What The Hell Happened To... 05.25.09: Motörhead - Motörhead

Posted by Dan Marsicano on 05.25.2009

This week, Dan Marsicano takes a look at Motörhead's self-titled debut and puts thrash metal band Blood Tsunami in the spotlight!

The Introduction

Welcome to another edition of What The Hell Happened To…, where the time draws closer to the end for this great column. I'm your host, the man who is going out with a bang, Dan Marsicano.

Before I begin, I have a very special announcement to make. Due to other commitments, and a full-time summer job, What The Hell Happened To… will be ending in a few short weeks. I intend to do three more editions before closing the door on the column forever, which would make my last edition June 15th. This was not an easy decision to make, but after almost 75 editions, the time has come to say goodbye.

I actually got a suggestion from somebody to possibly continue this column with another writer at the helm. I have no problem with that, as long as there are people interested in wanting to continue the column. So, if you feel that you could keep up with this every Monday, feel free to send me an e-mail with a writing sample using the link below. It can be styled like this; not styled like this, it doesn't matter. Hell, you could do a folk album for all I care. Just as long as I can see that your writing is good enough to be able to write for 411 Mania. If nobody responds within a few weeks, then the column will shut its doors forever.

Cheap plug time! I am currently writing for the Heavy Metal section of About.com, Metal Underground (under the alias heavytothebone2) and SMN News. You can also find me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.

This week in the column, I'm taking a trip back to the 1970s to take a gander at the self-titled debut album of the legendary Motörhead. Now, for those who know the history of the band, this is actually their second album, but their first one was on the shelves until 1979, after they hit it big with Overkill and Bomber. I will only be looking at the original version of the album, so no extra tracks or bonus material found on the later re-releases will be mentioned.





The Band

Lemmy- Vocals, Bass
Eddie Clarke- Guitar
Phil Taylor- Drums


The Track Listing

1. Motorhead-3:10
2. Vibrator-3:36
3. Lost Johnny-4:13
4. Iron Horse/Born To Lose-5:19
5. White Line Fever-2:37
6. Keep Us On The Road-5:55
7. The Watcher-4:27
8. The Train Kept A Rollin'-3:16


The History

After Lemmy was fired from Hawkwind in 1975 for being arrested in Canada for drug possession, he formed Motörhead with the goal of being the loudest and dirtiest band in the world. Guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox became the first two members of the band. This line-up went into the studio to work on their debut album, but Fox was fired for being unreliable, and Phil Taylor took his place. This album would be shelved for many years by the record label United Artists.

Motörhead's rise to fame was slow, as the band went through line-up changes and negative press. Wallis left and Eddie Clarke joined and the band decided to play one more show in April of 1977, frustrated with the lack of attention on the band. This one show in London turned into a recording opportunity and the band put down about a dozen or so tracks in only a few short days. These tracks would become Motörhead, and the rest as they say was history…


The Analysis

I could write paragraph upon paragraph about the countless influences that Motörhead had on the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and thrash metal in general. Lemmy personifies what the rock n' roll lifestyle is all about; drinking, partying, and fucking everything in sight. Unlike a lot of the band's contemporaries, Motörhead has largely kept to their guns, not sacrificing themselves for commercial success (save for the failed 1992 album March Or Die).

Between 1977 and 1980, Motörhead released five studio albums, including the classic Ace Of Spades. Their self-titled debut was only the first small step towards what the band would later go on to accomplish. I always felt that Motörhead's first album could be compared to another British metal band's debut: Judas Priest. Rocka Rolla had elements of their later material, but was different from anything the band put out, and Motörhead is the same way. Longer songs, more dynamic songwriting, and extended solos were mixed together with the fast, punk-ish tunes that Motörhead would become famous for.

Lemmy's time with Hawkwind had a measure of impact on the construction of Motörhead's first album. Three of the eight songs came from previous Hawkwind albums (the title track from 1975's Warrior On The Edge Of Time, "Lost Jimmy" from 1974's Hall Of The Mountain Grill and "The Watcher" from 1972's Doremi Fasol Latido). Of course, all of these songs were re-arranged and given a grittier makeover. The rest of the material was a mix of new material and re-done songs taken from the On Parole recording session.



"Motörhead" Video


Motörhead is more in the vein of 70s hard rock than the punk/metal/rock n' roll sound that made the band famous. While there has always been a bluesy vibe throughout their music, especially in the more present material, the 1977 debut was more upfront with its blues influences. This gave the album a slight groove to it that created instant re-playability.

The opening track is the anthem of the album, a rally cry for all the Motörheadbangers the world over to get together and go crazy. A frantic and wild song, complete with an electrifying Clarke solo, it's a hell of a way to open up Motörhead. "Vibrator" follows up the first song with another quick and dirty number, this time about the love between a woman and her "toy." It's biting, sarcastic, and nasty as hell, but what else would you expect from Lemmy the sex machine?

"Lost Johnny" slows down the album quite a bit. Opening up with a funky bass solo, the song takes a more subdued approach, keeping the intensity and grit around, but adding some melody to the proceedings. "Iron Horse/Born to Lose" and "Keep Us On The Road" are the epic numbers on the album, sprawling into spacey rock jams, complete with long solos and instrumental breaks. The latter is the stronger of the two, but both tracks showcase a side of the band that they really don't let out much anymore.



"Train Kept A Rollin'" Live 1980


The original version of "The Watcher" was acoustic-based, with Lemmy's bass being a key aspect of the song. On the Motörhead version, the track is sped up and given a treatment worthy of being labeled a Motörhead track. In my opinion, it's one of the most underrated songs in the band's extensive catalog. The cover of "Train Kept A Rollin'" is an energetic and upbeat ending to the album, faithfully sticking to the original, while adding that dirty vibe that Motörhead is famous for. The closer picked up the momentum and pushed the album towards a solid conclusion.

When Motörhead was released, Lemmy was in his early 30s. His raspy vocals are there, but haven't quite reached that certain sound that made songs like "Damage Case" and "Love Me Like A Reptile" anthems for a young generation. His bass playing, on the other hand, is phenomenal, right up front in the mix, and as distorted as it has ever been. Most people associate Clarke and Taylor as part of the essential Motörhead line-up; their performance on this album is a prime example of that. Both musicians revel in the punk-meets-blues sound and add a technical, yet sloppy, feel to the band.

While largely forgotten, Motörhead represents the early beginnings of what would become one hell of a career. Some may find Motörhead's debut to be too plodding and lacking the recklessness of their late 70s/early 80s material, but those that want to know where the roots of Motörhead comes from will find their debut to be fascinating. Once Lemmy really broke away from his Hawkwind influences and Motörhead became a road-tested band, that was where the true potential of the British trio shined.


Who The Hell Is…Blood Tsunami?

MySpace Page: Blood Tsunami

Featuring in its rank former Emperor drummer Faust, Norwegian thrash metal band Blood Tsunami has started to gain worldwide recognition in the underground scene with their sophomore album Grand Feast For Vultures. Their sound is very reminiscent of mid 80s thrash, but with a more grandiose approach to their songwriting.

The songs are long; on the new album, the last two tracks clock in at over ten minutes each, including 12-minute instrumental "Eceladus Rising." For songs that long, there needs to be both a solid progression and technical mastery of a musician's instrument. Thankfully, Blood Tsunami accomplishes both. They can make a three minute song just as interesting as a nine minute one, not an easy task for any thrash band to handle.

So, like always, here are a few live videos and check out their MySpace for more details…



"Evil Unleashed" Live (Credit: LarsHo)



"Devoured By Flames" Live 2007 (Credit: dtmasters)


The Conclusion

Well, that's it for this week. I hope you all enjoyed a look at an underrated debut album from Motörhead. As I head into the last three editions of What The Hell Happened To…, I'm going to take a look at a forgotten rock band that had a huge hit before fading into obscurity. Socialburn had a successful single in "Down," so what happened to the band? Find out next week for the full details on their major label debut Where You Are and enjoy your Memorial Day!