Better Motorhead Than Dead: Live At Hammersmith

Motörhead | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 9, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Steamhammer / Spv
• ASIN: B000RO8T6G
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,485 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Better Motörhead Than Dead - Live At Hammersmith rekindles memories of a momentous night that even a cosmopolitan city like London doesn t see every day. Early June 2005 saw the long queue in front of the venerable Hammersmith Odeon, a venue of many legendary live shows, stretch right to the tube station on the other side of the road. What was going on? Motörhead had invited their fans to their 30th anniversary party, and over 5,000 of them accepted. Their number would have been even greater had the powers that be in the British capital not rigorously limited the capacity of the illustrious venue. Loved by their fans, respected by the press due to the personal integrity of the three band members, Lemmy Kilmister, Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee, Motörhead were experiencing their seventh or eighth spring in the 30th year of their existence and continued to be as generous as ever.

The track listing consists of 23 songs, a kind of best of Motörhead featuring, among others, classics such as Bomber , Ace Of Spades , Overkill , Sacrifice and Iron Fist . Then there are some more recent tracks from their 2005 release, Inferno , and a number of surprises: June 2005 saw Motörhead delve deeply into vaults that their fans had assumed to be permanently locked up. A truly remarkable night, captured for posterity on this two CD set.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You need this on your shelf, November 13, 2007

By 

AMK "Soundtrack collector" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Better Motorhead Than Dead: Live At Hammersmith (Audio CD)

I own a lot of live albums, and I own a lot of Motorhead, but this is something you need on your shelf. First, it's a band at the top of its game; as the 2004 release "Inferno", indicated, you really can get both older and better--"like cheese", as Lemmy observes. Second, this is pretty much the whole show, warts and all (not much of a pun intended)--however much people rightly applaud "No Sleep" as seminal Motorhead, they do tend to overlook the fact that it was cobbled together from several different gigs. Third, this is really well recorded, and it just sounds good.
The set is pretty much the standard gig on offer since "Inferno" and with three differences is the same as the live show from Germany on offer on the "Stage Fright" DVD from a few months earlier. The anniversary show contains "Love for Sale', `Bomber' and `Road Crew', and while two of these are standards, the first is new to my collection.
If I was going to buy only one thing, I'd get the "Stage Fright" DVD. First, of course, you get sound *and* visuals. Second, the larger hall and more enthusiastic crowd seemed to generate a better gig. To support that assertion--I wasn't at either, unfortunately--I'd point to the fact that you can hear Lemmy getting a little truculent with the crowd on this disc on a couple of occasions ["I don't come and throw drinks at you when you're working"]. The energy is high but not as it is on the DVD--and if you've seen any of the *other* DVD [stay with me now--that's the DVD of half a dozen of the tracks from this show available on the special UK anniversary edition of "Inferno"], you can see that the London gig is just too crowded, too hot and by the end, Phil Campbell looks as though he is going to pass out.
But this is Motorhead and you aren't just going to buy one thing, right, So get the DVD AND this, watch one on the TV and listen to the other in the car [or wherever you indulge your Motorhead needs]. This is a ***** purchase, especially at this price--the sleeve is nicely done, and the inserts are excellent. Here's to....forty years?!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Motorhead - 'Better Motorhead Than Dead' (SPV), May 15, 2008

By 

Mike Reed (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Better Motorhead Than Dead: Live At Hammersmith (Audio CD)

Superb 2-CD Motorhead live release that was recorded on June 11, 2005 at the Hammersmith Apollo. Total of twenty-three blistering *ss-kicking tracks from the band's lengthy repertoire. In fact, 'Better Motorhead...' was put out to celebrate Motorhead's 30th anniversary since Lemmy was sacked from Hawkwind to form the ground-breaking ensemble. A couple of lesser-known cuts show up like "Shoot You In The Back" (off the 'Ace Of Spades' lp) and "Dancing On Your Grave" (from 'Another Perfect Day'). As for the highlights, you know they're here - in full force such as "Dr. Rock", "Love Me Like A Reptile", the vintage "Metropolis", the anthem-like "No Class", one of my favorite metal tunes (of all time), the awesome "Just 'Cos You Got The Right", "Killed By Death", "Bomber", the much appreciated encore of "Ace Of Spades" and "Overkill". Clocking in right at the 100-minute mark. Sound quality is great, but then again I am a live album nut. Comes housed in a nicely-assembled three-way digi-pack fold-out, along with a handy sixteen-page full color CD booklet. Sort of like a mini-program. Essential.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "In 1983, we released an album that you all ******* hated"..., November 9, 2007

By 

Mike (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Better Motorhead Than Dead: Live At Hammersmith (Audio CD)

The attraction here isn't "Ace Of Spades," "Killed By Death," "Metropolis," or any number of other tracks that have appeared on previous live albums. It's great to hear them, but the real reason to purchase "Better Motorhead Than Dead" is the mix of newer tracks and previous "forgotten classics."

I wasn't a Motorhead fan in 1983, so I can't back up Lemmy's claim that Another Perfect Day was universally despised. I know that ex-Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson was a fish out of water in this band (how can you be the guitarist in Motorhead and say that you won't play any of the old songs in concert is beyond my comprehension), but the two songs chosen from that album ("I Got Mine" and "Dancing On Your Grave") fit in comfortably with the other 21 tracks in the set.

"Better Motorhead Than Dead" serves as both a good career overview for the new or casual Motorhead fan and another great live set for the faithful.