The 40th anniversary of Motörhead’s 1986 album Orgasmatron is being commemorated with various reissues, all expected to ship in November.
The reissues feature a new remix of the album by Cameron Webb alongside a new remaster of the original mix by Bill Laswell.
A lyric video for the remix of the title track “Orgasmatron” has been unveiled. The new mix renders the song in greater sonic depth, adding to the sense of almost psychedelic drama befitting the surprisingly literate lyricism critiquing religion.
The Motörhead team said of the project:
“Orgasmatron is a special album. Part of that is down to the stylized production of Bill Laswell, who approached the work from a unique perspective. Bill’s work stands in its own right as something special in the Motörhead library, and Orgasmatron stands as one hell of an album. However, there was some controversy in the sense that both Lemmy and Phil Campbell felt that some of the power, bite and energy had been lost in Laswell’s final delivery. As old-school Motörhead fans, we found ourselves sitting around the coffee table one night several months ago, drinks in hand, pondering what Orgasmatron would sound like if it were to be remixed by Motörhead’s longtime producer, Cameron Webb. Cameron helmed six studio albums, and it’s fair to say he had the trust, love — and grumbles too! — of Lem, Phil and Mikkey. Would it be ‘right’ to ask him if he wanted a crack at remixing Orgasmatron? Would it be disrespecting the original album if we were to offer such a thing alongside Bill’s original work? We concluded a big fat ‘no’! It would be an added adventure if people wanted to take it. So we asked Cameron if he was up for it. And he screamed a rather enthusiastic ‘yes!'”
Webb added, “My brother introduced me to Orgasmatron when I was 14 years old. I heard the song and thought, ‘Is this even music?’ It was like the devil coming through my cassette tape. And I loved it. That record and Rock ’N’ Roll were my Motörhead records, so being asked to work on this is incredibly special to me. I honestly don’t know anyone in the world who would be more excited than me to do it.”
Describing what he enjoyed about the original recording, he said, “I love the fact that the original is wild and a little messy. I wanted to be respectful to what Jason Corsaro and Bill Laswell created, rather than simply trying to make it sound like a modern heavy metal record. When we opened up the original 24-track tapes, you could really hear how creative they were with the sounds, particularly the drums. There’s so much character in that recording, and I wanted to preserve that.”
Webb’s approach to the new mix was informed by his long-time collaboration with the band, who he began working with in 2004 and remained with as a key force ever since. Webb said of the approach, “Lemmy and Phil both said they didn’t like the original mix, so I thought about what they might have asked me to do if they were sitting next to me. I tried to channel what I knew about them and their approach to recording — bringing out the bass here, defining the guitars there — while still respecting what was already there. The aim was never to replace the original, but to reveal more of what was inside it.”
Pre-order the 40th anniversary editions of Orgasmatron in one of three formats: single violet vinyl; 3LP bookpack; or 2CD media book. Watch the lyric video for “Orgasmatron” and see the artwork and tracklist for the 40th anniversary edition of the record below.
Orgasmatron Artwork:
Orgasmatron Tracklist:
Orgasmatron 40th Anniversary Remaster
01. Deaf Forever
02. Nothing Up My Sleeve
03. Ain’t My Crime
04. Claw
05. Mean Machine
06. Built For Speed
07. Ridin’ With The Driver
08. Doctor Rock
09. Orgasmatron
Orgasmatron 40th Anniversary Remix
01. Deaf Forever
02. Nothing Up My Sleeve
03. Ain’t My Crime
04. Claw
05. Mean Machine
06. Built For Speed
07. Ridin’ With The Driver
08. Doctor Rock
09. Orgasmatron
Rehearsals, Outtakes, and Sessions
01. Orgasmatron & On The Road (Studio Rehearsal – 1985)
02. Nothing up My Sleeve (Studio Outtake – 1985)
03. Doctor Rock & Ridin’ With The Driver (Studio Rehearsal – 1985)
04. Claw (Alternate Version)
05. Mean Machine (Studio Outtake – 1985)
06. Killed By Death (BBC Radio 1 Friday Rock Show)
07. Orgasmatron (BBC Radio 1 Friday Rock Show)
08. Doctor Rock (BBC Radio 1 Friday Rock Show)
09. Deaf Forever (BBC Radio 1 Friday Rock Show)
10. Orgasmatron (Spoken Word) (BBC Radio 1 Friday Rock Show
