Motorhead – The World is Ours – Vol. 2 – Anyplace Crazy as
Anywhere Else
UDR/Motorhead Music/EMI Label Services
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Motorhead - The World is Ours - Vol. 2 -
Anyplace Crazy as Anywhere Else |
Even if speed limits had been posted throughout No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith, one of the
most lethal live LPs ever recorded, Motorhead undoubtedly would have
disregarded them all. Onstage, these rock ‘n’ roll renegades were above the
law, as nobody could even hope to approach their velocity or intensity, and
that amphetamine-fueled joyride through a clutch of classic songs from the
legendary studio albums Overkill, Bomber, and Ace of Spades was as reckless and dangerous as a police chase.
Only one drawback: the quality of that recording, though
fine for its day, is not exactly up to snuff, especially when compared to the
pristine, high-definition sound and the vivid, colorful visuals of the recently
released two CD/DVD/Blue-ray combo The World is Ours – Vol. 2 –
Anyplace Crazy as Anywhere Else, out on the boutique label UDR. The second in a series of amazing concert
audio and video packages from an older, but no less ruthless, Motorhead, this
furious, barnstorming set gives a full accounting of the band’s summer of 2011
performance at the Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany, plus a smattering of
six smoldering tracks culled from their Sonisphere Festival gig that year and
five more red-hot sonic embers left over from their Rock in Rio performance.
Dirty, desperate and shockingly loud, Motorhead’s classic
lineup of Lemmy Kilmister, “Fast” Eddie Clarke and Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor
didn’t let up on the accelerator during No
Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith, and with their well-earned reputation as
vice-ridden outlaws preceding them, that combination of balls-to-the-wall heavy
metal and general nastiness certainly appealed to those who thumbed their noses
at conventional morality. While not quite so fearsome anymore, the Motorhead of
today, together for 20 years and featuring Philip Campbell blazing away on guitar and Mikkey Dee’s
muscular, clockwork drumming, could certainly give the old masters a run for
their money, as any of the full-throttle, high-energy versions of “Iron Fist,”
“Ace of Spades,” “I Know How to Die,” “Going to Brazil,” “Overkill” and “Over
the Top” contained on The World is Ours –
Vol. 2 will attest – each song appearing multiple times. Some are rowdier takes
than the rest, while others are most explosive or gritty, but all of them are
performed with verve and snarling aggression.
As mean as ever, Motorhead hasn’t lost any of their sinful swagger.
Thick and heavy,
“The Chase is Better Than the Catch,” “In the Name of Tragedy,” and “Killed By
Death” swing by the neck like condemned men at the gallows, each guitar stroke tumescent and filled with bad intent. And what’s great about Motorhead is that when they
announce they’ll be playing a new song from their latest album, like the
frenzied “Rock Out” or the crunchy, quaking “The Thousand Names of God,” nobody
dares to go running for the concession stand, because they’re just as powerful
and compelling as any of the so-called hits. Campbell, in particular,
shows his versatility on “The Thousand Names of God” – his menacing riffs are
pure evil and his solos are searing, while Dee puts on a drum solo exhibition
later that is a monstrous mix of power and precision. And Lemmy … well, Lemmy
is Lemmy, his gruff, growling voice so exquisitely ravaged by time and booze, and oh so
satisfying, while his brawling, violent bass playing is just as glorious as it was in Motorhead's salad days.
There are so many reasons to love The World is Ours – Vol. 2 – Anyplace Crazy as Anywhere Else, from the
knock-down-drag-out performances of a band’s that’s lost none of its potency,
to the vibrant concert footage edited for optimum excitement and impactful audio
that adds more sonic punch to the mix than is absolutely necessary – although it
certainly is appreciated. Loved by punks and metalheads alike, Motorhead still
plays hard-hitting rock ‘n’ roll at a time when hard-rock could use a
defibrillator. Though they'll never welcome in respectable society, Lemmy and his band of merry mischief-makers are just the men to
bring it back to life.
-
Peter Lindblad
