Released in 1986, Orgasmatron featured the line-up of Lemmy, Phil Campbell, Würzel and Pete Gill. It marked a new chapter for the band, pushing further into heavier territory while retaining the speed, aggression and raw energy that had defined Motörhead from the beginning.
The album’s production was the subject of much discussion among the band and their fans, but beneath it was a formidable collection of songs. ‘Orgasmatron’, ‘Deaf Forever’ and ‘Built For Speed’ became key parts of the Motörhead live repertoire, while the album’s combination of hard rock, heavy metal and punk influences gave it a character all of its own. Four decades on, Orgasmatron has taken its place as one of the most distinctive and respected records in the Motörhead catalogue.
Now, 40 years after its original release, Orgasmatron is revisited in a new anniversary edition that explores both the album itself and the story behind its creation. The original studio recordings have been remastered for the anniversary and cut at half speed from the original tapes, while longtime Motörhead collaborator Cameron Webb has created a brand-new remix and remaster from the original stems.
The Motörhead team explain: “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’!”
For Cameron, the opportunity was particularly personal: “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.”
At the same time, Webb was keen to preserve the character of the original recording and acknowledge the work of producer Bill Laswell and engineer Jason Corsaro. “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.”
With the original mix in mind, Webb also approached the remix by considering what Lemmy and Phil might have wanted to hear:
“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.”
The Orgasmatron 40th Anniversary Edition will be available as a deluxe 3LP bookpack and 2CD, featuring the remastered original mix, the Cameron Webb Remix, additional studio rehearsals and outtakes recorded in 1985, and the complete BBC Radio 1 Friday Rock Show session from 1986, capturing the band during the Orgasmatron era. The 40th anniversary edition is also available as a 1LP pressing on transparent violet vinyl, featuring the original studio album
ORGASMATRON TRACKLISTING
3LP VERSION
LP1 – 40TH ANNIVERSARY MASTER
SIDE A
1. Deaf Forever
2. Nothing Up My Sleeve
3. Ain’t My Crime
4. Claw
5. Mean Machine
SIDE B
1. Built For Speed
2. Ridin’ With The Driver
3. Doctor Rock
4. Orgasmatron
LP2 – CAMERON WEBB 40TH ANNIVERSARY REMIX
SIDE A
1. Deaf Forever
2. Nothing Up My Sleeve
3. Ain’t My Crime
4. Claw
5. Mean Machine
SIDE B
1. Built For Speed
2. Ridin’ With The Driver
3. Doctor Rock
4. Orgasmatron
LP3 – REHEARSALS, OUTTAKES AND SESSIONS
SIDE A
1. Orgasmatron & On The Road (Studio Rehearsal – 1985)
2. Nothing up My Sleeve (Studio Outtake – 1985)
3. Doctor Rock & Ridin’ With The Driver (Studio Rehearsal – 1985)
SIDE B
4. Claw (Alternate Version)
5. Mean Machine (Studio Outtake – 1985)
6. Killed By Death (BBC Radio 1 Friday Rock Show)
7. Orgasmatron (BBC Radio 1 Friday Rock Show)
8. Doctor Rock (BBC Radio 1 Friday Rock Show)
9. Deaf Forever (BBC Radio 1 Friday Rock Show)
10. Orgasmatron (Spoken Word) (BBC Radio 1 Friday Rock Show)
2CD VERSION
CD ONE
40TH ANNIVERSARY MASTER
1. Deaf Forever
2. Nothing Up My Sleeve
3. Ain’t My Crime
4. Claw
5. Mean Machine
6 Built For Speed
7. Ridin’ With The Driver
8 Doctor Rock
9. Orgasmatron
OUTTAKES, REHEARSALS (1986)
10. Orgasmatron & On The Road (Studio Rehearsal – 1985)
11. Nothing up My Sleeve (Studio Outtake – 1985)
12. Doctor Rock & Ridin’ With The Driver (Studio Rehearsal – 1985)
13. Claw (Alternate Version)
14 . Mean Machine (Studio Outtake – 1985)
CD TWO
CAMERON WEBB 40TH ANNIVERSARY REMIX (2026)
1. Deaf Forever
2. Nothing Up My Sleeve
3. Ain’t My Crime
4. Claw
5. Mean Machine
6. Built For Speed
7. Ridin’ With The Driver
8. Doctor Rock
9. Orgasmatron
RADIO ONE FRIDAY ROCK SHOW (1986)
10. Killed By Death (BBC Radio 1 Friday Rock Show)
11. Orgasmatron (BBC Radio 1 Friday Rock Show)
12. Doctor Rock (BBC Radio 1 Friday Rock Show)
13. Deaf Forever (BBC Radio 1 Friday Rock Show)
14. Orgasmatron (Spoken Word) (BBC Radio 1 Friday Rock Show)
PREORDERS HERE – https://motorhead.lnk.to/orgasmatron40thPR
See below for full details of the Orgasmatron 40th releases and be sure to visit www.iMotorhead.com for news and updates!
