By Vinnie Apicella

"The human race needs stupidity otherwise it'd have to think." This line, compliments of the outspoken leader of British speed metal heroes, Motorhead and Lemmy Kilmister. Clipped from some intuitive liner notes within this latest "Rock & Roll" reissue, Motorhead's outrageous leader was and never is at a loss for words much like this unstoppable force that's been blaring through the banging heads of devoted followers for the better part of twenty five years! "Rock & Roll" first saw release back in 1987 and came at a time when the band was losing some of its momentum in the overseas market. But at the same time, an American audience began to stand up and take notice of these working class crew's menacing brand of dirty faced rock! The album, following on the heels of one of their best-received releases in "Orgasmatron," still featured Motorhead as a foursome, something that was wont to changing time and again throughout their time. The album drew mild complaints from fans that the group had lost a little of their "quickness" in favor of adding an extra ounce of polish in what for them was considered a step in a more commercial direction… as hard as that is to imagine. But "Rock & Roll" was undeniably Motorhead as one listen to the title track, first single "Eat the Rich" and "Stone Deaf in the U.S.A." will prove. And who's this doing the narration at the end of the side… none other than Monty Python's Michael Palin doing a hilarious bit regarding the band's wardrobe shortcomings! "The Wolf" was an interesting tune that saw Lemmy testing the echo during the announcement. Drum heavy, the song garnered its share of radio play and again the amps were cranked, the tempo raised up a healthy notch or two… This latest reissue features two extra bonus cuts that first appeared on the "Eat the Rich" B-side, "Cradle to the Grave," which also landed on the soundtrack to "The Decline of Western Civilization" part II film at around the same time and "Just 'Cos you Got the Power" which would later pop up on "No Sleep at All…"

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