Various Artists - "Sheep in Wolve's Clothing: A Tribute to Motorhead"
(Motorheadbangers Records 2008, MH8002)
Various Artists - "Sheep in Wolve's Clothing: A Tribute to Motorhead"
(Motorheadbangers Records 2008, MH8002)
From Aural Innovations #40 (September 2008)
Alan Burridge, the tireless long time editor of the Motorheadbangers fanzine has assembled this tribute to Motorhead with some really outstanding covers, several of which take the originals into completely out of this world territory. I've long said that if you're going to cover someone else's music…. give it your own interpretation! And we've got some doozys on this album.
First up is Mad Dogs, which consists of Alan Burridge plus Motorheadbangers graphics artist Tim Way plus others. They open the set with a steady rocking, pulse throbbing cover of Capricorn. (http://www.myspace.com/shepherdway) The Sweet Zeros cover "1916" with a solid combination of punked out rock and laid back calm. (http://www.myspace.com/thesweetzeros) A Mick Farren, Philthy Animal Taylor, Andy Colqhoun and David Ito lineup of The Deviants do a cool Bluesy heavy rocking "Lost Johnny", with freaky Halloween vocals from Farren. Lissy Abraham chimes in with a bouncy boogie woogie rocking rendition of "Damage Case". (http://web.mac.com/lissy) Alan Davey's Gunslinger covers "Stay Clean", and are probably the most faithful to the original of any band on this set. And a kick ass job of it they do. Check out their album. It ROCKS! (http://www.myspace.com/alandaveygunslinger) And Girlschool (who by the way are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year) bring on Fast Eddie Clarke as guest lead guitarist for a rousing version of "Metropolis". (http://www.girlschool.co.uk)
But the real standouts for me are the ones that hurl themselves off the beaten Motorhead path. Sonja Kristina of Curved Air fame does a sparse but effective vocal and acoustic guitar arrangement of "I Don't Believe A Word". (http://www.myspace.com/sonjakristina). The Underbelly, which includes BOC drummer Albert Bouchard, does a fun vaudeville like "Back At The Funny Farm" (http://www.myspace.com/bouchardsolo). Hobbyhorse's cover of "Orgasmatron" features both rocking, proggy and trippy guitars, plus ethereal folk vocals from Annie. (http://www.hobbyhorsecafe.com) And, finally, Spirits Burning & Bridget Wishart (plus Daevid Allen on guitar) do an "Ace of Spades" like you ain't never heard. Odd grooving spacey lounge ambient and tribal percussion rocking. If you played it for me and gave me no information I probably wouldn't have recognized what is probably Motorhead's most well known song. (http://www.myspace.com/spiritsburning)
Quite an interesting tribute set, with lots of variety that goes all over the map. Grab it while you can as it's been pressed up in a limited edition of 500 copies
For more information you can visit: http://www.alanburridge.freeuk.com/mhb/#SHEEP
Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz