A lot of people with long hair point to Motorhead as the precursors of that terrible affliction called NWOBHM. You know,that movement populated by spotty, lank greasy haired, denim and leather clad, exclusively male, geeks.
This is mostly true, but was not the intention of Lemmy to inspire an army of groups who played sped up Black Sabbath and Judas Priest numbers. He always described his groups music as Rock'n'Roll, not Heavy Metal; which of course is correct.
Always dumped in the Metal category, they had more in common with Punk than Black Sabbath. It just so happened that they dressed like bikers, which is the look that tragically got adopted by those acne scarred New Wave Of British Heavy Metalheads. Motorhead started basically as an associate member of the Pub Rock scene, and they sounded like Pub Rock too.
Their first album was the unreleased "On Parole" with pub stalwart drummer Lucas Fox, and ex-Pink Fairy/ Deviants Proto-Punker Larry Wallis;recorded in 1975, but not released until Motorhead were popular.
With new recruits Phil Taylor and Fast Eddie Clark, this album was re-recorded almost entirely as the "Motorhead" album on Chiswick in 1977.
Personally I prefer "On Parole" to the Chiswick version,even though the following three or four albums are absolute Rocking classics. I do like the less cranked up, basic, version of Motorhead. Especially as the NWOBHM kids hated it.
Tracklist:
Motorhead
On Parole
Vibrator
Born To Lose
City Kids
Fools
The Watcher
Leaving Here
Lost Johnny
On Parole (Alternate Take)
City Kids (Alternative Take)
Motorhead (Alternative Take)
Leaving Here (Alternative Take)