Dead End Drive-In: Now Showing – Motorhead
Written by Craggy
Sunday, 23 September 2012 04:30
Motorhead – ‘The World is Ours – Vol.2 – Anyplace Crazy as Anywhere Else’ (UDR/EMI)
With ‘The World is Yours’, in 2010 Motörhead released the latest instalment of a series of albums which, in my opinion, make up the best material the group have ever released. I mean, if you want to play their “classic” albums on repeat then go ahead and stay in that safe zone if you like. Those albums are great of course, but truly you are missing out if you’ve ignored ‘Kiss of Death’, ‘Motorizer’, and ‘The World is Yours.’ You could add ‘1916’, ‘Bastards’, and ‘Inferno’ to that list, and you should.
Following the release of their latest studio effort the band produced a record of what they do best – the live tour. ‘The World is Ours – Vol. 1 – Everywhere Further Than Everyplace Else’ was the first act, and centred mainly around the Santiago, Chile show. The second volume, ‘The World is Ours – Vol.2 – Anyplace Crazy as Anywhere Else’, mainly features the Wacken Open Air festival of 2011, while also including highlights from Sonisphere and Rock in Rio, plus a feature called Festival Impressions. Accompanying the DVD are CDs of the same shows so that you can have the experience solely for your ears too!
I’ve seen Motörhead enough times, on DVD and in all its brutal glory, to know what to expect now – and that’s an extremely tight clenched fist hammering you repeatedly in the face. It’s all been written about Motörhead before, but to write about them is a pleasure because they command so many references to heavy and hard things approaching you at speed – trains, cars, fists, planets… I could go on. So I shall.
The Wacken Open Air Festival begins, fittingly, with ‘Iron Fist’ and includes many other classics such as the ever presents, ‘Ace of Spades’, ‘Bomber’ and, ‘Killed By Death’ before ending with the destructive force which is ‘Overkill’ – a song which is harder and heavier than it has ever been and is truly a wonder to experience in the flesh. What this DVD shows, apart from the fact that Lemmy seemingly embodies inhuman strength, is that some of their latest material is just simply the best. ‘Get Back in Line’ is riffed-up and meaty, and nearly as good as the grooving juggernaut of ‘One Night Stand’, the rip-roaring ‘Rock Out’ (yes with your cock 
out), the deadly and infectious ‘The Thousand Names of God’, the barnstorming ‘I Know How to Die’, or even the arsehole tearing ‘In the Name of Tragedy’. Some of the others added to this is the live favourite and timeless ‘Over the Top’ and one of my personal favourites, ‘Going to Brazil’.
These days Motörhead spare some time for the odd mid-set solo and both Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee get to enjoy themselves immensely here. I’ve never been the biggest fan of these moments, particularly the lengthy drum solo, but it’s Motörhead and Mikkey is cool, so it’s OK with me. Anyway, Phil’s solo does blend perfectly in to ‘The Thousand Names of God’, I’ll give him that. Following Mikkey’s solo is the excellent ‘Just ‘Cos You Got the Power (That Don’t Mean You Got the Right)’ introduced by Lemmy with the words “this is for all those fucks in suits out there fucking up your life.” Brilliant.
There isn’t enough time in the day for Motörhead to play all their best songs and they sure must have a tough time trying to put the right set together. Every fan would have their own ideal set I’m sure (I’ve got mine) but the one on offer here is a pretty damn good one. I really do think they should chuck some more later releases in there for old ones though.
I may be talking about the new releases being the best but I can’t help that rush up the spine, and those goose bumps, when you know the ‘Ace of Spades’ is coming. It’s the psychology of it all – the anticipation for what is basically one of the best and most loved rock songs ever written. Not only is it the fact that it reached such popularity despite, or because of, it’s raucous rumbling power, but because you know everyone else at the show is also wet with anticipation, or sweat. It’s not my favourite Motörhead song by a long way, but even here on DVD you can feel that moment when the crowd just tip over into one uncontrollable unit of crazed excitement. I’m sat here with a big fucking grin on my face. I love it and I want to be there.
With respect to songs there is nothing different offered within the other performances on this DVD, which although makes sense it being the same tour an’ all, is still a bit of a bummer. However, there is some fun banter on offer, and on a serious note Lemmy opens the Sonisphere set with a touching tribute to Wurzel, who sadly died the day before the show, and to whom they dedicate “this show and indeed the rest of our lives.”
An addition to the live shows is the rather odd, short video ‘Festival Impressions’, featuring two Motorhead fans who take the viewer on a tour around Wacken. This involves encounters with screaming fans, quick chats with the band members themselves, and a guest appearance by The Scorpions axe man Rudolf Schenker.
There are few live DVDs out there of Motörhead now, and together they document the development of a consistently relevant, increasingly popular, and continually creative force. I believe Motörhead are currently reaching their creative peak, and further to this after so many years they still continue to maintain such a high quality live show. While so many people all over the world over continue to work their way up shit creek without so much as a paddle it is comforting to know that Motörhead are still with us reminding us that the world is ours. ‘Vol. 2 – Anyplace As Crazy As Anywhere Else’ is essential viewing for Motörhead fans, and if you’re not a Motörhead fan, well then fuck you I guess.
Get your copy of ‘The World Is Ours – Vol 2’ (DVD+2CD Digipack) at a crazy low price on Amazon
