On Parole

Last night Lemmy sang for the last time in Austin, even if he gets better he will not pass this way again. I assign ringtones to friends so I will answer the phone and more than one has had the opening track "Motorhead" from On Parole as their special pick-me-up. I was in a Down mood was thinking I would play a punk record, but Lemmy wouldn't leave my thoughts. As you get older more people you like get sick and die, I am still not convinced of the value of existence in diminished capacity. Yet I have risen from my own ashes so to speak so from that standpoint my bias is unwarranted. I chose On Parole because as much as I needed some Lemmy, Larry Wallis's guitar work catches a moment in time never revisited. The effortless but not metal laden lead on "Iron Horse-Born to Lose" cheers my sensibilities. That opening track of "Motorhead" has so many lines I repeat: " I can't get enough/You know it's righteous stuff" & "I should be tired/All I am is wired/Ain't felt this good for an hour".

"Stop me now before I kill myself, Stop me before I kill somebody else!" is the bridge on the second and title track "On Parole", this is some toe tappin' sing along stuff but not as much as the chorus "I am vi-vi-vi-vibrator" of the third track "Vibrator" (Straight and true and all for you/I'm so eager to please/Stick with me and I'll keep you free/From any nasty disease). I always have fond memories of the first time you come across one when you're in a new relationship, a combination of awkward moment vs. glee for normalcy and a sex drive. Of course, "Iron Horse" is that requisite motorbike song, ubiquitous in seventies rock.

Side Two starts with one of my favorite Pink Fairies song "City Kids", singing along with "I'm always around" & "We know that it's wrong". But like the song says 'it won't be long' and alas it leads into the weakest track of the record "Fools" even though it is a rage against the industry (Managers and agents out there / Are ya listening? Good / They take your money, break your soul). A couple of originally on Hawkwind albums songs follow with more straight forward space rock versions of "The Watcher" & "Lost Johnny" which sandwich Motown cover "Leaving Here", a song I've always sung along with no matter who does it. The Watcher has been covered well over the years of course I am partial to the ST 37 version, it is truly one the themes that all sci fi things need (We are looking in on you now/What do you think you can do now?/You're very small from way out here/The last thing you will feel is fear). Ending with "Lost Johnny"its lyrics hit close to home with its Berlin street life scenario so much that I feel no need at this time to divulge why.

The needle picks up, I want to write more, you know talk about my feelings and recount the many Motorhead concerts I've seen over the decades. Friends who joined me, friends who are now their own Lost Johnnies, you know go walking in the park, reminiscing. or Talk about a job interview I went to today where I knew half way through that it probably wasn't going to be a good fit yet they moved me up the tier to a second interview. I could do the job and probably make lots of money but it just didn't give that warm fuzzy and by the end of the interview we both felt something was off. I've grown use to concrete answers due to my detail getting on previous jobs and don't particularly want to be told you'll figure it out when I ask a straight forward question about procedures. I need more than that, but right now I need more Lemmy so I gotta go digital and play Bad Magic. It's Motorhead's latest and it features a killer cover of "Sympathy For The Devil" because what's puzzling you is the nature of my game.