On Parole

On Parole
United Artists 1979 release
Studio album by Motörhead
Released 8 December 1979
Recorded September 1975
December 1975–February 1976[1]
Studio Rockfield Studios, Monmouth, Wales[1]
Genre Rock and roll, hard rock
Length 36:59 (Original)
52:27 (Reissue)[1]
Label United Artists (1979)
Liberty (1981)
Cleopatra (1991)
EMI (1997)[1]
Producer Fritz Fryer, Dave Edmunds[1]
Motörhead chronology
Bomber
(1979)Bomber1979		 On Parole
(1979)		 The Golden Years (EP)
(1980)The Golden Years (EP)1980
1981 LP
Liberty Records Vinyl LP reissue
1991 CD
Cleopatra Records First CD reissue.
This CD cover has the original line-up of Lemmy, Larry Wallis and Lucas Fox..
1997 CD
EMI CD Remastered reissue with bonus tracks
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]

On Parole is the fourth recording released by the band Motörhead. It was intended as their first album and left unreleased at the time of its completion in 1976, and it was not released until over three years later, on 8 December 1979, after the commercial success of Overkill and Bomber that same year. It was released without the band's permission, and they consequently distanced themselves from it.

Originally intended for a 1976 release date, United Artists was not convinced of the album's commercial potential and did not want to release it at the time. It would remain unreleased for over three years until Motörhead had made a name for themselves with commercial success of their three previous albums, and United Artists decided to cash in on this after the fact. As a result, it was not considered an official release by the band at the time and they did not want it released, as they had moved on, first to Chiswick Records and then Bronze Records, since then.[1]

It is still a contentious entry, in whatever format, within the band's catalogue. This is due in main to the original line-up having already changed prior to its completion in the studio, the obvious sound differences to their previous three albums, and Motörhead's stated opinions about how United Artists behaved as they did in 1976 towards them. Fans, critics and the band themselves remain divided as a result, hence its position in the 'Compilations' section of their discography.

Background

Motörhead signed with United Artists when Andrew Lauder, A&R man for Lemmy's old band Hawkwind, secured them a record deal. This is the only album to feature the band's original line-up of Lemmy on vocals and bass, Larry Wallis on guitar and vocals, and Lucas Fox on drums. During the sessions, original producer Dave Edmunds relinquished his duties, being replaced by Fritz Fryer. Drummer Fox was then replaced by Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor, a casual acquaintance of Lemmy's from the 'bikie' drug scene, who had been persuaded to drive him to Rockfield Studios and "bring his drum kit", as he had boasted to Lemmy that he played. Taylor then overdubbed all of Fox's tracks except for "Lost Johnny", as he was being held in custody following an arrest for alleged drunk-and-disorderly conduct when that session was due to take place, and the session time had run out by then.

"Fast" Eddie Clarke, who was the foreman on a houseboat painting job Phil had at the time, had said to him that he played guitar 'in some bands' previously, and was asked to come and try out for a second guitarist role. For unknown reasons, Larry Wallis, after trying the 4-piece line-up at rehearsals, decided to quit the band and move on. Thus the 'classic' line-up of Kilmister, Clarke, Taylor was born, though Eddie doesn't play on this album, it is nearly entirely re-recorded on the debut Chiswick Records album Motörhead in 1977 and is, as a result, a snapshot into how their, now famous, sound progression took.[3]

Recording

Four of the songs appearing on On Parole were recorded in a single session at Rockfield Studios in September 1975, while the rest were taped in December 1975, with various overdubs laid down in January and February 1976. Initially, the band recorded some demos with producer Dave Edmunds at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales, with Lemmy later telling Geoff Barton of Sounds:

... Dave Edmonds and us got on OK, it was just that at the time he was negotiating a record deal or something for himself and was kind of preoccupied. These people kept arriving in big cars to talk to him – most of the time his mind seemed somewhere else ...

Of the tracks, three ("Motörhead", "The Watcher" and "Lost Johnny") were re-recordings of songs Lemmy had written and recorded with Hawkwind, "City Kids" was a re-recording of a Wallis track co-written and recorded with The Pink Fairies, and "Leaving Here" was a cover version of a Holland-Dozier-Holland Motown song Lemmy had learned whilst a roadie for The Birds. On Parole was recorded and released by Larry Wallis, who was backed by two members of Eddie and the Hot Rods; bassist Paul Gray, and drummer Steve Nicol as a b-side to the Stiff Records "Police Car" single in 1977, after this album had been recorded but prior to its release.

In his autobiography White Line Fever, Lemmy recalls drummer Taylor trying to sing "City Kids", but he says that "he sounded like two cats being stapled together". Kilmister was also impressed by Taylor's ability to overdub drums, adding that it was "quite a feat, because the drums are what you usually base a song on – it's kind of like going ass-backwards".

Release

At the time United Artists were not convinced of the album's commercial potential and shelved its release despite the band shooting down to the label every day saying:

..'What the fuck's happening? When's the album coming out? When are you gonna get us some gigs? What's happening about getting us an agency?' All we'd get was bullshit about the sleeve, you know, photographs and all that. When we got back from Rockfield with the masters, of course, we got the big: 'Oh, great, fantastic', but in the ensuing weeks it was just excuses and bullshit..

After the band's profile had risen with the commercial success of the albums Overkill and Bomber in 1979, United Artists re-appraised the album and gave it a belated release at the end of that year. In his book Overkill: The Untold Story of Motorhead, biographer Joel McIver quotes Lemmy:

... United Artists were a bunch of twats in the final analysis. Yeah, they cashed in on us. We had the Bomber album out and were already big. But I don't care about these people. Record companies are a hindrance to rock 'n' roll, not a help. They dilute the real thing down to the lowest common denominator ...

Due to the record company's initial refusal to release this album, when a reconfigured Motörhead (featuring Eddie Clarke on guitar) were given studio time by Chiswick Records in 1977, they chose to re-record the album in almost its entirety (only "Fools" were not re-recorded) leading to their debut release Motörhead.

Critical reception

Dave Thompson of AllMusic calls the arrangements on the LP "devastating, steeped in blues, drenched in booze, the highest octane pub rock of all. No matter how well you think you know Motörhead, still it's nothing like you're expecting. A true sonic symphony, this is Wagner with whiplash."

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Motorhead"Ian Kilmister2:57
2."On Parole"Larry Wallis5:38
3."Vibrator"Wallis, Des Brown2:53
4."Iron Horse/Born to Lose"Phil Taylor, Mick Brown, Guy "Tramp" Lawrence5:17
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."City Kids"Wallis, Duncan Sanderson3:43
6."Fools"Wallis, Des Brown5:35
7."The Watcher"Kilmister4:50
8."Leaving Here"Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland, Edward Holland2:56
9."Lost Johnny"Kilmister, Mick Farren3:31
Total length:36:59
EMI Records 1997 CD reissue bonus tracks[1]
No.TitleLength
10."On Parole" (Dave Edmunds demo)6:58
11."City Kids" (Dave Edmunds demo)3:48
12."Motörhead" (Dave Edmunds demo)2:48
13."Leaving Here" (Dave Edmunds demo)3:01
Total length:52:27

Personnel

Per the On Parole liner notes.[1]

Motörhead

Production

  • Dave Edmunds – producer (tracks 10–13), engineer
  • Motörhead – co-producers (track 10)
  • Fritz Fryer – producer (tracks 1–9), engineer, mastering (on original)
  • Terry Burch – mastering (1997 Remaster)
  • Paul Hicks – mixing (tracks 11–13 – 1997 Remaster)

Release history

  • 1979 – UK vinyl – United Artists Rockfile, LBR1004 – single white sleeve with George Bodnar black-and-white photographs of Lemmy on front and back
  • 1981 – UK vinyl – Liberty, LN66125 – Black-and-white photograph of Lemmy, Wallis and Fox in the studio.
  • 1982 – UK vinyl – EMI/Liberty Fame, FA3009 – single sleeve with colour photograph of Lemmy on stage.
  • 1991 – USA CD – Cleopatra, CLEO-57212-2 – Black-and-white photograph of Lemmy, Wallis and Fox in studio.
  • 1997 – UK CD – EMI, 8 54794 2 – Black on white Snaggletooth logo. Sleeve notes by Mick Farren. With bonus tracks.
  • 2000 – UK CD – EMI Gold, 8 54794 2 – Black-and-white photograph of Lemmy, Wallis and Fox in the studio. With bonus tracks.
  • 2004 – Netherlands CD – Disky, 901611 – Black-and-white photograph of Lemmy posing. With bonus tracks.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Motörhead, On Parole, EMI Records, CDGO 2072, 1997 Liner Notes, page 4 & Cleopatra Records, CDLL-57666, 1991 Liner Notes, page 5
  2. ↑ Thompson, Dave. "Motörhead On Parole review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2013-11-12.
  3. ↑ Burridge, Alan (April 1991). "Motorhead". Record Collector (140): 16–22.
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