Few bands in the history of heavy metal are as road-tested as
Motörhead. Since the mid-'70s,
Lemmy Kilmister and whoever else was man enough to join the band's ranks have been tearing it up on the road, and are responsible for one of rock's greatest live albums of all time, 1981's No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith. As its title states, the double-disc set
Keep Us on the Road: Live 1977 captures
Motörhead early on -- including their classic lineup of singer/bassist
Kilmister, guitarist
Fast Eddie Clarke, and drummer Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor. And while it's not as awe-inspiring as the aforementioned Hammersmith set, it does include quite a few down 'n' dirty treats ("Motörhead," "Iron Horse," "White Line Fever," and "I'll Be Your Sister"), as well as a handful of covers ("Leaving Here," "Train Kept A-Rollin'," and "Louie, Louie"). The sound quality is a bit rough and many of the songs are included twice, but for fans curious to hear what
Motörhead sounded like on-stage early on,
Keep Us on the Road: Live 1977 is a worthy document. ~ Greg Prato