Search - Lemmy & Friends :: Lemmy, Slim Jim, & Danny B

Cute, but strictly for hardcore Lemmy fans

Dan Plankton | Boston, MA | 10/05/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This disc is fun if you're a Motorhead fan, and not really recommended to anyone else. Lemmy sings and plays acoustic guitar, with Stray Cat Slim Jim Phantom on drums and Danny B Harvey on assorted instruments. The disc is almost all '50s and early '60s numbers--about half Buddy Holly songs--done in a pretty relaxed fashion. Actually a bit too relaxed--it's less energetic than Motorhead or even the vintage originals. Lemmy's attempts at proper singing have some charm even though his voice isn't suited for the task and he cracks a lot of notes. The best track is the Buddy Holly ballad Learning the Game. And the CD booklet picture of Lemmy & Friends in Elvis-style gold lame is a humorous bonus."

Great if you listen past some weaknesses

Mark Singer | Columbia, MO | 06/21/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"There's plenty of information on Lemmy Kilmister and Motorhead on Amazon and on other sites, so I won't recap that here. What has impressed me more than Motorhead's music, though (which I am just now starting to hear) are the many interviews where Lemmy displays cutting wit, true sincerity, and a great understanding of and love for early rock and roll. This recording walks that talk admirably, as he leads Slim Jim Phantom and Danny Harvey of the Stray Cats/Swing Cats through fresh, authentic (though uneven) versions of songs by Buddy Holly and others.



The playing on this recording is very good. Harvey's electric guitar work sometimes veers into harmonic territory that is at odds with the overall sound, but Phantom's drumming is dead on. Lemmy really does know how to sing these songs; his rhythmic sense is perfect and propulsive on "Cut Across Shorty" (when was the last time you heard that?) and "Not Fade Away," and he captures some of Buddy Holly's lightness while keeping his own distinctive warmth and grit on the later song and "Peggy Sue Got Married." "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" even manages to get the distinctively over-dubbed Holly backing vocals right.



However, it is hard to hear Lemmy's voice as anything but damaged. When he's not pushing like hell (and there is very little Motorhead shouting here), his upper range is little more than breath and pain, barely on pitch. "Fool's Paradise" is the worst example here. You can tell that he loves the song and knows how it should sound, but he simply can't sing that high. It's like watching Muhammed Ali attempting to give a speech; your heart goes out, but you cringe so hard it hurts.



However, the strenghts of this recording (which, understand, include Lemmy's singing on other songs) make it well worth skipping or forgiving the occasionally painful vocals and other missteps (did they really need to recreate the original, overdone orchestration of "True Love Ways" on cheap-sounding string synthisizers?). "Lemmy, Slim Jim, and Danny B" [note: the title "Rock And Roll Forever appears nowhere on this CD - what gives?] is obviously the Real Thing, and it deserves your respect, your ears, and your bucks."

Kicks @ss

rocky-brooklyn | Brooklyn - NY | 02/01/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I admit I'm a big rockabilly fan, but like a lot of us kids from the eighties I also like punk and metal. Motorhead and the Stray Cats were my two favorite groups in middle school so this is like a childhood fantasy come true. Lemmy's voice is great; he sounds like a seasoned rocker who's seen it all. Except for the swear word at the beginning of one of the tracks I think fans of later Louis Armstrong would like thisI hope Lemmy keeps releasing gems like this one."