The Orgasmatron 40th anniversary edition lands Friday, November 6, and it is the loudest Motörhead reissue in years. Forty years after the 1986 original, the band's camp is putting out the record two ways at once: the original mix, remastered and cut at half speed from the original tapes, and a brand-new remix built from the original multitrack stems by longtime Motörhead producer Cameron Webb. Preorders are open now on the official Motörhead store, and one of the formats is already showing sold out there.
The full rundown is on the official Motörhead site. Here is what matters if you are buying.
Why Orgasmatron gets a second mix
Orgasmatron was the first full album from the four-piece lineup of Lemmy, Phil Campbell, Würzel and Pete Gill. Producer Bill Laswell and engineer Jason Corsaro pushed the band into heavier territory, and that stylized sound divided fans and the band alike. The Motörhead team says Lemmy and Phil Campbell both felt some of the power, bite and energy got lost in the final delivery.
Enter Webb, who produced six Motörhead studio albums: Inferno, Kiss of Death, Motörizer, The Wörld Is Yours, Aftershock and Bad Magic. His brief to himself was simple. Respect what Laswell and Corsaro built, but think about what Lemmy and Phil would have asked for if they were sitting next to him, which means more bass here and sharper guitars there. In his words, the aim was never to replace the original but to reveal more of what was inside it. He first heard the title track at 14 and thought it sounded like the devil coming through his cassette tape. That is the right energy for this job.
The formats, and which one to grab
- Deluxe three-LP (long-playing record) bookpack: the complete package. Disc one is the 40th anniversary master, disc two is the Webb remix, and disc three collects studio rehearsals and outtakes from 1985 plus the full 1986 session for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Radio 1 Friday Rock Show. The store listing adds the story of the album written by Neil Perry, with rare photos and memorabilia.
- Two-CD (compact disc) mediabook: the same three stories on two discs, master plus extras on one, remix plus the radio session on the other.
- Transparent violet LP: the original studio album only, on colored vinyl. This is the one listed as sold out on the US store as of this writing, so check the European Motörhead store if you missed it.
Our pick is the bookpack. You get both mixes to argue about, and the rehearsal tapes are the kind of thing collectors chase for decades. If you only want the record as it was, the violet pressing is the looker.
What is on it
The core album runs Deaf Forever, Nothing Up My Sleeve, Ain't My Crime, Claw and Mean Machine on side A, then Built For Speed, Ridin' With The Driver, Doctor Rock and the title track on side B. The bonus disc includes a studio rehearsal of Orgasmatron paired with On The Road, an alternate version of Claw, outtakes of Nothing Up My Sleeve and Mean Machine, and radio session takes of Killed By Death, Orgasmatron, Doctor Rock and Deaf Forever, plus a spoken word Orgasmatron.
Built For Speed is the second single from the Webb remix and arrived with an animated lyric video by Lee Gregory at ILoveMotion. Pre-save or stream the singles through the official Orgasmatron 40th link.
Our call
This is a smart reissue, not a cash grab. Two mixes side by side settle a 40-year argument in your own living room. Order before Friday if you want it close to release day, then make room on the shelf with our record storage and display picks. Metal fans should also check out the Slayer Reign in Blood 40th zoetrope vinyl, and our gifts for vinyl collectors guide is ready for holiday lists.
