1983 in rock: Motorhead accused of wimping out

1983 was a transitional year for Motörhead with the classic line-up having come to an end the year previously, following the departure of guitarist 'Fast' Eddie Clarke. He quit the band following disagreements with bassist and mainman Lemmy over the direction of the group, and so it was with former Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian 'Robbo' Robertson that they recorded their next studio album, 'Another Perfect Day'.

'Robbo' never really fitted in well with Lemmy and drummer Phil 'Philthy Animal' Taylor; the guitar contributions on the resulting record resulted in the band sounding a lot different, less heavy ('more musical', as some commented while -deriding- the new sound!) In addition, the look 'Robbo' had at the time was completely at odds with the band's leather-clad, biker image. He had shorter hair, with a headband similar to a tennis player, and took to the stage wearing shorts. His refusal to 'look the part' as Fast Eddie had done before him, turned fans against him before they would even give the record a chance. The band were slated in the press at the time for 'wimping out'; although Lemmy has since stated that he liked the record (and has performed some material from it in later live sets).

The collaboration would only last for one album and tour before 'Robbo' either quit or was sacked (he and Lemmy failed to hit it off, despite it being Lemmy's decision to bring in the guitarist, as an admirer of his work), and soon after that 'Philthy' also quit the band. Lemmy was then left to reconstruct Motörhead with new members; in came guitarists Phil Campbell and Michael Burston (known in the band as 'Würzel'), and drummer Pete Gill. The new band recovered some of the lost ground before Philthy returned to the fold for a short spell, then was succeeded on drums by Mikkey Dee. Würzel left the band in 1995 (and sadly passed away in 2011), and the present line-up of Lemmy, Campbell and Dee has remained in place since then.

*2023 Update: Lemmy died on 28 December 2015, four days after turning 70 years  old and having only recently completed the Motörhead 40th anniversary tour. Drummer Phil 'Philthy Animal' Taylor died shortly before Lemmy, on 12 November 2015 and guitarist 'Fast' Eddie Clarke died on 10 January 2018.
Of the surviving members of the final Motörhead line-up, drummer Mikkey Dee subsequently joined veteran German rockers the Scorpions, while guitarist Phil Campbell formed a new band (Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons) in 2016 with his three sons.*

Here is the lead-off single from the 'Another Perfect Day' album: 'I Got Mine':