Artist: Motörhead
Title: 1979 Box Set
Genre: Heavy Metal
Release Date: 25th October 2019
Label: BMG
Album Review
On 9th March 1979, millions of unsuspecting viewers watched the BBC’s “Top Of The Pops” to witness the loudest, most raucous, dangerous and downright exciting band on earth perform the title track of their album ’Overkill’, there was no “off” switch by then and MOTÖRHEAD became legends with their hybrid of Punk, Rock and Heavy Metal played with relentless, ear-curdling power. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of both ’Overkill’ and ’Bomber’, BMG and MOTÖRHEAD teamed up and after years of planning three different releases will be available from the 25th of October 2019.
There will be deluxe editions of ’Overkill’ and ’Bomber’ both as hardbound book packs in two CD and triple LP format; featuring previously unheard concerts from the ’79 tours, interviews and many unseen photos. For fans who cannot get enough, there is the ‘1979 Box-Set’, that contains:
- the original ‘Overkill’ and ‘Bomber’ albums half-speed mastered and pressed on 180 gram vinyl created from the original master tapes
- two double-live albums of previously unheard concert material from the ’79 tours
- a 40-page period-accurate “music magazine” featuring unseen photos and fresh interviews regarding the era
- the ‘Rest of ’79’ vinyl, featuring B-sides, outtakes and rare tracks
- ‘No Class 7’ single with gatefold art
- the ‘Bomber tour’ programme
- ‘Overkill’ sheet music book
- ’79 badge set
All encased in black biker jacket box
Of course these releases have been created with the full cooperation and involvement of the estates of Ian Lemmy Kilmister, “Fast” Eddie Clarke and Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor.
So let’s check the ‘1979 Box-Set’!
To be honest, I started with ‘Good N’Loud - Live At Friars, Aylesbury - 31st March 1979’, the live show they played a few weeks after their legendary “Top Of The Pops” gig. The whole thing kicks off with ‘Overkill’ and Lemmy greeting the crowd “Good evening Aylesbury“ and totally astonishing for me, the famous introduction “We are Motörhead and we play Rock N Roll“ is missing. Lesson No. 1: it was not yet established in 1979, not yet having established their famous introduction sentence. You hear the original songs, including the acoustic feedbacks and the crowd but not too many of all the nasty side noises you sometimes experience listening to live-recordings.
A thing that made me smile was listening to Lemmy’s introductions to the songs especially to ‘Leaving Here’: “This one was our first record, what never got released (…) I mean a lot of you might not have heard it, because we’ve only just become fashionable…”, followed by dedicating ‘Iron Horse / Born To Loose’ to all the bikers and then introducing ‘Metropolis’ as MOTÖRHEAD’s “Pink Floyd Imitation Number” and MOTÖRHEAD as “This is just in case, you’ve forgotten, what we’re called”. You really feel like being at the venue with the crowd.
Time to compare the ‘Overkill’ half-speed mastered and created from the original master tapes to the previous releases. What shall I say? WOW. The sound engineers did a fantastic job. The sound is still MOTÖRHEAD and it still sounds like being recorded way back in time, but without the disadvantage of sounding hollow or scratchy. It’s adjusted to the abilities of modern sound-system without destroying the legacy and flair of the original recordings.
So let’s travel on back in time to ‘Sharpshooter - Live At la Rotunde, Le Mans - 3rd Nov 1979’. The sound of this live recording is raw and more edgy, maybe due to what at the beginning is announced “Lemmy is not feeling too good.” The introductions are way shorter but ‘Bomber’ is announced by Lemmy humbly as the “Title track from our new album”. And it’s great to hear Lemmy’s joking about the abilities of the French audience of speaking English between ‘Too late, Too Late’ and ‘Poison’ and reminds me of some fantastic MOTÖRHEAD shows and making me feeling a bit nostalgic.
Listening to ‘Bomber’ half-speed mastered and also created from the original master tapes to the previous releases, I found that I was not as happy with the result as with ‘Overkill’, somehow the sound is a bit too polished and clean. I’d rather stick to the original recording in this case. ‘The Rest Of ‘79’ was definitely the record I was most excited to start listening to. Announced as being full of B-sides, outtakes and rare tracks, it is that what makes the heart of a true fan leap. My ultimate Highlight was the outtake of ‘Treat Me Nice’ but I soon realized that some of the songs were already released on ‘Stone Dead Forever’ back in 1997. Still if you don’t have it in your collection, you should go for it.
The band went through the archives and former members of the line-up and crew, friends and super fans helped to create what you hold in your hands, if you open the box. A throwback in time, with Margaret Thatcher ruling Great Britain, daily strikes, football hooliganism plus Buggles and the BEE GEES and MOTÖRHEAD writing, recording and touring against all this. But it is also a great tribute to Lemmy, who always wanted to give the fans the best possible and by releasing the live recordings from the early years, when MOTÖRHEAD became “fashionable”. The box gives long-time, old, young and new fans get the chance to travel back in time and experience where MOTÖRHEAD came from, a band that never denied the roots of their music.
It was always Lemmy’s demand to give the fans the very best possible in every respect and I think label and band did a fantastic job. MOTÖRHEAD announced, that this will be the start of an extensive and detailed ultra-fan-friendly release programme spanning the band’s career from the 70s, 8’s, 90s, and beyond!
Tracklist
Overkill
Side A – 01. Overkill
Side A – 02. Stay Clean
Side A – 03. (I Won’t) Pay Your Price
Side A – 04. I’ll Be Your Sister
Side A – 05. Capricorn
Side B – 06. No Class
Side B – 07. Damage Case
Side B – 08. Tear Ya Down
Side B – 09. Metropolis
Side B – 10. Limb From Limb
Live at Aylesbury Friars, 31st March 1979
Side A – 01 Overkill
Side A – 02. Stay Clean
Side A – 03. Keep Us On The Road
Side A – 04. No Class
Side A – 05. Leaving Here
Side B – 06. Side Two
Side B – 07. Iron Horse / Born To Lose
Side B – 08. Metropolis
Side B – 09. The Watcher
Side B – 10. Damage Case
Side C – 11. (I Won’t) Pay Your Price
Side C – 12. Capricorn
Side C – 13. Too Late, Too Late
Side C – 14. I’ll Be Your Sister
Side D – 15. I’m Your Witchdoctor
Side D – 16. Train Kept A-Rollin’
Side D – 17. Limb From Limb
Side D – 18. White Line Fever
Side D – 19. Motörhead
Bomber
Side A – 01. Dead Men Tell No Tales
Side A – 02. Lawman
Side A – 03. Sweet Revenge
Side A – 04. Sharpshooter
Side A – 05. Poison
Side B – 06. Stone Dead Forever
Side B – 07. All The Aces
Side B – 08. Step Down
Side B – 09. Talking Head
Side B – 10. Bomber
Live at La Rotunde, Le Mans 3rd November 1979
Side A – 01. Overkill
Side A – 02. Stay Clean
Side A – 03. No Class
Side A – 04. Metropolis
Side B – 05. All The Aces
Side B – 06. Dead Men Tell No Tales
Side B – 07. I’ll Be Your Sister
Side B – 08. Lawman
Side B – 09. Too Late, Too Late
Side C – 10. Poison
Side C – 11. (I Won’t) Pay Your Price
Side C – 12. Sharpshooter
Side C – 13. Capricorn
Side C – 14. Train Kept A-Rollin’
Side D – 15. Bomber
Side D – 16. Limb From Limb
Side D – 17. White Line Fever
Side D – 18. Motörhead
The Rest Of ‘79
Side A – 01. Too Late, Too Late (Overkill 7” B-Side)
Side A – 02. Like A Nightmare (Alternative version of No Class B-Side)
Side A – 03. Over The Top (Bomber 7” B-Side)
Side A – 04. Stone Dead Forever (Alternative Version)
Side A – 05. Sharpshooter (Alternative Version)
Side B – 06. Bomber (Alternative Version)
Side B – 07. Step Down (Alternative Version)
Side B – 08. Fun On The Farm (Bomber Outtake)
Side B – 09. Treat Me Nice (Bomber Outtake)
Side B – 10. You Ain’t Gonna Live Forever (Bomber Outtake)
No Class 7”
Side A – 01. No Class
Side B – 02. Like A Nightmare
Lost Demos of ‘79 (D2C exclusive 7”)
Side A – 01. Like A Nightmare (Demo version)
Side B – 02. Poison (Demo version)
Website
www.imotorhead.com
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 10
Sound: 10
Total: 10 / 10
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