Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Motorhead 'Born To Lose - Live To Win' - (the 1980 A5 Babylon book): There is a story behind this book, which is worth sharing.

A chap named John Muir owned Babylon Books, in Manchester. The era of the fanzine, John bought any he came across, and if they were good, he asked the creator if they would like to write a history of their subject? He bought the first few Motorhead fanzines, and then, by chance, bumped into a bloke who had taken some photos of Lemmy and Philthy, rehearsing. Thus, the idea of a Motorhead book birthed, and he asked me to write the words.

Backstage at the July 1980 Bingley gig, I saw someone, drunk, asleep, and with a pile of books on his lap; titled as above. When I enquired, a roadie said he'd published the book on the band. So, when he woke up / came too, I introduced myself. He gave me a copy of the book, and told the tale of how, as Fast Eddie Clarke hadn't been there on the day the photos were taken, he had commented about the error.
So, to appease the situation, then manager, Douglas Smith, gave Muir some Fast Eddie photos and asked him to reprint the book. The original book has a band photo on the front cover, whilst the reprint, which also has more pages, has the same picture over the back and front covers.
Where my copies went, I don't know?
I bid for one on EBay, but this morning, some bounder topped my price and I lost it!
Hey-Ho.
But those two early 'pilot-books' were what would later become the 'Motorhead' Babylon Book, with the blue cover. I notice there's a copy on Amazon for £150-00.
Crazy!
But it's around 30 years old now, so maybe not?

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Mick Farren & the Last Man Standing: 'Taste The Blue' - from Glastonbury Fayre festival, last weekend.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXjeS5OHXo8&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Monday, June 27, 2011

Foo Fighters with Lemmy: 'Shake Your Blood' from Berlin's Wuhlheide 26th June 2011.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyDIZq13j20
Priceless.
Thank you to Sarmad Sheikh for the link.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Anna Calvi - 'Blackout': From Glastonbury 2011.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z50RHwIQrwc
Thanks to Eric Billett for the link.
She's rather refreshing.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Lemmy Kilmister & Sharynlee: It was their photo in MHB fanzine 90, which several people emailed or wrote to ask who was the lady with Lemmy on page 12? The print shop didn't add the caption to the photo, which caused the query. The 'Hollywood Hillbillies' track they recorded together is available as a download on Amazon etc; and as rumours of a CD single were in the air. I asked if it was happening? But no, they're not going to be pressing any, which is not only a great pity, but a sign of the times.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAFFBp1HPfI

Friday, June 24, 2011

Long Out-Of-Print Motorhead Bible:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Motorhead-Book-Rare-1981-Babylon-Books-/190546881483?_trksid=p3286.m7&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D3%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D869296245293072977
Blimey, that's a bit of a grand statement.
But it was out there on its own 30 odd years ago, so it must deserve it by now.

There's also an original of the 1993 Collector's Guide on Abe Books:
http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=5006196108&searchurl=an%3Dalan%2Bburridge%26sts%3Dt

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Too Late, Too Late: How could such an amazing song be relegated to a B-side?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsnHN4r-B6U&feature=related
The chick dancing seems to be having fun.
If you Google it, there's a live version from Harpo's in 1999. I didn't remember it being in the set with Phil and Mikkey? Maybe it was just added for the American dates.
A knockout track!
Turn It Up!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Leslie West: Recovering from operation -
http://www.sunherald.com/2011/06/21/3215174/leslie-west-remains-in-serious.html
A legendary guitarist who played at Mr Kyps here in Poole many times.
Get well soon.
Thanks to Eric Billett for the link.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Mean Machine: For Mid-Summer's Day - found by and thanks to MHB Gerard Meiberg.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zi0khDTAvoQ&NR=1
Gracias.

Monday, June 20, 2011

A Track To Start Monday Off With A Bang!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhSITQoMfEE&feature=share

Friday, June 17, 2011

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Boy's Don't Cry - 'I Wanna Be A Cowboy': The video featuring Lemmy in one of his first cameo roles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s05jcrJw0as

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

A Hilarious: cover version of Ace Of Spades, sent by MHB 095, Jukka Jarvela.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci8IoKkHrjY&feature=related
They certainly enjoyed playing it, and very original.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Motorhead - 'Live To Win': Which is the title of my latest Motorhead book, should be published around September / October time.
Now, won't that make a great Xmas present.

Monday, June 13, 2011

From 1984: If you haven't heard 'Countdown' yet, it's about time that you did!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pke1iZRo708

Friday, June 10, 2011

Just Had Notification: from Amazon that Joel McIver's book; 'Motorhead: Overkill The Untold Story;' which has been on order for some time now, has despatched and scheduled to drop through the letter box tomorrow morning.
Now, I am looking forward to this. Joel phone interviewed both Mick Stevenson and myself, reputedly for inclusion, then told us he wouldn't be using them. Not that this is a problem, (it's his book, and up to him), but I look forward to reading it regardless.

Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Yeah-Yeah-Yeah -The Beatles and Bournemouth: Not published until September, this book will be an amazing item for Beatles fans the world over.
http://www.natula.co.uk/Bournemouth%20Beatles.html
The blurb on the above page will tell you everything.

Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Joel McIver's - 'Motorhead - The Untold Story': Has been on the Amazon Motorhead book listings for some time now. The publication date has been and still is 3rd May 2011. Yet this morning an email arrived saying that date has been put back.
This isn't surprising, as it was just a week or so ago when rock photographer, George Chinn, made contact to say that he had been approached to provide pictures for a Motorhead book, and was it mine? I told George that it wasn't, and the only other one I could think of was Joel's, which is coming through Chris Charlesworth's Omnibus Books.
So Joel's 'unofficial' Motorhead book is still being prepared, and knowing how the industry works, we are going to have to wait perhaps another couple of months.
Meanwhile, a pre-ordered copy sits on my Amazon purchases file awaiting publication, when my card will be charged, and a copy will be winging its way to my letterbox.
I feel sure that it will be an interesting book, although the title is just a little bit over ambitious.

Monday, June 06, 2011

There Is A Song Thrush: In the garden most days. A proud looking bird with his chest thrust out, looking for food for his children. And there are dozens of snail shells dotted around, usually left on or beside the path, or a paving slab; on which he has smashed them open.
Often, I smile, imagining him as an aircraft, but instead of having the enemey's logo painted on his fuselage designating his 'kills,' if he had snails, he would have achieved two or three hundred by now. Maybe each of the brown dots on his yellow chest is one such?
And with this marvellous creature doing this to feed his young, the garden snail population is decreasing, so I am not complaining.

Saturday, June 04, 2011

'I Know How To Die': MHB 3086 Andrea Manca found this, and as he suggests, it might be the official video for the song...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9y103DsYWg
There's a new interview, (MHB James McCarthy and I get together a couple of times a year to do this), on my Facebook page, and on his http://haggischorizo.blogspot.com/
Have a great weekend.

Friday, June 03, 2011

After Downloading: Google Chrome, which wasn't so good, and deleting it, I lost the internet for a few days. But my trusty PC fixer, Nick, came around and fixed it; great chap that he is.
This should be Nazareth... 'This Flight Tonight' - a bit of a fave.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tq32P9xIv9E