’t love this album but it’s definitely not a chore to listen to.

 

9, We Are Motörhead (2000)

One of the more energetic albums from their later career and I think one of the better. Slow Dance, Stay Out of Jail, and Stagefreight are pretty good tracks, even if they’re not among their best. The title track is the best song on the album in my view and I like the sort of restatement of what Motorhead are about – this is what they do and they’re not shifting from it. I’m not sold on their Sex Pistols cover, which is too close to the original to be interesting, and I think they could have done with another single-quality song. But it’s really good for a band that’s been doing near enough 25 years.

 

8. Rock 'n' Roll (1987)

I think this is easily the weakest of Motorhead’s 80s albums. It’s not bad but the style feels played out by now and it feels as though they’re a bit creatively bereft by this point. Rock n Roll is a good song itself, if a bit simplistic, and I think Eat the Rich and Stone Deaf are okay (minus Michael Palin). Boogeyman has a cool chorus but in general I think the songs are just a bit generic and focused around their titular concept – it’s like they came up with the title and then wrote lyrics around it. I don’t hate it but I’m not a huge fan of it.

 

7. Iron Fist (1982)

To me, this is one of the weaker of the earlier records but still a good album. I think the production lets it down – it feels a bit tinny – and I think they actually rush some of the songs. There’s a certain value in slowing things down and letting the character become a bit more bluesy. It seems like from this point, they become attracted to a certain pace of song that they don’t like to diverge from, and this can leave their songs feeling quite samey. It’s still got some good songs: Iron Fist, Go to Hell, and Speedfreak are my favourites off it. It’s definitely listenable start to finish.

 

6. Orgasmatron (1986)

This album marks the end of a crazy run of great albums for me. I like that they threw in some slower, marching paced ones such as Deaf Forever and Orgamastron, which helps break up the album. They contrast really well with Claw and Riding with the Driver, which are just pacey as fuck and 80s-era Motorhead tracks. I also really like the cheesy Doctor Rock – I think a lot of these more gimmicky songs often fall flat, but I just liked this one. I wouldn’t say this is a ‘special’ or particularly interesting album like some of those ranked above it, but it’s solid all the same.

 

5. Overnight Sensation (1996)

This I think is the last high-quality album Motorhead put out. The album tracks return to Motorhead’s classic style and the songwriting is really strong across them: Civil War, Crazy Like a Fox, Eat the Gun, Murder Show, and Love Can’t Buy You Money aren’t particularly unique or original songs, but they’re just bangers. I Don’t Believe a Word has this plodding, discordant feel to it – it’s a really solid song and hits the mark more so than similar songs they’d tried in the years leading up to this. I’m not sure it has a clear ‘single’ on it but the average quality across it is so high that I don’t care.

 

4. Another Perfect Day (1983)

This is such a unique album for Motorhead. I didn’t know how to take it at first but I really like it now. In a sense, they’re just getting in on the FX bandwagon, but it’s also one of the last hurrahs for album-wide experimentation. They go off the beaten track of individual songs from this point, but the albums seem to revert to the same base sound largely speaking. The melodic parts on Dancing on Your Grave and I Got Mine are really interesting and among the songs I wanted to relisten to most. One Track Mind is just a fucking badass song and I also love the climbing bit on Shine, which is a good all-round song. This is a really good album all told.

 

3. Bomber (1979)

I think this is the record where Motorhead really begin to sound like ‘Motorhead’. I’ve heard people say it’s a bit rushed but I still think it’s a great album. Dead Men, Stone Dead, Poison, and All the Aces are exactly what you want from Motorhead, and I think the title track’s chorus is awesome. Even slower stuff like Sweet Revenge and Step Down I think have a cool, relaxed vibe to them that they didn’t keep beyond the early years. It’s a great record.

 

2. Ace of Spades (1980)

This is obviously a class album. Beyond the title track, which is iconic enough, and one of their best songs, hands down, there’s so many good tunes –Reptile, Crew, The Chase, and Fast and Loose are among the coolest songs they’ve done. It’s a lusty record, which I think is missing across a lot of contemporary rock n roll – it’s not trying to be cerebral or conceptual, it’s hedonistic and unabashed about it. The Hammer’s got one of the best closes to any album they have as well. It’s superb.

 

1. Overkill (1979)

This is the closest Motorhead have to a perfect album. It has a really unique ‘live’ feel to it that elevates every song beyond what it is. There’s that bluesy influence as well, which help its slower songs sustain attention. The songs are just great as well and radiate cool: Stay Clean, Capricorn, Metropolis, the end of Limb from Limb… so good, man. I don’t think they ever came close to topping it.

Midnight, midnight, midnight

beat the drum

Black night, black night, black night

cut and run

Slaughter, slaughter, slaughter

flee your bed

Quarter, no quarter, no quarter

don't lose your head

Fighting in the west

Fighting in the east

Fighting like a beast

You must stand and fight

Fight, fight, fight

Fight, make it right

Fight, fight

Fighting, fighting

Fighting, for your life

Riding, riding, riding

endless nights

Laughing, laughing, laughing

to our death

Laughing, laughing, laughing

to our final breath

Fighting in the east

Fighting in the west

What a bloody mess

You will stand and fight

Fight, fight, fight

Fight, make it right

Fight, fight

Get down!

Reaver, reaver, reaver

riding fast

Believer, believer, believer

loyal to the last

Faithful, faithful, faithful

to our creed

Soldier, till it's over, till it's over

everything we need

Fighting to the last

Fighting to the death

Your last dying breath

You must stand and fight

Fight, fight, fight

Fight, make it right

Fight, fight

Fight, stand and fight

Stand and fight, stand and fight

Make it right, stand and fight

You must fight, fight

You motherf*cker

Lemmy born December 24th 1945

Ozzy born December 3rd 1948

Keith Richards born December 18 1943

All 3 were born in December in war stricken England which was severely bombed creating a thick smog.

Inhaling this thick smog In December creates the seeds of it..... followed by the secret formula jack Daniel's and LSD consuming these in adult hood. Creates a strange super power.

The powers abilities include severe alcohol tolerance ability to attract countless groupies liver and kidneys of steel. Lungs that can inhale no end of tobacco, inability to have a hangover.

Weaknesses of the power include

Inability to retire

Inability to speak in any coherent way after turning 60

Attracting a demon named Sharon Osborne (will onlu happen to 66% of people with the power)

Matched by living to atleast 70.