Lemmy Kilmister's initial plan for his first post-
Hawkwind project -- he was unceremoniously shown the door in 1975 -- was to immediately begin operating under the moniker "Bastard". Potential marketing problems aside, it seemed like a fairly decent fit after his turn from epic space rock to tightly wound proto-thrash, but "
Motorhead" -- the last song he had written for
Hawkwind -- ultimately won out. 1979 was a pivotal year for the group, having inked a deal with
EMI-distributed Bronze Records and released two of their most definitive albums. Issued in March 1979,
Overkill was the band's sophomore full-length effort and netted them their first Top 40 single via the punitive title cut.
Bomber arrived later that October and clawed its way to number 12 on the U.K. Albums chart. The aptly named 1979 box set collects both of these releases -- part of BMG's back catalog reissue series, they will also be available individually -- as well as a slew of live cuts and supplemental material. Released to coincide with the albums' 40th anniversary and lovingly encased in a gnarly black biker jacket box, the vinyl-only collection includes half-speed mastered 180-gram vinyl reissues of
Bomber and
Overkill, a pair of double-live LPs featuring previously unreleased material from the era, a collection of B-sides and outtakes, a 40-page magazine, an
Overkill sheet music book, a "No Class" 7" single, a
Bomber tour program, and a 1979 badge set. ~ James Christopher Monger