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Thursday, April 28, 2011

Motörhead: 30 Years Since The Release of "No Sleep `Til Hammersmith"

"No Sleep ’til Hammersmith" is the first live album by Motörhead. Released on 27 June 1981, it peaked at #1 on the UK  album charts.

With the exception of  "Iron Horse/Born To Lose" which was from a 1980 show, it was recorded at the Leeds and Newcastle shows during the "Short, Sharp Pain In The Neck" five-date tour in 1981. The name of the tour was a reference to the injury sustained by Phil Taylor when he was dropped on his head during some after-show horseplay. Despite the title of the album, the London venue the Hammersmith Odeon was not played on the tour, the shows being:
  • 27 March 1981: West Runton Pavilion, Norfolk, England
  • 28 March 1981: Queens Hall, Leeds, England
  • 29 March 1981: City Hall, Newcastle, England
  • 30 March 1981: City Hall, Newcastle, England
  • 3 April 1981: Maysfield Leisure Centre, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Lemmy has stated that originally they intended it to be a double album but they only had enough material for three sides. 

The US 1996 CD version added detail to the effect that the bonus tracks were recorded "live in the studio at about the same time as the Hammersmith shows". Presumably this means at about the same time as the shows for the live album, since the Hammersmith Odeon was not played on the tour. One of the Newcastle dates was most certainly used on the record for the song "(We Are) The Roadcrew," as evidenced by a roadie saying "Come on then Newcastle! Let's hear it for the road crew!"

Below you can watch som e cool videos from 1981: "Motörhead", "Bomber" and "Ace of Spades":





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