Motörhead to release lost album ‘The Manticore Tapes’ from 1976

In a discovery sure to thrill rock historians and Motörhead diehards alike, a previously unreleased recording session from the band’s legendary 1976 lineup has been unearthed, restored, and readied for release as ‘The Manticore Tapes.' The announcement arrives as Motörhead celebrates its 50th anniversary — a fitting tribute to one of hard rock’s most enduring and influential acts.

Recorded at Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s famed Manticore Studio in Fulham, London, ‘The Manticore Tapes' captures the very first sessions from the now-iconic “Three Amigos” lineup: Lemmy Kilmister on bass and vocals, “Fast” Eddie Clarke on guitar, and Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor on drums. The trio’s chemistry would soon propel them to the forefront of the global rock scene — but in August 1976, they were still a band clawing its way out of obscurity.

At the time, Motörhead’s future looked uncertain. Manager Frank Kennington, a former roadie for The Who, secured the band time at the Manticore Studio — then a converted cinema owned by prog-rock royalty Emerson, Lake & Palmer. With the mobile studio of Ronnie Lane (of Small Faces fame) and the engineering talents of Ron Faucus, the trio laid down raw, powerful takes of songs that would become staples of their early live sets. For nearly 50 years, the tapes remained buried, until now.

Painstakingly restored by longtime Motörhead producer Cameron Webb at Maple Studios in California and mastered by Andrew Alekel in Los Angeles, the recordings capture Motörhead on the cusp of greatness — aggressive, unpolished, and utterly electrifying. These sessions offer a rare glimpse into the ferocious sound that would soon define a genre.

“The idea that it’s been half a century since those sessions feels almost unreal,” said a band representative. “But what’s more astonishing is how immediate and powerful these recordings still feel. It’s Lemmy and the band in their purest form — before the record deals, before the fame — just three guys chasing down something bigger than themselves.”

The Manticore Tapes will be released in several formats, including:

• A deluxe expanded bookpack featuring a double LP and 7” single
• A single LP edition
• CD and digital formats

This release adds a crucial chapter to Motörhead’s history, one that even the most devoted fans may have never heard about — until now.

For updates, release details, and exclusive content, visit www.iMotorhead.com.