Motörhead - Orgasmatron (1986)

Published by sybercope | Filed under Rock

On the surface, Motörhead appear to be trying something new with Orgasmatron, bringing in producer Bill Laswell to put a slightly different slant on their signature sound. Laswell does beef up the mix with added sonic detail, which works to particularly good effect on the title track — the densely layered production helps transform the song and its simple riff into a chugging psychedelic noise-fest. Elsewhere, the production sometimes has the effect of muting the band’s energy, sounding oddly processed and lacking the raw bite of past work (which foreshadows their decline over the next few years). It doesn’t help that the songwriting is somewhat inconsistent, with “Deaf Forever” and “Built for Speed” standing out among a batch of tunes that sometimes sound as though Motörhead were trying a little too self-consciously to do what people expected from a Motörhead album. Still, in Motörhead’s case, that distinction is easily lost, so even if Orgasmatron is somewhat erratic, most fans will find a hidden favorite or two. (~ Steve Huey, AMG)
The album’s working title was “Ridin’ with the Driver” and later changed to “Orgasmatron”, it was too late for Joe Petagno to change the cover art and the train design was used.

Tracklist:

01. Deaf Forever
02. Nothing Up My Sleeve
03. Ain’t My Crime
04. Claw
05. Mean Machine
06. Built For Speed
07. Ridin’ With The Driver
08. Doctor Rock
09. Orgasmatron
10. On The Road (live, b-side of Deaf Forever) [bonus track]
11. Steal Your Face (live, b-side of Deaf Forever) [bonus track]
12. Claw (alternative version, previously unreleased) [bonus track]

all songs written by Motörhead
Produced and Engineered by Bill Laswell
Co-produced by Jason Corsaro
Recorded at Master Rock Studios, London, UK

• Lemmy Kilmister - vocals, bass
• Phil “Zoomster” Campbell – guitar
• Michael “Würzel” Burston – guitar
• Pete Gill – drums

Original Release Date: August 9, 1986
Release Date: 1997. Original Recordings
Label: Castle Communications plc.