Bomber (song)
Encyclopedia
"Bomber" is a song by the English
heavy metal
band Motörhead, recorded and released in 1979 (see 1979 in music
). It is the title track to their album Bomber
and was released as a single peaking at 34 on the UK singles chart
.
The single was released in the UK by Bronze Records
as a 7" vinyl single with the first 20,000 copies pressed in blue vinyl and thereafter in black. The band promoted its release with an appearance on the BBC
TV show Top of the Pops
on 3 December.
The track was inspired after Lemmy had read Len Deighton
's novel Bomber
. It became the inspiration for a forty foot aluminium tube lighting rig used for their shows, a replica of a Heinkel He 111
bomber that could fly backwards and forwards, and side to side - the first to be able to do so.
, Everything Louder than Everyone Else
, Live At Brixton Academy
and Better Motörhead than Dead: Live at Hammersmith
; and on the video releases The Birthday Party
, 25 & Alive Boneshaker
and The Best of Motörhead
.
The song was also performed as a joint collaboration between Motörhead and The Damned for inclusion on the proposed "Ballroom Blitz" single, but the recording session ended in drunkenness and the results were deemed unsuitable for release. The recording was, however, finally issued in 2003 on the Stone Deaf Forever!
boxset.
Live versions of this song have been released as the B-side to the 1981 single "Motorhead", on the 2005 video Stage Fright
and on the 2007 album Better Motörhead than Dead: Live at Hammersmith.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Motörhead, recorded and released in 1979 (see 1979 in music
1979 in music
See also:Record labels established in 1979* 1979 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1979.-January–February:*January 1...
). It is the title track to their album Bomber
Bomber (album)
Bomber is the third studio album by the British heavy metal band Motörhead. It was recorded in 1979, the same year as Overkill. The album reached number 12 on the UK charts and brought some of Motörhead's most popular songs, like "Bomber", "Dead Men Tell No Tales" and "Stone Dead...
and was released as a single peaking at 34 on the UK singles chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
The single was released in the UK by Bronze Records
Bronze Records
Bronze Records is an independent English record label set up in 1971 by record producer Gerry Bron, and based in Chalk Farm, London.Bron had been producing Uriah Heep for Vertigo Records, and he set up this new label for future Uriah Heep releases, along with Juicy Lucy, Richard Barnes and Colosseum...
as a 7" vinyl single with the first 20,000 copies pressed in blue vinyl and thereafter in black. The band promoted its release with an appearance on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV show Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
on 3 December.
The track was inspired after Lemmy had read Len Deighton
Len Deighton
Leonard Cyril Deighton is a British military historian, cookery writer, and novelist. He is perhaps most famous for his spy novel The IPCRESS File, which was made into a film starring Michael Caine....
's novel Bomber
Bomber (novel)
Bomber is a novel written by Len Deighton and published in the UK in 1970. It is the fictionalised account of the events of 31 June [sic], 1943 in which an RAF bombing raid on the Ruhr area of western Germany goes wrong...
. It became the inspiration for a forty foot aluminium tube lighting rig used for their shows, a replica of a Heinkel He 111
Heinkel He 111
The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Often described as a "Wolf in sheep's clothing", it masqueraded as a transport aircraft, but its purpose was to provide the Luftwaffe with a fast medium...
bomber that could fly backwards and forwards, and side to side - the first to be able to do so.
Other Versions
The song became a staple of the band's live set, with live versions being released on the albums No Sleep 'til HammersmithNo Sleep 'til Hammersmith
No Sleep ’til Hammersmith is the first live album by Motörhead. Released on 27 June 1981, it peaked at #1 on the UK album charts. It was followed by the release of the single "Motorhead" on 11 July, which peaked in the UK singles chart at #6.-History:With the exception of "Iron Horse / Born To...
, Everything Louder than Everyone Else
Everything Louder Than Everyone Else
Everything Louder than Everyone Else is the third live album by the British band Motörhead. The title refers to a remark repeated by Ian Gillan of Deep Purple on their Made in Japan live album: "Could we have everything louder than everything else?". Recorded at a show in Hamburg, Germany on May...
, Live At Brixton Academy
Live at Brixton Academy (Motörhead album)
Live at Brixton Academy is the fourth official live album by the British band Motörhead. Recorded at their 25th anniversary concert on October 22, 2000 at the Brixton Academy, London, UK. Various guests made appearances, including Queen's Brian May and ex-Skunk Anansie guitarist Ace...
and Better Motörhead than Dead: Live at Hammersmith
Better Motörhead than Dead: Live at Hammersmith
Better Motörhead than Dead: Live at Hammersmith is the title of the British band Motörhead's latest live album. It was released on July 16, 2007, and features the recording of Motörhead's 30th anniversary show at the Hammersmith Apollo on June 16, 2005.- Track listing :All songs written by Eddie...
; and on the video releases The Birthday Party
The Birthday Party (video)
The Birthday Party is a 1985 video by Motörhead. It features the band's 10th anniversary show at the Hammersmith Odeon, London. During the performance of "Motörhead" all of the past members and Thin Lizzy bassist Phil Lynott joined the band onstage...
, 25 & Alive Boneshaker
25 & Alive Boneshaker
25 & Alive Boneshaker is a live DVD featuring Motörhead's 25th anniversary concert at Brixton Academy, on October 22, 2000. The concert has also been released as a CD entitled Live At Brixton Academy....
and The Best of Motörhead
The Best of Motörhead
Best of Motörhead is a 2002 compilation DVD featuring the British heavy metal band Motörhead, filmed while they were under contract to Bronze Records in 1980-84. The video was originally released in 1986 as Deaf Not Blind, although with a slightly different programme...
.
Over The Top
The B-side of the single was the non-album track "Over the Top", which has subsequently been included as a bonus track on the re-masterd Bomber album.The song was also performed as a joint collaboration between Motörhead and The Damned for inclusion on the proposed "Ballroom Blitz" single, but the recording session ended in drunkenness and the results were deemed unsuitable for release. The recording was, however, finally issued in 2003 on the Stone Deaf Forever!
Stone Deaf Forever!
Stone Deaf Forever!, released in 2003, is the first fully comprehensive box set collection covering the British band Motörhead's career from 1975–2002 and is the first box set to be issued with full band approval: the track listing was compiled in association with the band and its fan club.The...
boxset.
Live versions of this song have been released as the B-side to the 1981 single "Motorhead", on the 2005 video Stage Fright
Stage Fright (Motörhead DVD)
Stage Fright is a 2005 DVD by the British rock and roll band Motörhead. It was filmed in Düsseldorf, Germany to commemorate the band's 30th anniversary.-DVD 1: Concert at Düsseldorf Philipshalle:# "Dr...
and on the 2007 album Better Motörhead than Dead: Live at Hammersmith.
Single track listing
- "Bomber" (Ian Kilmister, Eddie ClarkeEddie ClarkeEdward Allan Clarke better known as "Fast" Eddie Clarke, is a guitarist who was a member of British heavy metal bands Fastway and Motörhead.-Early days:...
, Phil Taylor) - 3:45 - "Over the Top" (Kilmister, Clarke, Taylor) - 3:12
Personnel
- Fast Eddie Clarke – electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
- Philthy Animal Taylor – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Lemmy (Ian Kilmister) – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
Cover versions
- GirlschoolGirlschoolGirlschool are a British heavy metal band originating out of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene in 1978 and frequently associated with contemporaries Motörhead. They are the longest running all-female rock band, still active after more than 30 years...
covered the song on the St. Valentine's Day Massacre EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, a joint release between the two bands. This cover is also on the soundtrack to the game Brütal LegendBrütal LegendBrütal Legend is an action-adventure/real-time strategy game created by Double Fine Productions and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game was released during October 2009 in North America and Europe...
. - MudhoneyMudhoneyMudhoney is an American alternative rock band. Formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1988 following the demise of Green River, Mudhoney's members are vocalist and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison, and drummer Dan Peters. Original bassist Matt Lukin left the...
released the cover version as a B-side to their 1992 single "Suck You DrySuck You DrySuck You Dry was Mudhoney's first single from their studio album Piece Of Cake . "Suck You Dry" is the only Mudhoney single which has charted in the US, peaking at 23 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart...
", and has been included as a bonus track on their Piece of CakePiece of Cake (album)Piece of Cake is the third studio album by the grunge band Mudhoney. Recorded and released in 1992, it was their first album released through Reprise Records...
album. - OnslaughtOnslaughtOnslaught may refer to:* Onslaught , a Marvel Comics supervillain* Onslaught , an expansion to the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game* Onslaught , a 1989 Amiga beat'em up computer game...
recorded its own version featuring Tom AngelripperTom AngelripperTom Angelripper is the founding member and main songwriter of the German thrash metal band Sodom.- Biography :...
and Phil Taylor and released it on the "Sounds Of Violence" album (2011)