Motorhead, Motorhead (Cleopatra) 77
Motorhead, Overkill (Sanctuary) 79
Motorhead, Bomber (Sanctuary) 79
Motorhead, Ace Of Spades (Sanctuary) 80
Motorhead, Iron Fist (Sanctuary) 82
If Ozzy Osbourne is the loony, bumbling godfather of heavy metal, Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister is the scary, twitchy, warty uncle. Lemmy has been involved in rock 'n' roll as long as any of the early metal pioneers, joining his first R&B bands in 1964. After playing in several bands and working as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd, Lemmy joined Hawkwind in 1971, arguably sparking the band to a creative peak with his amphetamine fueled basslines and songwriting contributions. After a four year stint he was fired for being arrested for drug possession. It was more about his speedfreak demeanor not fitting in with the band's style of psychedelic space rock. Lemmy formed his own band, naming it after one of the songs he wrote with Hawkwind. Initially focusing on the the muscular type of blues boogie he cut his chops with in the 60s, Motorhead didn't yet stand out from the pack. United Artists rejected their first attempt at a debut album in 1976, On Parole. After replacing the first members with Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor and Fast Eddie Clarke, the classic lineup was in place.
Taking their cue from punk, they began to develop a fast, dirty sound, though it hadn't yet completely gelled on 1977's Motorhead. Yet they were already creating an unholy union by implanting metal in punk's DNA, which would become increasingly ubiquitous in the next twenty years. Indeed, Motorhead was probably the only band at the time embraced both by metalheads and punkers. Lemmy's vocals were far from tuneful or skillful. With probably less than a quarter the range of Judas Priest's Rob Halford, Lemmy sang as if he had just gargled a concoction of whiskey, gasoline and volcano ash. Often his voice simply wailed, blending in as just another instrument. Which is not to say his lyrics weren't worth taking the effort to decipher, as every tune carried witty turns of phrases. What also set them apart was Lemmy's bass playing. While most metal bands simply used the bass as a rhythmic bedrock on which guitarists stand on to grandstand, preen and solo, Lemmy's loud, ultra-distorted bass dominated and drove the songs, often carrying the melody. The band managed to be menacing, while still retaining a sense of humor (see "Vibrator"). Despite their abrasive, non-mainstream sound, the album peaked at number 43 in the British charts. The Cleopatra reissue features remastered sound, clearing up the problem of muddiness from the earlier pressings, and bonus tracks culled from On Parole, including a great cover of "I'm Your Witchdoctor."
By 1979's Overkill, Motorhead had been touring with the same lineup for three years and were wound tight as a loaded spring. It was a hard, vicious classic of peak-era Motorhead, produced by Jimmy Miller (Rolling Stone's Exile On Main Street). The fast and furious title track demonstrated that Motorhead had perfected their mix of faster-than-punk speed, harder-than-nails metal, and rougher than the dirtiest blues and rock 'n' roll. With Overkill, Motorhead inspired a slew of younger bands to play faster and harder than the first wave of metal bands (particularly New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands like Raven, Venom and Iron Maiden). The sound was also the blueprint for the thrash metal that would emerge in the United States by 1983.
Bomber was released later the same year, and the sound did not vary even a little bit. This would set the pattern that suited the metal audiences well. While rock bands of that era traditionally were praised for mastering an eclectic array of styles, metal bands tended to develop a singular signature sound and stick with it. Their fairly conservative fans focus on the "good parts" (fast riffing, singular vocal style) and leave the extraneous stuff (experimentation with instrumentation and genres) behind. Without the variation, it seemed doubtful Motorhead could top Overkill. Bomber had enough distinctive tunes like "Dead Men Tell No Tales," "Stone Dead Forever" and "Bomber" to satisfy fans (in fact it surpassed its predecessor in the charts, reaching number 12 over the other's peak at 24). Amazingly, Ace Of Spades did manage to top Overkill. The differences are subtle, but it the songs are fine-tuned to razor sharpness, particularly the standout hit title track, which sounds like a jackhammer handled with the precision of a dentist's drill. Their sense of humor is evident in their campy bad men in black spaghetti western costumes on the cover. "Jailbait," "(We Are) The Road Crew" and "The Hammer" were anthems that kept Motorhead on top of the metal heap long enough to celebrate with the triumphant live album, No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith (1981).
The peak did not last. Iron Fist (1982) had a flat production, and its slowed down tempos gave the impression that Motorhead were tired. There were still some great tunes, like "(Don't Need) Religion," "Speedfreak" and "America." But soon Lemmy would lose both Fast Eddie and Philthy, and the classic era was over. Lemmy struggled somewhat through the rest of the 80s, while he watched his peers enjoy huge commercial success. Yet every album had at least a handful of worthy songs, and once Motorhead was properly recognized for their massive influence by the 90s, Lemmy seemed recharged and once again began to at least match the sound and fury of the early classics. Lavish is not something one associates with Motorhead albums, but the Sanctuary reissues earn it, with excellent remastered sound and double CD packages that include gobs of juicy extras, including rare b-sides, nearly all the Peel Sessions from the era, and live recordings.
