Album · Live
The Birthday Party
The Birthday Party captures Motörhead marking their tenth anniversary with a show at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. It first appeared as a live video in 1985, with the CD version following in 1990 on Enigma Records, using an edited track listing and running order. A DVD reissue came out in 2007.
The big moment arrives during "Motörhead", when the stage fills with the band's former members. Only Larry Wallis is absent. He had played the first of the two anniversary nights but not the second, which is the one recorded here. Thin Lizzy bassist Phil Lynott also joins in. It sits between Another Perfect Day and Orgasmatron in the band's story, and makes a warm, sociable document of a band looking back on a decade.
The Birthday Party: tracklist and credits
15 tracks · 50:06Tracklist
- 1Iron FistClarke, Kilmister, Taylor3:13
- 2Mean MachineCampbell, Gill, Kilmister, Würzel3:09
- 3On the RoadCampbell, Gill, Kilmister, Würzel5:10
- 4We Are the Road CrewClarke, Kilmister, Taylor2:38
- 5The HammerClarke, Kilmister, Taylor2:35
- 6MetropolisClarke, Kilmister, Taylor2:59
- 7Ace of SpadesClarke, Kilmister, Taylor2:43
- 8Steal Your FaceCampbell, Gill, Kilmister, Würzel4:09
- 9Nothing Up My SleeveCampbell, Gill, Kilmister, Würzel3:17
- 10Bite the BulletClarke, Kilmister, Taylor1:28
- 11The Chase Is Better Than the CatchClarke, Kilmister, Taylor4:10
- 12No ClassClarke, Kilmister, Taylor2:37
- 13Killed by DeathCampbell, Gill, Kilmister, Würzel5:26
- 14BomberClarke, Kilmister, Taylor3:14
- 15MotorheadLemmy Kilmister3:18
- Produced by
- Ian A. Wiener, Motörhead
- Recorded at
- Eventim Apollo
- Recorded
- 26 June 1985
- Label
- GWR Records
- Length
- 50:06
Line-up
- Phil Campbell · guitar
- Pete Gill · drums (drum set)
- Lemmy Kilmister · bass guitar, lead vocals
- Würzel · guitar
- Wendy O. Williams · lead vocals · guest
- Eddie Clarke · guitar · guest
- Lucas Fox · guitar · guest
- Phil Lynott · bass guitar · guest
- Brian Robertson · guitar · guest
- Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor · drums (drum set) · guest
From MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.
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More from Motörhead
Full discography →
Motörhead
1977
Overkill
1979
Bomber
1979
On Parole
1979
"The Golden Years" Live EP
1980
Ace of Spades
1980
Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers
1980
Motörhead Great Pleasure 1981
Great Pleasure
1981
Stay Clean
1981
St Valentines Day Massacre
1981
No Sleep ’Til Hammersmith
1981
Motörhead The Complete Motörhead Kit 1982
The Complete Motörhead Kit
1982
Iron Fist
1982
Another Perfect Day
1983
No Remorse
1984
Orgasmatron
1986
Rock ’n’ Roll
1987
Nö Sleep at All
1988
Lock Up Your Daughters
1990
1916
1991
March ör Die
1992
'92 Tour EP
1992
The Best of Motörhead
1993
Bastards
1993
The Best of Motörhead: All the Aces
1993
Sacrifice
1995
Overnight Sensation
1996
Snake Bite Love
1998
Everything Louder Than Everyone Else
1999
We Are Motörhead
2000
The Best of
2000
Over the Top: The Rarities
2000
Live at Brixton Academy
2001
25 & Alive: Boneshaker
2001
Hammered
2002
Tear Ya Down: The Rarities
2002
Extended Versions
2002
Hellraiser: Best of the Epic Years
2003
Stone Deaf Forever!
2003
Inferno
2004
Stage Fright
2005
BBC Live & In-Session
2005
Kiss of Death
2006
The Essential
2007
Better Motörhead Than Dead: Live at Hammersmith
2007
Motörizer
2008
The Wörld Is Yours
2010
The Wörld Is Ours, Vol 1: Everywhere Further Than Everyplace Else
2011
The Wörld Is Ours, Vol 2: Anyplace Crazy as Anywhere Else
2012
Aftershock
2013
Bad Magic
2015
Clean Your Clock
2016
Under Cöver
2017
Enter Sandman
2023
The Manticore Tapes
2025
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More on GWR Records
The label →Releases and pressings
How we know the release date sources disagree on the year (1985, 1990)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 1990 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 1985 |
4 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | XE | GWR Records | 016861937621 | original |
| 1990 | US | Enigma Music Video | 018777592635 | original |
| 1990 | US | Enigma | 018777353625 | original |
| 31 December 2020 | XW | GWR Records | 016861937621 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 1678x1678
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1678×1678 | native: native 1678x1678 |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |