‘Bomber’ was early Motorhead, their third album, which saw the band still finding their feet musically, and perfecting the trademark Motorhead sound along the way, which existed right up to 2015.
Written by: Dangerzone
ARTIST: Motorhead
ALBUM: Bomber
LABEL: Bronze
SERIAL: BRON 523
YEAR: 1979
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: England
LINEUP: Lemmy – bass, vocals * ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke – guitars * ‘Philthy’ Phil Taylor – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Dead Men Tell No Tales * 02 Lawman * 03 Sweet Revenge * 04 Sharpshooter * 05 Poison * 06 Stone Dead Forever * 07 All The Aces * 08 Step Down * 09 Talking Head * 10 Bomber
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
The greatest misconception regarding Motorhead is that the ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke era lineup was the superior version. I question this assertion, as everytime I’ve attempted to sit through any of their albums I have been unable to make it through the whole affair!
This is not a problem I’ve associated with the lineup of Lemmy, Phil Campbell and Mickey Dee, who have been the most consistent version of the band in Motorhead’s history. ‘Bomber’ was early Motorhead, their third album, which saw the band still finding their feet musically, and perfecting the trademark Motorhead sound along the way, which existed right up until 2015.
However I do take exception to the claims that this is among Motorhead’s heaviest work, which although it is, pales next to their recent recordings. The album reached number 12 in the charts, an amazing feat considering how extreme Motorhead were for a metal act in the late 70’s in regards to radio accessibility.
The Songs
This is by no mean a bad album, I simply feel the production doesn’t match the true heaviness of the material. ‘Dead Men Tell No Tales, opens with Lemmy bellowing, ‘this is it!’, the track one of the albums classic moments.
‘Lawman’ feels mid 70’s, and in all honesty sounds less advanced than Deep Purple did in 1970. The pace slows for ‘Sweet Revenge’ but turns up a notch for the impressively titled ‘Sharpshooter’, which with an extra riff or two would be monumental. ‘Poison’ gallops along in rousing metal fashion, outdone by the stomping ‘Stone Dead Forever’, a Motorhead staple.
‘Step Down’ sees Clarke take vocals, rather turgid in delivery, and a strange experience without Lemmy present. ‘Talking Head’ is the melodic high point, and the track I associate most with ‘Bomber’, although the title track is a violent exercise that moves similarly to ‘Overkill’ and ‘Ace Of Spades’, Motorhead at their best.
In Summary
I accept some would take exception to this being secondary to modern Motorhead, but I hear more purpose and fire in their last few albums than I do here, which is not what you would expect from a band thirty years into their career. In Motorhead’s defence these were still early days.
In 1980 Motorhead cemented their reputation with ‘Ace Of Spades’ and astoundingly reached number one with 1981’s ‘No Sleep To Hammersmith’. It was the bands commercial peak, which is why this lineup is considered the vital one. ‘Bomber’ therefore seems as good as any album from those years to pore over, certainly an influential listen.
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