WIK2 Motorhead WIK2

Notes

The self titled first album Motorhead, released on the 12th of August in 1977 in the UK, was actually not the first album they recorded. Already by the end of 1975 they started to record an album for UA. That recording session was finished in the beginning of 1976, but UA was not pleased with the result so the album was not released until 1979 when UA could cash in on the recording. In the spring of 1977 Motorhead were ready to give up. They would do a final gig in April 1977 at the Marquee with The Damned and the plan was that Ted Carroll of Chiswick Records should record that gig for them. Lemmy had known Ted from the early 1970´s when he was in Hawkwind and used to hang around in Ted´s record shop Rock On in Golborne Road (Carroll 2001). So Lemmy called Ted just before the gig and asked if he was interested to help them record a live album from their final gig.

Ted thought that one gig would not result in enough material for an album. He wanted at least two gigs and therefore hoped to book two concerts in one day at a later date. Two gigs in one day would save some money when it comes to rent of the mobile studio that was going to be used. So the gig was never recorded and it did not work out to book two gigs later on. But Ted was there and he was impressed with what he heard and offered the band two days at the Escape Studio in Kent to record a single on the evening of 27th of April . The band of course grabbed that chance by the throat and they were so well rehearsed that after two days and nights had passed, without any sleep, they had recorded eleven backing tracks. According to an article that was written by Peter Silverton right after Ace of Spades was released, the band phoned Chiswick already after 12 hours to tell they almost had finished a complete album. Producer was Speedy Keen and John Burns was the engineer. The problem was that none of the songs were complete after those two days, they all lacked vocals and solos. But Ted, who showed up in the studio on the 28th, thought it sounded great and gave the band a few more days at Olympic Sound Studios in Barnes to finish all the songs (Carroll 2001). These scattered studio days took place in May, June and July. In the end they had recorded a total of 13 songs. Speedy and John were really into it and they actually mixed 24 versions of the song “Motorhead” alone during those days! Eight of the songs ended up on the album, Motorhead, Vibrator, Lost Johnny, Iron Horse/Born To Lose, White Line Fever, Keep Us On The Road, The Watcher and Train Kept A Rollin'. Motorhead was released as a single with City Kids as the B-side already on 10 June. The four remaining songs Instro, Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers, On Parole and I´m Your Witchdoctor ended up on an EP released in 1980 on the Big Beat label.

Ted Carrolls´ partner, Roger Armstrong of Chiswick Records, remembers the days: “Lemmy had an acetate of the album that they had made with Dave Edmunds and that UA had decided not to release. He played it for Ted and then came over to the Soho market stall and played it to me. Ted and I agreed that UA were right. Eventually the word was that they were breaking up, but going to do one last gig in the Marquee. At first we were going to record them live and then got cold feet on that one – what if they had an off night – that sort of thing. So we plumped for a single. We booked them into a studio that Genesis used for 2 days to do the single. At the end of the 2 days Lemmy rang Ted to say that they had almost finished the album and could they have a couple more days. Of course it dragged on and eventually took weeks to do and cost more money than we had. We managed to bust the tapes out of the last studio and get the record out before the pressure to pay the bills got too big” (www.punk77.co.uk).

Read more:
Wikipedia
Discogs

Tracklist

  1. Motorhead
  2. Vibrator
  3. Lost Johnny
  4. Iron Horse/Born To Lose
  5. White Line Fever
  6. Keep Us On The Road
  7. The Watchr
  8. Train Kept A Rollin'
 

Related releases

Motorhead/City KidsMotorhead/City Kids, single
Beer Drinkers And Hell Raisers EP Beer Drinkers And Hell Raisers, EP

LP, WIK2, UK LP, Holland LP, France LP, white vinyl, UK LP, Jap, Nippon Columbia LP, Jap, Sound Making Systems LP, Big Beat, re-issue
LP, Ger, Direct Metal Master LP, Can LP, Jap, Warner LP, Devils Jukebox CD, UK, Big Beat CD, Jap, Teichiku CD, USA, Cleopatra

W o r l d w i d e   r e l e a s e s ,  L P

Label

Catalogue no

Origin

Date

Notes
Chiswick WIK 2 UK 1977-08-12 Black and silver sleeve
Chiswick WIK 2 UK 1977-08-12 Black and white sleeve
Chiswick WIK 2 UK 1977-08-12 Promo, Black and white sleeve
Chiswick WIK 2 UK 1977-08 Test pressing
Metronome 0067.055 Ger 1977 First pressing
Metronome 0067.055 Ger Second pressing
Ariola 550 102 Benelux 1977
Ariola 550 102 Benelux ? Re-issue?
Barklay 940 550 France 1977 Gatefold sleeve
Barklay 940 550 France 1977 Test pressing
Polygram 40.000 Greece 1979
Chiswick CWK 3008 UK 1978-11 Reissue
Chiswick CWK 3008 UK 1978-11 White vinyl
Chiswick CWK 3008 UK 1978-11 Test pressing, White vinyl
Chiswick CWK 3008 UK 1978-11 Promo
Chiswick CWK 3008 UK 1978 Test pressing
Nippon Columbia YX-7209-CW Jap 1978 Promo
Nippon Columbia YX-7209-CW Jap 1978
Nippon Columbia YX-7209-CWP ? 2008 (?) Picture disc, Pirate (?)
Nippon Columbia YX-7209-CWP ? 2008 (?) Picture disc, Pirate (?), test pressing
Sound Making Systems SP 18-5152 Jap 1984 Promo
Sound Making Systems SP 18-5152 Jap 1984
Big Beat WIK 2 UK 1981-09
Big Beat WIK 2 UK 1981-09 Clear vinyl
Big Beat WIK 2 UK 1981-09 Red Vinyl
Big Beat WIKM 2 Ger 1981-09 Direct Metal Master LP
Gamma GX 01-1194 Mex 1981
Attic LAT 1109 Can 1981
Pathe Marconi 2C 068-61.818 Fra 1980 French reissue
Dischanti CWMP 35002 Italy 1981
Dischanti CWMP 35002 Italy 1981 Test pressing
Big Beat 0600 WIKM 2 Greece 1981 Greek reissue
Movieplay 142105/6 Spain 1981 w three extra songs
Movieplay 17.3130/5 Spain 1981 w three extra songs
Warner P-112 16 Jap 1982 Promo
Warner P-112 16 Jap 1982 Second Japanese reissue
N/A 440203 Ger 2003 Pirate, black and silver sleeve, 5 extra songs
Devils Jukebox DJB6 UK 2007-06-28 180 g re-issue, Test Pressing
Devils Jukebox DJB6 UK 2007-06-28 180 g re-issue
Devils Jukebox DJB6 UK 2007-06-28 180 g re-issue, Promo
Devils Jukebox DJB6-CLRX UK 2009-04 Supr.clr-x vinyl
Devils Jukebox DJB6-CLRX UK 2009-04 Supr.clr-x vinyl, Test Pressing
Devils Jukebox DJB6-GF UK 2009-04 Purp vinyl, gf, 12" bonus
Devils Jukebox DJB6-GF UK 2009-04 Purp vinyl, gf, 12" bonus, Test Press
Devils Jukebox DJB6-GF UK 2009-04 Purp vinyl, gf, 12" bonus, Promo
Back on Black BOBV159LP UK 2009-07 2 LP-set
Back on Black BOBV159LP UK 2009-07 2 LP-set, Test Pressing
Drastic Plastic DRA-12 USA 2010 White vinyl, re-issue
Drastic Plastic DPRLP25 USA 2012? Black/Coloured, re-issue
Drastic Plastic DPRLP53 USA 2015 Clear smokey coloured, re-issue
Ace WIK 2 EU 2017 White vinyl 40th anniversary
Ace WIK 2 USA 2017 Silver vinyl 40th anniversary
TMOQ ? ? 2013? Pirate, "Retrospective"
TMOQ ? ? 2014? Pirate, "Spacial Trash"
TMOQ ? ? 2013? Pirate, "Seasons End"

W o r l d w i d e   r e l e a s e s ,  C D

Label

Catalogue no

Origin

Date

Notes
Big Beat CDWIK 2 UK 1988-06-23
Roadracer RRD 9357 USA 1990-11-13 Also in box
Roadracer RR 9357 USA 1990
Roadrunner RRD 9357 Can 1990 Club edition
Warner P-11216 Jap ?
Teichiku TECP 22182 Jap 1990 Japanese reissue
Ace CDWIKM 2 UK 2001-04-02 Remastered reissue
Imperial TECI 21194 Jap 2003-10 Second Japanese reissue, vinyl replica
Imperial TECI 21194 Jap 2003-10 Second Japanese reissue, vinyl replica, Promo
Cleopatra CLP 1446-2 USA 2005-01-26 Remastered, 6 bonus tracks
Chiswick CDHP 021 UK? 2007 Vinyl replica
Teichiku TECI23605 Jap 2010 SHM-CD
Teichiku TECI23605 Jap 2010 SHM-CD, promo
Universal 0600753-308059 EU 2011-06? In skull box
Victor VICP-751555 Jap 2015 K2HD HQCD
? ? Rus ? Pirate
Attic? ACD 24117 Can 1992 w What´s Words Worth
Agat Compagny LTD ? Rus 2001? Pirate w On Parole + Louie Louie single

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