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Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers: The Rise of Motörhead
Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers: The Rise of Motörhead is the first book to celebrate the classic-era Motörhead lineup of Lemmy Kilmister, “Fast” Eddie Clarke, and Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor. Through interviews with all of the principal troublemakers, Martin Popoff celebrates the formation of the band and the records that made them legends: Motörhead, Overkill, Bomber, Ace of Spades, No Sleep ’til Hammersmith, and Iron Fist. An in-depth coda brings the story up to date with the shocking recent deaths of Taylor and Kilmister.
Motörhead comes to life in this book as bad-luck bad boys — doused in drink and drugs, most notably speed — incapable of running their lives right, save for Fast Eddie, who is charged with holding things together. Popoff also examines the heady climate of music through the band’s rise to prominence during the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, with detailed reflection on Motörhead’s unique position in the scene as both originators and embattled survivors who carried on the renegade spirit of those times.
Motörhead comes to life in this book as bad-luck bad boys — doused in drink and drugs, most notably speed — incapable of running their lives right, save for Fast Eddie, who is charged with holding things together. Popoff also examines the heady climate of music through the band’s rise to prominence during the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, with detailed reflection on Motörhead’s unique position in the scene as both originators and embattled survivors who carried on the renegade spirit of those times.
280 pages, Paperback
Published May 9, 2017
16 people are currently reading
367 people want to read
About the author
Martin Popoff
224 books248 followersAt approximately 7900 (with over 7000 appearing in his books), Martin has unofficially written more record reviews than anybody in the history of music writing across all genres. Additionally, Martin has penned approximately 85 books on hard rock, heavy metal, classic rock and record collecting. He was Editor-In-Chief of the now retired Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles, Canada’s foremost metal publication for 14 years, and has also contributed to Revolver, Guitar World, Goldmine, Record Collector, bravewords.com, lollipop.com and hardradio.com, with many record label band bios and liner notes to his credit as well. Additionally, Martin has been a regular contractor to Banger Films, having worked for two years as researcher on the award-winning documentary Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, on the writing and research team for the 11-episode Metal Evolution and on the ten-episode Rock Icons, both for VH1 Classic. Additionally, Martin is the writer of the original metal genre chart used in Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey and throughout the Metal Evolution episodes. Martin currently resides in Toronto and can be reached through martinp@inforamp.net or www.martinpopoff.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
April 9, 2023
This was an interesting listen, but I don't really feel like I learned a lot of new things, other than at the start.
The audiobook had an American narrator which ended up being kind of funny. When it came to quotes, he just said them as if he was reading the morning paper, didn't even try to make them sound British or give them some personality.
If this wasn't so full of quotes from various people, then it wouldn't have been such a problem, but the majority of the book is interviews so...
2.5
The audiobook had an American narrator which ended up being kind of funny. When it came to quotes, he just said them as if he was reading the morning paper, didn't even try to make them sound British or give them some personality.
If this wasn't so full of quotes from various people, then it wouldn't have been such a problem, but the majority of the book is interviews so...
2.5
June 10, 2022
Hmmmm. Love motorhead but didn't love this as much as I thought I would.
Strange having an American narrator with all the English phrases too :")
Strange having an American narrator with all the English phrases too :")
December 30, 2020
Disappointing. I'm usually a big fan of Martin Popoff and I've been a big Motorhead fan for years, although I haven't listened to them since Hammered as I felt that they had got to the point where they were just putting out the same, competent but unexciting album over and over again. I was looking forward to hearing from Philthy and Fast Eddie - I've read a lot of Lemmy's words over the years. And Popoff, in his two books on the history of the NWOBHM, included a couple of quotes from Philthy and Brian Robertson that piqued my interest in Lemmy as a band mate. Everyone always speaks so glowingly about Lemmy that I thought it would be interesting to get another take.
This was not to be. There was a bit of angry vitriol towards the man from Phil Taylor once he was out of the band, and a little bit of good-natured criticism from Fast Eddie, but nothing major. And then Popoff makes sure he lays it on with a trowel finding guys to sing Lemmy's praises. Dee Snider, a couple of the guys from Anthrax, managers, industry guys - he's so intelligent, he's just a regular guy, great lyricist, underrated musician, true blue dyed-in-the-wool rocker - on and on. I don't need a hatchet job done on Lemmy, but there are already tons of books and magazine article out there singing his praises. I think the slight criticisms presented here don't need to be countered with the deluge of bystanders talking about what a saint he is. Unless it's there merely as filler, which there seems to be a lot of in this book.
I usually find Popoff's books sharp, full of insight and well-edited. This book feels flabby and poorly put together. In the chapter talking about the first Motorhead album, he establishes early on that Bronze records wouldn't put out an album but would put out a single, and then based on the success of that single, they would commit to an album. Then, later, when Fast Eddie is talking about the album, he tells that whole story again. We don't need that twice. Edit, dammit. He does the same thing later when Dee Snider tells a story about Lemmy introducing the band at an early gig in England. Snider was very impressed with Lemmy doing this. But he does what a lot of us do when we tell a story. He tells the story, and then basically repeats the salient points of the story a second time in admiration. Great for conversation, boring in a book. Story once, not twice.
This happens again when Fast Eddie talks about Mick Farren's death. Early in the book, Clarke mentions that Farren died on stage, the way he thought Lemmy would go and the way that he thought he would go. Then much closer to the end, Clarke rambles on at length about Farren dying on stage, dying with his boots on, etc. Do we need this twice? Did Popoff re-read this at all before sending it to the publisher?
The last chapter, in which Popoff describes Lemmy's death and funeral and Phil's death, is written poorly. He describes Lemmy's funeral in great detail, touches on Phil's death, and then has an extensive quote from Eddy prior to their deaths talking about getting in touch with Phil, going to see Phil, hoping the three of them could play together once more. Put that before the deaths. Otherwise, you're just trying to milk it for poignancy and the reader is sitting there going "nice sentiments, but they're dead." It spoils the effect.
The description of the funeral with a list of which rock stars attended and who sent greetings was a little too Entertainment Tonight for me. But Popoff (and Lemmy) both seem to use praise from other stars as vindication. Several times, it's mentioned that Ozzy and Lemmy were lifetime friends. When Popoff wastes a couple of pages defending Lemmy's collecting of Nazi regalia as just interest and not a sign of his being a Nazi, Ozzy is listed as also collecting Nazi regalia, amongst others. When Lemmy is lamenting how no one ever took the band seriously as musicians, he cites Ozzy's friendship and Lars Ulrich's declaration of Motorhead's influence as vindicating Motorhead against the naysayers. Motorhead was around for a long time. Is it surprising that they influenced people, and that they knew other rock stars?
The book leans heavily on interviews with Fast Eddy Clarke. I appreciated that, as his is a voice that I haven't heard much over the years. But I would have appreciated a little more Philthy, a little more Lemmy, and especially the interplay between the band members which Popoff has done so well in his most successful works - books on Blue Oyster Cult, Deep Purple, Rainbow, the Scorpions, etc. Here it's mostly Fast Eddie, with interjections from the others. There's no back and forth. And after awhile, you start to tire of the one voice. I found this with Popoff's book on Dio. Once it was just Ronnie talking, you started to get tired of hearing him. I was a little tired of Fast Eddie by the end.
When he does include extensive quotes from Lemmy - Lemmy on religion, on war, on being underappreciated - I find him really boring. I think I've read enough quotes from him to know where he's coming from, and I no longer find him that interesting. And so earnest too. What happened to his fabled sense of humour?
All in all, this book was not really worth the read. I would maybe recommend it as a supplement to other books, something that can help round out your understanding, but not as a primary source.
This was not to be. There was a bit of angry vitriol towards the man from Phil Taylor once he was out of the band, and a little bit of good-natured criticism from Fast Eddie, but nothing major. And then Popoff makes sure he lays it on with a trowel finding guys to sing Lemmy's praises. Dee Snider, a couple of the guys from Anthrax, managers, industry guys - he's so intelligent, he's just a regular guy, great lyricist, underrated musician, true blue dyed-in-the-wool rocker - on and on. I don't need a hatchet job done on Lemmy, but there are already tons of books and magazine article out there singing his praises. I think the slight criticisms presented here don't need to be countered with the deluge of bystanders talking about what a saint he is. Unless it's there merely as filler, which there seems to be a lot of in this book.
I usually find Popoff's books sharp, full of insight and well-edited. This book feels flabby and poorly put together. In the chapter talking about the first Motorhead album, he establishes early on that Bronze records wouldn't put out an album but would put out a single, and then based on the success of that single, they would commit to an album. Then, later, when Fast Eddie is talking about the album, he tells that whole story again. We don't need that twice. Edit, dammit. He does the same thing later when Dee Snider tells a story about Lemmy introducing the band at an early gig in England. Snider was very impressed with Lemmy doing this. But he does what a lot of us do when we tell a story. He tells the story, and then basically repeats the salient points of the story a second time in admiration. Great for conversation, boring in a book. Story once, not twice.
This happens again when Fast Eddie talks about Mick Farren's death. Early in the book, Clarke mentions that Farren died on stage, the way he thought Lemmy would go and the way that he thought he would go. Then much closer to the end, Clarke rambles on at length about Farren dying on stage, dying with his boots on, etc. Do we need this twice? Did Popoff re-read this at all before sending it to the publisher?
The last chapter, in which Popoff describes Lemmy's death and funeral and Phil's death, is written poorly. He describes Lemmy's funeral in great detail, touches on Phil's death, and then has an extensive quote from Eddy prior to their deaths talking about getting in touch with Phil, going to see Phil, hoping the three of them could play together once more. Put that before the deaths. Otherwise, you're just trying to milk it for poignancy and the reader is sitting there going "nice sentiments, but they're dead." It spoils the effect.
The description of the funeral with a list of which rock stars attended and who sent greetings was a little too Entertainment Tonight for me. But Popoff (and Lemmy) both seem to use praise from other stars as vindication. Several times, it's mentioned that Ozzy and Lemmy were lifetime friends. When Popoff wastes a couple of pages defending Lemmy's collecting of Nazi regalia as just interest and not a sign of his being a Nazi, Ozzy is listed as also collecting Nazi regalia, amongst others. When Lemmy is lamenting how no one ever took the band seriously as musicians, he cites Ozzy's friendship and Lars Ulrich's declaration of Motorhead's influence as vindicating Motorhead against the naysayers. Motorhead was around for a long time. Is it surprising that they influenced people, and that they knew other rock stars?
The book leans heavily on interviews with Fast Eddy Clarke. I appreciated that, as his is a voice that I haven't heard much over the years. But I would have appreciated a little more Philthy, a little more Lemmy, and especially the interplay between the band members which Popoff has done so well in his most successful works - books on Blue Oyster Cult, Deep Purple, Rainbow, the Scorpions, etc. Here it's mostly Fast Eddie, with interjections from the others. There's no back and forth. And after awhile, you start to tire of the one voice. I found this with Popoff's book on Dio. Once it was just Ronnie talking, you started to get tired of hearing him. I was a little tired of Fast Eddie by the end.
When he does include extensive quotes from Lemmy - Lemmy on religion, on war, on being underappreciated - I find him really boring. I think I've read enough quotes from him to know where he's coming from, and I no longer find him that interesting. And so earnest too. What happened to his fabled sense of humour?
All in all, this book was not really worth the read. I would maybe recommend it as a supplement to other books, something that can help round out your understanding, but not as a primary source.
September 2, 2025
Over their 40 year career, Motorhead produced 22 albums of essentially the same song...and it fucking rocks!!!
Motorhead's first single was titled "Motorhead" and it appeared on their first album Motorhead. One way or another, you were gonna know their name! However, like most people who've heard at least one song by them, I was only familiar with their rock classic "Ace of Spades". Eventually it dawned on me that I didn't know any other song by them. So, during covid when I was using a treadmill at home to keep fit and going crazy with boredom, I decided to give them a listen during a workout. Holy shit! The angry sound and consistently ramped up tempo is perfect for keeping a quick, steady pace! I began listening to their first album and worked my way through their entire discography, plus a few of the live albums, in a little over a month! I lost more than a few pounds during my "Motorhead Weight Loss Program"TM.
I read their Wiki pages during this time, but I never did get around to reading a proper biography, not until now. Martin Popoff's Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers: The Rise of Motörhead isn't a complete bio in that it mostly focuses on the "classic" Motorhead line-up that fans know and love from the first handful of albums.
I've given this 5 stars, not because it entirely deserves it, but because I'm a fan and I loved hearing all the behind-the-scenes insights. Popoff put together a nice time-capsule of Motorhead's early days, including a nice amount of pre-band history, mostly of frontman Lemmy's time in bands prior to starting his own. The author also does what he's done in countless other rock bios, examined the catalogue in depth. If you're here for the music, you've come to the right place!
Journalistically, however, it could've done with some editing, specifically with the quotes, which are essentially left as-is, gaps, trail offs, non sequiturs, and all. At first it's interesting for being the genuine representation of the interviewee's speech pattern, but lord have mercy, rockstars aren't always the best orators. There was a lot of repetition that could've been tidied up. But that's my only complaint!
Motorhead's first single was titled "Motorhead" and it appeared on their first album Motorhead. One way or another, you were gonna know their name! However, like most people who've heard at least one song by them, I was only familiar with their rock classic "Ace of Spades". Eventually it dawned on me that I didn't know any other song by them. So, during covid when I was using a treadmill at home to keep fit and going crazy with boredom, I decided to give them a listen during a workout. Holy shit! The angry sound and consistently ramped up tempo is perfect for keeping a quick, steady pace! I began listening to their first album and worked my way through their entire discography, plus a few of the live albums, in a little over a month! I lost more than a few pounds during my "Motorhead Weight Loss Program"TM.
I read their Wiki pages during this time, but I never did get around to reading a proper biography, not until now. Martin Popoff's Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers: The Rise of Motörhead isn't a complete bio in that it mostly focuses on the "classic" Motorhead line-up that fans know and love from the first handful of albums.
I've given this 5 stars, not because it entirely deserves it, but because I'm a fan and I loved hearing all the behind-the-scenes insights. Popoff put together a nice time-capsule of Motorhead's early days, including a nice amount of pre-band history, mostly of frontman Lemmy's time in bands prior to starting his own. The author also does what he's done in countless other rock bios, examined the catalogue in depth. If you're here for the music, you've come to the right place!
Journalistically, however, it could've done with some editing, specifically with the quotes, which are essentially left as-is, gaps, trail offs, non sequiturs, and all. At first it's interesting for being the genuine representation of the interviewee's speech pattern, but lord have mercy, rockstars aren't always the best orators. There was a lot of repetition that could've been tidied up. But that's my only complaint!
March 25, 2017
They are Motörhead and they play rock & roll
I became a Motörhead fan within the last decade, so I didn't know much about the classic lineup that is the focus of this book. I have seen the "Classic Albums" documentary about Ace of Spades. I knew more about Lemmy and saw him live with Motörhead in 2012. I really enjoyed and appreciated Lemmy's sense of humor, general shamelessness, candor, and personification of rock & roll.
If most people read book reviews to help them decide if they should read the book, that makes this particular task very hard with Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers. It is part oral history of the band, part rock & roll reminiscing, part music theory, part sociology, and part eulogy for the gone but not forgotten Lemmy Kilmister and Phil Taylor, both of whom passed away in 2015 as the author was working on this book. Die-hard fans of the band will surely love the book. I enjoyed it, as I enjoy most things involving Lemmy, because it got me listening to the old songs, and looking on YouTube for live videos, particularly showing the Bomber plane they built for their live show that I never had the pleasure of seeing in person. The author dives into details on some deep tracks that I wasn't familiar with, and there's a somewhat tedious discussion of trying to categorize the band as heavy metal, or punk, or whatever other ways the band has been described. It became tedious, even though Lemmy seems to be the one who isn't comfortable with the label of heavy metal, but most Motörhead fans don't give a damn about labels anyway and I'm not sure a casual reader would find it captivating, either. I'm not sure how any of this book goes over with someone unfamiliar with Motörhead. Maybe watching the Lemmy documentary is a good place to start to give you an idea of the force of personality behind Motörhead.
Thank you to Netgalley and ECW Press for granting my request for an advance copy of this book for review. I'm glad I read the book and I'm very glad that I had the opportunity to see Motörhead live in Lemmy's lifetime. They are truly one of a kind.
I became a Motörhead fan within the last decade, so I didn't know much about the classic lineup that is the focus of this book. I have seen the "Classic Albums" documentary about Ace of Spades. I knew more about Lemmy and saw him live with Motörhead in 2012. I really enjoyed and appreciated Lemmy's sense of humor, general shamelessness, candor, and personification of rock & roll.
If most people read book reviews to help them decide if they should read the book, that makes this particular task very hard with Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers. It is part oral history of the band, part rock & roll reminiscing, part music theory, part sociology, and part eulogy for the gone but not forgotten Lemmy Kilmister and Phil Taylor, both of whom passed away in 2015 as the author was working on this book. Die-hard fans of the band will surely love the book. I enjoyed it, as I enjoy most things involving Lemmy, because it got me listening to the old songs, and looking on YouTube for live videos, particularly showing the Bomber plane they built for their live show that I never had the pleasure of seeing in person. The author dives into details on some deep tracks that I wasn't familiar with, and there's a somewhat tedious discussion of trying to categorize the band as heavy metal, or punk, or whatever other ways the band has been described. It became tedious, even though Lemmy seems to be the one who isn't comfortable with the label of heavy metal, but most Motörhead fans don't give a damn about labels anyway and I'm not sure a casual reader would find it captivating, either. I'm not sure how any of this book goes over with someone unfamiliar with Motörhead. Maybe watching the Lemmy documentary is a good place to start to give you an idea of the force of personality behind Motörhead.
Thank you to Netgalley and ECW Press for granting my request for an advance copy of this book for review. I'm glad I read the book and I'm very glad that I had the opportunity to see Motörhead live in Lemmy's lifetime. They are truly one of a kind.
March 28, 2021
Nice reading, overall.
July 16, 2017
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers is the first book to celebrate the classic-era Motörhead lineup of Lemmy Kilmister, “Fast” Eddie Clarke, and Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor. Through interviews with all of the principal troublemakers, Martin Popoff celebrates the formation of the band and the records that made them legends: Motörhead, Overkill, Bomber, Ace of Spades, No Sleep ’til Hammersmith, and Iron Fist. An in-depth coda brings the story up to date with the shocking recent deaths of Taylor and Kilmister.
Motörhead comes to life in this book as bad-luck bad boys — doused in drink and drugs, most notably speed — incapable of running their lives right, save for Fast Eddie, who is charged with holding things together. Popoff also examines the heady climate of music through the band’s rise to prominence during the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, with detailed reflection on Motörhead’s unique position in the scene as both originators and embattled survivors who carried on the renegade spirit of those times.
I went into this book really keen to read about that classic Motorhead line up. Had been a fan of the band for a number of years and always wanted to read more about those early years.
What I got, however, was a lot of snippets of interviews with the band and those around them. I got quite a bit of background of Lemmy's musical activities before even joining Hawkwind, let alone Motorhead - which I found to be just a little bit boring. It wasn't anything new. The stories of the band at the height of their success was great to reminisce about, but ultimately, there just wasn't enough to keep me interested.
If you aren't a huge fan of the band, this could be a good way to learn more about them. If you have followed them for a long time, there probably isn't a lot in here you didn't already know.
Paul
ARH
Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers is the first book to celebrate the classic-era Motörhead lineup of Lemmy Kilmister, “Fast” Eddie Clarke, and Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor. Through interviews with all of the principal troublemakers, Martin Popoff celebrates the formation of the band and the records that made them legends: Motörhead, Overkill, Bomber, Ace of Spades, No Sleep ’til Hammersmith, and Iron Fist. An in-depth coda brings the story up to date with the shocking recent deaths of Taylor and Kilmister.
Motörhead comes to life in this book as bad-luck bad boys — doused in drink and drugs, most notably speed — incapable of running their lives right, save for Fast Eddie, who is charged with holding things together. Popoff also examines the heady climate of music through the band’s rise to prominence during the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, with detailed reflection on Motörhead’s unique position in the scene as both originators and embattled survivors who carried on the renegade spirit of those times.
I went into this book really keen to read about that classic Motorhead line up. Had been a fan of the band for a number of years and always wanted to read more about those early years.
What I got, however, was a lot of snippets of interviews with the band and those around them. I got quite a bit of background of Lemmy's musical activities before even joining Hawkwind, let alone Motorhead - which I found to be just a little bit boring. It wasn't anything new. The stories of the band at the height of their success was great to reminisce about, but ultimately, there just wasn't enough to keep me interested.
If you aren't a huge fan of the band, this could be a good way to learn more about them. If you have followed them for a long time, there probably isn't a lot in here you didn't already know.
Paul
ARH
March 8, 2021
Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers: The Rise of Motörhead celebrates the classic-era Motörhead lineup of Lemmy, Phil "Animal" Taylor, and guitarist Fast Eddie Clarke. The book covers the 1977-1982 years when the legend of Motörhead was created. Every album gets a chapter and five or six records.
This isn't a good book. But firstly, I want to say that I love Motörhead and seen them many times play live. But the audio book suffers from a number of bad flaws:
. It feels disjointed and poorly put together. A collection of interview clips, bit and pieces from various magazine articles and autobiographies. It also has a number of repetitions too. The same story told at various points in the text.
. Why get an American narrator to relay the story of a very English rock band? Not only that but his English pronunciations are terrible and he clearly has no understanding of the band. The voice of the band is lost. Quotes are delivered without any of the self-deprecating humour often laced with attitude.
He. Is. Literally. Reading. The. Quotes. Out. Word. For. Word.
Maybe the printed version is better? Couldn't be much worse than the audiobook. No new insights and not at all well edited. Disappointing and not worth your time.
This isn't a good book. But firstly, I want to say that I love Motörhead and seen them many times play live. But the audio book suffers from a number of bad flaws:
. It feels disjointed and poorly put together. A collection of interview clips, bit and pieces from various magazine articles and autobiographies. It also has a number of repetitions too. The same story told at various points in the text.
. Why get an American narrator to relay the story of a very English rock band? Not only that but his English pronunciations are terrible and he clearly has no understanding of the band. The voice of the band is lost. Quotes are delivered without any of the self-deprecating humour often laced with attitude.
He. Is. Literally. Reading. The. Quotes. Out. Word. For. Word.
Maybe the printed version is better? Couldn't be much worse than the audiobook. No new insights and not at all well edited. Disappointing and not worth your time.
December 8, 2023
I'm young enough that I didn't get to experience this line-up of the band outside of albums (I didn't get to see them live until 1998. You bet I was right up front and mostly in the mosh pit!), but I'm also old enough to have grown up pre-internet. In those days, information about bands would trickle down through magazines and MTV, with if you were lucky a book or two on the artist eventually. So I have to admit, I knew virtually nothing about this incarnation of the band besides their names and the fact they put out some cracking music.
I feel I know a little more now, though how much of that comes from the people in the know and how much was extrapolated by the author, I'm not sure. It certainly didn't help that the audiobook had an American narrator when all the major players in the book were British. So irritating!
Just FYI, there's no way Phil would have referred to someone as a "twot". In the UK we (well, the people that like to use more colourful language anyway, lol) say "twat", thymes with "bat".
There is also no way any of them would have referred to the time of day as "quarter of 10" - The term "quarter of" isn't used in the UK. We say "quarter to". Little things like that make me wonder how much of it is actual quotes and how much is just invented by the author...
This needs some tweaks, a bit more colour and for goodness sake re-record with a British narrator. Otherwise, not a bad read.
I feel I know a little more now, though how much of that comes from the people in the know and how much was extrapolated by the author, I'm not sure. It certainly didn't help that the audiobook had an American narrator when all the major players in the book were British. So irritating!
Just FYI, there's no way Phil would have referred to someone as a "twot". In the UK we (well, the people that like to use more colourful language anyway, lol) say "twat", thymes with "bat".
There is also no way any of them would have referred to the time of day as "quarter of 10" - The term "quarter of" isn't used in the UK. We say "quarter to". Little things like that make me wonder how much of it is actual quotes and how much is just invented by the author...
This needs some tweaks, a bit more colour and for goodness sake re-record with a British narrator. Otherwise, not a bad read.
January 12, 2021
While the criticism regarding the editing for this book are on point and valid, it was still a fun read digging into those early Motorhead albums. There is a lot of Fast Eddie's point of view in this book, which I quite enjoyed, and it was interesting to hear his stories about why the original classic Motorhead band collapsed.
February 27, 2023
Good band, mediocre book.
May 26, 2018
A good inside look at the rise of Motorhead. Takes us through the first years and the albums with the primary/original members: Lemmy, Filthy Phil Taylor, and Fast Eddie Clarke. Lots of quotes from these members. An interesting element of that is the contradictions. Members say one thing and then say the opposite a few moments later. Probably makes some sense given what I knew already about the characters. One thing I learned is that Lemmy, supposedly at least, was not as involved with the music in this period as were Phil and Eddie. Lemmy wrote the lyrics, of course.
July 24, 2018
Learned a great deal about the dynamics (there is a word not used in the Motörhead conversation very often) of their sound such as Eddie switching from Les Pauls to Strats to compensate for Lemmy’s tone being mids heavy.
April 23, 2018
Poorly written, poorly edited; someone was asleep at the wheel on this one. Sadly it seems like the definitive Motör-story will never be written.
May 8, 2020
A mildly interesting book from an author who is very prolific (from what he says in the introduction)
and the book does feel a bit thin, lots of quotes culled from previous interviews and plenty of other interviews conducted by the apparently well connected author. But he has stitched it all together well into a coherent narrative of the band and the extensive quotes canvas the interpersonal disputes in the band well. THe members of Motorhead are not ones to hold back!
I like rock writing generally, they have real passion for their subject borne out their love of music - often they are frustrated musicians themselves - and they seem to put all that passion into their writing. They're enthuisiasts trying to capture the mystical effect of music through recordings, live performances and what it all means. Popoff has some good turns of phrase such as "the razor wire chicken coop of a band that was Motörhead".
Motorhead were a curious band and it's interesting to learn that thought the same as I did. They were metal. I hated metal. But they were kind of cool. Lemmy was an intersting cat, and a great talker. They were on the Young Ones. THe Killed by Death video is hilarious. Hmmm....without my snobbish distaste for what I thought of as metal I can hear now just how good the music is. I loved Husker Du and Dinosaur Jr -why didn't I like Motorhead then? It was good to listen to the songs ocasionally as I progressed through the book, they were a truly great band, especially the early years of which this book covers, the "classic" original line-up.
Lemmy of course looms large in the book, he's clearly highly intelligent, he reminds a bit of Nick Cave for his fierce intelligence, incredible energy, charisma, facility with words and sense of humour. Actually Mark E Smith comes to mind afterall. Mark E Smith and Lemmy together, now there's a thought....I'll defintely listen to them more. The comparison with The Ramones was good - are they hard rock? Or punk? Or what? These labels irritated the band and fair enough, Lemmy's roots in 60's rock make sense when you hear the music. The working class no nonsense attitude is a big part of their appeal, they're like musical mechanics. I love what Lemmy said about the Beatles, how they were hard working class kids from Liverpool and the Stones were University boys playing at being tough, I thoroughly endorse this view.
Lemmy on heroin:
"It makes you an animal and then it kills you....they become heroin...anything that makes you hurt that much and controls you that much when you don’t get it is shit to me."
Phil Taylor on drumming:
"As Motorhead got faster and faster and faster I always wished it would slow down! "
Never wanted to play that fast it’s just how it ended up, no plan to it but in doing so started a style.
Lemmy
"There’ll be be no fucking jamming in this band". Ie no noodling about. I love that, I hate it when you hear a band go into that mode, the thread is broken with the audience, I just switch off.
and the book does feel a bit thin, lots of quotes culled from previous interviews and plenty of other interviews conducted by the apparently well connected author. But he has stitched it all together well into a coherent narrative of the band and the extensive quotes canvas the interpersonal disputes in the band well. THe members of Motorhead are not ones to hold back!
I like rock writing generally, they have real passion for their subject borne out their love of music - often they are frustrated musicians themselves - and they seem to put all that passion into their writing. They're enthuisiasts trying to capture the mystical effect of music through recordings, live performances and what it all means. Popoff has some good turns of phrase such as "the razor wire chicken coop of a band that was Motörhead".
Motorhead were a curious band and it's interesting to learn that thought the same as I did. They were metal. I hated metal. But they were kind of cool. Lemmy was an intersting cat, and a great talker. They were on the Young Ones. THe Killed by Death video is hilarious. Hmmm....without my snobbish distaste for what I thought of as metal I can hear now just how good the music is. I loved Husker Du and Dinosaur Jr -why didn't I like Motorhead then? It was good to listen to the songs ocasionally as I progressed through the book, they were a truly great band, especially the early years of which this book covers, the "classic" original line-up.
Lemmy of course looms large in the book, he's clearly highly intelligent, he reminds a bit of Nick Cave for his fierce intelligence, incredible energy, charisma, facility with words and sense of humour. Actually Mark E Smith comes to mind afterall. Mark E Smith and Lemmy together, now there's a thought....I'll defintely listen to them more. The comparison with The Ramones was good - are they hard rock? Or punk? Or what? These labels irritated the band and fair enough, Lemmy's roots in 60's rock make sense when you hear the music. The working class no nonsense attitude is a big part of their appeal, they're like musical mechanics. I love what Lemmy said about the Beatles, how they were hard working class kids from Liverpool and the Stones were University boys playing at being tough, I thoroughly endorse this view.
Lemmy on heroin:
"It makes you an animal and then it kills you....they become heroin...anything that makes you hurt that much and controls you that much when you don’t get it is shit to me."
Phil Taylor on drumming:
"As Motorhead got faster and faster and faster I always wished it would slow down! "
Never wanted to play that fast it’s just how it ended up, no plan to it but in doing so started a style.
Lemmy
"There’ll be be no fucking jamming in this band". Ie no noodling about. I love that, I hate it when you hear a band go into that mode, the thread is broken with the audience, I just switch off.
November 21, 2019
They were Motörhead and they played rock 'n roll!
This is a sort of an oral history of the classic Motörhead run, from the debut, till just before Another Perfect Day. Told in the form of multiple interviews given by the trio over the years, this is a brilliant companion piece to the first 5 full lengths (6 including the brilliant No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith). Starting trom the members' days before the band to their bonding as a family to the events that led to the demise of the classic lineup, this book lays everything out in an enjoyable manner.
Having always been a big Lemmy fan boy, this books helped me better appreciate Phil Taylor's and Eddie Clarke's role in making the band what it was. The other big takeaway for me was how these lads led the true rock n roll life, with complete dedication to making music and touring, while doing copious amounts of speed and liquor along the way.
I did find it a bit odd that 95% of the book is through the eyes of the trio and manager Doug Smith. Popoff himself adds very little of his own thoughts, which i feel could have been better. Otherwise, well worth a read while playing the tunes out loud
3.5/5
This is a sort of an oral history of the classic Motörhead run, from the debut, till just before Another Perfect Day. Told in the form of multiple interviews given by the trio over the years, this is a brilliant companion piece to the first 5 full lengths (6 including the brilliant No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith). Starting trom the members' days before the band to their bonding as a family to the events that led to the demise of the classic lineup, this book lays everything out in an enjoyable manner.
Having always been a big Lemmy fan boy, this books helped me better appreciate Phil Taylor's and Eddie Clarke's role in making the band what it was. The other big takeaway for me was how these lads led the true rock n roll life, with complete dedication to making music and touring, while doing copious amounts of speed and liquor along the way.
I did find it a bit odd that 95% of the book is through the eyes of the trio and manager Doug Smith. Popoff himself adds very little of his own thoughts, which i feel could have been better. Otherwise, well worth a read while playing the tunes out loud
3.5/5
January 19, 2018
I felt the need to push this one to the top of my reading after the unexpected passing of "Fast" Eddie Clarke. On that level it was satisfying, as Clarke is by far the leading voice in telling the story as reported here.
The author, Popoff, gives a kind of "The lady doth protest too much, methinks" introduction in which he insists this book was already in development when "Philthy Animal" and Lemmy passed away and is not a cash in on those deaths. I don't mean to suggest that's not accurate to the word, but it also seems very much to have been rushed without nearly enough attention to the flow by either Popoff or his editors.
It's too bad, because the story of Motörhead is fascinating and there's a lot of good telling in here, in some places, but I think it still deserves a better telling, with more care than this one was able to offer.
The author, Popoff, gives a kind of "The lady doth protest too much, methinks" introduction in which he insists this book was already in development when "Philthy Animal" and Lemmy passed away and is not a cash in on those deaths. I don't mean to suggest that's not accurate to the word, but it also seems very much to have been rushed without nearly enough attention to the flow by either Popoff or his editors.
It's too bad, because the story of Motörhead is fascinating and there's a lot of good telling in here, in some places, but I think it still deserves a better telling, with more care than this one was able to offer.
February 10, 2020
To be accurate this is a book about the original, MAIN, line up of Motorhead: Lemmy, Phil Taylor and Eddie Clarke. It covers the time period of when "Fast" Eddie Clarke and Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor join the band after Lucas Fox and Larry Wallis left.
This is my fourth book about Lemmy and Motorhead and least favorite to date. I was disappointed with how it was presented. The information is ok, there were some points of interested not covered in the other books as well as missing points the other books had that were not mentioned here. The big issue is this book reads as a number of interviews pieced together to cover the story. There is a lot of repetition in what is said and that takes away from the read. Because of that I really give this a 3-stars read but if you are a die hard Motorhead fan it goes up to 4 stars because of information covered.
This is my fourth book about Lemmy and Motorhead and least favorite to date. I was disappointed with how it was presented. The information is ok, there were some points of interested not covered in the other books as well as missing points the other books had that were not mentioned here. The big issue is this book reads as a number of interviews pieced together to cover the story. There is a lot of repetition in what is said and that takes away from the read. Because of that I really give this a 3-stars read but if you are a die hard Motorhead fan it goes up to 4 stars because of information covered.
November 29, 2023
Przeczytałem tę książkę zupełnie nie znając zespołu, jego roli w historii rocka i metalu. Nie mam żadnej osobistej historii związanej z tą grupą z lat siedemdziesiątych, więc miałam nadzieję na kilka zabawnych historyjek i ogólną lekcję historii o świecie, którego nie znałem.
Wydaje mi się, że ta książka spełniła jedno z moich oczekiwań - dowiedziałem się o istnieniu zespołu Motorhead oraz o ich wpływie na późniejsze zespoły takie jak Metallica. Jednak sama historia zespołu nie była porywająca ani wciągająca. Autor miał dostęp do dziesiątek wywiadów z muzykami i ich współpracownikami, ale cały czas zabrakło mi ciekawych, oburzających czy trudnych do uwierzenia historii.
Możliwe, że po prostu nie było takiego materiału (w co wątpię), ale nie zmienia to faktu, że nie czytało mi się tej książki za dobrze. Jednak cały czas doceniam dość dużo informacji o zespole.
Wydaje mi się, że ta książka spełniła jedno z moich oczekiwań - dowiedziałem się o istnieniu zespołu Motorhead oraz o ich wpływie na późniejsze zespoły takie jak Metallica. Jednak sama historia zespołu nie była porywająca ani wciągająca. Autor miał dostęp do dziesiątek wywiadów z muzykami i ich współpracownikami, ale cały czas zabrakło mi ciekawych, oburzających czy trudnych do uwierzenia historii.
Możliwe, że po prostu nie było takiego materiału (w co wątpię), ale nie zmienia to faktu, że nie czytało mi się tej książki za dobrze. Jednak cały czas doceniam dość dużo informacji o zespole.
June 21, 2018
It is far from a definitive history of Motorhead, but it is interesting to hear from the people involved and get their perspectives as the book is largely a compilation of interviews. These perspectives often vary significantly. Lemmy feels under represented and I wonder how much he cooperated with the writer of this book. Fast Eddie definitely seemed to have an agenda at times. The organizational structure of the book is a bit wonky at times and tends to go off on tangents a lot. Overall, I feel it is an interesting oral history of the original Motorhead lineup that is sadly no longer with us. Despite its flaws, I enjoyed it a lot.
September 9, 2021
I've been a casual fan of Motorhead for years, so I figured I would give this a read. While it felt like I could just go to YouTube and see video footage of the band members saying the quotes from this book, I still enjoyed it. I never really knew about the core 3 members. I knew the cover of Ace of Spades and kind of knew there was a rotating door of members, but this book taught me about that original trio and just how great they were. I found myself listening to Overkill, Bomber, and Ace of Spades in a row and realizing just how great this lineup was.
May 5, 2017
The one Motörhead song that everybody knows is “Ace of Spades” and this is the line-up power trio that created it. The early days of what has been a forty year wall of sound are as expected: drinking, fighting, speed, but anyone even casually familiar with the band will find no surprises...
Click the link below to read the full review.
http://thebrazenbull.com/books/beer-d...
Click the link below to read the full review.
http://thebrazenbull.com/books/beer-d...
September 7, 2017
A fan of the 80's metal and hairbands I truly enjoyed this read about Motorhead and its beginning and the days that made them larger than life and the hell they caused on the music scene with their lyrics and vocals alone could easily raised the dead from the grave. Lemmy was the best lead singer to the rock scene. Greatly missed by fans!
I received this book through NetGalley for an honest review.
February 19, 2022
This is not a career spanning biography of the group, nor does it claim to be.
The focus is upon the early classic lineup of Motorhead which consisted of :- Ian 'Lemmy' Kilmister, 'Fast' Eddie Clarke, and Phil 'Philthy Animal' Taylor.
This tome zeros in on the bands early output, trials/tribulations and increase in popularity and ultimately the falling out of the core members.
This is essential reading for fans of this classic 'rough and tumble' crew.
The focus is upon the early classic lineup of Motorhead which consisted of :- Ian 'Lemmy' Kilmister, 'Fast' Eddie Clarke, and Phil 'Philthy Animal' Taylor.
This tome zeros in on the bands early output, trials/tribulations and increase in popularity and ultimately the falling out of the core members.
This is essential reading for fans of this classic 'rough and tumble' crew.
May 29, 2023
I was really looking forward to reading this, but I abandoned it after 30 pages. After the author bragging in his introduction about how many music books he's written, I was hoping that bragging would be justified. Nope. There are more quotations than content, making it really difficult for the reader to contextualize. I figure I can learn more about the band watching a 20 minute YouTube documentary, even if it's a crappy one.
August 11, 2017
There were some very interesting and funny parts in this but the author clearly had an agenda to discredit Lemmy's contributions to Motorhead's legacy. It's fine that he wanted to illuminate Fast Eddie's and Philthy Taylor's talents but there would be no Motorhead without Mr. Kilmister. Plus, the book was poorly edited and organized, which detracted from the narrative.
March 11, 2025
Pretty solid account of the first decade of Motörhead’s career. Certain fans may be bummed about the fact that the book only occasionally mentions material and stories after the mid-80s, but the core content should satisfy fans eager to learn how an unlikely trio ended up contributing great things to Rock & Metal.
January 6, 2026
Fullt fokus på originaltrion och skivorna fram till Iron Fist. Det är väl ok. Men det var en ganska slapp bok (som jag iofs lyssnade igenom då). Historien runt varje skiva berättad genom citat och ibland lite mer upprepning av samma sak än åtminstone jag skulle önska. Lite hafsigt jobb helt enkelt.
Hade den inte funnits som ljudbok på Spotify hade jag nog aldrig läst eller hört den.
Hade den inte funnits som ljudbok på Spotify hade jag nog aldrig läst eller hört den.
March 27, 2023
A fantastic listen! Accounts from Eddie, Phil and Lemmy. If you’ve read another book on Motorhead you might find some bits a bit rehashed but I wouldn’t like that deter you from reading/listening to this if you’re a fan.
February 8, 2018
Really a great book if you want to know the details of Motorhead.
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