MOTÖRHEAD

Better Motörhead than Dead

SPV

8 / 10

Track listing:

For the track listing, go to Amazon.com.

Now here's a rarity, a MOTÖRHEAD live album! All kidding aside, one really cannot own too many MOTÖRHEAD live albums; it is just something that a band that seemingly gets stronger each year does, and fans love 'em for it. Besides, this show in front of 5,000 rabid fans at London's Hammersmith Odeon is in celebration of the storied trio's 30th anniversary. That in itself is cause for another live release. Most importantly, the two-disc set captures another stellar performance, even though I tend to consider 1999's "Everything Louder than Everyone Else" to be the act's strongest live collection; yes, even rivaling the famed 1981 classic "No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith". The Kilmister-Campbell-Dee lineup is MOTÖRHEAD's best too; sorry to disappoint those of you wearing the nostalgia-blinders, but it's a scientific fact.

So what surprises are in store for you on this album? Not a friggin' one, unless you count the acoustic "Whorehouse Blues", but that's hardly a surprise anymore, as it's been performed since the release of "Inferno" (and is captured on the excellent "Stage Fright" DVD release). Oh, I suppose you could consider the "Another Perfect Day" tracks, "I Got Mine" and "Dancing on Your Grave", relative surprises too. Incidentally, fans and critics have seemed to reinvent their initial views of the 1983 release with Robo and dubbed it another MOTORHEAD classic. It is cool to hear the performances of "Shoot You in the Back", "Love Me Like a Reptile", and "Over the Top" though. Absent are tracks from "We Are Motörhead" and "Hammered", which is no big deal, considering the threesome would have to release a three-CD set to please most fans. If you bet that the show closes with "Ace of Spades" and "Overkill", you'd be a winner.

There really are no negatives here, especially if you're a diehard fan. The only minor criticism I have is that Lemmy's voice sounds a little worn in parts, compared to previous live releases; like I said, we're talking minor here. You can't go wrong with a MOTÖRHEAD live release. Long live Lemmy and the boys!

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