Motörhead

Origins

Lemmy Kilmister formed Motörhead in London in 1975, after his time in Hawkwind ended, and named the band after the last song he had written for them. He wanted music that was, in his words, fast and vicious, like the MC5. The first line-up paired him on bass and vocals with guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox, and its first engagement was supporting Greenslade at the Roundhouse on 20 July 1975. Fox was soon replaced by Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor. In March 1976 "Fast" Eddie Clarke auditioned, Wallis quit, and the trio of Lemmy, Clarke and Taylor became the classic line-up.

Sessions for United Artists with the producer Dave Edmunds were shelved and appeared only in 1979, as On Parole. By April 1977 Taylor and Clarke were ready to quit, and a farewell show was set for the Marquee in London on 1 April. Ted Carroll of Chiswick Records offered two days at Escape Studios in Kent with the producer Speedy Keen. Instead of a single the band laid down eleven unfinished tracks, and the album Motörhead came out on Chiswick in August 1977, with the first appearance of the fanged War-Pig logo drawn by Joe Petagno. Lemmy always insisted the band played rock and roll rather than heavy metal.

Bronze Records

A one-off single deal with Bronze Records led to a cover of Louie Louie in September 1978, which reached number 68 and brought the band's first Top of the Pops appearance in October. Bronze extended the contract, and with the producer Jimmy Miller the band made Overkill, released in March 1979. It was their first album in the UK top 40, peaking at 24, and its title track, built on Taylor's two bass drums, became a show-stopper for years. Bomber followed in October 1979 and reached number 12. Its title song was inspired by a Len Deighton novel, and the tour that followed, with Saxon in support, featured a forty-foot bomber-shaped lighting rig. The Golden Years EP reached number 8 in May 1980.

Ace of Spades and Hammersmith

In August and September 1980 the trio recorded at Jackson's Studios in Rickmansworth with the producer Vic Maile. Maile took sole charge of the mix, and Clarke said the result was that you could finally hear everything going on. Ace of Spades reached number 4 in Britain. Its title track was issued as a single in October 1980, and Lemmy said its lyrics used gambling metaphors, mostly cards and dice. See Ace of Spades. In February 1981 a joint EP with Girlschool, St. Valentine's Day Massacre, reached number 5.

In March 1981 the band played a run of UK shows, the Short Sharp Pain in the Neck tour, and recorded at Leeds and Newcastle. The result, No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith, entered the UK albums chart at number one in June 1981, and the live single Motorhead reached number 6. Lemmy told Mojo the record made a difference financially, but a lot of it went back into the show.

After the classic line-up

Iron Fist, released in April 1982, was the last album by the Lemmy, Clarke and Taylor line-up and reached number 6. Clarke's last engagement was on 14 May 1982. Brian Robertson played on Another Perfect Day in 1983, and in 1984 Phil Campbell and Würzel joined, giving the band two guitarists again. Pete Gill drummed on Orgasmatron, recorded in eleven days in London with the producer Bill Laswell and released on the band's own label, GWR, in 1986. Epic released 1916 in 1991. Mikkey Dee became the drummer in 1992. Würzel left after the sessions for Sacrifice in 1995, and the band carried on as the trio of Lemmy, Campbell and Dee. Bad Magic, in August 2015, was the last of their studio albums. The final concert was in Berlin on 11 December 2015. Lemmy died on 28 December 2015 and the band was over.

Influence

Lars Ulrich said that hearing Overkill in 1979 introduced him to the band and that Metallica exists because of Lemmy. Napalm Death's Barney Greenway called Motörhead the first extreme band. Kreator's Mille Petrozza said Ace of Spades was the first thrash metal album, though he knew Lemmy would not have agreed. Anthrax's Scott Ian said the fast double-kick drumming in Overkill was a template for his band, and the American thrash band Overkill took its name from the album.