If Lemmy Kilmister and Motorhead proved anything in 1986, they
showed they were survivors. They had withstood legal challenges
which kept them from the recording studio and a major lineup change
which replaced almost the whole band. The answer to these
challenges was
Orgasmatron, quite possibly one of the best albums Motorhead
has ever recorded.
But change is a constant in Motorhead’s camp, and following this
album’s success came the departure of drummer Pete Gill, and the
return to the fold of Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor. But how does
one follow up a classic album? If only bands knew the answer to
that question. In Motorhead’s case, the follow-up disc,
Rock ‘N’ Roll, was a letdown, though not without merit.
Two tracks immediately stand out on this disc. The first is the
rollicking good time “Boogeyman,” which incorporates Kilmmister’s
love of 12-bar blues and the speedfreak nature of heavy metal into
a track which will have your foot tapping and your head slamming
into the table. Likewise, “Eat The Rich” is an irreverent look at
life with a touch of humor that only Kilmister could deliver.
The trouble with
Rock ‘N’ Roll is that the remainder of the disc sounds like
it wasn’t completely thought out, and was completed before the band
had sufficient time to plan their next move. Tracks such as
“Blackheart,” “Dogs,” “Traitor” and “Stone Deaf In The USA” all
sound like they had some promise, but their potential was to remain
unfulfilled.
A second problem is the overall sound of the disc. Granted, I’m
working with the original CD (which has since been re-issued by
Metal-Is), so things might have improved over the years. But the
overall sound of this disc is both too pure for a band like
Motorhead and too treble-based. Sure, Kilmister’s bass rings out at
the right times. But overall, the production work of Guy Bidmead
just doesn’t work for a band like Motorhead.
To be fair, any disc which followed up an album like
Orgasmatron was going to suffer. But I’ve listened to
Rock ‘N’ Roll a few times on its own, and even when it is
isolated from the bulk of Motorhead’s discography, it’s still a tad
disappointing. It’s kind of sad, really, that after taking such a
strong step forward after a few studio letdowns, Motorhead find
themselves stepping backwards once again with
Rock ‘N’ Roll.
