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This review is pointless.
OK. It's been 30 years since Hawkwind finally sacked their bass player after one-too-many amphetamine fuelled incidents only for him to become one of the most enduring figures in rock music. It must feel like yesterday - especially as Motorhead, 30 years down the line, are still exactly the same as they always were. This double-DVD comes by way of celebration, featuring a 90-minute show from the Dusseldorf Philipshalle, and the usual suite of extras, interviews and behind-the scenes moments from the gig as well as DVD-Rom extras including ringtones and wallpapers etc.
So as I said, this review is pointless. This is for the fans, and Motorhead fans will know exactly what to expect from the most consistent band in rock history. Close your eyes and imagine what every bit of this DVD will be like, and if you're a fan you'll get it spot on. Just buy the damn thing.
I guess the editor's going to want a proper review though, so here goes. The show just starts with no fancy credits or anything - Lemmy walks up to the mic and says "We are Motorhead. We play rock n' roll". They proceed to do just that, and it feels a little wrong until you turn the TV up at which point it feels just right.
It's clear from the sheer quantity of speakers on stage, and the faces of the audience, that this is the story of a very, very loud event. Introducing Love Me Like a Reptile, Lemmy tells the crowd about the DVD they're making. "If you show us yer tits yer might get on it!" he announces, looking in vain for women in a room bursting at the seams with testosterone. There's almost the glimmer of a tear before they play Ramones, presumably in memory of Johnny Ramone who passed away a couple of months beforehand. The crowd goes ballistic, and it's exactly what Johnny would've wanted.
Right at the end, Lemmy pulls out ‘the surprise', as guitarist Phil Campbell and drummer Mickey Dee appear with acoustic guitars for a quiet blues number, new song Whorehouse Blues. Then they peacefully depart the stage, but it's all part of the build-up and as the opening salvo of Ace of Spades kicks in you can feel the amphetamine rush pour out of the TV set and into the living room. The high is maintained throughout Overkill, and then you're thrown out to explore the rest of this DVD package.
Let's get this straight - if you're expecting to get new insights about some ‘inner Lemmy' on these discs, you won't. You knew that though - what you see with Lemmy is most definitely what you get.
Most of the extra footage is dedicated to interviews with the road crew, always championed by Motorhead - Lemmy used to be a roadie for Jimi Hendrix before his Hawkwind days. Most bizarre of the lot is the band's touring chef, who reveals the difficulties in getting Lemmy to eat his greens, that Phil sometimes likes to eat vegetarian and that yes, Mickey Dee does occasionally sneak off to McDonalds. Lemmy, when he speaks, is Lemmy: a gruff man of few words with absolutely nothing to separate the man from his rock n' roll persona. That's just how it is.
So this review is pointless. This DVD is heartily recommended to those that would buy it anyway. The show's a blinder and the film captures the spirit of it well as long as you turn up the volume. The extras will earn some affectionate chuckles too. That's it - but what did you expect?
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