Rock 'n' Roll (Motörhead album)

Infobox Album
Name = Rock 'N' Roll
Type = Album
Artist = Motörhead


Background = Orange
Released = September 5, 1987
Recorded = 1987
Master Rock Studios
Redwood, London, UK
Length = 46:33 (original)
59:09 (reissue)
Label = GWR
Producer = Motörhead and Guy Bidmead
Reviews =
*Allmusic rating|3|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:4jd1vwnva9uk link]
Last album = "Orgasmatron"
(1986)
This album = "Rock 'n' Roll"
(1987)
Next album = "Nö Sleep at All"
(1988)

The album "Rock 'N' Roll" is an album by English heavy metal band Motörhead and the first appearance of their four-piece line up of Lemmy, Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor, Würzel and Philip Campbell, which lasted from 1987 until 1992. Reaching only 34 in the UK charts, it was, in that respect, the worst performing of all of Motörhead's Top 40 chart hits.

The song "Eat the Rich" was written for Peter Richardson's 1987 film "Eat the Rich" which starred the regular cast of The Comic Strip and Lemmy himself in a bit part as "Spider." A mock sermon by Michael Palin appears at the end of the song "Stone Deaf In The USA", which closed side one of the vinyl and cassette release.

One of the studios used to make "Rock 'n' Roll" was Redwood in London, which was co-owned by Michael Palin. The studio engineer helping Motörhead had worked on all the Monty Python records and played the band outtakes the Pythons never put out. Palin was asked to come down and do a recitation for the album and showed up dressed in a 1940s cricketer outfit — V-necked sweater, his hair all brushed to one side. Lemmy remembers Palin walking in and saying, "Hello, what sort of thing are we going to do now, then?" and answering "Well, you know in "The Meaning of Life", there was this speech that began "Oh Lord —". Palin replied "Ah! Give me some cathedral" and went in and recorded the 'Oh Lord, look down upon these people from Motörhead' speech.

Lemmy states that "Rock 'n' Roll" has some great songs, like "Dogs", "Boogeyman" and "Traitor", which they played 'for years', but overall it just didn't seem to work.Kilmister, Ian and Garza, Janiss "White Line Fever" (2002) — Simon & Schuster pp. 203—204. ISBN 0-684-85868-1.]

Joe Petagno had other ideas for the cover of this album:

I had this great idea and nobody wanted to listen to me. The original "Rock 'n' Roll" sleeve was supposed to be going up. I said, "Look, the tongue goes up. This thing is lifting off... it was supposed to be rocketing. So it was like a bomb. A projectile of some sort. When I finished it, they said, "We can't have it going up, it doesn't make any sense". So it's coming down. Couldn't convince them. This fucking band..."(laughs)" ["About Joe Petagno" - interview section with Joe Petagno, bonus DVD with "Inferno 30th Anniversary edition" SPV69748.]

"Rock 'n' Roll" renewed commercial hope for Motörhead in the States with Lemmy and company moving to Los Angeles. The fans in the States appeared willing to see this band live and buy their albums whereas Britain is criticised as having lost interest in the band.cite web |url=http://www.metal-archives.com/review.php?id=946 |title=Reviews for Motörhead's Rock 'n' Roll |accessdate=2007-03-09 |format= |work=Encyclopaedia Metallum]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Würzel, Phil Campbell, Phil Taylor and Lemmy except where noted.
# "Rock 'n' Roll" – 3:49
# "Eat the Rich" – 4:34
# "Blackheart" – 4:03
# "Stone Deaf in the U.S.A." – 3:40
# "The Wolf" – 3:28
# "Traitor" – 3:17
# "Dogs" – 3:48
# "All for You" – 4:10
# "Boogeyman" – 3:07

CD reissue Bonus Tracks

#

"Cradle to the Grave" – 4:05
#"Just 'Cos You Got the Power" – 7:30
#*Tracks 10 and 11 originally released as B-sides of "Eat the Rich".

Bonus CD

In 2006, the album was re-issued with a bonus CD, containing Motörhead's performance at the Monsters of Rock festival, recorded on August 16, 1986:
# "Iron Fist" (Eddie Clarke, Lemmy, Taylor)
# "Stay Clean" (Clarke, Lemmy, Taylor)
# "Nothing Up My Sleeve" (Clarke, Lemmy, Taylor)
# "Metropolis" (Clarke, Lemmy, Taylor)
# "Dr. Rock" (Clarke, Lemmy, Taylor)
# "Killed by Death" (Campbell, Würzel, Lemmy, Pete Gill)
# "Ace of Spades" (Clarke, Lemmy, Taylor)
# "Steal Your Face" (Campbell, Würzel, Lemmy, Gill)
# "Bite the Bullet" (Clarke, Lemmy, Taylor)
# "Built for Speed" (Campbell, Würzel, Lemmy, Gill)
# "Orgasmatron" (Campbell, Würzel, Lemmy, Gill)
# "No Class" (Clarke, Lemmy, Taylor)
# "Motorhead" (Lemmy)This was a BBC Radio One recording and had been broadcast on the Friday Rock Show: it had not been commercially available until this 2CD 'Expanded' edition.

Credits

* Lemmy – bass, vocals
* Phil Campbell – guitar, slide guitar on "Eat the Rich"
* Würzel – guitar, slide guitar on "Stone Deaf in the USA"
* Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor – drums

* Joe Petagno - sleeve artwork
* Produced by Motörhead and Guy Bidmead
* Engineered by Guy Bidmead
* Assisted by Roland Herrington, Arabella Rodriguez, Caroline Orme, and Phil Dane
* "Eat the Rich" originally recorded by Bill Laswell and Jason Corsaro, remixed by Guy Bidmead
* Mixed at Britannia Row, Eden Studios, and The Roundhouse, London.
* Mastered at CBS Studios, London.

References

External links

* [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005OADM "Rock 'n' Roll" on Amazon.com]
* [http://www.imotorhead.com Motorhead official website]