“All of a sudden, things went mad!": Motörhead's Overkill, the album that changed everything - only in the new issue of Classic Rock

The cover of Classic Rock 333, featuring Motörhead
(Image credit: Future)

Eddie Clarke. Or ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke, I should say. It’s easy to immediately think of Lemmy whenever Motörhead’s name is mentioned, but let us not forget that Motörhead at their absolute peak was the work of the three amigos – Lemmy, ‘Fast’ Eddie and ‘Philthy’ Phil Taylor.

This issue we venture back in time to 1979 and take a look at exactly what was going on in the Motörworld at the time of Overkill, an album that definitely made good on its opening lyric: ‘Only way to feel the noise is when it’s good and loud’. Feel the noise we did. And still do…

Sadly, I often have to use this space to speak about those we have lost. And this month it’s one that hits close to home among the Classic Rock team and the wider rock and metal industry. While you may not know her name, earlier this month we lost Michelle Kerr, press officer extraordinaire, and someone without whom so many of the features and interviews that end up in our pages, and those of Metal Hammer, Prog and myriad other publications, would never have seen the light of day.

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Thank you, Michelle. We’re gonna miss you.

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Features

Motörhead
In an exclusive extract from his Fast Eddie biography, Kris Needs looks back at the making of their game-changing Overkill album and the subsequent killing-it UK tour.

Jack Russell, RIP
Alan Niven, the former manager, co-songwriter and producer of Great White, talks about the Jack he knew.

Q&A: Nikki Sixx
The Mötley Crüe bassist on making new music, replacing Mick Mars, life-work balance, learning when to say no.

Myles Kennedy
With his brand new solo album The Art Of Letting Go, the lifelong worrier is learning to do what his record title suggests.

Bill Wyman
WW2 evacuee, RAF airman, Rolling Stone, hit solo artist, bandleader, author, restaurateur, archaeologist, cricketer… and there’s been much, much more to his life than that.

Tuk Smith
With his latest album he’s followed the adage that if you want something doing properly, do it yourself.

Howlin’ Wolf
We look back at the blues legend’s London sessions in 1970, with a superstar cast that included some of England’s rock royalty, a linchpin moment in the history of the blues.

MC5
Wayne Kramer was the guardian of the Detroit band’s legacy until he died earlier this year, after making one final album.


The cover of Classic Rock 333, featuring Motörhead

(Image credit: Future)

Regulars

The Dirt
Iron Maiden announce 50th-anniversary world tour for 2025/26; new album, single and UK tour coming from The Darkness; Jane’s Addiction cancel US tour and announce hiatus. Welcome back Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Finger Eleven. Say hello to The Southern River Band and Bobbie Dazzle. Say goodbye to Herbie Flowers, Zoot Money.

The Stories Behind The Song: The Offspring
Inspired by a baseball-capped server at a dive-thru, Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) brought the band a UK No.1 single, lifted them out of the doldrums they were in and set them up for the next period of huge success.

The Hot List
We look at some of the essential new tracks you need to hear and the artists to have on your radar. This month they include The Damn Truth, Crobot, The Heavy Heavy, Cats In Space, Sam Millar, Larkin Poe, SKAM and more.

Reviews
New albums from MC5, Jerry Cantrell, Quireboys, Primal Scream, The Offspring, Moggs Hotel, Massive Wagons, Big Big Train, Von Hertzen Brothers, Devin Townsend and more. Reissues from Queen, Thin Lizzy, Tony Iommi & Glenn Hughes, Mountain, The Yardbirds, Whitesnake, Ian Hunter, Foreigner, Tom Petty and more. DVDs, films and books on Small Faces, UFO, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Blur, Roxy Music. Live reviews of Blackberry Smoke, Biffy Clyro, Saxon, Pixies, Terrorvision, The Cold Stares, KK’s Priest, The Lemon Twigs, Ugly Kid Joe and more.

Buyer’s Guide: The Damned
After releasing the first-ever punk single and first punk album, they went on to make records with a wide range of musical styles.

Lives
We preview tours by Royal Republic, Dream Theater and Creeper. Plus gig listings – who’s playing where and when.

The Soundtrack Of My Life: Steve Howe
Yes guitarist Steve Howe picks his records, artists and gigs of lasting significance.

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Coming Soon

To celebrate the release of his third solo album The Art Of Letting Go, Myles Kennedy and Classic Rock have combined forces to produce a limited edition bundle edition of the new issue.

The bundle includes a copy of the magazine with a special, bespoke cover, a piece of backdrop (with a signed certificate of authenticity) and an art card. The contents of the magazine are the same as the regular edition.

It'll be on sale next week, so watch this space – and keep an eye on social media – as we don't expect the bundle to stick around for too long.

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* Copies of the new issue of Classic Rock can be purchased online from Magazines Direct

* Classic Rock is on sale in the UK in shops such as supermarkets and newsagents.

* In North America, Classic Rock is available is branches of Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million, although new issues do not go on sale until a couple of weeks after they're published in The UK.

* An easy option is to go digital. You can subscribe digitally from just £45.49 per year. Individual issues and subscriptions are also from the Apple Store, Zinio, Readly, Press Reader and Pocketmags.

* Save money by buying a physical subscription. UK and overseas subscriptions are available.

Siân Llewellyn
Editor, Classic Rock

Classic Rock editor Siân has worked on the magazine for longer than she cares to discuss, and prior to that was deputy editor of Total Guitar. During that time, she’s had the chance to interview artists such as Brian May, Slash, Jeff Beck, James Hetfield, Sammy Hagar, Alice Cooper, Manic Street Preachers and countless more. She has hosted The Classic Rock Magazine Show on both TotalRock and TeamRock radio, contributed to CR’s The 20 Million Club podcast and has also had bylines in Metal Hammer, Guitarist, Total Film, Cult TV and more. When not listening to, playing, thinking or writing about music, she can be found getting increasingly more depressed about the state of the Welsh national rugby team and her beloved Pittsburgh Steelers.

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“We’d solidly work from two in the afternoon to until 10pm. Why did we knock off then? So, we could get to the pub!”: The chaotic story behind Motörhead’s Overkill, the album that turned three speed freaks into stars
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