Artist: MOTORHEAD
Album: SNAKE BITE LOVE REISSUE (DIGI)

Release date: 1998/ 2023
EAN/UPS: 4050538456868
Media type: CD

Snake Bite Love is an album by Motorhead released on March 10, 1998 and was distributed by BMG. This album features the three piece line up of Lemmy, Mikkey Dee and Phil Campbell.

Lemmy recalls that the making of Snake Bite Love was quite normal for the band:

six weeks before we recorded it, we didn't even even have one song. But when it came time, we put it together very quickly. Unfortunately, I was sick for some of the rehearsals, and when you leave two guys together who aren't singers, you end up with some weird arrangements.

He points particularly to "Desperate for You" and "Night Side" in this respect and explains how the title track started as a completely different song — Dee recorded the drums tracks against a totally different set of chords, then it went back to Sweden where Campbell stated he was sick of the song and didn't like it, Lemmy agreed and Campbell came up with a new riff and the whole thing changed. Lemmy admits that the album is a prime example of him writing the words at the last minute, and adds "you know, lazy son of a bitch one more time, right?".

Campbell is jokingly credited in the album's liner notes as an unpronouncable glyph ("The Artist Frequently Seen At the Liquor Store"), mocking Prince.

Reviewers have noted the album show the less heavier side of Motцrhead as there are "one or two too many slower tracks, but it's still heavy for the most part" and having a mixture of musical ideas, ranging from the true metal of "Dogs of War" and "Assassin" to rock and roll influenced songs like the "Snake Bite Love" "Don't Lie to Me". Another view is the album is not as cutting and consistent as the previous effort but sees "Love For Sale" as a "grooving and flowing romp", "Joy of Labour" having "plenty of nasty slow riffs, and "Night Side" as a traditional fast track which will please 'old school' fans.

TRACKLIST:

01 "Love for Sale" – 4:52
02 "Dogs of War" – 3:38
03 "Snake Bite Love" – 3:30
04 "Assassin" – 4:48
05 "Take the Blame" – 4:03
06 "Dead and Gone" – 4:18
07 "Night Side" – 3:37
08 "Don't Lie to Me" (Kilmister) – 3:59
09 "Joy of Labour" – 4:52
10 "Desperate for You" – 3:27
11 "Better Off Dead" – 3:42

All tracks written by Lemmy Kilmister, Phil Campbell, Mikkey Dee, unless stated

LINE-UP:

Lemmy Kilmister – bass, vocals
Phil Campbell – guitar
Mikkey Dee – drums

Joe Petagno – sleeve artwork
Recorded in The Valley
Produced by Howard Benson
Co-produced by Motorhead
Recorded and mixed (at Jake's Place) by Mark Dearnley
Assistant engineered by Chris Morrison and Greg D'Angelo
Mastered at Futuredisc by Kris Solem