There are a handful of music icons simply known by one name. Some of these mononymous people include renowned legends Bono, Elvis, Madonna, Prince, Flea, Slash, Ozzy and of course, Lemmy. Every time you utter Lemmy it’s hard not to imagine the legendary badass lead singer and bassist of Motorhead rocking out on stage. His larger than life persona has only been catapulted by Pop Culture like in the movie Airheads with the now famous question “Who would win in a wrestling match: Lemmy or God?”Despite never changing his act or regiment, Lemmy appears to have never aged a day and can still be found hanging out at The Rainbow Bar and Grill on the Sunset Strip when he isn’t touring with Motorhead. As even the documentary film, Lemmy: 49% Motherf**ker 51% Son of a Bitch, illustrates, Lemmy is just a down-to-earth rockstar who continues to live life the way he wants.
Recently I was turned onto the rockabilly supergroup Head Cat, which consists of Lemmy (Motorhead), Slim Jim Phantom (The Stray Cats) and Danny B. Harvey (Lonesome Spurs, 13 Cats and The Rockats). The name Head Cat comes from the combination of Motorhead, The Stray Cats and 13 Cats. The band formed while recording the Elvis Presley tribute album Swing Cats: A Special Tribute to Elvis. The trio stuck around after the recording session and goofed around by playing classic rock songs they knew. In 2006, Head Cat released their first album Fool's Paradise and their second album, Walk the Walk…Talk the Talk was released earlier this year and contains original Head Cat material.
Lemmy (vocals, guitar, bass, and harmonica), Slim Jim Phantom (drums, percussion and additional vocals), and Danny B. Harvey (double bass, guitar, keyboard) deliver a delicious and delightful album filled primarily with cover tunes along with two new awesome rockabilly songs, “American Beat” and “The Eagle Flies on Friday.”Head Cat celebrates rock’s roots with new interpretations of classic songs from the 1950s and 1960s. This celebration of songs from yesteryear feels and sounds like a perfect fit for Lemmy as his distinctive voice oozes appreciation for these classics such as Larry Williams’ “Bad Boy”, Chuck Berry’s “Let It Rock” and Eddie Cochran’s “Something Else.”
Walk the Walk…Talk the Talk also includes the delightful “Say Mama,” “I Ain't Never,” “Shakin' All Over,” “Trying To Get To You,” the John Lennon/Paul McCartney “You Can't Do That,” “It'll Be Me,” and “Crossroads.” For half an hour, these 12 songs will entertain you from beginning to end. It’s truly remarkable how well Lemmy’s voice accompanies Head Cat’s sound and is the perfect fit as the lead singer for this rockabilly band.
--Brownstone
