Photo: By Jim Summaria (Contact us/Photo submission) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Our Top 10 Bad Company songs list looks at a band signed to Led Zeppelin’s Swan Song label in the mid-70s. The band exploded onto the scene with a debut album that contained the massive hit “Can’t Get Enough.” For the next seven years, Bad Company released a series of albums, defining them as one of the most popular rock bands of the 1970s. From 1974 to 1982, Bad Company released six albums with the brilliant vocals of Paul Rodgers at the helm.
The original lineup of Bad Company consisted of guitarist Mick Ralphs, who had previously played with Mott The Hoople, bassist Boz Burrell, who had played in King Crimson, drummer Simon Kirke, who had played in Free, and singer Paul Rodgers, who had also been a member of the band Free. The band was managed by Led Zeppelin’s legendary bombastic manager Peter Grant. The group was signed by Led Zeppelin’s Swan Song Records label.
The band broke up after the release of Rough Diamonds in 1982. The group reformed minus Paul Rodgers in 1986. Brian Howe, who had sung lead vocals in the Ted Nugent band, took over lead vocal duties from 1986 to 1994. After Brian Howe left the band in 94, singer Robert Hart landed the lead vocalist job from 1994 to 1998.
After Paul Rogers ended his union with Jimmy Page in their band The Firm, he rejoined Bad Company in 1998. However, there would be no new Bad Company albums.
Since 1998, when Paul Rogers rejoined the band, the group has toured on and off in many different lineups. From 1974 to 1996, the band released 12 albums. Our Top 10 Bad Company songs list focuses mainly on the material recorded with Paul Rodgers during the band’s golden years.
# 10 – Gone, Gone, Gone
Starting our top 10 Bad Company songs list is the heartbreaking, but oh-so-rocking Bad Company tune “Gone, Gone, Gone.” The song was released on the fantastic Desolation Angels album in 1979. Desolation Angles was the band’s fifth album. Although Paul Rodgers did a sixth album with the band, Desolation Angels was the last great Bad Company album. The song “Gone, Gone, Gone,” was the second single released from the album after “Rock and Roll Fantasy.” “Gone, Gone, Gone,” was written by the band’s bassist Boz Burrell.
# 9 – Burnin’ Sky
While many of Bad Company’s greatest songs were full-blown pedal-to-the-metal, straight-ahead rock and roll tunes, the band’s song “Burnin’ Sky” was somewhat of an outlier. There was a rhythmic sense to the tune that had never been utilized by the band before. It was brilliant, inspiring, and it worked. One of the best Bad Company songs ever released, Burnin’ Sky was issued on the album of the same name in 1977. It was the band’s fourth album release.
# 8 – Rock and Roll Fantasy
“Rock and Roll Fantasy,” was the lead single from the band’s spectacular 1979 Desolation Angels album. The song was a huge hit for the band. Rock and Roll Fantasy was a top 20 hit peaking at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. Paul Rodgers wrote the song. 1979 was an exciting year for music fans. Punk music was morphing into New Wave. Bands like The Police, Blondie and the Ramones were delivering new sounds to the masses while bands like Bad Company, Foghat, The Marshall Tucker Band and so many more were still turning our some of the finest records of their careers.
# 7 – Movin’ On
While many of the Top 10 Bad Company songs list may ignore this great track, the truth is that those of us who were in our teens in the 1970s remember how loved this song was. “Movin’ On was an FM deep track radio favorite in the 1970s. It is one of the most soulful songs that Bad Company ever released. The song appeared on their self-titled debut album Bad Company in 1974.
# 6 – Good Lovin’ Gone Bad
Another great track often not appearing on Top 10 Bad Company songs lists is the opening track to the band’s second album Straight Shooter. The song was also released as the first single from the album. “Good Lovin’ Gone Bad,” was a top 40 hit. However, the song’s popularity was quickly trumped by the second single released from the album entitled “Feel Like Making Love.” Nonetheless, “Good Lovin’ Gone Bad,” was pure straight ahead rock and roll. Bad Company style!
# 5 – Shooting Star
The Bad Company song “Shooting Star,” was probably one of the most loved Bad Company songs in the band’s catalog. Fans fell instantly in love with the tale of Johnny’s rise to stardom and its sad ending. The seventies were a time in which the short story played an important role in the music of many artists. Song’s like Bruce Springsteen’s “Jungleland,” Harry Chapin’s “Taxi,” Bob Dylan’s “Hurricane,”Elton John’s “Ticking,” all presented fans with heartbreaking stories. The song “Shooting Star,” appeared as the last track on side one of Bad Company’s Straight Shooter album released in 1975
# 4 – Bad Company
Bad Company’s debut album was a monster record. There are more songs on this top 10 Bad Company songs list from their debut album than any of their other records. This great track opened with a haunting piano riff that oozed around Paul Rodgers’ silk vocal line. The smooth opening crashed into a powerhouse chorus that became one of the most legendary songs of the 1970s.
# 3 – Can’t Get Enough
We can thank Bad Company for writing a song that was possibly the most played garage band song of all time. Right up there with The Beatles Twist and Shout, and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama,” the three chord progression to Can’t Get Enough became a favorite of young guitar players growing up in the 1970s
The song “Can’t Get Enough ” was Bad Company’s first single and reached the number one spot on the Billboard Top 200. Not many bands in history have had a number one single with their first single. Bad Company was one of them.
# 2 – Feel Like Making Love
The second single released off the band’s second album was a huge hit for Bad Company. “Feel Like Making Love,” reached the number 10 spot on the Billboard 100. I was once at a wedding in which the band played “Feel Like Making Love,” as the couple’s first dance. Most of the older people almost had heart attacks as the couple went at it on the dance floor. The younger generation just smiled. That’s rock and roll!
# 1 – Run With The Pack
There is energy in this song that just defines what Bad Company was all about. The great intros and the pulsating verses built up to Superman style choruses. It is all there at its peak on Run With The Pack. The seventies were the time of riff bands. Groups like Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, Queen, Blue Oyster Cult, Cream, and The Allman Brothers all utilized amazing guitar riffs in their songs. Bad Company riffs came out of the vocals of Paul Rodgers.
When Paul Rodgers left the band after Rough Diamonds, the Bad Company we all loved ended. Of course, Mick Ralphs’s guitar work, Boz Burrell’s bass playing, and Simon Kirke’s drumming all contributed to that hard-driving sound. Nonetheless, it was that magical Paul Rodgers voice that led the way. “Run With The Pack” was Paul Rogers’ shining moment with the band. It is hands down easily the best Bad Company song ever released.
Check out more Bad Company articles on ClassicRockHistory.com
“I stood there thinking: ‘He’s not going to drive the tractor into the swimming pool, surely?’ And he did”: The insane story of The Wildhearts’ Earth Vs The Wildhearts, the cult ’90s classic that should have been huge
(Image credit: Photoshot)
Beloved in their UK homeland but virtually unknown in the US, The Wildhearts are one of rock’s greatest – and most combustible – bands. In 2018, singer/guitarist Ginger and former guitarist CJ looked back on their 1993 debut album Earth Vs The Wildhearts – a cult classic that could have been huge, were it not for a combination of drugs, bad luck and epic self-sabotage.
In the summer of 1993 the prevailing sound was of down-tuned guitars and recycled Black Sabbath riffs. Alienation and ennui were lyrical staples and plaid shirts and Doc Martens de rigueur as uniform. Two years after Nirvana released Nevermind, grunge was at its all-pervasive zenith and American alt.rock in the ascendancy. Already that year, Smashing Pumpkins and Tool had each brought out their second album, respectively Siamese Dream and Undertow. The biggest guns were looming, too. Nirvana’s In Utero was being readied for a September release, Pearl Jam’s Vs a month later. Three weeks ahead of In Utero, another now-classic album was released. And from an unlikely source.
The Wildhearts had evolved out of such inglorious other bands as the Quireboys, Dogs D’Amour, Tattooed Love Boys and hardly recalled NWOBHM-ers Tobruk. Forming as Wild Hearts, they at first comported themselves as faintly ridiculous Guns N’Roses clones with their teased hair and cowboy boots. Such was the chaotic nature of almost everything they did, it took them four years to get around to making their first album. Even then, Earth Vs The Wildhearts was spewed out on to tape that was so worn it was almost transparent, and with the four members of the band in a state guitarist CJ now describes succinctly as “fucked”.
Yet the result sounded not only entirely at odds with the musical mood of the time, but also almost stupidly exciting. All at once, Earth Vs The Wildhearts shot a restorative cocktail into the veins of a then-moribund British rock scene, made the idea of grafting bittersweet harmonies on to Metallica riffs seem entirely cogent, and marked the flowering of a rare and genuine maverick talent in the misbegotten form of singer/songwriter/guitarist Ginger. The Wildhearts were to prove incapable of sustaining any semblance of Earth Vs dead-ahead focus, but nonetheless the sheer potency of the record has been amplified over time.
“That was the first album I ever recorded, and for whatever reason it’s the one I’m still talking about to this day,” Ginger reflects now. “I guess there’s just a sense of honesty to Earth Vs that people like. We weren’t trying to be glamorous, and it must have worked for us.
“I haven’t listened to it for twenty years. People are very, very fond of it and for that I’m grateful, but I’ve no real connection with those songs now. As a whole it’s like a snapshot of your first shag. When the reviews came out and it was: ‘The sound of British rock finally waking up,’ we were like: ‘Are these fuckers talking about our album?’ It didn’t make sense then and it still doesn’t now.”
The Wildhearts in 1994: (from left) Danny, Rich Battersby (back), Ginger (front), CR (Image credit: Getty)
At the dawn of 1989, no success of any kind seemed within reach of the man born David Walls in South Shields, Tyneside. Ginger, as he would become known, had just then been thrown out of the Quireboys for being too heavy a guitar player and an even heavier drinker and general party animal. During the brief time he was in the Quireboys he had given no indication that he could write songs, much less that he was able to bring together such disparate styles as thrash metal, glam rock, punk rock and alt.country. Not that to begin with he even knew how to translate this gumbo of influences into real flesh-and-blood sound.
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Wild Hearts started off by hitching on to the last knockings of the hair-metal bandwagon. A couple of early line-ups included one of two vocalists – former Tobruk frontman Stuart ‘Snake’ Neale and one Drunken F Mullet from another band of also-rans, Mournblade. The fledgling group recording a grand total of nine demo tapes with this pair, which combined did at least land them a development deal with EastWest Records, but no distinction. After Ginger was eventually persuaded to take on lead vocals, they settled on a line-up comprised of founders Ginger and guitarist CJ, late of the Tattooed Love Boys, plus former Dogs D’Amour drummer Bam, and on bass Danny McCormack.
This feature originally appeared in Classic Rock issue 254 (March 2018) (Image credit: Future)
It was Ginger becoming their lead singer, abetted by the discovery that CJ was naturally inclined towards vocal harmonies and, what’s more, that their two voices fitted like the proverbial hand in glove, that gave the now Wildhearts their wings.
“Up to that point we’d wanted a cross between Joe Strummer, Robin Zander, Steven Tyler and Paul Stanley,” a laughing CJ recalls of their vocalist search. “Of course, that person doesn’t exist. And now all of a sudden we had these really lovely Beatles, Beach Boys-style harmonies.”
“I hated singing,” adds Ginger. “I’m only comfortable now when I sing in a Geordie accent. Over the years, I’ve wished that I’d held out and found a proper singer, but I doubt we’d be having this conversation now if that’d happened.”
In the two years that followed after he stepped up to the mic, songs flowed out from Ginger and on to an EP, Mondo Akimbo A-Go-Go, and a mini-album, Don’t Be Happy… Just Worry. Bam jumped back into Dogs D’Amour, Andrew ‘Stidi’ Stidolph took over the drum stool, and from touring with everyone from Diamond Head to Alice in Chains and the Manics The Wildhearts’ sound hardened and crystallised.
“All along I was kind of cherry-picking the songs I liked best for the first album, because that’s what bands used to do when I was young,” says Ginger. “I wanted it to have the best chance possible of being accepted. But right up until it got released I figured there was a strong chance people would just turn around and go: ‘No, you can’t do that.’ That mixing heavy with pop wouldn’t work, because otherwise someone else would have already done it.
“It was going totally against the grain. Which for me was the more reason to do it. Plus I had the confidence of youth. I hated grunge, couldn’t understand why anyone would like it. The music I was listening to was played by the sort of people you would want to invite to a party. This was years before any of us had even tried heroin. We were all about speed, which was just as well because it was all we could afford. I always thought heroin was the least rock-and-roll drug in the world, because it put people to sleep.”
Charged with shepherding that first album into being was Dante Bonutto, recently added to the A&R department at EastWest. A former rock writer, Bonutto had seen Ginger out and about at gigs and they shared a passion for Kiss, but it wasn’t until the sessions for Don’t Be Happy that they were formally introduced. Or to be more accurate, this was occasioned as Bonutto watched Ginger drive a tractor into the recording studio’s swimming pool.
“I stood there thinking: ‘He’s not going into the pool, surely?’ And he did,” Bonutto remembers. “That sort of set the tone for our relationship from then on. There was always a drama going on.”
“How brattish and belligerent the band were put people off as much as it attracted them,” CJ qualifies. “It wasn’t an act. The Wildhearts was dysfunctional as a group and as individuals. We just weren’t very nice people.”
THE WiLDHEARTS – TV Tan (Official Video) – YouTube
In early 1993, EastWest put the Wildhearts into Wessex studios in north London for an intended short, sharp demo session. Wessex was where the Sex Pistols had put down Never Mind The Bollocks and the Clash London Calling. There was no fanfare or import attending the Wildhearts’ date. Working with the in-house engineer, they had to use so-called ‘gash tape’, a cheap quarter-inch reel onto which countless other wannabes had previously recorded tracks. The budget was so restrictive that Bonutto practically had to beg his paymasters for a hand-out so that the band could finish up an additional song, Loveshit, that Ginger knocked out at the last minute.
His motivation for Loveshit was unconventional. One day, he reminisced with Bonutto about a TV advert of the 1980s for the body spray Limara. The ad was popular among teenage boys of the time for showing a pneumatic blonde bathing naked in a waterfall. Ginger’s specific point of interest was the ad’s theme song, Remember My Name, a strident rocker that Bonutto informed him was sung, in a full-throated roar, by Stevie Lange, then-wife of producer ‘Mutt’ Lange. And soon enough, Stevie was brought to Wessex to sing backing vocals on Ginger’s newest song.
“My puberty loved that advert and her voice,” Ginger says. “I can remember running away and writing that song just for Stevie to sing. I didn’t want her to have to sing any of the others that had all these swear words, but I called it Loveshit by accident. Not the smartest bolt in the box.”
Like the other 10 songs that would make up the Wildhearts’ debut album, Loveshit was recorded live in one or two takes. Most of the rest were drawn from more direct personal experience: Ginger wrote Miles Away Girl about his girlfriend of the time, a nurse, and Greetings From Shitsville about his flat in London’s Belsize Park. Although he wasn’t above indulging in a spot of self-mythology on the latter; as CJ recalls: “NW3 is one of the richest postcodes in the world and Ginger’s place was actually alright.”
Musically, the tracks were like fun-fair rides, a roller-coaster cascade of ideas and reference points, veering off at wild tangents and as if none could be made epic enough to contain all the ideas rampaging around in Ginger’s head. Everlone, for example, ran to six and a half minutes, accommodated at least four different, mighty riffs, and still gave the impression it could go for many minutes more.
The Wildhearts’ Ginger onstage in 1992 (Image credit: Rob Watkins / Alamy Stock Photo)
“I just wanted to make a kind of music that I wasn’t hearing at the time,” says Ginger. “And I had nothing to write about other than what was going on in my life. That’s been my practice ever since. It means that whenever I go on stage, no matter how I’m feeling, at least I’m not a fraud.”
“I still think today that Ginger is hugely underrated,” offers Bonutto. “I would put him up alongside Elvis Costello and Paul Weller as one of our great British songwriters, and he’s probably been more consistent than either of them. I’ve never heard a bad song he’s written.”
A kind of reckless abandon was another of Ginger’s signature traits. It was this that surely led him to title three of Earth Vs’ most accessible songs: Greetings From Shitsville, Loveshit and My Baby Is A Headfuck. Bonutto had the often onerous task of explaining away this self-destructive bent to his bosses at EastWest. Today he considers The Wildhearts the very last band that should have been signed to a major record company.
“That whole corporate set-up was anathema to Ginger as an artist and he didn’t want to toe the line,” he says. “If I said something was black, he would automatically go white because he felt it was the right thing to do artistically. I actually had great empathy with his point of view, because I love that rebellious rock’n’roll spirit and people who live the lifestyle and mean it.
“I played Greetings From Shitsville to the head of A&R at the company and he said: ‘That’s an amazing song. Why on earth would they call it Shitsville?’ Well, welcome to The Wildhearts.”
“Thing is, we never had any aspirations towards commercial success,” reasons Ginger. “We didn’t have those smarts about sustaining a career. Swear words are fantastic, too, if you’re trying to be loud and snotty. That was our logic.”
THE WiLDHEARTS – Suckerpunch (Official Video) – YouTube
Right from the outset, the band had wanted to have Mick Ronson produce their debut album. They had been impressed by the venerable former Spiders From Mars guitarist’s work with Morrissey on the latter’s 1992 album Your Arsenal. But Ronson’s health was ailing and he was unable to commit to such a labour. However, he did drive himself down to the studio to add a characteristic solo to My Baby Is A Headfuck, an event that CJ recalls “kind of freaked us out”. It would be the last time Ronson was recorded, cancer claiming him on April 29, 1993.
After that, they turned to producer Mark Dodson re-recording with him a brace of the demo tracks. One, Suckerpunch, made it onto the finished album. The other, …Headfuck, didn’t because the band had needed to match exactly the tempo of the original in order for Ronson’s contribution to be preserved, and the result was stilted.
Neither Ginger nor Bonutto can quite agree on whose actual idea it was, but both men finally determined that the demos should be released as the finished album, with the exception of Suckerpunch. Bonutto’s one concession to radio-friendliness was to have the basic tracks remixed by Pet Shop Boys/Human League producer Mike ‘Spike’ Drake. By Bonutto’s own admission, the band immediately took against Drake, but he succeeded in accentuating the sugar pill of Ginger’s melodies without dampening the Wildhearts’ raw fire.
Earth Vs The Wildhearts was released on August 30, 1993, by which time Stidi had been replaced on drums by Rich Battersby. The album’s front cover adequately reflected the distinctive, uncompromising nature of the music: a portrait of Ginger, his face submerged in oil and bound with barbed wire, a cockroach crawling from his mouth. This, Bonutto points out, was in the days before Photoshop technology, “so for real he had to lie in a bath of oil with a cockroach on his face. Altogether it was a magnificent statement.”
Another Wildhearts sleeve from that period was to gain a notoriety of its own. EastWest pressed ahead with Shitsville as the launch single. Ginger had a very particular idea for the artwork that should accompany it. Which is to say he imagined a photograph of someone shitting into a pitta bread that the four members of the band would hold open. At the time, they were laying down their first batch of tracks with Battersby, and Simon Efemey producing. Ginger happened to mention the pitta bread idea to the voluble Efemey, who instantly volunteered his services.
“A week later, the five of us were in a photo studio and me with my kecks off,” Efemey recalls. “A Japanese girl took the picture, and it was all set up with deadly seriousness. The night before, I’d even drunk a load of Guinness to help ease my movement. But as soon as I heard the camera shutter going I started to piss myself laughing. She got the shot of it appearing to drop into the pitta, but I was shaking so much that I actually shat all over Danny’s hand.”
The Wildhearts’ Danny and CJ in 1994 (Image credit: Getty)
This was a transgression too far for EastWest, who released the single in a plain brown sleeve instead.
The Wildhearts had got real momentum by then anyway. Earth Vs The Wildhearts received rave reviews, Radio 1 daytime playlisted another of the album’s standout tracks, TV Tan, and the band undertook a crowning UK tour with The Almighty. By the next summer, the Caffeine Bomb single had got The Wildhearts on Top Of The Pops and they headlined the second stage at the Donington Monsters Of Rock festival on a bill that also included Therapy? and Terrorvision, heirs apparent to lead a Brit-rock renaissance. Ginger certainly had grand ambitions for The Wildhearts’ next move, plotting a defining double album.
It wasn’t to be. EastWest baulked at that concept too, and when the band’s second album, P.H.U.Q. subsequently came out in May 1995 it was as a single disc. In Ginger’s opinion it was a substandard one at that, the more ranging and esoteric tracks having been put out on the Fishing For Luckies EP instead.
P.H.U.Q. entered the UK chart at No.6 but, fatally, Ginger had ousted CJ from the band before it was even finished, robbing both himself and the Wildhearts of their essential foil. His timing couldn’t have been more ruinous, and after that it was all downhill.
Intent on waging war with EastWest, Ginger next delivered them a third album of splenetic industrial metal, Endless, Nameless, that, depending on one’s point of view, was either a bold artistic statement or unlistenable. EastWest duly passed on it. It was eventually released by indie label Mushroom Records in 1997, but by then Ginger had split the band, citing musical differences and drug problems.
“Two things derailed the band completely,” Ginger offers. “The first was cocaine. That was how CJ and I fell out. Soon as cocaine came into the picture, the egos started to get affected and we were having these huge arguments about what I can’t even remember. And when EastWest refused to go with the double album, the band was over for me at that point. If we were going to succeed at this I had wanted to make a statement.”
THE WiLDHEARTS – Caffeine Bomb (Official Video) – YouTube
The Wildhearts’ story ever since has been typically chequered. Starting in 2001 there have been serial reunions, just as many bust-ups and the odd album. Last month, Ginger and CJ, the latter now living in the Yorkshire Dales, together played a handful of acoustic dates around the UK. The upshot of which, reasons CJ, was as likely to have been that they “wound up killing each other as to have come back feeling like brothers again”.
Rich Battersby got to be so disillusioned with the whole messy business that at one point he stopped playing altogether, but he’s now back in the fold. So too is Danny McCormack. Years of heroin addiction led in 2015 to him having to have his right leg amputated below the knee. “For a one-legged bloke that should be dead, he’s doing really well,” says Ginger. “I’ve no idea what makes that bloke tick, but tick he does.”
Ginger too has not been without his demons. He was hospitalised last year in an apparent suicidal state. Today he claims to be fit, well and happier for being busy. Despite stating in the recent past that he would never again record with The Wildhearts, the band’s eighth studio album is now on the cards, and they will join Reef and Terrorvision for the Britrock Must Be Destroyed tour in May.
Earth Vs The Wildhearts stands now as a monument to its time, to the pig-headed brilliance of the man who conceived it, and to The Wildhearts themselves, who, as spectacularly and wilfully as any band, snatched defeat from the jaws of certain victory.
“I really wouldn’t want to go back and change anything,” Ginger concludes. “Back then we were having the time of our lives. I would suggest to any band going in to make their first album that they live exactly as they want to and get smart later on. If you’re going to be stupid, then for fuck’s sake do it when you’re young. And we were stupider than most.”
Originally published in Classic Rock issue 247, March 2018
Paul Reesbeen a professional writer and journalist for more than 20 years. He was Editor-in-Chief of the music magazines Q and Kerrang! for a total of 13 years and during that period interviewed everyone from Sir Paul McCartney, Madonna and Bruce Springsteen to Noel Gallagher, Adele and Take That. His work has also been published in the Sunday Times, the Telegraph, the Independent, the Evening Standard, the Sunday Express, Classic Rock, Outdoor Fitness, When Saturday Comes and a range of international periodicals.
“We’d solidly work from two in the afternoon to until 10pm. Why did we knock off then? So, we could get to the pub!”: The chaotic story behind Motörhead’s Overkill, the album that turned three speed freaks into stars
(Image credit: Photo by Estate Of Keith Morris/Redferns)
Motörhead’s place in the rock pantheon is assured, and it can all be traced back to a creative hot streak that began with their second album, 1979’s mighty Overkill. In 2009, late, great frontman Lemmy looked back how three unhinged speed freaks made a stone cold classic.
Motörhead were formed by bassist/vocalist Lemmy in 1975, after he’d been kicked out of Hawkwind for allegedly doing the wrong type of drugs. So, he brought in drummer Lucas Fox and ex-Pink Fairies guitarist Larry Wallis to realise his vision of playing the planet’s dirtiest rock’n’roll.
A deal with United Artists led to the recording of an album in 1975. But the label was so unimpressed with the results that they shelved the record, only releasing it in 1979 as On Parole.
By this time, Lucas and Larry had been replaced by Phil ‘Philthy Animal’ Taylor and ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke respectively. But such was the lack of interest in Motörhead, the band were ready to quit, until Chiswick Records offered them three days’ studio time to do a farewell single. Amazingly, the trio made an entire album in that time, and the subsequent self-titled release did well enough to suggest there was a future for the band.
“Bronze Records then got in touch via our manager at the time, Doug Smith, and offered us the chance to do a single,” recalls Lemmy. “So we went into Wessex Studios (London) with producer Neil Richmond and did a cover of the classic song Louie Louie. It did OK in the charts [making it to number 68], so the label gave us the go ahead to make an album.”
This would be the first time that the band actually had the opportunity to do a proper studio record.
“Realistically, the Motörhead album was no more than a live recording. It represented what we were doing onstage at the time. But now we could actually stretch ourselves and see where it all led.”
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The band decided to work with producer Jimmy Miller on the album. An inspired choice? Well, up to a point.
“It’s a long time ago now, but if memory serves me, we were given a list of four producers from which to choose – and the only guy on that list I’d ever heard of was Jimmy Miller, because he’d previously worked with the Rolling Stones. So that was the guy we went for.”
Motörhead in 1979: (from left) Philthy Animal Taylor, Lemmy, Fast Eddie Clarke (Image credit: Watal Asanuma/Shinko Music via Getty Images)
Jimmy was a recovering drug addict, and his problems with heroin in particular would come back to haunt the band when they subsequently renewed their working relationship for the Bomber album. But on Overkill, he was focused and positive.
This feature originally appeared in Metal Hammer issue 197 (September 2009) (Image credit: Future)
“I know that Jimmy was never strung out for this project. He was happy and always smiling, and made a massive contribution. For a start, Jimmy knew his way round a studio, and as a band we certainly didn’t. He also became the fourth member of Motörhead for the time he worked on the album. It was a case of us being all in it together. We had to pull in the same direction to make it work – and Jimmy played his part to the full. It’s such a shame what happened to him…” (Miller died in 1994 at the age of 52 from liver failure, brought on through years of substance abuse).
Motörhead spent a six-week period from December 1978 to January 1979 in two studios, these being Roundhouse (where much of the recording was done) and Sound Development, both in London.
“We probably did about a six-week stint,” says Lemmy. “I suppose when you consider that we’d done the whole of the previous record in three days that’s a massive period of time. But what you also have to bear in mind is that this wasn’t a block of time in which we just concentrated on the album. We were also doing gigs. That’s the way things happened back then – it was far less regimented. However, we were all aware that studios cost a fuck load of money, so we weren’t about to waste our time.”
It was also an advantage that much of the material for the record had already been tested on the road; they’d been playing some of the songs for a while.
“Yeah, that helped to develop them. You’d be amazed the way songs change when you take them out on stage, so I suppose what we’d done – although not deliberately – was allow them to mature in a way that could never happen in the studio. But that’s an ongoing process. If you listen to the way we did Metropolis, for instance, on the record, it barely has any connection with what we now do live.”
Metropolis itself stands apart from the rest of Overkill, because it was written in haste, as the band tried to fill up space on the record.
“To be honest, we were one song short. So I had to come up with something literally overnight, I remember going to a cinema in Portobello Road (West London) that night; they were screening the classic Metropolis silent film from the 1920s, which was directed by Fritz Lange. That gave me the creative boost I needed. So, I went home, wrote the song, took it into the studio and we did it on the spot.
“One thing I do remember is that the guitar solo you hear on the song was the first take Eddie did – and he never even knew he was being recorded. Eddie was just tuning up when the tapes started to roll. And then he said, ‘OK, I’m ready to do the solo.’ We just replied, ‘Too late, we’ve already got it down!’ So, in a way what you hear on the album is just Eddie rehearsing and getting himself prepared. But, for us, he could never beat what he’d done first time. That’s what I mean about studios – you learn very fast what works and what doesn’t. We were all playing off each other.”
The other interesting track here, from a production viewpoint is Tear Ya Down – what appears on Overkill is the original version done with Neil Richmond for the B-side of the Louie Louie single. So, why didn’t the band re-cut this with Jimmy?
“I could make up some rubbish about vibe and attitude, and how we could never match what had already been done,” laughs Lemmy. “The truth is that we couldn’t be fucking bothered. It just seemed like too much hard work to go back and re-do the song just for the sake of it. So, we decided to leave it well alone.”
All of the tracks on the record were written by the band, apart Damage Case, where Mick Farren – former frontman of the 60s provocateurs the Deviants and an old friend of Lemmy – helped out on the lyrics.
“Mick wrote all of the lyrics at first, but then I improved on some of them, so what you hear is a collaboration between the pair of us, even though we never wrote them together.”
All of which brings us to the title of the album itself. To most people, this must have been something discussed by the band, and then unanimously decided upon. Wrong. The man who elected to call the album Overkill was…
“Gerry Bron, who owned Bronze Records,” says Lemmy. “I have no clue why he wanted to go with this as the album title, but he put the idea into our minds. Maybe he heard something in the song itself, and that was a track that I’d named. I recall coming in with the idea for the song and just saying to everyone, ‘Right get your ears around this, you sons of bitches’. But Gerry gave us the title for the album.”
All of this might suggest there was a certain chaos about the whole Overkill process. However, things were a little more disciplined than might appear to be the case.
“Our working day in the studio began about two in the afternoon,” explains Lemmy. “And we’d work solidly through until about 10pm. Why did we knock off then? So, we could get to the pub for a drink or two. Remember, this was back in the days before pubs could stay open as long as they wanted. They had to shut at 11pm.”
Motörhead frontman Lemmy onstage in 1979 (Image credit: Staff/Mirrorpix/Getty Images)
Overkill was released in March 1979, complete with a striking cover from artists Joe Petagno, the man who created the famed Motörhead logo. Yet he wasn’t satisfied with his work on the project.
“I had about a week-and-a-half to get it finished. But it was always a disappointment for me, personally. It should have been multi-layered. It was supposed to have a feeling that there was more to it – there were going to be more bits and pieces.”
Motörhead expanded their growing fanbase with this album. It reached number 24 in the UK charts, which, at the time, was a major breakthrough for the band. This was helped by the label’s cunning decision to release a green vinyl edition of the record just three weeks after it had first been issued in normal black vinyl, thereby ensuring that diehards would buy two copies. However, marketing tricks weren’t needed to convince people that Motörhead had come of age. If its eponymous predecessor had been hastily, spontaneously concocted, then Overkill showcased a band growing on every level. This wasn’t just a rabble trying to play louder than anyone else, but three fine musicians proud of their craft.
Overkill’s success opened a purple patch for the band, as they stormed through what many regard as their most creative period. Bomber, released later in 1979, reinforced their growing stature, while 1980’s Ace Of Spades brought mainstream acknowledgement. In 1981, the live No Sleep ’Til Hammersmith sealed their triumph, debuting at the top of the UK charts. But it also marked the end of an era. Iron Fist (1982) lacked the spark of previous releases and Fast Eddie quit soon after, angry over plans to record a version of Tammy Wynette’s Stand By Your Man with The Plasmatics’ Wendy O Williams (Lemmy eventually did this with Wendy as a single).
Motörhead remain one of the rock’s great bands, and much of their success can be traced back to Overkill – the album that put them on the right track after the false start of their debut. Today, it’s rightly regarded as a classic.
“Is it? I really don’t know!” says Lemmy, somewhat genuinely puzzled by the record’s undeniable stature. “What I hear is a record that’s… well, too slow! We play those songs much faster now. For us, it was a stepping stone, which led to Bomber – although I think Overkill’s a better record – and then on to Ace Of Spades. But what it did was prove we were a real band.”
Originally published in Metal Hammer 197, September 2009
Malcolm Dome had an illustrious and celebrated career which stretched back to working for Record Mirror magazine in the late 70s and Metal Fury in the early 80s before joining Kerrang! at its launch in 1981. His first book, Encyclopedia Metallica, published in 1981, may have been the inspiration for the name of a certain band formed that same year. Dome is also credited with inventing the term “thrash metal” while writing about the Anthrax song Metal Thrashing Mad in 1984. With the launch of Classic Rock magazine in 1998 he became involved with that title, sister magazine Metal Hammer, and was a contributor to Prog magazine since its inception in 2009. He died in 2021.
Did you ever wish you could be Gene Simmons‘ roadie? Well here’s your chance!
The Kiss star is offering a $12,495 “Personal Assistant and Band Roadie for the Day” experience for his upcoming solo shows. The tour kicks off April 3 in Anaheim and is currently set to conclude on May 24 in Houston. Only one experience is available per show.
For that five-figure fee you’ll spend the entire day with the God of Thunder, meeting him early in the day to go over his pre-show schedule, accompanying him to the load-in, helping the band set up for the show, attending the soundcheck and having a meal with Simmons.
You get to bring a guest along, and you’ll be brought out for an introduction during the show itself. You’ll get autographs, signed set lists and selfies. Most tangibly, you’ll take home a Kiss-rehearsal used bass autographed by Simmons.
You can get full details on the “Roadie for a Day” and the half as expensive “Bass Experience” at GeneSimmonsAxe.com. Don’t worry about finding common conversational ground – the site promises “you will find that Gene Simmons is very down-to-earth, funny and knowledgeable on almost any subject.”
Just be sure to read the small print: “Tickets to the show are not included, as they are sold through the individual venues.”
Gene Simmons Band 2025 Tour Dates
April 3 – Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues April 4 – Temecula, CA @ Pechanga Resort Casino April 5 – Rohnert Park, CA @ The Event at Graton Resort & Casino April 8 – Auburn, WA @ Muckleshoot Casino Resort April 10 – Magna, UT @ The Great Saltair April 11 – Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre April 25 – Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall April 26 – Miami Beach, FL @ Fillmore April 28 – Tallahassee, FL @ The Moon April 29 – Jacksonville, FL @ Florida Theater April 30 – Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live May 2 – Peachtree City, GA – The Fred Amp May 3 – Beaver Dam, KY @ Beaver Dam Amphitheater May 5 – Red Bank, NJ @ Basie May 6 – Montclair, NJ @ Wellmont May 8 – Bethlehem, PA @ Wind Creek Casino May 9 – Huntington, NY @ The Paramount May 11 – Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena May 14 – Northfield, OH @ MGM May 15 – Niagara Falls, ON @ Fallsview Casino May 17 – Hammond, IN @ The Horseshoe May 18 – Rockford, IL @ Hard Rock May 20 – Nashville, IN @ Brown County Music Center May 22 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues May 23 – San Antonio, TX @ Tobin Center May 24 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues
Kiss Live Albums Ranked Worst to Best
You wanted the best, you get the best.. and the rest.
No, no, no, we are not going to list David Bowie’s “Fashion” or ZZ Top’s “Sharp Dressed Man” on this list. That would just be too easy. We dug in deep, trying to be a little more creative, a little more interesting. Fashion can mean many different things—it’s not just about clothing, but about attitude, identity, and the way people carry themselves. Sometimes, it’s about an unforgettable outfit that leaves a lasting impression. Other times, it’s a metaphor for power, confidence, rebellion, or even heartbreak. The songs on this list capture the many ways fashion weaves its way into music, whether through bold statements, cultural shifts, or simply a great story built around a piece of clothing.
Take “Blue Suede Shoes” by Carl Perkins, for instance. It wasn’t just about a pair of fancy footwear—it was about self-respect and personal pride, a declaration that rock and roll came with its own set of rules. Similarly, “Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)” by The Hollies used fashion as a marker of mystery and allure, turning a black dress into a symbol of danger and seduction. In a completely different vein, “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini” captured the anxiety of stepping into the spotlight, using fashion as a metaphor for self-consciousness and shifting cultural norms.
Other songs on this list highlight fashion as rebellion, like Ray Stevens’ “The Streak,” which ironically celebrates the complete lack of clothing as a statement of freedom and absurdity. And then there’s Maria McKee’s haunting “If Love Is a Red Dress (Hang Me in Rags),” a song that turns fabric into a devastating symbol of love lost—once luxurious, now reduced to ruins. Even Nigel Olsson’s “Dancin’ Shoes” taps into the emotional power of fashion, where putting on the right pair of shoes isn’t just about looking good—it’s about shedding loneliness and embracing possibility.
Each of these songs approaches fashion from a different angle, proving that clothing, or the absence of it, has always been a powerful storytelling device in music. Whether it’s a status symbol, a disguise, or an emotional anchor, fashion is never just about the fabric—it’s about what it represents.
# 10 – You Wear It Well – Rod Stewart
Fashion isn’t just about clothing—it’s about attitude, confidence, and the way someone carries themselves. That’s the essence of Rod Stewart’s “You Wear It Well,” a song that turns an old flame into an enduring symbol of grace and style. Recorded in 1972 at Morgan Studios in London and produced by Stewart and Martin Quittenton, the track was the lead single from Never a Dull Moment. Built around Quittenton’s acoustic guitar, with contributions from Ronnie Wood on electric guitar, Micky Waller on drums, and Pete Sears on piano, the song carries a rustic, folk-tinged rock feel, echoing Stewart’s earlier work with Maggie May.
Lyrically, it’s a wistful letter to a lost love, filled with sentimental memories and admiration for the way she carries herself—“You made me feel like I was the king of the world”—a perfect reflection of how personal style transcends fashion trends. Released in July 1972, it became another major hit for Stewart, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart and number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. More than just a love song, “You Wear It Well” is a testament to how presence and elegance leave a lasting impression, proving that sometimes, the way someone wears life itself is what truly matters.
Clothing is often about making a statement, but in “You Can Leave Your Hat On,” it becomes something far more suggestive—an accessory of seduction and power. Originally written by Randy Newman, Three Dog Night’s version was recorded in 1974 for their album Hard Labor, produced by Jimmy Ienner. Unlike the more stripped-down and brooding delivery of Newman’s original, Three Dog Night turned the song into a sultry, blues-infused rocker, with Cory Wells delivering a smoldering vocal performance over a backdrop of electric guitar, rolling piano, and slow-burning horns.
The lyrics unfold like a playful command, using the act of undressing to build tension, with the titular hat serving as the final, teasing detail: “You can leave your hat on.” While the song gained greater notoriety in later years through Joe Cocker’s 1986 rendition—immortalized in 9½ Weeks—Three Dog Night’s take gave it a livelier, more soulful spin. Though not released as a single, the track remains an overlooked gem in the band’s catalog, blending fashion, sensuality, and attitude into a song where an article of clothing becomes an instrument of desire.
Few songs capture the sheer exhilaration of rock and roll quite like “Devil with a Blue Dress On,” a track that turns fashion into a force of unstoppable energy. Originally recorded as a bluesy shuffle by Shorty Long in 1964, it was Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels’ electrified 1966 version—produced by Bob Crewe and recorded at Bell Sound Studios in New York—that transformed it into a rock and soul anthem.
Paired with “Good Golly Miss Molly” in a blistering medley, Ryder’s take accelerates the tempo, backed by the relentless drive of John Badanjek’s pounding drums, Joe Kubert’s scorching guitar, and the high-voltage horn section. Lyrically, the song paints a vivid picture of a woman whose fashion choices make her the center of attention—“Wearin’ her perfume, Chanel No. 5 / Got to be the finest girl alive!”—turning a simple blue dress into a symbol of confidence, style, and allure. The single reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966, making it Ryder’s biggest hit and a staple of garage rock. More than just a party anthem, “Devil with a Blue Dress On” is proof that the right outfit doesn’t just make an impression—it starts a fire on the dance floor.
Frank Zappa never did anything conventionally, and “Soup ‘N Old Clothes” is no exception. Featured on Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar, a 1981 collection of instrumental guitar improvisations, the track is an intricate, free-flowing exploration of Zappa’s unparalleled musicianship. Recorded during live performances in 1979 and assembled at Zappa’s Utility Muffin Research Kitchen studio, the song showcases his ability to turn even the most abstract concepts—including its title, which playfully references fashion and sustenance—into deeply expressive art.
With Zappa’s searing guitar leading the charge, backed by Vinnie Colaiuta’s dynamic drumming and Arthur Barrow’s fluid basslines, “Soup ‘N Old Clothes” embodies the spontaneous brilliance of his live work, favoring raw emotion and technical prowess over traditional structure. Though Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar was never a commercial blockbuster, it became a cult favorite, revered by guitarists and avant-garde music enthusiasts alike. In the context of fashion, the song’s title serves as a wry nod to the way style and substance are often intertwined—suggesting that, in both music and life, the best ideas sometimes come from repurposing what’s already there.
Fashion is usually about what people wear, but in the case of “The Streak,” it’s all about what they don’t. Released in 1974 at the height of the streaking craze—when people began running naked through public spaces as a bizarre yet rebellious fad—Ray Stevens turned the phenomenon into a comedic country-pop hit. Recorded at Ray Stevens Studio in Nashville and produced by Stevens himself, the song features his signature blend of humor and musical precision, weaving spoken-word commentary with an upbeat, honky-tonk-inspired arrangement.
The lyrics follow a befuddled eyewitness recounting multiple streaking incidents, with Stevens voicing a breathless news reporter and an exasperated husband trying to shield his wife from the chaos. Released in March 1974, “The Streak” raced to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, where it held the top spot for three weeks, while also topping charts in the UK and Canada. Beyond its novelty appeal, the song captured the absurdity of a real-life social trend, proving that even fleeting fashion statements—or in this case, the absence of one—can leave a lasting cultural mark.
# 5 – If Love Is A Red Dress (Hang Me In Rags) – Maria McKee
Love and fashion are often tied together, but in “If Love Is a Red Dress (Hang Me in Rags),” Maria McKee uses clothing as a striking metaphor for heartbreak and betrayal. Recorded at Ocean Way Recording in Los Angeles and released in 1994 as part of the Pulp Fiction soundtrack, the song is a stark, mournful ballad that stands apart from the film’s otherwise cool and chaotic energy. Produced by McKee herself, the track’s stripped-down arrangement allows her voice to carry the weight of its sorrow, accompanied by subtle acoustic guitar, atmospheric strings, and gospel-influenced backing vocals. Lyrically, the contrast between a luxurious red dress and tattered rags illustrates a love that once felt opulent but has been reduced to nothing.
While never a chart hit, the song’s inclusion in Pulp Fiction gave it an enduring presence, cementing its status as one of the most emotionally gripping moments in the film’s legendary soundtrack. McKee delivers every line with a quiet, seething devastation, proving that fashion isn’t just about appearance—it’s about what we carry with us long after something has faded.
Style isn’t just about what you wear—it’s about how you move, and “Dancin’ Shoes” captures that effortless connection between music, motion, and emotion. Recorded by Nigel Olsson in 1978 for his album Nigel, the song was written by Carl Storie and produced by Paul Davis at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama. With its smooth, mid-tempo groove and polished production, “Dancin’ Shoes” blends soft rock and pop with a touch of blue-eyed soul, creating an atmosphere that feels both reflective and uplifting.
The song transforms the act of putting on dancing shoes into a metaphor for leaving loneliness behind, stepping into the moment, and embracing the possibilities of love and connection: “Put on your dancin’ shoes / Throw out those one-night blues.” Olsson, best known as Elton John’s longtime drummer, delivers a warm, understated vocal performance that complements the song’s breezy yet melancholic undertone. Released as a single, it became his biggest hit, reaching number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1979. More than just a song about fashion, “Dancin’ Shoes” is a reminder that sometimes, all it takes is a rhythm and the right frame of mind to turn things around.
# 3 – Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress) – The Hollies
A single outfit can define a moment, and in “Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress),” that moment is filled with danger, intrigue, and effortless cool. Released in 1972 on Distant Light and recorded at AIR Studios in London, the track took The Hollies in a grittier, swamp-rock direction, influenced by the raw energy of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Written by Allan Clarke, Roger Cook, and Roger Greenaway, and produced by Ron Richards, the song tells the story of an undercover agent mesmerized by a mysterious woman in black, all set against a backdrop of crime and smoky barroom tension.
Clarke’s reverb-soaked vocals, the hypnotic guitar riff, and Bobby Elliott’s driving drums strip away the band’s signature harmonies, replacing them with a lean, bluesy intensity. Unlike their earlier, more polished pop hits, this track embraced an edgier, Americanized rock sound that resonated with audiences, pushing it to number two on the Billboard Hot 100. The song’s impact proved that style—both in music and fashion—is about more than appearance; it’s about presence, attitude, and the kind of allure that never fades.
A novelty song that became a cultural flashpoint, “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini” turned a simple piece of swimwear into a symbol of shifting social norms. Recorded by Brian Hyland in 1960 at Bell Sound Studios in New York and produced by John Dixon, the song was written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss as a playful take on the changing attitudes toward fashion and modesty. Hyland’s youthful voice narrates the tale of a hesitant young woman too shy to reveal her daring new bikini, while the upbeat instrumentation, punctuated by doo-wop backing vocals and a bouncy rhythm, captures the lighthearted anxiety of the moment. Released in June 1960, the song shot to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 by August, cementing itself as more than just a summer hit—it became part of the larger cultural conversation around evolving fashion trends. Decades later, the song remains a quirky yet important moment in music history, a reminder of how clothing and confidence are often intertwined.
Fashion and rebellion collided in “Blue Suede Shoes,” a song that turned a simple pair of footwear into a symbol of attitude and self-respect. Recorded at Sun Studio in Memphis on December 19, 1955, and produced by Sam Phillips, Carl Perkins wrote and performed the track with a raw, infectious energy that captured the essence of early rock and roll. Inspired by a story from fellow Sun Records artist Johnny Cash about a soldier guarding his prized blue suede shoes, Perkins transformed the idea into a rockabilly anthem, warning anyone who dared step on his treasured footwear: “Well, you can knock me down, step in my face / Slander my name all over the place / Do anything that you want to do / But uh-uh, honey, lay off of my shoes.”
Backed by his own lead guitar, Clayton Perkins on bass, and W.S. “Fluke” Holland on drums, Perkins’ recording became a groundbreaking crossover hit, reaching number one on the Billboard country chart, number two on the R&B chart, and number three on the pop chart in 1956. Though Elvis Presley’s later version helped cement its status as a rock and roll staple, Perkins’ original remains the definitive take—a moment where fashion wasn’t just about style, but about identity, pride, and the untouchable swagger of rock music itself.
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When Neil Young put out his Hawks And Doves album in 1980 he went public on a personality split – hippie boy on side one, redneck on the flip. Of course, Neil-watchers had noted the schism long before; his messy and magnificent 70s trail was rarely balanced.
So, in 1977 he had been planning a record titled Oceanside Countryside, which contrasted mellow, acoustic sessions in Florida with woozy, sociable scenes in Nashville. The record was shelved and parts were loaned out to other records. Thankfully the vision has been restored and the contrary energy returns. This is the original context for Lost In Space, Captain Kennedy and Old Homestead, the latter featuring Levon Helm from The Band, drummer and master scene setter.
Apart from the Hawks And Doves record, tunes are also reclaimed from his 1978 release Comes A Time, notably the tender steer of Human Highway. The substantial vocals of Nicolette Larson, missing from the Archives version, are rightfully added back to Dance Dance Dance. Thus a charming history emerges from Young’s immense archive.
Stuart Bailie is a journalist and broadcaster based in Belfast. He is the editor of the quarterly Dig With It magazine, and his work has appeared in NME, Mojo, Uncut, Q, The Times, The Sunday Times, The Mirror, The Irish Times, Classic Rock and Hot Press. He was Assistant Editor of NME from 1992 to 1996 and is the author of Philip Lynott: The Ballad of the Thin Man, Trouble Songs: Music and Conflict In Northern Ireland, and 75 Van Songs: Into the Van Morrison Songbook.
Mastodon’s Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher onstage at Riot Fest 2024(Image credit: Barry Brecheisen/Getty Images)
Mastodon have announced the shock departure of guitarist Brent Hinds.
Guitarist Hinds’ exit marks the first line-up change in the Atlanta, Georgia band’s history.
In a short statement posted on their social media channels, the band say: “Friends and Fans, After 25 monumental years together, Mastodon and Brent Hinds have mutually decided to part ways.We’re deeply proud of and beyond grateful for the music and history we’ve shared and we wish him nothing but success and happiness in his future endeavors.
“We are still very inspired and excited to show up for fans in this next chapter of Mastodon. As we move forward, all 2025 touring plans will remain intact. We look forward to seeing you on the road.”
Hinds was not present last night, March 6, when his bandmates Bill Kelliher, Troy Sanders and Brann Dailor appeared at the Metropolitan Opera House in Brooklyn, New York, for a talk titled, ‘Metal, Melville, and the Metropolitan Opera: Mastodon’s Leviathan meets Heggie’s Moby-Dick’. The trio got together with opera composer Jake Heggie to discuss Moby-Dick as a source of mutual inspiration, 20 years on from the release of their Moby-Dick themed concept album Leviathan.
Metal, Melville, and the Metropolitan Opera: Mastodon’s Leviathan meets Heggie’s Moby-Dick – YouTube
Mastodon are scheduled to tour the US with Coheed and Cambria in May and June, and later this year are set to play Bloodstock festival in the UK, below headliners Gojira on August 10.
There is no news yet as to who will replace Hinds in the quartet.
As well as Gojira and Mastodon, Bloodstock 2025 will feature Friday night headliner Trivium and Saturday night headliner Machine Head, plus Emperor, Ministry, Fear Factory, Lacuna Coil, Orange Goblin, Creeper, Heriot, Kublai Khan, the Black Dahlia Murder, Static-X, 3 Inches Of Blood, Obituary, Paleface Swiss, Warbringer, August Burns Red and more.
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A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne’s private jet, played Angus Young’s Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.
Papa’s back! While we’ve known Ghost‘s latest papal frontman couldn’t be too far away – he had been announced for this summer’s Black Sabbath gig after all – the official confirmation that we’ll have a new Ghost album in April is welcome news and another hefty entry for new albums to be excited about in 2025.
Speaking of which, there’s also a wonderfully diverse spread of new music to sink into; but first, the results of last week’s vote! Punk hellraiser Djerv stormed her way into the top 3 with Rebel Heart, while Japan’s Esprit D’Air took an admirable second place with Lost Horizon. The overall champs though were Siberian black metallers Grima, their frosty missive Beyond The Dark Horizon taking the crown.
This week we’ve got a wonderfully diverse selection for you, as ever. At arena level, we’ve got new offerings from Ghost and Volbeat, while we also dive into the realms of global metal with new acts from Brazil (by way of Berlin), Wales and Estonia. There’s also new music from Bury Tomorrow, a stunning rendition of Metallica’s The Unforgiven and Belarusian black metal from Dymna Lotva. As ever, don’t forget to vote for your favourite in the poll below – and have a fantastic weekend!
Ghost – Satanized
With a UK arena tour just a few weeks away, we’ve finally got our first glimpse at Papa V Perpetua. The Ghost lore remains as batty and mysterious as ever as the band officially announced new album SKELETÁ for an April 25 release, lead single Satanized carrying the pop-metal-bop energy of the past couple records whilst seeming decidedly less bombastic than the lead singles of Impera. It’s anyone’s guess how that’ll translate to the record, but its safe to say Ghost are going to bring us some delightful earworms again.
Ghost – Satanized (Official Music Video) – YouTube
Kittie x Diamante x The Pretty Wild – The Unforgiven
Following on from last week’s soulful rendition of Dust In The Wind by Bad Omens and Corey Taylor, this week we’re given an emotive, bare-bones take on Metallica’s colossal ballad The Unforgiven. Featuring Kittie, The Pretty Wild and Diamante, it’s a massive collaboration that does justice to the original, adding a cinema-worthy scope that ramps up the emotive heart of the song.
KITTIE, DIAMANTE, THE PRETTY WILD – The Unforgiven (Queen of the Ring) – In Theaters March 7th – YouTube
After returning to his death metal roots with Asinhell in recent years, Michael Poulsen is back at his Metallica-by-way-of-Elvis best with Volbeat on new single By A Monster’s Hand. Chugging riffs and silken vocal melodies remain a potent force in Volbeat’s arsenal and with the band announcing a massive European/UK arena run for later this year – with support from UK grungers Bush – we can’t wait to hear how massive the rest of God Of Angel’s Trust will sound when it arrives June 6.
Volbeat – By a Monster’s Hand (Official Music Video) – YouTube
Enchanting doom metal from Italy, Messa’s latest single The Dress is a swirling mass of darkness and thumping power. Taken from the band’s upcoming album The Spin, due April 11, it combines the weighty allure of Hiss Spun era Chelsea Wolfe with a distinguished, 80s rock star style panache that really takes off when the song veers into a trumpet solo – no really – and a lead guitar that sounds like it should’ve been on The Lost Boys soundtrack. Sublime.
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With The Seventh Sun, Bury Tomorrow proved they weren’t going to jump on the bandwagon and soften their edges for radio. Even so, Waiting feels like an especially vicious offering from the UK metalcore veterans, howling and shrieking with early Slipknot-like intensity that still somehow manages to slip in canny crowd-friendly choruses and melodies.
Just listen to that Gojira groove! Berlin-based Brazilians Nungara are bringing a gargantuan stomp on North Star, the latest single – and closing track – from their Reflections In Stillness EP, out today. But while it might possess a similar colossal percussive thunder, Nungara’s sound also invokes modern doom staples like King Woman and Chelsea Wolfe, vocalist Noelle dos Anjos switching between ethereal clean melodies and shredded-throat rasps.
Nungara – North Star (Official Music Video) – YouTube
Ghost preaching the right message but just not evil enough for you? If you’re seeking something sonically Satanic, you’d do well to stick on Ідзі І Глядзі (Come And See), the latest single from Belarusian black metallers Dymna Lotva. Featuring possibly the most mournful accordions we’ve ever heard (no, really), the track evokes an otherworldly hellishness that, combined with some decidedly occultish imagery, whispered vocals and veil-piercing snarls, make this another stand-out – and a handy reminder to check out 2023’s The Land under the Black Wings: Blood.
Dymna Lotva – Ідзі І Глядзі (Come And See) [Official Music Video] – YouTube
36 Crazyfists might seemingly be gone from the world, but Brock Lindow’s inimitable vocal still lives on through his new group, Paradise Slaves. Latest single Aesthetic Of Serpents definitely touches on similar sonic grounds to Lindow’s 25-plus year tenure with Crazyfists, sweeping guitars and sway-along vocal lines coming thick and fast as the band announce their debut With Hell In His Eyes will arrive on May 2.
Hyperactive technical death metal, Cytotoxin strike a balance between thick, neck-jolting grooves and astoundingly acrobatic guitar lines on new single Biographyte. The title-track of their fourth record, due April 11, the track is an impressive workout of mind-searing extremity as the band fly through frenetic notes and double-time drums across an expansive and impressive five-minute run-time.
CYTOTOXIN – Biographyte [Official Music Video] – YouTube
A sci-fi take on metalcore, Estonia’s Pridian are setting their sights on the future of the genre with new single Diny. A heavy deployment of Blade Runner like synths mix with thumping metalcore fury, the single offering a glimpse at the direction the band may well be taking on their upcoming debut Venetian Dark on May 16.
Stalking, mysterious doom metal from the valleys and mountains of Wales, newcomers Cwfen will release their debut album Sorrows on May 30. Lead single Wolfsbane combines the brittle tones of goth metal with a doom metal crunch that taps into some of the dark crossover of 90s bands like Paradise Lost or Iowaska, packing some surprisingly vicious barbs in amidst the floating melodies.
Thus Spoke Zarathustra – Can’t Save You ft. Matt McDougal
When it comes to album titles, Thus Spoke Zarathustra might have everybody beat in 2025 with I’m Done With Self Care, It’s Time For Others’ Harm. It’s a perfectly tongue-in-cheek title for the deathcore bruisers, new single Can’t Save You balancing sweeping metalcore guitars with a brutish breakdown that wouldn’t have sounded out-of-place in late 2000s deathcore. Keep your eyes out for the album on May 23.
THUS SPOKE ZARATHUSTRA – I CAN’T SAVE YOU FEAT MATT MCDOUGAL (OFFICIAL VISUALIZER) – YouTube
(Image credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
Ozzy Osbourne‘s producer and collaborator Andrew Watt says that the Prince of Darkness has been hitting the gym as the countdown to his final show continues.
Osbourne, 76, is set to make his final solo performance, and play his final gig with Black Sabbath, in Birmingham on July 5.
Speaking to US broadcaster Howard Stern on Stern’s SiriusXM, Watt discussed working with Ozzy, and says that the singer’s voice is “as good as it’s ever been.”
“He’s okay,” Watt says. “His body is not doing what doing what he wants it to do all the time, but I talked to him a couple of days ago, and he’s starting to get in the gym again a little, to get himself ready for this last concert. He is the real life Iron Man. And nothing has happened to his voice, his voice is as good as it’s ever been.”
Watt, who has also produced the most recent albums by Pearl Jam and the Rolling Stones, and worked with Lady Gaga on her new album Mayhem, also stated that he will performing at the Ozzy/Black Sabbath Back To The Beginning mega-gig at Villa Park in July.
Sharon Osbourne has declared that Ozzy and Sabbath’s final bow will be the greatest heavy metal concert ever staged. The Godfathers of Metal will be supported by a host of bands who they inspired: Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Lamb Of God, Gojira, Alice In Chains, Mastodon and Anthrax among them.
Although a running order for the event has yet to be announced, a post on Metallica’s website states, “As part of this huge celebration of nearly six decades of Black Sabbath, we’ll hit the stage just before a short solo set from Ozzy Osbourne, followed by the mighty Sabbath closing the show.”
Metallica add: “Our admiration for Black Sabbath runs deep, and we cannot wait to be a part of this historic event! We’ll see you in Birmingham!”
(Image credit: Live Nation)
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A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne’s private jet, played Angus Young’s Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.
Jason Isbell is alone. Alone on this record and alone, it seems, in his life. Foxes in the Snow was recorded without his usual backing band, the 400 Unit, and outside of a marriage that turned into a muse. There’s introspection about what it all means, even what his own old songs now mean, but he’s also become angrier and more lyrically impulsive. Isbell has been stripped bare, and you hear it everywhere on this new album. He’s never had more main-character energy.
But Foxes in the Snow, like its mostly heartbroken protagonist, struggles to find purpose in the wreckage. In “Eileen,” Isbell makes a melancholy return to a former lover’s note: “It said ‘forever is a dead man’s joke’ – and that’s the only thing it said.” In “Gravelweed,” he’s bluntly honest: “Now that I live to see my melodies betray me, I’m sorry the love songs all mean different things today.”
There are moments when the clouds part around Isbell. “Bury Me,” the lead single, unfolded like a dusty Old West adventure. “Ride to Robert’s” pokes good fun at Nashville’s tourist-trap present. But “Open and Close,” despite the appearance of a comfortably snoozing doorman, is really all about things that come and go. The title track hints at new love but then “True Believer” dives into deep well of resentment over the past, as a strikingly raw Isbell grumbles about how “all your girlfriends say I broke your fucking heart, and I don’t like it.”
Set during an insomniac’s endless night, “Good While It Lasted” attempts to put things in perspective – but only in its own broken way. “You’re like sleep, take what I can get, but I’ve got to make some sense of this so here the fuck I sit,” Isbell sings, again with just a 1940 Martin acoustic to answer back. He confronts the difficulty of facing heartbreak without a return to the bottle (“last time I tried this sober, I was 17“), before finding some solace in aphorism: “All that I needed was all that I had – and it was good while it lasted.”
It was all undoubtedly cathartic for Isbell, but sometimes there’s not much more. So Foxes in the Snow never answers its own central question. His 2013 breakthrough album Southeastern was anchored by “Cover Me Up” and “Traveling Alone,” both inspired by a love now lost. Isbell’s best-known solo song remains 2020’s “If We Were Vampires,” about a (literally) timeless romance. Even his most recent release, 2023’s Weathervanes, often found emotional purchase in discussions about his faltering relationship. What’s to become of Isbell’s career without that spark? We’ll have to wait until he refocuses on other characters to find out.
Drive-By Truckers Albums Ranked
Their path to becoming one of the best rock bands of the new century was paved the old-fashioned way: though lots and lots of touring.
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