In a seismic revelation for Heavy Metal history buffs and Motörhead diehards, the band has announced the release of a long-lost studio recording from 1976, The Manticore Tapes. Slated for release on 27th June 2025, this archival treasure features 11 never-before-heard tracks recorded by the classic Three Amigos lineup: Lemmy Kilmister, Fast Eddie Clarke, and Phil ‘Philthy Animal Taylor.
Recorded at Manticore Studios—originally owned by prog giants Emerson, Lake & Palmer—this session captures the raw and unfiltered fury of Motörhead’s earliest iteration.
The band had only just cemented its classic power trio in August 1976, and these sessions mark the very first time this lineup laid tracks together in a studio. The tapes were captured using Ronnie Lane’s mobile studio, operated by trusted engineer Ron Faucus, and have now been painstakingly restored by longtime Motörhead producer Cameron Webb and mastered by Andrew Alekel.
The Manticore Tapes is more than a mere historical artefact. It’s a loud and defiant statement from a band on the brink of collapse, clawing their way into Heavy Metal immortality. Songs like Leavin’ Here, The Watcher, and Motörhead show the trio’s embryonic power, while alternate takes and instrumentals offer fans a deeper dive into the sonic architecture of a band that would go on to define speed, volume, and attitude in equal measure.
The album will be released in several formats, including a deluxe expanded bookpack (with double LP and a 7” single), a single LP, CD, and digital download.
For collectors, the 7” single includes previously unreleased live tracks from Barbarella’s Birmingham, dating back to 1977—a perfect raw snapshot of a band already dominating stages even as they battled industry indifference.
With the release arriving just shy of the band’s 50th anniversary, The Manticore Tapes offers not just a retrospective, but a resurrection.
This is a loud and unapologetic reminder of why Lemmy and company still tower like thunder gods in the pantheon of Heavy Metal.
Motörhead – The Manticore Tapes will be released on 27th June 2025 and can be pre-ordered from motorhead.lnk.to/TheManticoreTapesPR.
Motörhead – The Manticore Tapes
Deluxe Expanded Bookpack:
LP1
1 Intro (Instrumental)
2 Leavin’ Here
3 Vibrator
4 Help Keep Us on the Road
5 The Watcher
6 Motörhead
7 Witch Doctor (Instrumental)
8 Iron Horse / Born to Lose (Instrumental)
9 Leavin’ Here (Alternate Take)
10 Vibrator (Alternate Take)
11 The Watcher (Alternate Take)
LP2 Live: Blitzkrieg on Birmingham ’77
1 Motörhead
2 Vibrator
3 Keep Us On The Road
4 The Watcher
5 Iron Horse
6 Leavin’ Here
7 On Parole
8 I’m Your Witch Doctor
9 Train Kept a-Rollin’
10 City Kids
11 White Line Fever
7″ Live at Barbarella’s Birmingham ’77 (previously unreleased)
1 Motörhead
2 Keep Us On The Road
LP & CD
1 Intro (Instrumental)
2 Leavin’ Here
3 Vibrator
4 Help Keep Us on the Road
5 The Watcher
6 Motörhead
7 Witch Doctor (Instrumental)
8 Iron Horse / Born to Lose (Instrumental)
9 Leavin’ Here (Alternate Take)
10 Vibrator (Alternate Take)
11 The Watcher (Alternate Take)
