MOTÖRHEAD
EVERYTHING LOUDER THAN EVERYONE ELSE
50 years, 50 songs – these are the greatest Motörhead tracks, as picked by some of your favourite metal artists
Perhaps the best-loved line-up: Phil ‘Philthy Animal’ Taylor, Lemmy, ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke
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GETTY/ESTATE OF KEITH MORRIS/REDFERNS INTERVIEWS: CHRIS CHANTLER, MADISON COLLIER, ALEX DELLER, DAVE EVERLEY, STEPHEN HILL, RICH HOBSON, DANNII LEIVERS, TAMLIN MAGEE, MATT MILLS, EMILY SWINGLE, PAUL TRAVERS
MOTÖRHEAD
Motörhead, 1977
“I actually got into Motörhead because of the single, Motörhead. We were all into hardcore punk at the time and would just go down to the local youth club, where you’d have to fight the DJ to play 10 minutes of noisy music and you’d take whatever they were willing to play. We took up Motörhead one night and it blended in perfectly with the likes of Discharge and The Exploited.”
Nige Rockett, Onslaught
IRON HORSE/BORN TO LOSE
Motörhead, 1977
“I remember how the energy in Iron Horse/Born To Lose hit me the first time I heard it. It carries a freedom that I so badly longed for - both hopeless and hopeful. The combination of melodic riffs and rawness spoke to my young, vulnerable rock’n’roll heart.”
Victoria Røising, Witch Club Satan
KEEP US ON THE ROAD
Motörhead, 1977
“I really love the earliest incarnation of Motörhead – the one from the 70s with [guitarist] Larry Wallis [who played on On Parole]. What made Lemmy such a lovable and magical person is that he was about as authentic as you’re gonna get. A rock’n’roll pirate!”
Brant Bjork, ex-Kyuss, Fu Manchu
OVERKILL
Overkill, 1979
“No Sleep ’Til Hammersmith was the album that took me into double-bass playing, especially Overkill. Slayer toured with Motörhead back in the late 80s, and my other band, Grip Inc., also toured Europe with them. Lemmy was just such a nice, positive human being. He was always supportive.”
Dave Lombardo
(I WON’T) PAY YOUR PRICE
Overkill, 1979
“Motörhead cured me from having to listen to Ted Nugent. After the real peak years, metal started getting repetitive, soft around the edges… then here comes Motörhead.
It didn’t just knock the door down – it blew the building up! I especially love (I Won’t) Pay Your Price – it’s almost jaunty, and you can miss the real meaning of the song if you don’t pay attention.”
Mike Bordin, Faith No More
STAY CLEAN
Overkill, 1979
“I really love the vibe of Stay Clean. The first time I heard Lemmy’s voice it was like, ‘Does this guy smoke 40 cigarettes at once?!’ I saw them in São Paulo and it was the best experience of my life. I just remember how incredibly loud it was, like the bass was hugging me and the drums were shaking my heart.”
Prika Amaral, Nervosa
CAPRICORN
Overkill, 1979
“Capricorn captures that dark side of Motörhead. Lemmy had such a solo voyager vibe; he’d been on the road since his teens. It’s almost like an admission that he’s alone and has given it all for what he does, but he also doesn’t mind. It’s an early song, but he already knew his fate – and that’s doom as fuck!”