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Motörhead

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Motörhead was an English rock band, founded in London in 1975 by bassist and singer Lemmy Kilmister, guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox. Kilmister wrote most of the material and was the only constant member. The best-known line-up consisted of Lemmy, drummer Phil Taylor, nicknamed Philthy Animal, and guitarist Fast Eddie Clarke. From 1992 until the end in 2015 it was Lemmy, guitarist Phil Campbell and drummer Mikkey Dee.

Music and breakthrough

The band mostly played as a power trio and had several singles in the British top forty in the early 1980s. The debut album Motörhead was released in 1977. Overkill and Bomber in 1979 and Ace of Spades in 1980 established its reputation, as did the live album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith of 1981. The name Ace of Spades belongs to the best-known song, about gambling. Other themes in the lyrics were war, good and evil, abuse of power, debauchery and substance abuse.

Influence

Motörhead is regarded as a forerunner of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, which breathed new life into the genre in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The band also influenced thrash metal and speed metal. Lemmy himself always said it was a rock 'n' roll band, which had more in common with punk bands, but with a sound of its own. In this way the group was embraced in both the punk scene and the metal scene. Lemmy died on 28 December 2015, and the next day it was confirmed that Motörhead had disbanded.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Ace of Spades and notice the racing tempo, Lemmy's raw vocals and the way the bass sounds almost like a guitar.

Discography

Studio albums

See also

Categories: Artists