Motörhead тобының алғашқы альбомының тарихы

With the addition of lead guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke, On Parole was re recorded almost in its entirety in 1977 during the sessions for the album Motörhead, largely due to having very limited studio time available.

On Parole is the only album to feature the band's original line up of Lemmy on vocals and bass, Larry Wallis on guitar and vocals, and Lucas Fox on drums. Motörhead signed a deal with United Artists when manager Douglas Smith secured a deal with the label's A&R man Andrew Lauder, both men having worked together for Lemmy's previous group Hawkwind. During the sessions, original producer Dave Edmunds relinquished his duties, being replaced by Fritz Fryer. Fox left the band as recording was nearing its conclusion and was replaced by Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor, a casual acquaintance Lemmy had met through the local "speed" scene. Taylor had been persuaded to drive him to Rockfield Studios and "bring his drum kit", as he had boasted to Lemmy that he was a drummer. Taylor was given the job and set about overdubbing all of Fox's previously recorded drum tracks with the exception of "Lost Johnny", as he was being held in jail following an arrest for alleged drunk and disorderly conduct when that session was due to take place. Taylor had taken a job painting a houseboat and his foreman happened to be "Fast" Eddie Clarke. When Taylor mentioned that he had just joined Motörhead, Clarke was intrigued, having read about the band. Clarke told Taylor that he was a guitarist but didn't mention that he had recorded two albums with Curtis Knight. When Motörhead guitarist Wallis floated the idea of adding a second guitarist to the band, Taylor recommended Clarke, and the band briefly became a four piece for the first time. Wallis' interest in the band was rapidly fading and he soon left, and Motörhead were a trio once more.

Four of the songs appearing on On Parole were recorded during a single session at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales in September 1975, while the rest were recorded in December 1975, with various overdubs laid down in January and February 1976. Of the tracks, three ("Motörhead", "The Watcher" and "Lost Johnny") were re recordings of songs Lemmy had written and recorded with Hawkwind, "City Kids" was a re recording of a Wallis penned track previously recorded by The Pink Fairies, and "Leaving Here" was a cover version of a Holland Dozier Holland Motown song Lemmy had learned whilst a roadie for The Birds. Perhaps concluding that the Motörhead version would never see the light of day, Wallis re recorded and released the track "On Parole" as a B side to his Stiff Records "Police Car" single in 1977 with two members of Eddie and the Hot Rods (bassist Paul Gray and drummer Steve Nicol). In his autobiography White Line Fever, Lemmy mentions being blown away by Taylor's ability to overdub drums during the On Parole sessions, noting that it was "quite a feat, because the drums are what you usually base a song on – it's kind of like going ass backwards". Conversely, Lemmy also recalled the moment he realized Taylor was not a singer, noting that "he sounded like two cats being stapled together" while trying to sing "City Kids". The lyrics to "Vibrator" and "Fools" were written by Derek "Dez" Brown, a road crew member from Wallis' pre Motörhead band The Pink Fairies. Brown would manage the Live Stiffs tour in 1977, which included Nick Lowe's band on the bill featuring both Wallis and Edmunds.

Dave Thompson of AllMusic calls the arrangements on the LP "devastating, steeped in blues, drenched in booze, the highest octane pub rock of all. No matter how well you think you know Motörhead, still it's nothing like you're expecting. A true sonic symphony, this is Wagner with whiplash."

Per the album's liner notes.