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32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Warts And All..., October 8, 2003
This review is from: Stone Deaf Forever (Audio CD)
Over the past 28 years, not much has changed in the Motorhead camp except for an ever-revolving lineup of drummers and guitarists, the only constant being the bright blaze of glory that is Lemmy, attached to a drip-feed of drugs and nymphets, his nicotine-laced growl still spitting venom. Nearly three decades after their debut single was released by Stiff Records of all people, the band continue to strut with conviction, safe in the knowledge their songs are seminal. To paraphrase what fellow Amazon reviewer (...) says about absolute values existing in art, there is mere heavy metal and there is Motorhead. If you don't know the difference, you should probably be lining up for the new Godsmack album. "Stone Deaf Forever" attempts to do the impossible: capture the beer-soaked racket of Motorhead's concussion bomb skronk in the space of just five discs. While career-spanning compendiums like this one usually lose the plot to some degree, Sanctuary/Castle has actually done a pretty decent job. It's nice to see an entire disc devoted to the band's nascent years of 1975-1980, when it was still unclear if they were punks or rivetheads (to be honest, it's still unclear), especially material from their eponymous debut album like "White Line Fever" and "The Watcher," although it would have been nice to have their seedy, soiled cover of old rockabilly chestnut (via The Yardbirds) "Train Kept' A Rollin'". On the other hand, the Hawkwind version of "Motorhead" is a nice touch. Motorhead's glory years were those with the Mark II lineup of Lemmy, Fast Eddie Clarke, and Phil Taylor (the original band consisted of Lemmy, guitarist Larry Wallis, and drummer Lucas Fox) and it shouldn't surprise anyone that most of the first two discs are packed to bursting with the cracked fury of Clarke's cholesterol-laden riffs and Taylor's ultra-crude drumming, all overlaid with Lemmy's alpha male caterwauling, damaging grey matter and rocking mightily along the way. Somebody at Sanctuary/Castle has apparently done their homework, heroically picking the best chewy bits from the "Ace Of Spades," "Overkill," "Bomber," and "Iron Fist" albums, although (small quibble) the burning wreckage of "Love Me Like A Reptile" and "Jailbait" are conspicuously absent. The post-Fast Eddie years are also given their due and there's something strangely charming about Lemmy never losing sight of his twisted vision of bone-shaking, amphetamine-fuelled singalongs with enough squalid integrity to turn your hair white overnight despite a decided lack of dedication on the part of several of his mates. Besides all of the hearty blastarama from albums like "Another Perfect Day," "Orgasmatron," "1916," "Bastards," and "Snake Bite Love," "Stone Deaf Forever" manages to find room for a number of rarities, BBC and Peel sessions, soundtrack tunes, and an entire disc of live and bootleg tracks covering 1978-1999, when Lemmy and the boys tread the boards with enough swashbuckling swagger and macho bluster to send fathers the world over to quarantine their daughters. "Stone Deaf Forever" is that rare entity in box sets - a fitting introduction to the band as well as a treasure trove that rewards the faithful. The packaging is above average, including a tremendous 60-page booklet full of photos, memorabilia, old reviews, and an essay by veteran journo Mick Wall (always a plus in the Paull household). More importantly, however, is that in 2003, with rock and roll little more than lies and distorted realities, it's an opportunity to grab onto something real like Motorhead and wallow in their primordial energy. Bring on the apocalypse - Lemmy, Keith, and a bunch of cockroaches are hosting the party.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Have Even If You've Got The Individual Albums..., August 4, 2004
This review is from: Stone Deaf Forever (Audio CD)
I was leary on dropping some big dollars on this set, considering I already have all the original albums these songs were taken from. After my first listen through all five discs, however, I considered it money well spent. The overall set is first rate; terrific sound, great packaging and an excellent booklet. One thing I have to mention. I have always been "down" on the band in some regards since the departure of "Fast" Eddie Clarke. Oh yeah I bought the albums, but never felt Wurzel's or Campbell's lead guitar work could hold up againts Eddie's (kinda like when Paul Chapman replaced the "Mad Axeman" in UFO). Well, one listen to this set finally showed me the errors of my ways. Campbell's solo on the BBC session recording of "Killed By Death" could arguably be the best guitar work on any Motorhead song, Fast Eddie's included. Phil has my respect (yeah that'll make his day) and I'm now listening to the newer Motorhead releases with renewed interest and enthusiasm. Listening to the transitions of the band through these five discs made me realize that even though there have been a few line-up changes, two constants have always remained: Lemmy and the bands flat out ability to kick-@ss.
So, for you readers out there who want to start a Motorhead collection? Look no further than this box. Do not waste your time or cash on one of the many "best of" albums. This is the definitive set. For all the longtime Motorhead fans? You know you want this & you're gonna buy it eventually. So add to cart now and don't look back. I guarantee you will not regret it....even though when you crank it up, the neighbors will!
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally! A complete, career-spanning Motorhead compilation, October 20, 2003
This review is from: Stone Deaf Forever (Audio CD)
Motorhead has finally hit an Ace (of Spades) with this 5 disc box set that is beautifully detailed, sonically sound superior and masterfully done! Right now there are about 3 dozen assorted or different compilations out there on the market (ranging from countless best-of's, alternate versions, A-sides/B-sides, on and on). Over the years, I held myself back and just patiently waited for a box set. And now my wish has come true! This box set includes 99 songs either in live or studio form! And don't worry, none of these 99 songs repeat themselves, and like some box sets have a tendency of making an error like including a live, unreleased version of Ace of Spades over the studio version, you do not have to worry about that here. The first 4 CD's mainly concentrate on the studio input the band recorded. All their best ever songs are included, including stuff from 1975 with the original line-up, about 3-4 songs from each and every studio album are included! That's right, from Motorhead in 1977, Bomber and Overkill in 79, Ace of Spades 80,
Iron Fist 81, Another Perfect Day in 83, Orgasmatron 86, Rock and Roll 87, and so on through Hammered in 2002. All the albums are covered!!! Really this set in unbelieveable!!! This set is advertised as containing 19 previously unreleased tracks, but they are mostly all live tracks. Many taken from BBC from 78, or 80, and there are a few live tracks never before heard, but that is it. Now, for many of us, there are many many hard to find tracks here, like soundtrack cuts (Hellraiser 3), pre-Motorhead album tracks, album B-sides, and etc. Alot of these I have never ever heard, and they are all previously unreleased to me, so that's even an added bonus. As for the last disc (CD5), it is all live material. Many of the lesser known songs are here live, all taken from past Motorhead live releases (81's No Sleep, 89's No Sleep at All, Birthday Party, Everything Louder, etc.). Like I previously stated there are a few previously unreleased live cuts, that's it. In conclusion, this box set it a dream come true for me. I am not a hardcore Motorhead fan, but I do love alot of their albums, and for 50 bucks, this should be enough Motorhead for a lifetime (maybe eventually turning into a hardcore Lemmy-head).
Although this may be a career-spanning greatest hits album spanned across 5 disc with not too much unreleased stuff on it, I do not view it that way. Yes, on the surface that's what it may appear to be, but if anyone knows anything about Motorhead, they've been on about 600 different labels since 1975, and for a career-spanning release like this to ever see the light of day, it is truly an unreleased boxset!!! Warts and all!!!! Long Live Lemmy!!! And thank you Lemmy for this wonderful box set, it is a dream come true!
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