It’s sad that I have to write eulogies for to phenomenal frontmen this month, but here we are. Lemmy Kilmister has passed away at the age of seventy following various health problems in recent years.
I’ll keep this brief, but I do want to say that I don’t think Lemmy was ever fully appreciated as a versatile songwriter. Motorhead are one of those bands who people always joke about releasing the same album over and over again, but not all their tracks were the blistering proto-speed metal that hits like “Ace of Spades” and “Overkill” were. The band had bluesier and slower numbers, and I’ve always felt like these songs brought out an odd beauty in Lemmy’s voice.
Sure, we can all admit he’s not the “cleanest” singer, but he could utilise his gravely voice to great effects, and often did. Many realised this after seeing Lemmy’s acoustic version of “Ace of Spades” in a popular Kronenbourg advert. For those who didn’t however, I’ll leave you with “1916,” one of Motorhead’s best songs. The problem with becoming an icon is you’re often whittled down to your most recognisable traits. Lemmy was the moustachioed, whiskey-chugging frontman behind some of metal’s greatest anthems, but that was just part of it. If his death results in anything positive, it’s that hopefully people will revisit Motorhead and discover some of their deeper cuts.
Dumb Music Talk 