Motorhead - Overkill [2 CD Deluxe Edt., Remastered]

1979/2005/2008 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd.

Box cat. #: 0602517855366

Overkill is the second album by Motorhead, released in 1979. It was their first for Bronze Records, and peaked at #24 on the UK charts. The album had a big impact in the British punk culture of that time, paving the way for UK82. Kerrang! magazine listed the album at #46 among the "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time".


History:

Bronze Records signed the band in 1978 and gave them time in Wessex Studios in London to record Richard Berry's "Louie Louie" and a new song by the band, "Tear Ya Down". The band toured to promote their single "Louie Louie" while Chiswick released the Motörhead album in white vinyl, to keep the momentum going. Sales of the single brought the band their first appearance on BBC Television's Top of the Pops, which gave Bronze the confidence to get the band back into the studio to record a second album.

The first release from those sessions was the single release of "Overkill" backed with "Too Late, Too Late" in 7" and 12" pressings. The Chiswick album Motorhead had been a hasty affair as was its production, although it had a sub-bootleg quality which may be appealing, Overkill had more spring and bounce, and a thundering title track that would become a show-stopper for years to come. Three weeks after the initial release of the album in black vinyl, the album was released in a limited edition of 15,000 in green vinyl.

In June 1979, "No Class" was lifted from the album as a follow-up single, backed with a previously unreleased song, "Like a Nightmare". With a view to increasing the sales, the single was released in three different covers, one each of Lemmy, Clarke and Taylor.

The album was reissued on Cassette, CD and vinyl by Castle Communications in 1988, coupled with Another Perfect Day, Bronze having issued a cassette of the album coupled with Bomber in 1980.


Sleeve artwork:
Joe Petagno, the sleeve artist, had this to say about the cover of the album, which he felt rushed into because the band could not find him:

I had about a week and a half to get it finished... But it was always a disappointment for me, personally. It should have been multi-layered. It was supposed to have a feeling that there was more to it, there were going to be more bits and pieces. In a way, I kind of did it on the Inferno thing. I sort of took my revenge on the new trinity. In a way.


Critical reception:

In 2005, Overkill was ranked number 340 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.


TRACK LISTING:

Disc 1 of 2:

01. Overkill - 05:14
02. Stay Clean - 02:42
03. (I Won't) Pay Your Price - 02:55
04. I'll Be Your Sister - 02:52
05. Capricorn - 04:09
06. No Class - 02:40
07. Damage Case - 03:01
08. Tear Ya Down - 02:40
09. Metropolis - 03:36
10. Limb From Limb - 04:55

Playing time...34:44

Disc 2 of 2:

01. Louie Louie [A-Side Single] - 02:48
02. Louie Louie [Alternative Version 1] - 02:53
03. Louie Louie [Alternative Version 2] - 02:46
04. Tear Ya Down [B-Side Single] - 02:42
05. Tear Ya Down [Alternative Version] - 02:41
06. Tear Ya Down [Instrumental Version] - 02:39
07. Too Late, Too Late [B-Side Single] - 03:25
08. Like A Nightmare [B-Side Single] - 04:14
09. Like A Nightmare [Alternative Version] - 04:28
10. Louie Louie [BBC Session, 1978] - 02:46
11. I'll Be Your Sister [BBC Session, 1978] - 03:15
12. Tear Ya Down [BBC Session, 1978] - 02:39
13. Stay Clean [BBC In Concert, 1979] - 03:03
14. No Class [BBC In Concert, 1979] - 02:43
15. I'll Be Your Sister [BBC In Concert, 1979] - 03:36
16. Too Late, Too Late [BBC In Concert, 1979] - 03:24
17. (I Won't) Pay Your Price [BBC In Concert, 1979] - 03:19
18. Capricorn [BBC In Concert, 1979] - 04:15
19. Limb From Limb [BBC In Concert, 1979] - 05:26

Playing time...1:03:02

Personnel:

Lemmy (Ian Kilmister) – bass guitar, lead vocals, second guitar solo on "Limb From Limb"
"Fast" Eddie Clarke – guitars, backing vocals
Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor – drums

Joe Petagno – sleeve artwork
Recorded December 1978 – January 1979 at Roundhouse Studios and Sound Development Studios, UK (except "Tear Ya Down", originally recorded at Wessex Studios)
Produced by Jimmy Miller (except "Tear Ya Down", produced by Neil Richmond, remixed at Roundhouse Studios by Jimmy Miller)
Engineered by Ashley Howe and Trevor Hallesy