Bullet In Your Brain – Motörhead

I didn’t expect to be able to do this again. But on the same day I watched a trailer for the newest Indiana Jones movie and unwrapped a rejigged and expanded Iron Maiden album, I learned that there is a NEW Motörhead single on release. Not a live track, or a cover. A NEW Motörhead single. For geeks of a certain age it’s like living in HashtagReadyPlayerOne every time I open my music app.

“Once upon a time knights in shining armour rescued all the maidens from the dragons breath”

It’s also messing with the posts I’ve been writing since September to give you the *PaRpInG fAnFaRe* SteveForTheDeaf 50 Songs of 2022. So after Metallica’s triumphant return and now Lemmy being resurrected for Christmas (or is it his birthday?) I’m going to say “Screw It!” and post 60 songs before midnight New Years Even instead of 50. The “end of SFTD firesale blow out” gets another wheeze. As much as I liked my sites final song being Sympathy For The Devil (a song Motörhead covered by the way) I’m going long.

In a year where there are new releases from The Doors (Paris Blues, the stuff deemed unreleasable until now from the legendary Blues Day), The Rolling Stones (Grrr Live! A commemorative live album recalling a decade old greatest hits album… Pushing it?) and The Beatles Rubber Soul Remastered (again? Again again?). I’m not expecting it to rival Shine or Overkill or Born To Raise Hell. But a new Motörhead tune is a new Motörhead tune. And we are not exactly spoiled for choice these days.

“Those were romantic times, you could leave the circus, they’d rob you half blind”

So, this isn’t a cover of Rage Against The Machine pushed through and pulled back through Google Translate. Bullet In Your Brain is clearly an outtake. One of the ‘worked up in the studio’ tracks from the sessions for their final album Bad Magic. That record is not close to ten years old itself yet, but it’s getting an expanded edition re-release anyway (at least these latter day do-overs are over seen by the surviving band members seeing as the Aces line up are all gone). All the same, I’m guessing the money figure many of the fans will be too old if they wait a whole decade.

I’ll be honest. I can see why it didn’t make the cut first time round. Adding Bullet To The Brain to Bad Magic does not improve the album. There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s a decent song. Lemmy’s contribution is not a strong as Phil’s dexterous guitar or Mikkey’s powerhouse drumming. There’s a flangey axe breakdown which morphs into a proper fiddly 80’s metal solo that elevates things to the Seriously Bad Magic as advertised for a hot minute.

As the telltale video shows. Lem was sat on his arse for the recording process but still kicking everybody else’s. The opening verse is a bit of a gargled mumble (Maybe further takes would have been done if it had made the cut).

It does highlight what a strong album Motörhead went out on. Opening with Victory Or Die, Thunder & Lightning, Fire Storm Hotel, Shoot Out All The Lights. Motörhead album always benefit from a significantly strong opening salvo. A barrage to burst open the gates and declare your clocks well and truly cleaned.

“Nowadays it’s not the same”

The only thing that felt off to me about Bad Magic was it finishing on a cover version. Admittedly it’s a cover version of the greatest rock song of all time. Even still. A band like Motörhead going out on a B-Side?

At least tacking this on the end (and the as yet unheard track Greedy Bastards) changes that. I get the impression from that title the I heard track is going to be pretty relevant for some time to come.

Still, Christmas is the season for nostalgia and this Christmas we need all the comforts we can get as we freeze our toes off in houses we can’t heat while we sharpen our broom handles before the inevitable fall of the billionaires. Eat The Rich is starting to sound like a manifesto.

I’m looking forward to the new Motörhead record, the next Indiana Jones film and whatever else will get us through this long cold winter laid out in front of us. We missed ya Lem, it’s good to have you back.

Bullet In Your Brain – From Seriously Bad Magic

In Lieu of Greedy Bastards why not Eat The Rich

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