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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 Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band Motörhead from 1975 to 1984 and 1987 to 1992, recording eleven studio albums and four live albums with the band. The Motörhead line-up consisting of Taylor,
Lemmy Ian Fraser Kilmister (24 December 1945 – 28 December 2015), better known as Lemmy Kilmister or simply Lemmy, was an English musician. He was the founder, lead singer, bassist and primary songwriter of the rock band Motörhead, of which he wa ...
and "Fast" Eddie Clarke is generally regarded as the 'classic' line-up of the band.


Biography

Born on 21 September 1954, in Hasland, Derbyshire, Taylor grew up in Leeds, Yorkshire. He took drum lessons at
Leeds College of Music Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populatio ...
on advice from his father. After meeting Lemmy, who was a fellow speed user, he joined Motörhead and replaced
Lucas Fox Lucas Fox is an English drummer who was a founding member of British rock band Motörhead and London punk rockers Warsaw Pakt. Motörhead In 1975, Fox picked up Lemmy from London Airport after he was sacked from Hawkwind. Lemmy, Fox and Pin ...
during the recording of the band's first album '' On Parole'' in 1975. Lemmy has said that Fox wasn't working out and Taylor "had a car and could give us a lift back down to the studio". Taylor, in turn, introduced Lemmy to guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke, having worked with him while painting a
houseboat A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a home. Most houseboats are not motorized as they are usually moored or kept stationary at a fixed point, and often tethered to land to provide utilities. How ...
. Shortly after recording the classic '' Ace of Spades'' album in 1980, Taylor broke his neck after being lifted above the head of a friend in a test of strength, only to be dropped on his head. Taylor continued to play in Motörhead with the aid of a neck brace, as is visible in the music video for " Ace of Spades". As a result, Taylor had a prominent lump located on the back of his neck (affectionately referred to as his "knob"), thought to be a calcium deposit caused by his previous spinal trauma. Tour-disrupting injuries were not unfamiliar to Taylor at the time, as he had previously broken his hand whilst punching a man outside his flat in London. Taylor continued to drum by using gaffer tape to attach his drum stick into his hand until it had sufficiently healed. Taylor left Motörhead in 1984. The following year, he made appearances with Waysted, and joined former Motörhead and Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson to form the band Operator. In 1986, he was part of Frankie Miller's touring band. Taylor returned to Motörhead in 1987. He said "I always regretted leaving. Let's just say I took a three-year holiday." He continued playing in the group until 1992. After having been warned three times in the previous two years "to get his act together", he was fired after recording "I Ain't No Nice Guy", because of his poor performance. Kilmister, Ian and Garza, Janiss ''White Line Fever'' (2002) — Simon & Schuster pp. 242-243 From 2005 to 2008, Taylor played and recorded in a group called The Web of Spider with Whitey Kirst (
Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of ...
) on guitar and Max Noce on bass. In 2007, Taylor briefly worked on a project called Capricorn with former Danzig guitarist
Todd Youth Todd Schofield (May 15, 1971 – October 27, 2018), known as Todd Youth, was an American guitarist, best known for his work with Warzone, Murphy's Law and Danzig. Biography Schofield was born and raised in Passaic County, New Jersey, and ...
, former Monster Magnet guitarist Phil Caivano and former Nashville Pussy bassist Corey Parks. After playing in The Web of Spider, Taylor began work on a project with guitarist Chris Holmes, formerly of the heavy metal band W.A.S.P., and in 2009, Taylor joined American thrash metal band
Overkill Overkill may refer to: * Overkill (term), the use of excessive force or action to achieve a goal * Surplus killing, when a predator kills more prey than it can eat * Overexploitation, depletion of a natural resource through overharvesting ** Ove ...
for a set at the Islington Academy. The set included a cover of the Motörhead song from which Overkill took their name. He sporadically played drums for Mick Farren and The Deviants, featuring on ''
Dr. Crow ''Dr. Crow'' is a studio album by Mick Farren and friends released in 2002 under the name The Deviants. The album was recorded with longtime friends and collaborators Andy Colquhoun and Jack Lancaster and featured Wayne Kramer's backing ban ...
'' (2002), ''Sheep in Wolves' Clothing'' (2008), and ''Portobello Shuffle'' (2009). Taylor reunited with Lemmy and Clarke on 6 November 2014 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, on stage for Motörhead's classic "Ace of Spades" only to come on to wave to the crowd and leave.


Death

Taylor died on 12 November 2015 in London at the age of 61 after an illness. Liver failure was cited as a cause. "Fast" Eddie Clarke said of his former bandmate:
Lemmy Ian Fraser Kilmister (24 December 1945 – 28 December 2015), better known as Lemmy Kilmister or simply Lemmy, was an English musician. He was the founder, lead singer, bassist and primary songwriter of the rock band Motörhead, of which he wa ...
told '' Classic Rock'' that he was "devastated" to have lost one of his best friends. He also remembered former Motörhead guitarist Michael "Würzel" Burston, who died in 2011. Lemmy died on 28 December 2015, less than seven weeks after Taylor and on 10 January 2018 "Fast Eddie" Clarke also died, leaving none of the classic Overkill/ Bomber/ ''Ace of Spades''-era Mötorhead lineup alive.


Discography


Motörhead

*'' On Parole'' (recorded 1975–76, released in 1979) *'' Motörhead'' (1977) *''
Overkill Overkill may refer to: * Overkill (term), the use of excessive force or action to achieve a goal * Surplus killing, when a predator kills more prey than it can eat * Overexploitation, depletion of a natural resource through overharvesting ** Ove ...
'' (1979) *'' Bomber'' (1979) *'' Ace of Spades'' (1980) *'' No Sleep 'til Hammersmith'' (1981) *'' Iron Fist'' (1982) *''
Another Perfect Day ''Another Perfect Day'' is the sixth studio album by British rock band Motörhead. It was released in May 1983 by Bronze Records, which would be the band's last full-length original album with the label. It is the band's only studio album to fea ...
'' (1983) *'' Rock 'n' Roll'' (1987) *''
Nö Sleep at All ''Nö Sleep at All'' is the third live album by the band Motörhead, released in October 1988 by GWR Records, their only live album and last release with the label as legal matters continued between the parties. Background Motörhead and thei ...
'' (1988) *''
1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that had been stored and cooled. * ...
'' (1991) *''
March ör Die ''March ör Die'' is the tenth studio album by British rock band Motörhead, released in August 1992. It would be the band's second and final album with WTG Records. The album features guest appearances by Ozzy Osbourne, Guns N' Roses guitarist ...
'' (1992) – "I Ain't No Nice Guy" only


Other recordings

*''The Muggers Tapes'' – live recording from a brief spell of about four gigs. Taylor drummed with "Fast" Eddie Clarke on guitar,
John "Speedy" Keen John David Percy "Speedy" Keen (29 March 1945 – 12 March 2002)''The Gua ...
, also on guitar, and Billy Wrath on bass. The album was released as a bonus to a ''Best of Motörhead'' release. *''Naughty Old Santa's Christmas Classics'' (1989) *''GMT One By One'' 12" single (1989) *''GMT War Games'' – CD release of same tracks plus one other (1991) *''The Deviants Have Left the Planet'' – drummed with Mick Farren on vocals,
Larry Wallis Larry Wallis (19 May 1949 – 19 September 2019) was an English guitarist, songwriter and producer. He was best known as a member of the Pink Fairies and an early member of Motörhead. Biography and career Early bands In 1968, he formed a ban ...
on guitar, etc. (1999) *''Sheep in Wolves' Clothing'' – Motorheadbangers fan club tribute CD. It features
the Deviant ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
s Mick Farren on vocals, Andy Colquhoun on guitar,
David Ito is a Japanese comedian, actor and businessman. He is nicknamed . Biography After graduating from Sayama High School, he was a local swimming instructor, but he aimed for being an idol in Tokyo. During the showbub period, he lived in Hiromi's ...
as the bassist and Taylor as the drummer; re-recorded the Motörhead / Farren song "Lost Johnny" for the CD; released on 7 April 2008. *''Philthy Lies'' – Little Villains album, released posthumously via Heavy Psyche Sounds Records (2019) *''Taylor Made'' – Little Villains album, released posthumously via Cleopatra Records (2020)


Other appearances

*Taylor appears, dressed in drag, brandishing a rolling pin, midway through the Girlschool promotional video for their 1980 song "Yeah, Right". video *''Classic Albums – Ace of Spades'' (DVD). Taylor is in interview and playing drums on several of the ''Ace of Spades'' albums classic tracks.


References


External links

*
Phil Taylor
at MySpace
The Web of Spider
at MySpace
Motörhead official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Phil 1954 births 2015 deaths Motörhead members English heavy metal drummers English rock drummers People from Hasland Musicians from Leeds Deaths from liver failure British male drummers 20th-century English musicians 21st-century English musicians English male musicians Waysted members