Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers (EP)
Encyclopedia
Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers EP is a 1980 release of a 1977 recording session by the English
band Motörhead.
album sessions but, considered outtakes, they only saw a belated release as the band's popularity was at a high with the commercial success of Ace of Spades
. Nevertheless, this EP failed to make any impact on the UK
charts. A few years later, label boss Ted Carroll
would again raid his Chiswick Records
archive to give a retrospective release to the 1978 live album What's Words Worth?. Lemmy's attitude towards Carroll's behaviour is "He's a great geezer and if it wasn't for Ted there wouldn't be any Motörhead anyway, so Ted has carte blanche, he can do what he wants with the old catalogue."
On the original ZZ Top
version of "Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers
", the vocals are traded between guitarist
Billy Gibbons
and bassist Dusty Hill
, with the two alternating each line. For Motörhead's version, this was replicated by bassist Lemmy and guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke, marking not only the vocal debut of Clarke, but one of the few occasions on which he sang lead on a Motörhead song (other times being on "Step Down", "I'm Your Witchdoctor
" and "Emergency"). No other Motörhead versions of this track have ever been released.
"On Parole" had previously been recorded by the band in 1976 for their debut album On Parole
, and a Larry Wallis
version was released as a b-side to the 1977 Stiff Records
"Police Car" single. It was a consistent number in the band's setlist, as can be heard on What's Words Worth?, though it was dropped after 1979 as the band continued to write and perform more of their own, original material.
"I'm Your Witchdoctor
" is a cover of a John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers
song, which the band also performed in their early 1977/8 sets. "Instro" is the only original composition here and is a rare instrumental from the band; perhaps the lack studio time prevented them from writing lyrics and recording vocals, or maybe they deemed it unworthy of completion.
The vinyl EP was issued as a 7" pressing (NS61) and as a 12" pressing (SWT61), both formats were pressed in black, blue, orange, pink and white vinyl and there was also a 7" 'Radio Play' Sleeve.
Along with the "Motorhead" single's
B-side, "City Kids", the tracks from this EP were included on the CD
release of Motörhead
.
In 1983 Big Beat Records released a French edition that added the extra tracks "Vibrator", "White Line Fever
", "City Kids", "Keep Us on the Road", "Lost Johnny" and "Motorhead
". It was released in the usual black vinyl (A 120 174) and as a picture disc (PD 120 174).
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
band Motörhead.
Overview
The songs were recorded during the MotörheadMotörhead (album)
Motörhead is the debut album by the British heavy metal band Motörhead, released in 1977.-History:On April 1, 1977, after nearly two years of toiling in obscurity hoping for a record deal, Motörhead decided to perform their last show at the Marquee Club in London. They asked Ted Carroll, head of...
album sessions but, considered outtakes, they only saw a belated release as the band's popularity was at a high with the commercial success of Ace of Spades
Ace of Spades (album)
Ace of Spades is the fourth album by the British band Motörhead. Released on 8 November 1980, it peaked at #4 on the UK album charts and reached Gold status by March 1981...
. Nevertheless, this EP failed to make any impact on the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
charts. A few years later, label boss Ted Carroll
Ted Carroll
Ted Carroll was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Lisdowney and with the Kilkenny senior inter-county team from 1961 until 1971.-Early & private life:...
would again raid his Chiswick Records
Chiswick Records
Chiswick Records was a British record company. Chiswick was the "first true 'indie' label" to be established in Britain for nearly a decade". The label has been described as "significant" in the "punk era"...
archive to give a retrospective release to the 1978 live album What's Words Worth?. Lemmy's attitude towards Carroll's behaviour is "He's a great geezer and if it wasn't for Ted there wouldn't be any Motörhead anyway, so Ted has carte blanche, he can do what he wants with the old catalogue."
On the original ZZ Top
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
version of "Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers
Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers
"Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers" is a song by American blues-rock band ZZ Top, originally released on their 1973 album Tres Hombres.-History:ZZ Top first recorded their song in 1973, and was a minor radio hit, despite not being released as a single...
", the vocals are traded between guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Billy Gibbons
Billy Gibbons
William Frederick "Billy" Gibbons is an American musician, actor and car customizer, best known as the guitarist of the Texas blues-rock band ZZ Top. He is also the lead singer and composer for many of the band's songs. Gibbons is known for playing his Gretsch Billy Bo guitar and his famous 1959...
and bassist Dusty Hill
Dusty Hill
Joseph Michael "Dusty" Hill is the bassist and vocalist with the American rock group ZZ Top.-History:Hill was in Dallas, Texas and grew up in the Lakewood neighborhood of East Dallas...
, with the two alternating each line. For Motörhead's version, this was replicated by bassist Lemmy and guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke, marking not only the vocal debut of Clarke, but one of the few occasions on which he sang lead on a Motörhead song (other times being on "Step Down", "I'm Your Witchdoctor
I'm Your Witchdoctor
"I'm Your Witchdoctor" is a 1965 single by John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers composed by Mayall, produced by Jimmy Page, and issued on the Immediate label. The song was originally recorded at Decca's studios in West Hampstead for release on their own label...
" and "Emergency"). No other Motörhead versions of this track have ever been released.
"On Parole" had previously been recorded by the band in 1976 for their debut album On Parole
On Parole
On Parole is the debut recording made by English heavy metal band Motörhead. While it was originally recorded in September 1975, United Artists was not convinced of the album's commercial potential and did not want to release it...
, and a Larry Wallis
Larry Wallis
Larry Wallis is a guitarist, songwriter and producer. He is best known as a member of the Pink Fairies and an early member of Motörhead.-Early bands:...
version was released as a b-side to the 1977 Stiff Records
Stiff Records
Stiff Records is a record label created in London in 1976, by entrepreneurs Dave Robinson and Andrew Jakeman , and active until 1985. It was reactivated in 2007....
"Police Car" single. It was a consistent number in the band's setlist, as can be heard on What's Words Worth?, though it was dropped after 1979 as the band continued to write and perform more of their own, original material.
"I'm Your Witchdoctor
I'm Your Witchdoctor
"I'm Your Witchdoctor" is a 1965 single by John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers composed by Mayall, produced by Jimmy Page, and issued on the Immediate label. The song was originally recorded at Decca's studios in West Hampstead for release on their own label...
" is a cover of a John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers
John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers
John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers are a pioneering English blues band, led by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist John Mayall, OBE. Mayall used the band name between 1963 and 1967, but then dropped it for some fifteen years. However, in 1982 a 'Return of the Bluesbreakers' was announced and...
song, which the band also performed in their early 1977/8 sets. "Instro" is the only original composition here and is a rare instrumental from the band; perhaps the lack studio time prevented them from writing lyrics and recording vocals, or maybe they deemed it unworthy of completion.
The vinyl EP was issued as a 7" pressing (NS61) and as a 12" pressing (SWT61), both formats were pressed in black, blue, orange, pink and white vinyl and there was also a 7" 'Radio Play' Sleeve.
Along with the "Motorhead" single's
Motorhead (Motörhead song)
"Motorhead" was recorded and released by Motörhead as a 7" vinyl single in June 1977, initially issued with the 'Map Of Chiswick' label, later it was switched to the 'Big Beat' label and pressed in other formats. The reverse cover is taken up almost entirely with the song's lyrics, printed in a...
B-side, "City Kids", the tracks from this EP were included on the CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
release of Motörhead
Motörhead (album)
Motörhead is the debut album by the British heavy metal band Motörhead, released in 1977.-History:On April 1, 1977, after nearly two years of toiling in obscurity hoping for a record deal, Motörhead decided to perform their last show at the Marquee Club in London. They asked Ted Carroll, head of...
.
In 1983 Big Beat Records released a French edition that added the extra tracks "Vibrator", "White Line Fever
White Line Fever
White Line Fever was an Australian Football League-related television show, airing from 2000 to 2006 during the regular football season. It was based on a talkback radio format, airing live weeknightly at 7.30pm AEST on the Fox Footy Channel on the Foxtel, Austar and Optus pay television...
", "City Kids", "Keep Us on the Road", "Lost Johnny" and "Motorhead
Motorhead (song)
Motörhead recorded a live version, which was released as a 7" vinyl single in 1981. It fared much better than the original single and reached number six in the UK Singles Charts. Whereas the previous recording plays in E major, this recording plays in E♭...
". It was released in the usual black vinyl (A 120 174) and as a picture disc (PD 120 174).
Track listing
- "Beer Drinkers and Hell RaisersBeer Drinkers and Hell Raisers"Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers" is a song by American blues-rock band ZZ Top, originally released on their 1973 album Tres Hombres.-History:ZZ Top first recorded their song in 1973, and was a minor radio hit, despite not being released as a single...
" (Billy GibbonsBilly GibbonsWilliam Frederick "Billy" Gibbons is an American musician, actor and car customizer, best known as the guitarist of the Texas blues-rock band ZZ Top. He is also the lead singer and composer for many of the band's songs. Gibbons is known for playing his Gretsch Billy Bo guitar and his famous 1959...
, Dusty HillDusty HillJoseph Michael "Dusty" Hill is the bassist and vocalist with the American rock group ZZ Top.-History:Hill was in Dallas, Texas and grew up in the Lakewood neighborhood of East Dallas...
, Frank BeardFrank Beard (musician)Frank Lee Beard is the drummer in the rock band ZZ Top. Beard was formerly with the bands The Cellar Dwellars, who originally were a three-piece band, The Hustlers, The Warlocks, and American Blues before starting to play and record with Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill as ZZ Top.Beard was born in...
) – 3:27 - "On Parole" (Larry WallisLarry WallisLarry Wallis is a guitarist, songwriter and producer. He is best known as a member of the Pink Fairies and an early member of Motörhead.-Early bands:...
) – 5:57 - "Instro" (Eddie ClarkeEddie ClarkeEdward Allan Clarke better known as "Fast" Eddie Clarke, is a guitarist who was a member of British heavy metal bands Fastway and Motörhead.-Early days:...
, Ian Kilmister, Phil Taylor) – 2:27 - "I'm Your WitchdoctorI'm Your Witchdoctor"I'm Your Witchdoctor" is a 1965 single by John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers composed by Mayall, produced by Jimmy Page, and issued on the Immediate label. The song was originally recorded at Decca's studios in West Hampstead for release on their own label...
" (John MayallJohn MayallJohn Mayall, OBE is an English blues singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, whose musical career spans over fifty years...
) – 2:58
Personnel
- "Fast Eddie" ClarkeEddie ClarkeEdward Allan Clarke better known as "Fast" Eddie Clarke, is a guitarist who was a member of British heavy metal bands Fastway and Motörhead.-Early days:...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, lead vocals - Lemmy (Ian Kilmister) - bass, lead vocals
- Phil Taylor - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....