Motorhead Rock ‘n’ Roll Album: The 1987 Twin Guitar Chapter
The Motorhead Rock ‘n’ Roll album arrived in August 1987 as the twin guitar lineup’s second studio outing.
Motörhead followed the confident rebirth of Orgasmatron with a rougher, more uneven record built for the road rather than the charts.
Drummer Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor returned to the fold for this one, rejoining Lemmy, Phil Campbell, and Wurzel in the studio.
Nearly forty years later, the Motorhead Rock ‘n’ Roll album still splits fans between a scrappy fan favorite and the band’s most uneven effort.
Fans searching for the record online often type it plainly as the Motorhead Rock n Roll album, without the punctuation.
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⚡ Key Takeaways
- Motorhead released the Rock ‘n’ Roll album on 17 August 1987 through GWR Records.
- The record was produced by Motörhead themselves alongside engineer Guy Bidmead.
- Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor returned on drums, rejoining Lemmy, Phil Campbell, and Wurzel after Pete Gill’s exit.
- The album peaked at number 34 on the UK Albums Chart, the band’s lowest charting studio album of the decade.
- Classic Rock magazine ranked it Motorhead’s worst studio album in a 2016 retrospective, though the singles Rock ‘n’ Roll and Eat the Rich remain fan favorites.
What Is the Motorhead Rock ‘n’ Roll Album About?
The Motorhead Rock ‘n’ Roll album is a defiant statement about staying loud and staying alive in an industry moving on without the band.
The title track doubles as a mission statement, with Lemmy declaring that rock and roll is the only life he knows.
Elsewhere the record turns to social commentary, addiction, and street level survival, familiar Motorhead territory delivered with less polish than the year before.
The album’s uneven mood reflects a band touring hard and recording fast rather than crafting a concept from the ground up.
Who Recorded the Motorhead Rock ‘n’ Roll Album?
Lemmy Kilmister handled bass and lead vocals across the entire record.
Phil Campbell and Michael “Wurzel” Burston again shared lead and rhythm guitar, the same twin guitar format introduced on Orgasmatron.
Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor returned on drums, stepping back into the band after Pete Gill’s departure.
Comedian and Monty Python member Michael Palin contributed a spoken word cameo on the short instrumental interlude Blessing.
Where and When Was Rock ‘n’ Roll Recorded?
Motorhead recorded the Rock ‘n’ Roll album during 1987 at Master Rock Studios and Redwood Studios, both in London.
Unlike Orgasmatron, which used outside producers Bill Laswell and Jason Corsaro, the band self produced this record with engineer Guy Bidmead.
GWR Records released the finished album on 17 August 1987, roughly one year after Orgasmatron.
The quick turnaround kept Motorhead visible on the road, though it left less time to refine the material in the studio.
Why Did Philthy Animal Taylor Return to Drums?
Philthy Animal Taylor returned to Motorhead’s drum stool after Pete Gill left the band following the Orgasmatron cycle.
Taylor had originally drummed for Motorhead’s classic three piece lineup through Ace of Spades and Iron Fist before departing in 1984.
His comeback restored a familiar rhythmic chemistry with Lemmy that fans had missed during Gill’s tenure, shaping the Motorhead Rock ‘n’ Roll album into a tighter live unit than the record it followed.
Taylor would remain behind the kit through the band’s next few studio albums, including Motorhead’s 1916 album four years later.
Philthy Animal Taylor returned to the drum stool for the Motorhead Rock ‘n’ Roll album after Pete Gill’s departure.
Image Credit: Photo by Andrew King, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What Songs Are on the Motorhead Rock ‘n’ Roll Tracklist?
The album opens with the title track, Rock ‘n’ Roll, followed immediately by Eat the Rich, the record’s most enduring single.
Blackheart and Stone Deaf in the USA keep the pace aggressive through the album’s front half.
Blessing, the short spoken word interlude featuring Michael Palin, breaks up the record before The Wolf and Traitor return to full speed.
Dogs, All for You, and Boogeyman close out the original nine track running order.
How Does the Title Track Hold Up?
The title track remains one of the record’s clear high points, a fast, direct statement of purpose built for live shows.
AllMusic singled out the song, along with Eat the Rich, as evidence the band could still write a genuinely great track when it mattered.
The song became a recurring set opener on Motorhead tours for years after the album’s release.
Its simplicity is part of its appeal, three chords and a chorus built to survive any arena, and it remains the single most requested track from the Motorhead Rock ‘n’ Roll album today.
What Is Eat the Rich About?
Eat the Rich was written for Peter Richardson’s 1987 British comedy film of the same name and doubles as biting class commentary.
The song did not chart as a single on its own, but it became one of the most requested deep cuts in the band’s live catalog.
Its blunt, sarcastic tone fits neatly alongside the record’s broader theme of survival against a system stacked against the working class.
Decades later it remains one of the most quoted Motorhead lyrics among longtime fans, and it is often the first song people mention when the Motorhead Rock ‘n’ Roll album comes up.
How Did the Motorhead Rock ‘n’ Roll Album Chart?
The Motorhead Rock ‘n’ Roll album peaked at number 34 on the UK Albums Chart in 1987.
That placement made it the band’s lowest charting studio album among their UK top 40 entries.
The modest chart run did not slow the band down, since Motorhead’s business model always leaned on touring over chart performance.
Live shows through 1987 and 1988 stayed packed regardless of where the album landed on the charts, according to Wikipedia.
What Did Critics Say About Rock ‘n’ Roll?
Critics were divided on the Motorhead Rock ‘n’ Roll album, praising individual songs while questioning the record as a whole.
AllMusic called the songwriting uninspired by the band’s own standard, though it credited the title track and Eat the Rich as genuine highlights.
Robert Christgau gave the record a more measured response, noting a shift in Lemmy’s vocal clarity without singling out many standout moments.
Biographer Joel McIver later wrote that like all of Motorhead’s albums it has some scintillating high points, balancing the Motorhead Rock ‘n’ Roll album’s reputation with its genuine strengths.
Is Rock ‘n’ Roll Considered Motorhead’s Weakest Album?
Rock ‘n’ Roll is often cited as one of Motorhead’s weaker studio albums, and Classic Rock magazine ranked it dead last in a 2016 retrospective of the band’s catalog.
The criticism centers on inconsistent songwriting across the back half of the Motorhead Rock ‘n’ Roll album rather than the performances themselves.
Even critics who rank it low still credit the title track and Eat the Rich as among the strongest songs Motorhead ever wrote.
As of 2026, read the full lineup history of the members of Motorhead to see how this lineup fits into the band’s four decade run.
People Also Ask
Is Rock ‘n’ Roll a good Motorhead album?
Rock ‘n’ Roll is a mixed but not weak Motorhead album, praised for its title track and the single Eat the Rich while criticized for uneven songwriting on later tracks, and Classic Rock magazine ranked it last among the band’s studio records in 2016.
Fans generally still rate the two singles among the strongest songs in the band’s catalog.
Who played drums on Motorhead’s Rock ‘n’ Roll album?
Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor played drums on Motorhead’s 1987 Rock ‘n’ Roll album, returning to the band after Pete Gill’s exit following the Orgasmatron era.
Taylor had originally drummed on the band’s classic three piece albums before his first departure in 1984.
What is Eat the Rich by Motorhead about?
Eat the Rich is a Motorhead song written for Peter Richardson’s 1987 British comedy film of the same name, using sharp class commentary wrapped in a fast paced, riff driven arrangement.
It never charted as a single but became one of the most enduring deep cuts from the Rock ‘n’ Roll album.
How high did the Motorhead Rock ‘n’ Roll album chart?
The Motorhead Rock ‘n’ Roll album peaked at number 34 on the UK Albums Chart in 1987, the band’s lowest studio album placement of the decade.
Despite the modest chart position, the album’s touring cycle kept Motorhead’s live business strong through 1987 and 1988.
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Rock ‘n’ Roll
1987
The twin guitar era’s second studio album.
Home to the fan favorite single Eat the Rich.
Orgasmatron
1986
The album right before Rock ‘n’ Roll, and the twin guitar era’s debut.
A colder, more mechanical sound than what followed.
1916
1991
The Grammy nominated album that followed a few years later.
Proof the twin guitar lineup could still surprise critics.
March or Die
1992
Features guest spots from Ozzy Osbourne and Slash.
The next major lineup shift after the twin guitar years.
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Orgasmatron Motorhead: Lemmy’s Best Set of Lyrics
The title track from the album that came directly before Rock ‘n’ Roll in 1986.
Iron Fist Motorhead: The Last Song of the Classic Lineup
The final track from the three piece era before the twin guitar lineup that made Rock ‘n’ Roll.
The Motorhead Rock ‘n’ Roll album never chased trends, and that stubbornness is exactly why fans still defend it.
As of 2026, its title track and Eat the Rich remain permanent fixtures in any serious Motorhead playlist.
Uneven or not, the Motorhead Rock n Roll album still sounds like a band refusing to slow down in 1987.
Last updated: July 21, 2026