Motörhead Releases “Everything Louder Forever”; Check Out 10 Underrated Songs

Note: “Underrated” is a new series from WIJ writer B.J. Lisko where he takes a look at lesser-appreciated/overlooked songs from legendary hard rock and metal bands. 

Later this month marks six years since the death of rock icon and Motörhead mainman and bassist Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister. Motörhead’s most celebrated lineup, and in many ways deservedly so, was the classic era of Lemmy, guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke and drummer Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor. That trio is widely regarded as the forefathers of what would become thrash metal and are universally praised for the triumvirate of legendary albums “Overkill,” “Bomber” and “Ace of Spades” from 1978 to 1980.

But following Clarke’s exit from the band in 1982, Motörhead existed with a variety of different lineups for another 33 years. Kilmister often lamented that casual listeners only knew the band for “Ace of Spades” and its classic formation. And while the classic lineup might always be the band’s most revered, Lemmy and Co. had plenty of outstanding songs and albums after. Highlighting this are many of the tunes featured on Motörhead’s most recent best-of package, the 2-CD, 4-LP “Everything Louder Forever” (released Oct. 29 via BMG Records). 

With that being said, here are 10 overlooked Motörhead tracks from albums that came after the classic lineup. Have your own list of under appreciated Motörhead tracks? Let me know yours on Twitter: @BJLisko. 

“Rock It” (from 1983’s “Another Perfect Day”): Best known for his work with Thin Lizzy, guitarist Brian “Robbo” Robertson proved to be way out of place in Motörhead, but he very much shaped the sound on the excellent “Another Perfect Day.” “Rock It” is classic, hard rockin’ Motörhead boogie-woogie, and despite it marking Roberton’s only album with Motörhead, “Another Perfect Day” proved the band still had plenty in the tank and new tricks up their sleeve. 

“Deaf Forever” (from 1986’s “Orgasmatron”): On “Orgasmatron,” Lemmy was looking for a sound and approach similar to ZZ Top’s “Eliminator.” While that didn’t exactly pan out, “Deaf Forever” is a hard-grooving opener from a record well worth another listen beyond the title track.

“All For You” (from 1987’s “Rock ’n’ Roll”): “Rock ’n’ Roll” marked the return of Phil Taylor, and while the album suffers from production that’s a bit thin sounding, tracks like “Rock ’n’ Roll,” “Eat the Rich,” “Traitor” and especially the soaring and anthemic “All For You” propel another solid Motörhead effort. 

“I’m So Bad (Baby I Don’t Care)” from 1991’s “1916”: Seen by many as the band’s return to form, “1916” helped usher Motörhead into a new decade, and the fast-paced, riff-heavy “I’m So Bad (Baby I Don’t Care)” sports lyrics that are Lemmy at his tongue-in-cheek best. 

“Stand” (from 1992’s “March Or Die”): “March or Die” is a record that had everything going for it except for the record label. With appearances from Ozzy, Slash and drummer Tommy Aldridge, it should’ve sold far more simply on the back of its ballad, “I Ain’t No Nice Guy.” “Stand” is the album’s tone-setting opener, and “Hellraiser” (which also appeared on Ozzy’s “No More Tears” album) marked the first appearance of Mikkey Dee, the last drummer to ever man the Motörhead throne. 

“On Your Feet Or On Your Knees” (from 1993’s “Bastards”): The lead track in what is perhaps most complete record post-classic era, “On Your Feet Or On Your Knees” is a hard-driving rocker with witty lyrics at a ham-fisted pace. “Bastards,” much like “March or Die,” was plagued by little-to-no promotion, but Motörhead fans have discovered it long after its initial release, and it’s become one of the band’s most revered records. The excellent guitar work of the late Michael “Würzell” Burston also shines throughout. 

“Over Your Shoulder” (from 1995’s “Sacrifice”): The last album to feature Burston, “Sacrifice” is arguably the most overlooked album in the Motörhead canon. “Over Your Shoulder” is a heavy, groovy punch to the face that featured in the band’s live set for quite a few tours after its release. 

“Love For Sale” (from 1998’s “Snake Bite Love”): In the late ’90s, Motörhead moved back to a power trio format with Phil Campbell manning all 6-string duties. The band settled into a comfortability of sorts, and largely thanks to Metallica’s championing, ascended into its legendary status. “Love For Sale” is a catchy, fun, paint-by-numbers rocker from an album that’s definitely worth another spin.

“See Me Burning” (from 2000’s “We Are Motörhead”): Any speculation as to whether Motörhead would slow down entering yet another decade was obliterated within the first 10 seconds of “See Me Burning” — an absolute blinder of a track that made “Overkill” sound sluggish by comparison. (“Burner” from “Bastards” also accomplished this). Awesome, brutal stuff. 

“Runaround Man” (from 2008’s “Motörizer”): With a machine-gun delivery, Lemmy spits out super-catchy lyrics to “Runaround Man,” which is also an excellent exercise in heavy rock riffage that is distinctly Phil Campbell. 

And here’s 5 more, because it killed me not to represent a few other albums here: “Liar” (from 1993’s “Bastards”), “Crazy Like A Fox” (from 1996’s “Overnight Sensation”), “Brave New World” (from 2002’s “Hammered”), “Lost Woman Blues” (from 2013’s “Aftershock”), “Victory or Die” from 2015’s “Bad Magic”).