Motörhead’s Unearthed 1976 Studio Tapes Reveal Raw First Session of Lemmy’s Iconic Lineup
On May 8th, Motörhead celebrated their 50th anniversary with “Motörhead Day,” and part of the celebration included some big news. A “lost” album from 1976 has been unearthed and will be released as The Manticore Tapes on June 27th. The historic recording session marked the first ever studio session of the band’s “Three Amigos” lineup of Lemmy Kilmister, Fast Eddie Clarke, and Phil Taylor.
“The dogged struggles Motörhead faced in the first four of their 50 years are well documented and the almost accidental manifestation of this album – and the circumstances under which it was recorded – present a previously barely known new element in the band’s history from that time when it’s very future looked bleak had events not taken a different course,” a press release states. “These aging tapes were brought to life with restoration duties dutifully handled by longtime Motörhead collaborator Cameron Webb at Maple Studios in California and mastered by Andrew Alekel at Bolskine House in Los Angeles. The result is a truly historical moment in the evolution of hard rock’s finest heavy icons, restoring and bringing to the public eye for the first time ever a vital part of Motörhead’s evolution and history.”
All three of the Motörhead band members from this time have now passed on, leaving this early record as a time capsule of rock greatness. You can get a taste of the upcoming release with the band’s eponymous track, “Motörhead”.
The Manticore Tapes will be released on June 27th in a deluxe expanded bookpack/amazon], CD, vinyl and as a digital download (Apple Music, and Amazon Music).
The Manticore Tapes Deluxe Expanded Bookpack Track List:
LP1:
- Intro (Instrumental)
- Leavin’ Here
- Vibrator
- Help Keep Us on the Road
- The Watcher
- Motörhead
- Witch Doctor (Instrumental)
- Iron Horse / Born to Lose (Instrumental)
- Leavin’ Here (Alternate Take)
- Vibrator (Alternate Take)
- The Watcher (Alternate Take)
LP2:
Live: Blitzkreig on Birmingham ’77
- Motörhead
- Vibrator
- Keep Us On The Road
- The Watcher
- Iron Horse
- Leavin’ Here
- On Parole
- I’m Your Witch Doctor
- Train Kept a-Rollin’
- City Kids
- White Line Fever
7″:
Live at Barbarella’s Birmingham ’77
- Motörhead
- Keep Us On The Road
(previously unreleased)
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
