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Silver Lining Music [Release date 24.02.23]
“If the guys wanted to prove a point with this record then they have achieved that goal and then some. ‘Aftershock’ was a great album but with ‘Bad Magic’ Lemmy, Phil and Mikkey have upped the ante yet again. Motorhead are back, larger and louder than ever and as Paul Daniels used to say,”That’s magic!”
That was the closing paragraph from my review back in August 2015 when Bad Magic was unleashed to the world. The album found Motorhead in great form and despite Lemmy’s health issues at that point he was still rocking hard and heavy. Tracks like ‘Victory Or Die’ and ‘Shoot Out All Of Your Lights’ easily stood shoulder to shoulder with timeless classics in the band’s back catalogue, in short it was one hell of an album!
Fast forward eight years and the album is now being re-released with a few tasty additions to further enhance the original 12 tracks on the album. Of most interest are the two new tracks, both of which were recorded during the ‘Bad Magic’ recording sessions.
First up is ‘Bullet In Your Brain’ which is a full pelt rocker and is excellent. It is testament to the quality of the songs on ‘Bad Magic’ that such a good track was left off the final cut. A great riff from Phil Campbell drives the track tying in nicely with Mikkey Dee’s relentless drumming. The mid-section is interesting as it breaks the track down and allows all the band to show off their bountiful talents, especially Lemmy’s pummelling bass line.
The other new track is ‘Greedy Bastards’, a scathing comment on politicians by Lemmy. The song opens with a spoken passage from Lemmy giving his unvarnished opinion of politicians and politics in general. This then leads into a slow paced, heavy track with lyrics which continue Lemmy’s social comment and his uncompromising views. Lemmy was always one to speak his mind and he leaves the listener in no doubt of his feelings here!
The other additional tracks are both cover versions. The first is of the Rolling Stones ‘Sympathy For The Devil’ which is quite faithful to the original, but with an added layer of threat and malevolence. With great drumming from Dee and a rumbling bassline the song takes on a darker note, add in Lemmy’s trademark growl and you have a solid Motorhead stamp on the Stones’ classic.
The other cover is of the Bowie classic ‘Heroes’. Again, not too far removed from the original but given the full ‘Head treatment. Phil Campbell lets loose with a great solo mid-song and overall this is an excellent version.
In addition to the extra tracks this re-release also includes a full live set from the ‘Aftershock’ tour. The set captures the band live at the Mt Fuji Rock Festival in July 2015 and from Lemmy’s opening line of ‘We are Motorhead and we play rock n roll’ to the closing, bombastic bars of ‘Overkill’ it’s a great reminder of just how good Motorhead were live.
The set contains many Motorhead classics along with a few later numbers and, whilst its possibly not the best live ‘Head show ever committed to record, it captures the moment and the atmosphere well.
Highlights of the set include ‘Stay Clean’, ‘Doctor Rock’ and ‘Going To Brazil’. It is though the closing one/two of ‘Ace Of Spades’ and ‘Overkill’ that really bring the memories flooding back. Motorhead in full flight were a force of nature with Lemmy in full command of the unstoppable, six legged rock machine. Crank this album up to 11 and remember the good times…
This re-release is well deserved as ‘Bad Magic’ was a great swansong to one of rock’s greatest bands. The addition of the extra tracks and the live set are just the icing on the cake and it all adds up to a great package. Serious Bad Magic indeed! *****
Review by Dave Wilson
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