As you age, time truly does pass quicker every day. I cannot believe that it was 40 years ago that I headed into Cardiff City Centre to buy Orgasmatron. I had seen Motörhead for the first time on the Another Perfect Day tour in 1983, but it took another three years until my next opportunity, a month after Orgasmatron was released, at the 1986 Monsters of Rock Festival at Castle Donington on 16 August.
Motörhead – Orgasmatron 40th Anniversary Reissue
Release Date: Out Now
Words: Paul Hutchings
The font of all information in those days was Kerrang and Sounds. News of Brian Robertson’s departure shortly after the tour ended in 1983 meant a large gap in output. Remember, Motörhead were releasing at least an album every year up until that point.
Having regrouped, Lemmy returned with a formidable line-up. The arrival of three new amigos for the band’s eighth album gave Motörhead a new sense of power and purpose. The result was Orgasmatron, the work of Lemmy, drummer Pete Gill and the dual guitar attack of Phil Campbell and Würzel. Fast, aggressive, and in your face, this is Heavy Metal whether Lemmy liked it or not.
I do not recall much issue with the production at the time, but at 16 years old, I doubt that was really my priority. The original does sound a bit muffled these days, but the production of Bill Laswell and Jason Corsaro never really bothered me.
But as with everything else Motörhead, the 40th anniversary needs celebrating, and it is no travesty to see this grand album given a bit of a workout. So, we get a brand-new remix of the album by Cameron Webb as well as Laswell and Coraso’s remastered originals, cut at half speed from the original tapes.
Now, I am on the fence about remixing and remastering. I was won over by Terry Brown’s work on Rush’s Grace Under Pressure, but had it not existed, my life would not have been any emptier. And sometimes, that original sound is what we knew, what we grew up with, and what we are most comfortable with.
The Motörhead team explain. “Orgasmatron is a special album. Part of that is down to the stylised production of Bill Laswell, who approached the work from a unique perspective. Bill’s work stands in its own right as something special in the Motörhead library, and Orgasmatron stands as one hell of an album.
“However, there was some controversy in the sense that both Lemmy and Phil Campbell felt that some of the power, bite and energy had been lost in Laswell’s final delivery.
“As old-school Motörhead fans, we found ourselves sitting around the coffee table one night several months ago, drinks in hand, pondering what Orgasmatron would sound like if it were to be remixed by Motörhead’s longtime producer, Cameron Webb.
“Cameron helmed six studio albums, and it’s fair to say he had the trust, love — and grumbles too! — of Lem, Phil and Mikkey. Would it be ‘right’ to ask him if he wanted a crack at remixing Orgasmatron? Would it be disrespecting the original album if we were to offer such a thing alongside Bill’s original work?
“We concluded a big fat ‘no’! It would be an added adventure if people wanted to take it. So, we asked Cameron if he was up for it. And he screamed a rather enthusiastic ‘yes’.”
What is true, regardless of whether you like the original or Webb’s admittedly crisper effort, is that Orgasmatron is a killer Motörhead album.
Phil and Würzel give the songs a unique double guitar sound, whilst Pete Gill’s drumming is hugely impressive and fast as hell. I am not convinced Lemmy’s bass is given enough prominence on Webb’s version, but his vocals are as evil as they ever were.
And then we have the songs themselves. Deaf Forever is a thunderous opener. The Claw remains one of the most thunderous drum tracks the band recorded, and Built For Speed is an anthem.
And of course, the title track. A standalone piece of magic, Webb’s version is given a newer intro which possesses slightly more immediacy than the brooding original version. Regardless of which one you favour, this is a seminal piece of Motörhead and a song that never fails to get the head nodding.
In fact, the whole album is something special and a real high point in the band’s career.
Webb has certainly been respectful to the band’s legacy. He does not play around too much, making it more prominent in places and giving it an urgency that it may have lacked. “I love the fact that the original is wild and a little messy,” he said. “I wanted to be respectful to what Jason Corsaro and Bill Laswell created, rather than simply trying to make it sound like a modern Heavy Metal record.
“When we opened up the original 24-track tapes, you could really hear how creative they were with the sounds, particularly the drums. There’s so much character in that recording, and I wanted to preserve that.”
Alongside these two versions, we get some additional tracks that will be of interest to many. There are some studio outtakes and rehearsal recordings that are raw in every aspect, whilst the Friday Night Rock Show 1986 sessions are well worth a listen, with the version of Killed By Death particularly raucous and Orgasmatron played at hell of a tempo.
For me, this is another worthy repackage, albeit one that maybe a few fans are tiring of a little. If you can, then I think it will be worth listening to both versions on vinyl. The comparison is interesting. But maybe we should leave the final words to Lemmy about the album.
“As it turned out, Bill was good for getting sounds, but he fucked everything up in the mix. It was a much better album when he took it to New York than when he brought it back… It was dreadful. Orgasmatron was mud.”
You can find out more about Orgasmatron at https://imotorhead.com.
