Bomber (album)
Encyclopedia
Bomber is the third studio album
by the British heavy metal
band Motörhead. It was recorded in 1979, the same year as Overkill
. The album reached number 12 on the UK
charts and brought some of Motörhead's most popular songs, like "Bomber
", "Dead Men Tell No Tales" and "Stone Dead Forever".
was increasingly under the influence of heroin, at one point disappearing entirely from the studio, later being found asleep at the wheel of his car. Ironically the album features the band's first anti-heroin song - "Dead Men Tell No Tales".
This album caught Lemmy at his most ferocious, hitting hard at the police in "Lawman", marriage and how his father left him and his mother in "Poison", television in "Talking Head" and show business in "All the Aces". The title track
was inspired by Len Deighton
's novel Bomber
. On one track, "Step Down", "Fast" Eddie Clarke
is featured on vocals.
The single "Bomber
" was released on November 23, 1979, one month ahead of the album; the single's initial pressing of 20,000 on blue vinyl was soon sold out and was replaced by black vinyl. The album was released on October 27, 1979 and, like the single, was initially pressed in blue vinyl. The 'Bomber Tour' followed, for which a forty-foot aluminium-tube 'bomber' was made; this had four 'engines', whereas the plane depicted on the album sleeve (which bore a resemblance to the Heinkel He 111
) had two. This lighting-rig could move backwards and forwards, and side-to-side - the first to be able to do so.
The album cover features art by the English commercial artist, Adrian Chesterman who was also responsible for creating cover art for, amongst others, Chris Rea
for his 1989 'Road To Hell' album.
A special double CD
reissue of Bomber was released in June 2005 to coincide with Motörhead's 30th anniversary tour. The bonus track
s (bar one) on the second CD, however, have all previously been available.
All tracks composed by Ian Kilmister, Phil Taylor, and Eddie Clarke
, except where noted.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by the British heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Motörhead. It was recorded in 1979, the same year as Overkill
Overkill (album)
Overkill is the second album released by Motörhead, in 1979, and their first for Bronze Records. It peaked at number 24 on the UK charts.It had a big impact in the British punk culture of that time, paving the way for UK82. Kerrang! magazine listed the album at No...
. The album reached number 12 on the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
charts and brought some of Motörhead's most popular songs, like "Bomber
Bomber (song)
"Bomber" is a song by the English heavy metal band Motörhead, recorded and released in 1979 . It is the title track to their album Bomber and was released as a single peaking at 34 on the UK singles chart....
", "Dead Men Tell No Tales" and "Stone Dead Forever".
History
During the recording of this album, the producer Jimmy MillerJimmy Miller (producer)
James "Jimmy" Miller was a Brooklyn, New York-born record producer and musician who produced dozens of albums between the mid-1960s and early 1990s, including landmark recordings for Blind Faith, Traffic, the Plasmatics, Motorhead, The World Bank and Primal Scream...
was increasingly under the influence of heroin, at one point disappearing entirely from the studio, later being found asleep at the wheel of his car. Ironically the album features the band's first anti-heroin song - "Dead Men Tell No Tales".
This album caught Lemmy at his most ferocious, hitting hard at the police in "Lawman", marriage and how his father left him and his mother in "Poison", television in "Talking Head" and show business in "All the Aces". The title track
Bomber (song)
"Bomber" is a song by the English heavy metal band Motörhead, recorded and released in 1979 . It is the title track to their album Bomber and was released as a single peaking at 34 on the UK singles chart....
was inspired by Len Deighton
Len Deighton
Leonard Cyril Deighton is a British military historian, cookery writer, and novelist. He is perhaps most famous for his spy novel The IPCRESS File, which was made into a film starring Michael Caine....
's novel Bomber
Bomber (novel)
Bomber is a novel written by Len Deighton and published in the UK in 1970. It is the fictionalised account of the events of 31 June [sic], 1943 in which an RAF bombing raid on the Ruhr area of western Germany goes wrong...
. On one track, "Step Down", "Fast" Eddie Clarke
Eddie Clarke
Edward Allan Clarke better known as "Fast" Eddie Clarke, is a guitarist who was a member of British heavy metal bands Fastway and Motörhead.-Early days:...
is featured on vocals.
The single "Bomber
Bomber (song)
"Bomber" is a song by the English heavy metal band Motörhead, recorded and released in 1979 . It is the title track to their album Bomber and was released as a single peaking at 34 on the UK singles chart....
" was released on November 23, 1979, one month ahead of the album; the single's initial pressing of 20,000 on blue vinyl was soon sold out and was replaced by black vinyl. The album was released on October 27, 1979 and, like the single, was initially pressed in blue vinyl. The 'Bomber Tour' followed, for which a forty-foot aluminium-tube 'bomber' was made; this had four 'engines', whereas the plane depicted on the album sleeve (which bore a resemblance to the Heinkel He 111
Heinkel He 111
The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Often described as a "Wolf in sheep's clothing", it masqueraded as a transport aircraft, but its purpose was to provide the Luftwaffe with a fast medium...
) had two. This lighting-rig could move backwards and forwards, and side-to-side - the first to be able to do so.
The album cover features art by the English commercial artist, Adrian Chesterman who was also responsible for creating cover art for, amongst others, Chris Rea
Chris Rea
Chris Rea is an English singer-songwriter, recognisable for his distinctive, husky voice and slide guitar playing. The British Hit Singles & Albums stated that Rea was "one of the most popular UK singer-songwriters of the late 1980s. He was already a major European star by the time he finally...
for his 1989 'Road To Hell' album.
A special double CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
reissue of Bomber was released in June 2005 to coincide with Motörhead's 30th anniversary tour. The bonus track
Bonus track
In terms of recorded music, a bonus track is a piece of music which has been included on specific releases or reissues of an album. This is most often done as a promotional device, either as an incentive to customers to purchase albums they might otherwise not, or to repurchase albums they already...
s (bar one) on the second CD, however, have all previously been available.
Reception
One critic suggests that the album is well regarded by the fans, and packed full of essential Motörhead tracks, with "Dead Men Tell No Tales", "Stone Dead Forever" and the album's title track itself being phenomenally good metal songs. Going on to say that with the exception of the bluesy "Step Down", the tracks are full of the characteristic sound of the classic line-up of Lemmy, Clarke and Taylor, with Clarke’s solo in "All the Aces" described as "blistering" and Lemmy spitting out intentions to ‘poison his wife’ in the life-reflecting "Poison" making it a sound of metal-dripping brilliance.Track listing
Source: AmazonAll tracks composed by Ian Kilmister, Phil Taylor, and Eddie Clarke
Eddie Clarke
Edward Allan Clarke better known as "Fast" Eddie Clarke, is a guitarist who was a member of British heavy metal bands Fastway and Motörhead.-Early days:...
, except where noted.
Original album
Deluxe Edition
Motörhead
- "Lemmy" (Ian) Kilmister - vocals, bass, eight-stringEight string guitarAn eight-string guitar is a guitar with eight strings instead of the commonly used six strings. Such guitars are not as common as the six string variety, but are used by classical, jazz, and metal guitarists to expand the range of their instrument by adding two strings.-History and variants:There...
bass - "Fast" Eddie ClarkeEddie ClarkeEdward Allan Clarke better known as "Fast" Eddie Clarke, is a guitarist who was a member of British heavy metal bands Fastway and Motörhead.-Early days:...
- guitar, vocals on "Step Down" and "Stone Dead Forever [Alternative Version]" - Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor - drums
Additional Personnel
- Adrian Chesterman - sleeve artwork
- Joe PetagnoJoe PetagnoJoe Petagno is an artist known principally for creating images used on rock album covers, for bands such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Nazareth, Motörhead, Roy Harper, Marduk, Nightshade, and Illdisposed....
- War-Pig logo - Recorded July 7 – August 31, 1979 at Roundhouse Studios and Olympic StudiosOlympic StudiosOlympic Studios was a renowned independent commercial recording studio located at 117 Church Road, Barnes, South West London, England. The studio is best known for the huge number of famous rock and pop recordings made there from the late 1960s onward....
- Produced by Jimmy MillerJimmy Miller (producer)James "Jimmy" Miller was a Brooklyn, New York-born record producer and musician who produced dozens of albums between the mid-1960s and early 1990s, including landmark recordings for Blind Faith, Traffic, the Plasmatics, Motorhead, The World Bank and Primal Scream...
- Engineered by Trevor Hallesy
- Tape operations by Darren Burn and Nigel Brooke-Hartz