Sometimes, first albums by a musician or a band are underwhelming but labels have enough faith in their signings that they send such a record to languish on a shelf – for some time, at least. That’s exactly what happened with MOTÖRHEAD‘s “On Parole” back in 1976, when the ensemble’s original line-up delivered a very unusual record, on which Lemmy penned or co-penned less than a half of its nine pieces, and the PINK FAIRIES element proved to be more prominent than the heavy HAWKWIND vibe United Artists counted on. Fast-forward three years, to 1979 when the collective amassed quite a huge following, and the company decided to cash in on what they had been so dismissive of – and what was partially cut afresh for “Motörhead” in 1977 – and issued the archival tapes. The players weren’t happy, yet now, five decades down the line, this classic sees in expanded release.

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