The Manticore Tapes

Freshly tossed out of Hawkwind, Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister struck out on his own, abandoning his former band’s psychedelic histrionics for a meaner, leaner type of rock ’n’ roll. After a few false starts, Motörhead began in earnest in August 1976, when the classic Three Amigos lineup—Lemmy on bass and vocals, “Fast” Eddie Clarke on guitar, and “Philthy Animal” Phil Taylor on drums—began rehearsing at Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s Manticore Studios in London. Set up in the auditorium of the converted movie house, the legendary lineup ran through the staples of Motörhead’s early sets—stripped-down versions of Lemmy-penned Hawkwind tunes “Motörhead” and “The Watcher” plus Eddie Holland’s “Leavin’ Here” alongside originals that would surface on the band’s 1977 debut: “Vibrator,” “Keep Us on the Road,” and “Iron Horse/Born to Lose.” Nearly 50 years on, the tapes have been dredged up from the vaults of history, complete with Lemmy’s inimitable between-song banter.

That still vital entity known as MOTÖRHEAD have navigated their leader Lemmy's death in 2016 with great dignity. The vaults have certainly been plundered to some degree: six volumes of live material under the "Lost Tapes" banner have been released to date, and last year's "We Take No Prisoners" sing...