No Sleep 'til Hammersmith is Motörhead's first live album. The recordings were almost exclusively from three shows: (Leeds, March 28, 1981 and Newcastle March 29 and March 30, 1981), with "Iron Horse / Born To Lose" having been recorded live in 1980.
Backstage at the last two shows in Leeds and Newcastle the band were presented with silver and gold albums for Ace of Spades, a silver disc for Overkill and a silver for "Please Don't Touch". Kilmister, Ian Fraser and Garza, Janiss White Line Fever (2002) — Simon & Schuster p. 145. ISBN 0-684-85868-1.
The album was released after the St. Valentine's Day Massacre EP and built on the success of that single and the earlier LPs, debuting at Number One on the UK charts and marking the band's most successful period. Lemmy says that originally they intended it to be a double album but they only had enough material for three sides. By the time the record was released the band were on their first U.S. tour with Ozzy Osbourne.
The single, "Motorhead (live)", was issued using the album's final track for the A-side, coupled with the non-album track "Over the Top" recorded on the same tour, reaching number 6 in the UK Singles Charts. This was released in a picture-sleeve and also as a picture-disc (p/d UK cat Bronze BROP 124).
The original vinyl album has a photo-montage inner-sleeve and was available in black (UK cat. Bronze BRON 535) and later 'gold' vinyl (UK cat. Bronze BRONG 535).
The band's second live album is designated the brother of No Sleep 'til Hammersmith and is called No Sleep at All.
The album is listed in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
This album was famously parodied by the Beastie Boys on the Licensed to Ill album for the track "No Sleep Till Brooklyn". Another obvious nod was by Strapping Young Lad when the band titled their live album No Sleep 'till Bedtime.
