"Iron Fist" is a song by the British
heavy metal band
Motörhead
Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a precu ...
. It was released as a
single in 1982, in
7" pressings in blue, black and translucent red vinyl.
The title track on the single is covered with (
B-side's) "Remember Me, I'm Gone", which appears on
CD re-issues of the ''
Iron Fist'' album. In Spain, the title track was put on the B-side of "Go to Hell" and was issued with a picture sleeve of the band dressed as warriors in skull masks.
This is the last single featuring the classic Motörhead line-up of
Lemmy,
"Fast" Eddie Clarke and
Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor
Philip John Taylor (21 September 1954 – 12 November 2015), better known as "Philthy Animal", was an English drummer. He was a member of the rock band Motörhead from 1975 to 1984 and 1987 to 1992, recording eleven studio albums and four live ...
, as Clarke left following the recording of the ''
Stand By Your Man EP''.
On 27 March 1982, Lemmy, Clarke and Taylor were interviewed by
Tommy Vance
Richard Anthony Crispian Francis Prew Hope-Weston (11 July 1940 – 6 March 2005), known professionally as Tommy Vance, was an English radio broadcaster. He was an important factor in the rise of the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM), a ...
on
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
's 'Rock on Saturday' show, "Iron Fist", "Loser", and "Speedfreak" were played.
[Burridge, Alan ''Illustrated Collector's Guide to Motörhead'' Published: 1995, Collector's Guide Publishing .]
Single track listing
# "Iron Fist" (
Eddie Clarke,
Ian Kilmister,
Phil Taylor) – 2:50
# "Remember Me, I'm Gone" (Kilmister, Clarke, Taylor) – 2:26
Personnel
* "Fast" Eddie Clarke –
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
s,
vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...
* Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor –
drums
* Lemmy (Ian Kilmister) –
bass, lead vocals
Cover versions
The Finnish
folk metal
Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles (for exampl ...
band
Korpiklaani
Korpiklaani ( Finnish: ) is a Finnish folk metal band from Lahti who was formerly known as Shamaani Duo and Shaman.
History Shamaani Duo
While other folk metal bands began with metal before adding folk music, Korpiklaani started with folk music ...
covered the song on their 2011 album ''
Ukon Wacka''. The US-American hardcore band
Pro-Pain
Pro-Pain is an American heavy metal band based in New York City, formed in 1991 by vocalist and bassist Gary Meskil and drummer Dan Richardson, both former members of Crumbsuckers.Strong, Martin C. (2001) ''The Great Metal Discography'', MOJO ...
covered the song on their 2003 album ''Run For Cover''. The German
Thrash metal
Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...
band
Sodom also covered the song on their album
Persecution Mania
''Persecution Mania'' is the second studio album by German thrash metal band Sodom, released on 1 December 1987 by Steamhammer/ SPV. The album, while still heavily rooted in Black metal style, marked a beginning of a change of sound from black ...
. A live version is on the compilation album
Ten Black Years. Cleveland, Ohio thrash band Ringworm covered Iron Fist on a 2016 split they did with Early Graves.
Metal Allegiance also covered this song on their 2016 EP ''Fallen Heroes''.
References
External links
Sample of the song at the Motörhead Official Site(
RealPlayer
RealPlayer, formerly RealAudio Player, RealOne Player and RealPlayer G2, is a cross-platform media player app, developed by RealNetworks. The media player is compatible with numerous container file formats of the multimedia realm, including MP3 ...
required).
{{authority control
Motörhead songs
1982 singles
Songs written by Lemmy
Songs written by Eddie Clarke (musician)
Songs written by Phil Taylor (musician)
1982 songs
Bronze Records singles