No Sleep 'til Hammersmith

No Sleep 'til Hammersmith
Live album by
Motörhead
ReleasedJune 1981
Recorded(7 February – 20 April) 1980;
28–30 March 1981[1]
VenueUnspecified location
(Winter/Spring 1980)
Queen's Hall
(Leeds, England – 28 March 1981)
City Hall
(Newcastle, England – 29 & 30 March 1981)
Genre
Length40:31
LabelBronze
ProducerVic Maile[1]
Motörhead chronology
St. Valentine's Day Massacre (EP)
(1981) 		No Sleep 'til Hammersmith
(1981) 		Iron Fist
(1982)
CD reissue
Singles from No Sleep 'til Hammersmith
  1. "Motorhead (live)"
    Released: July 1981

No Sleep 'til Hammersmith is the first live album by English rock band Motörhead, released in June 1981 by Bronze Records. It peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart.[2] It was followed by the release of the single "Motorhead" (backed with the non-album track "Over the Top") on 3 July, which peaked on the UK Singles Chart at number 6.[3]

Background

After releasing three albums and touring for five years, Motörhead's 1980 album Ace of Spades (their first LP to be released in the United States) gave the band its first taste of major success. However, as drummer Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor wryly notes in the documentary The Guts and the Glory:

The more famous we seemed to get, the more we were working all the time, and we just never seemed to see any money... this is how you know you're being ripped off, when they work you like dogs and hardly give you any time off, 'cause when you got a bit of time off you might start thinking about things.

— Phil Taylor

In February 1981, the band released the St. Valentine's Day Massacre EP co-recorded with Girlschool, and in March headed out on a British jaunt called the "Short Sharp Pain in the Neck" tour, from which the songs on No Sleep 'til Hammersmith would be picked.[1]

Recording

The original No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith LP includes two songs from their debut album, the title track from 1979's Bomber, five songs from 1979's Overkill, and three songs from Ace of Spades. The track "Motorhead" would be released as a single and become the band's biggest chart hit, reaching number 6 in the UK. Bar "Iron Horse/Born to Lose", which was from a 1980 show, No Sleep 'til Hammersmith was recorded at Leeds and Newcastle shows during the Short Sharp Pain in the Neck tour. The name of the tour referred to an injury sustained by Taylor when he was dropped on his head during after-show horseplay.

The title is a reference to the major London music venue the Hammersmith Odeon (now Apollo); often the last stop on the band's UK tours. But despite the name, this venue was not played on this tour, the shows being:

Backstage at Leeds and Newcastle, the band were presented with silver and gold records for sales of Ace of Spades, silver for Overkill and silver for "Please Don't Touch".[5] The sound at Leeds Queens hall was not good and most of the original album is taken from Newcastle. Vocalist and bassist Lemmy stated that originally they intended No Sleep 'til Hammersmith to be a double album but they only had enough material for three sides.

It still sounds good to me… We were in the middle of a 53-show tour, so by that time we were on automatic. We were tight, and you can hear that on the record… There are mistakes on there. There are always mistakes on a live album… that's life. Life ain't perfect, and I'm no different. I think I overdubbed a couple of lines of vocals on Hammersmith, but there's no false songs.

— Lemmy[6]

At the time of the album's release, the band were in the middle of their first tour of North America, supporting Ozzy Osbourne.[5] "When 'No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith' came out", Lemmy told James McNair of Mojo in 2011, "it made a difference financially, but a lot of it went back into the show."

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Robert ChristgauB+[8]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[9]
Spin Alternative Record Guide10/10[10]

No Sleep 'til Hammersmith is the band's peak in terms of chart positions. In the wake of the success of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre EP and Ace of Spades album and single, it entered the UK chart at number one. Lemmy believed its success was due to a building anticipation from their fan base for a live album, due to the band having toured so heavily in the past, but also considered it their "downfall" due to the difficulty in following up its success.[11]

I was asleep in New York… Our manager rang me up and I said, "Fuck it, I'm asleep, call me later." A couple of minutes later, it [the number one] registered and I was bolt upright. We were doing well. Little did we know that the fucking damaged floorboard was just around the corner.

— Lemmy[12]

Jason Birchmeier of AllMusic wrote, "the performance: in a word, it's breakneck. [...] Motörhead could do no wrong at this point in time, as they were laying the foundation for the coming thrash movement, in a way, and their winning streak continues here on No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith, one of the best live metal albums of all time." In the 2011 book Overkill: The Untold Story of Motörhead, biographer Joel McIver calls it "the peak of the Lemmy/Clarke/Philthy line-up's career". Robert Christgau wrote, "Vic Maile's power-packed definition obliterates my bias against live recording. Remakes of white lies like 'No Class' and 'Stay Clean' and calling cards like 'Bomber' and 'Motorhead' save valuable shelf space. So what if it gives me a headache? Sometimes a headache comes as a relief."

The Daily Telegraph rated it the best live album of all time.[13] It is also featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

References to the title

The title of the band's third live album, Nö Sleep at All, refers to the title of this album.[14]

The album title was also referenced by the Beastie Boys on the track "No Sleep till Brooklyn" from their album Licensed to Ill.[15]

Track listing

Original edition

Side A
No.TitleOriginal studio releaseLength
1."Ace of Spades" (30 March 1981)1980 ~ Ace of Spades3:01
2."Stay Clean" (30 March 1981)1979 ~ Overkill2:50
3."Metropolis" (30 March 1981)1979 ~ Overkill3:31
4."The Hammer" (29 March 1981)1980 ~ Ace of Spades3:05
5."Iron Horse/Born to Lose" (1980) (unknown date)1977 ~ Motörhead3:58
6."No Class" (28 March 1981)1979 ~ Overkill2:34
Side B
No.TitleOriginal studio releaseLength
7."Overkill" (30 March 1981)1979 ~ Overkill5:13
8."(We Are) The Road Crew" (30 March 1981)1980 ~ Ace of Spades3:31
9."Capricorn" (30 March 1981)1979 ~ Overkill4:40
10."Bomber" (28 March 1981)1979 ~ Bomber3:24
11."Motörhead" (29 March 1981)1977 ~ Motörhead4:47
Total length:40:31
Castle Communications 1996 CD reissue bonus tracks[1]
No.TitleOriginal studio releaseLength
12."Over the Top" (30 March 1981)1979 ~ Bomber (single)3:04
13."Capricorn" (alternative version)1979 ~ Overkill4:54
14."Train Kept A-Rollin'" (1980) (unknown date)1977 ~ Motörhead2:44

Metal-Is Records 2001 2-CD re-issue edition

Disc 1 bonus tracks
No.TitleOriginal studio releaseLength
12."Over the Top" (30 March 1981)1979 ~ Bomber (single)2:57
13."Shoot You in the Back" (30 March 1981)1980 ~ Ace of Spades2:43
14."Jailbait" (28 March 1981)1980 ~ Ace of Spades3:34
15."Leaving Here" (28 March 1981)1977 ~ Leaving Here / White Line Fever2:48
16."Fire, Fire" (29 March 1981)1980 ~ Ace of Spades2:55
17."Too Late, Too Late" (30 March 1981)1979 ~ Overkill (single)3:04
18."Bite the Bullet / The Chase Is Better Than the Catch" (30 March 1981)1980 ~ Ace of Spades6:38
Disc 2
No.TitleOriginal studio releaseLength
1."Ace of Spades" (28 March 1981)1980 ~ Ace of Spades2:47
2."Stay Clean" (29 March 1981)1979 ~ Overkill2:54
3."Metropolis" (29 March 1981)1979 ~ Overkill3:46
4."The Hammer" (28 March 1981)1980 ~ Ace of Spades3:01
5."Capricorn" (29 March 1981)1979 ~ Overkill5:00
6."No Class" (29 March 1981)1979 ~ Overkill5:00
7."(We Are) The Road Crew" (28 March 1981)1980 ~ Ace of Spades3:31
8."Bite the Bullet / The Chase Is Better Than the Catch" (28 March 1981)1980 ~ Ace of Spades6:07
9."Overkill" (29 March 1981)1979 ~ Overkill4:53
10."Bomber" (29 March 1981)1979 ~ Bomber3:26
11."Motörhead" (30 March 1981)1977 ~ Motörhead5:31
  • All track dates taken from the liner notes
  • 'Iron Horse/Born to Lose' was recorded at an unspecified location in 1980, on the 1980 European tour (thus between 7 February and 20 April 1980), the same tour as The Golden Years EP, which are also unspecified on any releases.

2021 40th anniversary edition

No Sleep 'til Hammersmith was reissued on 25 June 2021 via Sanctuary/BMG for its 40th anniversary across a number of formats, including a four-CD deluxe edition with previously unreleased performances. The record featured tracks from the band’s Short Sharp Pain in the Neck tour which saw them play Newcastle, Leeds, Norfolk and Belfast in the space of a week, in late March / early April 1981. This 40th anniversary reissue features a new remaster of the original album created from the original tapes. The four-CD edition includes five bonus tracks on the first disc (three of which are previously unreleased from a soundcheck) and features three previously unreleased full concerts from this tour: Leeds Queen Hall (28 March 1981) and both nights from Newcastle City Hall (29 & 30 March 1981). Just over half of the original album is from the Newcastle show on the 30 March. The box set includes 28-page book, poster, plectrum, tour pass, ticket, flyer & badge.[16]

CD 1: Original album remastered 2021 (including five bonus tracks)
No.TitleOriginal studio releaseLength
1."Ace of Spades" (30 March 1981)1980 ~ Ace of Spades3:01
2."Stay Clean" (30 March 1981)1979 ~ Overkill2:50
3."Metropolis" (30 March 1981)1979 ~ Overkill3:31
4."The Hammer" (29 March 1981)1980 ~ Ace of Spades3:05
5."Iron Horse/Born to Lose" (1980) (unknown date)1977 ~ Motörhead3:58
6."No Class" (28 March 1981)1979 ~ Overkill2:34
7."Overkill" (30 March 1981)1979 ~ Overkill5:13
8."(We Are) The Road Crew" (30 March 1981)1980 ~ Ace of Spades3:31
9."Capricorn" (30 March 1981)1979 ~ Overkill4:40
10."Bomber" (28 March 1981)1979 ~ Bomber3:24
11."Motörhead" (29 March 1981)1977 ~ Motörhead4:47
Bonus tracks (previously released as two of the three Castle Communications 1996 CD reissue bonus tracks)
No.TitleOriginal studio (or live) releaseLength
12."Over the Top" (30 March 1981)1979 ~ Bomber (single)3:04
13."Train Kept A-Rollin'" (1980) (unknown date)1977 ~ Motörhead2:44
Bonus tracks (Live Soundcheck at Newcastle City Hall – March 30, 1981) (previously unreleased)
No.TitleOriginal studio (or live) releaseLength
14."Stay Clean"1979 ~ Overkill 
15."Limb From Limb"1979 ~ Overkill 
16."Iron Horse"1977 ~ Motörhead 
CD 2: Live at Newcastle City Hall – March 30, 1981 (only 7 tracks previously unreleased)
No.TitleOriginal studio releaseLength
1."Ace of Spades" (previously released)1980 ~ Ace of Spades 
2."Stay Clean" (previously released)1979 ~ Overkill 
3."Over the Top" (previously released)1979 ~ Bomber (single) 
4."Metropolis" (previously released)1979 ~ Overkill 
5."Shoot You In The Back" (previously released)1980 ~ Ace of Spades 
6."The Hammer"1980 ~ Ace of Spades 
7."Jailbait"1980 ~ Ace of Spades 
8."Leaving Here"1977 ~ Leaving Here (debut) single 
9."Iron Horse/Born to Lose"1977 ~ Motörhead 
10."Fire Fire"1980 ~ Ace of Spades 
11."Capricorn" (previously released)1979 ~ Overkill 
12."Too Late Too Late" (previously released)1979 ~ Overkill single 
13."No Class"1979 ~ Overkill 
14."(We Are) The Road Crew" (previously released)1980 ~ Ace of Spades 
15."Bite The Bullet" (previously released)1980 ~ Ace of Spades 
16."The Chase Is Better Than The Catch" (previously released)1980 ~ Ace of Spades 
17."Overkill" (previously released)1979 ~ Overkill 
18."Bomber"1979 ~ Bomber 
19."Motörhead" (previously released)1977 ~ Motörhead 
CD 3: Live at Newcastle City Hall – March 29, 1981 (half of the show previously unreleased)
No.TitleOriginal studio releaseLength
1."Ace of Spades"1980 ~ Ace of Spades 
2."Stay Clean" (previously released)1979 ~ Overkill 
3."Over the Top"1979 ~ Bomber (single) 
4."Metropolis" (previously released)1979 ~ Overkill 
5."Shoot You In The Back"1980 ~ Ace of Spades 
6."The Hammer" (previously released)1980 ~ Ace of Spades 
7."Jailbait"1980 ~ Ace of Spades 
8."Leaving Here"1977 ~ Leaving Here (debut) single 
9."Fire Fire" (previously released)1980 ~ Ace of Spades 
10."Capricorn" (previously released)1979 ~ Overkill 
11."Too Late Too Late"1979 ~ Overkill single 
12."No Class" (previously released)1979 ~ Overkill 
13."(We Are) The Road Crew"1980 ~ Ace of Spades 
14."Bite The Bullet"1980 ~ Ace of Spades 
15."The Chase Is Better Than The Catch"1980 ~ Ace of Spades 
16."Overkill" (previously released)1979 ~ Overkill 
17."Bomber" (previously released)1979 ~ Bomber 
18."Motörhead" (previously released)1977 ~ Motörhead 
CD 4: Live at Leeds Queen's Hall – March 28, 1981 (half of the show previously unreleased)
No.TitleOriginal studio releaseLength
1."Ace of Spades" (previously released)1980 ~ Ace of Spades 
2."Stay Clean"1979 ~ Overkill 
3."Over the Top"1979 ~ Bomber (single) 
4."Metropolis"1979 ~ Overkill 
5."Shoot You In The Back"1980 ~ Ace of Spades 
6."The Hammer" (previously released)1980 ~ Ace of Spades 
7."Jailbait" (previously released)1980 ~ Ace of Spades 
8."Leaving Here" (previously released)1977 ~ Leaving Here (debut) single 
9."Fire Fire"1980 ~ Ace of Spades 
10."Capricorn"1979 ~ Overkill 
11."Too Late Too Late"1979 ~ Overkill single 
12."No Class" (previously released)1979 ~ Overkill 
13."(We Are) The Road Crew" (previously released)1980 ~ Ace of Spades 
14."Bite The Bullet" (previously released)1980 ~ Ace of Spades 
15."The Chase Is Better Than The Catch" (previously released)1980 ~ Ace of Spades 
16."Overkill"1979 ~ Overkill 
17."Bomber" (previously released)1979 ~ Bomber 
18."Motörhead"1977 ~ Motörhead 

Personnel

Per the album's liner notes.[1]

Production

  • Vic Maile – producer
  • Ian Kalinowski – front sleeve photography
  • Graham Mitchell – back sleeve photography
  • Simon Porter – back sleeve photography

Release history

Date Region Label Catalogue Format Notes
June 1981 UK Bronze BRON 535 vinyl Peaked at number 1 in the album chart.
Has a photo-montage inner-sleeve.
June 1981 UK Bronze BRONG 535 gold vinyl
1990 UK Castle CLACD 179 CD
1996 UK Essential ESMCD313 CD 3 bonus tracks, gold picture disc
1996 North America Dojo DOJO 3035-2 CD 3 bonus tracks
2001 UK Sanctuary SMEDD 043 2CD "Complete Edition": bonus unreleased tracks
(disk 1) and alternate takes (disk 2)

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[33] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e No Sleep 'til Hammersmith, Motörhead, Castle Communications Ltd, ESM CD 313, 1996 liner notes, rear cover
  2. ^ Burridge, Alan Illustrated Collector's Guide to Motörhead Published: 1995, Collector's Guide Publishing p70. ISBN 0-9695736-2-6.
  3. ^ Burridge, Alan (April 1991). "Motörhead". Record Collector (140): 18–19.
  4. ^ "1981 tour dates". Archived from the original on 22 February 2008. Retrieved 25 June 2008.
  5. ^ a b Kilmister, Ian Fraser and Garza, Janiss White Line Fever (2002). Simon & Schuster p. 145. ISBN 0-684-85868-1.
  6. ^ "Live albums". Classic Rock supplement: The Live Albums That Changed The World. December 2011. p. 22.
  7. ^ AllMusic review
  8. ^ Robert Christgau review
  9. ^ C. Strong, Martin (2002). Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Canongate. ISBN 1852279230.
  10. ^ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 1841955515.
  11. ^ Shaw, Harry (2002). Lemmy... In his own words. Omnibus Press (c) 2002. p. 38. ISBN 0-7119-9109-X.
  12. ^ "Live albums". Classic Rock supplement: The Live Albums That Changed The World. December 2011. p. 22.
  13. ^ Winwood, Ian (22 April 2020). "The 30 best live concert albums of all time". The Telegraph.
  14. ^ Burridge, Alan Illustrated Collector's Guide to Motörhead Published: 1995, Collector's Guide Publishing ISBN 0-9695736-2-6.
  15. ^ Craig Rosen. "Motorhead Between Rock 'N' Hard Place". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  16. ^ "Motörhead / No Sleep 'til Hammersmith deluxe edition (4CD edition and 3LP vinyl)". superdeluxeedition.com. May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  17. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  18. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Motörhead – No Sleep 'til Hammersmith" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  19. ^ "Charts.nz – Motörhead – No Sleep 'til Hammersmith". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  20. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Motörhead – No Sleep 'til Hammersmith". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  21. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Motörhead – No Sleep 'til Hammersmith". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  22. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Motörhead – No Sleep 'til Hammersmith". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  23. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  24. ^ "Ultratop.be – Motörhead – No Sleep 'til Hammersmith" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  25. ^ "Ultratop.be – Motörhead – No Sleep 'til Hammersmith" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 20231.
  26. ^ "Motörhead: No Sleep 'til Hammersmith" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  27. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Motörhead – No Sleep 'til Hammersmith" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  28. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  29. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Motörhead – No Sleep 'til Hammersmith". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  30. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  31. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  32. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1981. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  33. ^ "British album certifications – Motörhead – No Sleep 'til Hammersmith". British Phonographic Industry.