Bomber (album)

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Bomber
Bomber cover
Studio album by Motörhead
Released October 27, 1979
Recorded July 7 – August 31, 1979
Roundhouse Studios
Olympic Studios
Genre Heavy metal, speed metal, hard rock[1]
Length 36:30
Label Bronze Records
GWR (1986 re-issue)
Producer Jimmy Miller
Professional reviews
Motörhead chronology
Overkill
(1979)		 Bomber
(1979)		 Ace of Spades
(1980)

Bomber was the third Motörhead album to be released (although the fourth to be recorded - see On Parole). 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".

Contents

[edit] Overview

During the recording of this album, the producer Jimmy Miller 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".[2]

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.[3]

The single "Bomber" was released on November 23, 1979, one month ahead of the album, the single's initial pressing of 20,000 blue vinyls were soon sold out and was replaced by black vinyl.[3] The 'Bomber Tour' followed, for which a forty foot aluminium tube replica of a Heinkel He 111 bomber was made. This lighting rig could fly backwards and forwards, and side to side - the first to be able to do so.[2] The album was released on October 27, 1979 and like the single was pressed in blue vinyl.[4]

A special double CD reissue of Bomber was released in June 2005 to coincide with Motörhead's 30th anniversary tour. The bonus tracks (bar one) on the second CD, however, have all previously been available.

[edit] 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.[5] Another critic reviewing the two-disc expanded edition of the album stated "Bomber is an often forgotten but is an absolute classic" and it featuring "a slew of classic Motor-boogie tracks".[6]

[edit] Track listing

All tracks composed by Ian Kilmister, Phil Taylor, Eddie Clarke except where noted.

[edit] Original album

  1. "Dead Men Tell No Tales" – 3:07
  2. "Lawman" – 3:56
  3. "Sweet Revenge" – 4:10
  4. "Sharpshooter" – 3:19
  5. "Poison" – 2:54
  6. "Stone Dead Forever" – 4:54
  7. "All the Aces" – 3:24
  8. "Step Down" – 3:41
  9. "Talking Head" – 3:40
  10. "Bomber" – 3:43

[edit] Bonus Tracks

The CD re-issues have added tracks;

  1. "Over the Top" – 3:21
  2. "Leaving Here" (Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland, Edward Holland) – 3:02
  3. "Stone Dead Forever [Live]" – 5:20
  4. "Dead Men Tell No Tales [Live]" – 2:54
  5. "Too Late Too Late [Live]" – 3:21
  • Tracks 12 through 15 were taken from the band's successful The Golden Years EP, released the following year.

[edit] Deluxe Edition

[edit] Disc 1

  1. "Dead Men Tell No Tales" – 3:07
  2. "Lawman" – 3:56
  3. "Sweet Revenge" – 4:10
  4. "Sharpshooter" – 3:19
  5. "Poison" – 2:54
  6. "Stone Dead Forever" – 4:54
  7. "All the Aces" – 3:24
  8. "Step Down" – 3:41
  9. "Talking Head" – 3:40
  10. "Bomber" – 3:43

[edit] Disc 2

  1. "Over the Top" - 3:20
  2. "Stone Dead Forever [Alternative Version]" - 4:34
  3. "Sharpshooter" [Alternative Version]" - 3:16
  4. "Bomber [Alternative Version]" - 3:35
  5. "Step Down [Alternative Version]" - 3:29
  6. "Leaving Here [Live]" (Dozier, Holland, Holland) - 3:02
  7. "Stone Dead Forever [Live]" - 5:31
  8. "Dead Men Tell No Tales [Live]" - 2:44
  9. "Too Late Too Late [Live]" - 3:20
  10. "Step Down [Live]" - 3:49

[edit] Credits

  • Adrian Chesterman - sleeve artwork
  • Joe Petagno - Snaggletooth logo
  • Recorded July 7 – August 31, 1979 at Roundhouse Studios and Olympic Studios
  • Produced by Jimmy Miller
  • Engineered by Trevor Hallesy
  • Tape operations by Darren Burn and Nigel Brooke-Hartz

[edit] References

  1. ^ allmusic ((( Bomber > Overview )))
  2. ^ a b Kilmister, Ian Fraser and Garza, Janiss White Line Fever (2002) — Simon & Schuster p133. ISBN 0-684-85868-1.
  3. ^ a b Burridge, Alan (April 1991). "Motörhead". Record Collector (140): 18. 
  4. ^ Burridge, Alan Illustrated Collector's Guide to Motörhead Published: 1995, Collector's Guide Publishing p70. ISBN 0-9695736-2-6.
  5. ^ Bomber reviewed by Adam Harrold. Rock Something article. Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
  6. ^ Bomber 2-Disc Deluxe Expanded Edition reviewed by Dirt. Metal Dreams article. Retrieved on 2007-02-20.

[edit] External links

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