TIME MACHINE
JUNE 2 Having been fired from Black Sabbath in 1979, Ozzy Osbourne had his solo debut Blizzard Of Ozz to promote. And to add to the heavy metal havoc of the US leg of his Blizzard Of Ozz tour, British rockers Budgie, Def Leppard and Saxon were booked as support. Another UK group – the loudest and grimiest of them all – were also engaged.
After years slogging around the motorways of Britain and Europe, Motörhead were touring America for the first time. This June 2, they were putting the headbangers at the Kansas City Memorial Hall through their paces. “We don’t like to be called heavy metal music,” drummer ‘Philthy Animal’ Taylor had told Trouser Press in May. “It’s more like hard, fast, nasty, disgusting rock.”
Now settled on their classic line-up – bassist and singer Lemmy, guitarist ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke and drummer Philthy – it was a time of triumph for the group. Over the last year they’d enjoyed Top 10 UK chart success with the Golden Years Live EP and the St Valentine’s Day Massacre EP team-up with Girlschool; in November 1980 their rabid calling card Ace Of Spades reached Number 13 in the singles chart, while its similarly titled parent album reached Number 4.
Now Ozzy had invited them on a huge US tour, which he announced at a CBS sales convention in Los Angeles in March when he bit the heads off two white doves (he’d been drinking brandy, he later explained). The British press was keen to see what was going down. In June 6’s NME, Mick Farren met old pal Lemmy for a gig in New Jersey, and observed how Motörhead had to leave their Bomber stage set and effects at home to make room for Ozzy’s gothic castle.
Also published on June 6, Sounds’ Garry Bushell reported from a gig at the Hudson Civic Hall in Poughkeepsie. Noting that the group came on-stage to Ennio Morricone’s dramatic movie theme to The Good, The Bad And The Ugly, Bushell described getting two black eyes in the pogo’ing scrum during Ace Of Spades. Later, drummer Philthy reflected on a drug charge he was facing back home, saying it was the nearest the law would ever get to Lemmy. ‘Fast’ Eddie declared, “We’ll never lose our energy… you’ll never see ‘Fast’ Eddie with an acoustic guitar. Motörhead will keep on as they are ’til one of us drops dead.” And so, with 10 days off after a June 7 show in Houston, the dates rolled on across America’s halls until July 18. Performances were always full-t
