Motorhead
In '71, Lemmy (Ian Kilmister) joined the British band Hawkwind. Four years later while on a North American tour, Lemmy got busted (wrongly) for drug possession and spent five days in jail. Upon his release he was dumped from Hawkwind. No one has heard anything from Hawkwind since (or before for that matter) but Lemmy returned to the UK and started a new group. It was named after the last song he wrote for Hawkwind, "Motorhead." The initial line-up failed to gel so it was back to the drawing board with "Fast" Eddie Clarke on guitar and drummer Phil Taylor. Clarke would be the first to hit the road and was replaced by Brian Robertson, then Mick Burston. Taylor didn't go the distance either with Pete Gill, taking over, then Tommy Aldridge and finally Mikkey Dee in '91. But through it all Lemmy, as singer and bassist, was the main draw.
Motorhead's "No Remorse" in '81 was the perfect example of the band's all-out, no compromise, Heavy Metal attack. "No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith," with live performances of some of Motorhead's best material, including "Ace Of Spades" and "Overkill" was another standout.
In the '90s, Motorhead released an album roughly every two years. Those efforts failed to chart on the Billboard 200. But Motorhead was able to maintain a European presence - especially in Germany and Sweden.
For '96 release "Overnight Sensation" the group, who had operated as a quartet (two guitars), paired down to a trio with Lemmy, guitarist Phil Campbell, who joined in '84, and Dee. According to one count that was the 11th line-up change the group had gone through.
Following the '00 release "We Are Motorhead," the group left their long time label CMC for Steamhammer. Their first album for the German imprint was '02's "Hammered."
'04's "Inferno," the group's best effort in years, ended Motorhead's U.K. chart draught (but just barely) while "Kiss Of Death"(great album title, especially for Motorhead), issued two years later, did OK in the in the group's homeland but scored a major success in the U.S. Next up was '08 album "Motorized."
Blast 'em. Motorhead rips through chord progressions with a vengeance or they mercilessly hammer a single chord with an unmatched ferocity. So it's little wonder Motorhead has gone through so many guitarists - they (and their guitars) simply wear out. The same is apparently true of drummers. Obviously, Lemmy is made of stronger stuff.
Motorhead hit the '70s hard and even managed to do some damage in the '80s. "No Remorse" is the best place to start. "Motorhead" and "Overkill" are next. Motorhead's live work demands attention. Fired up by an audience they jacked beyond measure "No Sleep 'til Hammersmith" Rocks. Moving into the late '80s and '90s Motorhead continues to release CDs but nothing could compare with the efforts already listed. "Orgasmatron," issued in '86, was the last great gasp for the decade.
"Inferno" cranks up and lets it rip. With all the time that has passed it's good to see that Motorhead still has a lot of fire left. The opening track, "Terminal Show" features Stevie Vai, but to be honest he doesn't add to or detract from the proceedings. This is a mean (in a good way), high-energy Rock album - nothing less.
"Kiss Of Death" has full-tilt Motorhead and that's the best. Set opener "Sucker," "Sword Of Glory" or "Going Down" have a driving rhythm -guitar, bass and drums bearing down - with Lemmy's vocals coalescing the attack. But Motorhead isn't just sonic blasts. Lemmy gets metaphysical on "God Was Never On Your Side" then turns lusty for "Christine." "She moves like a rattlesnake made out of razorblades, that girl can't help it, just the way she's made."
Motorhead's raw, full-throttled charge permeates "Motorized." From "Buried Alive's" Speed Metal to the nihilistic "The Thousand Names Of God," Lemmy spits out the lyrics with an intensity meant to wound.
Though not exactly a theme, the subject of "women and money" appears in a couple songs. Lemmy turns cynical on "Teach You How To Sing The Blues" where he flatly states, "to get your hands on a beautiful girl you gotta use a Mastercard." Is that a product endorsement or is he speaking from cruel experience?