The album will be released on 27 June, revealing the first-ever recordings from the band.

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The recordings came to be when the band rehearsed 11 tracks at Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s Manticore Studio alongside Ron Faucus. The tapes were lost after their creation but have since been restored by Cameron Webb and mastered by Andrew Alekel for the band’s 50th anniversary.

Though the tracks haven’t been revealed in full, many are confirmed to be early versions of songs from their debut self-titled album. The early recordings give an exciting insight into the formation of the band’s classic hard rock/metal sound. The band shared the initial recording of their hit single ‘Motörhead’ alongside the upcoming album release. The video showcases the song with a playful rocky experimental beat and raw vocals from Kilmister before its studio release in 1977. The song was originally created by Kilmister while he was a part of space rock band Hawkwind in 1969 with its recording for Motörhead giving the song its hard rock sound. 

Motörhead are known for their daring speed-metal hits such as ‘Ace of Spades’ from the ‘Ace Of Spades’ album, which peaked at number 4 on the Official UK Albums Chart, and ‘Fast As A Shark’ from 1982 album ‘Restless And Wild’. Their upcoming album ‘The Manticore Tapes’ will give a moving recognition to their journey towards the sound that fans adore to this day. 

Last night (8 May), the band celebrated the 50th anniversary at The Rainbow, California’s notable hangout spot for rock artists by the likes of Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin and Ritchie Blackmore. In April 2024, Kilmister’s ashes were preserved at The Rainbow Bar & Grill where fans were invited to honour the rockstar with a free sampling of the band’s new Motörhead Whiskey.  

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The band’s legendary rock status has been commemorated in the metal/rock scene and worldwide. Following Kilmister’s passing in 2015, a bust of the artist was placed at Bloodstock Festival alongside unique personal items such as his hat, his last jar of Marmite and his Milky Way bars from the band’s final tour in 2015. Similarly a statue in tribute to the artist will be revealed this year in his hometown, Stoke-on-Trent. This statue will contain the rock icon’s ashes.

 ‘The Manticore Tapes’ can be pre-ordered here alongside new merch from the band. 

The release of such sacred artefacts has been taken on by the US record label Light in the Attic, in partnership with Reed’s widow Laurie Anderson. Titled; Words & Music, May 1965, one can expect to hear versions of songs like “I’m Waiting for the Man” and “Heroin” with subtle differences in lyrical choices that were yet to be solidified in their ground-breaking 1967 debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico. Yet “Pale Blue Eyes” would change dramatically from its humble origins on this archival record for its arrival in 1969 in their self-titled album. To see a teaser video for what to expect in this rare find, take a look at the video below;

In the liner notes for the record, the US rock music critic Greil Marcus states; “The poverty in these songs – the bathtub-in-the-kitchen you hear in their clumsiness, the fifth-floor-walkup you can hear in their defiance – lets you hear them, now, as chalk on a wall, not the markings that wash away in the next rain but inscriptions that somehow become part of the brick, even if in a year or two no one will be able to read them.”

This latest reissue will feature 100% bonafide originals that never made it to the studio. Such as; “the doo-wop-tinged Too Late, and the R&B track Buzz Buzz Buzz. Another folk-tinged song, Men of Good Fortune, shares a title with a track from Reed’s solo album Berlin but is completely different. Included with some versions of the reissue are unheard Reed songs from home recording sessions in 1963 or 1964, plus doo-wop number Gee Whiz, recorded by Reed in 1958 when he was 16 years old.”

You can hear clips of the new songs via the Light in the Attic website, as well as to assess the numerous buying options available for the LP.