Motörhead's landmark second album, Overkill, marked a major leap forward for the band, and it remains one of their all-time best, without question. In fact, some fans consider it their single best, topping even Ace of Spaces. It's a ferocious album, for sure, perfectly showcasing Motörhead's trademark style of no holds barred proto-thrash - a kind of punk-inflected heavy metal style that is sloppy and raw yet forceful and in your face. Motörhead, the band's self-titled debut from 1977, had been rush-recorded, and its stripped-down, super-raw sound wasn't all that impressive, at least not relative to what would follow. Overkill is what followed, recorded in December 1978 and January 1979, and released not long thereafter. The band's sound is fully formed here, and it totally explodes right off the bat on the five-minute title track. A number of Motörhead standards follow, among them "Stay Clean" and "No Class." Produced by Jimmy Miller, who had helmed a number of classic Rolling Stones albums (Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main St., Goats Head Soup), Overkill sounds wonderful, especially on the numerous remastered editions of this album. The band's classic lineup - Lemmy (bass and vocals), "Fast" Eddie Clarke (guitar), and "Philthy Animal" Taylor (drums) - is well in place here, and they seem eager to rip loose wildly on every single song. This, in addition to the solid track listing and Miller's production, makes Overkill a perfect Motörhead album. Several great ones would follow, of course, but Overkill was the first of the great ones, and quite possibly the greatest of all.



Tracklist CD1:

1. Overkill - 5:14
2. Stay Clean - 2:42
3. (I Won't) Pay Your Price - 2:55
4. I'll Be Your Sister - 2:52
5. Capricorn - 4:09
6. No Class - 2:40
7. Damage Case - 3:01
8. Tear Ya Down - 2:40
9. Metropolis - 3:36
10. Limb From Limb - 4:55

Tracklist CD2:

1. Louie Louie (Single A-side) - 2:48
2. Louie Louie (Alternative Version) - 2:53
3. Louie Louie (Alternative Version 2) - 2:46
4. Tear Ya Down (Single B-side) - 2:42
5. Tear Ya Down (Alternative Version) - 2:41
6. Tear Ya Down (Instrumental Version) - 2:39
7. Too Late, Too Late (B-side single 'Overkill') - 3:25
8. Like a Nightmare (B-side single 'No Class') - 4:14
9. Like a Nightmare (Alternative Version) - 4:28
10. Louie Louie (BBC John Peel Session '78) - 2:46
11. I'll Be Your Sister (BBC John Peel Session '78) - 3:15
12. Tear Ya Down (BBC John Peel Session '78) - 2:39
13. Stay Clean (BBC Radio 1 In Concert) - 3:03
14. No Class (BBC Radio 1 In Concert) - 2:43
15. I'll Be Your Sister (BBC Radio 1 In Concert) - 3:36
16. Too Late, Too Late (BBC Radio 1 In Concert) - 3:24
17. (I Won't) Pay Your Price (BBC Radio 1 In Concert) - 3:19
18. Capricorn (BBC Radio 1 In Concert) - 4:15
19. Limb From Limb (BBC Radio 1 In Concert) - 5:26