Fast Eddie Clarke - Make My Day: The Rock ‘n’ Roll Story Of Fast Eddie Clark (BMG)

‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke.

You most probably know him from Motörhead, of course. Ah…and some may know him from his early/mid eighties outfit Fastway and that teen horror movie from around the same time, Trick or Treat, for which they supplied tunes to a pretty cool metal soundtrack.

But it may come as a surprise that on evidence of the music contained here, Eddie was a far more creative and musically varied player than perhaps given credit for. Speaking for myself, I’m a fan of both Motörhead and Fastway, and always loved Eddie’s feel, but I was pleasantly surprised by the celebration of his career that is Make My Day: The Rock ’n’ Roll Story of Fast Eddie Clarke, a lovingly compiled box set collection that displays other sides of his work over a varied and long career.

More and more over the years (Lord) Lemmy has become the face of Motörhead: the two names really becoming interchangeable; you said ‘Lemmy’, and thought ‘Motörhead’, and vice versa. So, it was easy to forget that standing just behind him in that huge shadow that he cast was Fast Eddie Clarke, and the ‘da na na na na’ guitar riff in Ace of Spades, to name his most famous.
Yep, Lemmy was the heart and soul, but Eddie was the riffs.

There is a lot of material on show here, forty-seven tracks (featuring both expected highlights and unexpected curios) and also a lavish three hundred and twenty page book written by rock journo Kris Needs in conjunction with Eddie’s widow Mariko Fujiwara, who also curated the track selection.

The book gives a great account of Eddie’s journey from wide eyed kid seeing the Yardbirds perform for the first time in the sixties right through to the highs, lows and inbetweens of the ‘Head days, and finally domestic happiness and peace.

As for the music, spread over four discs chronologically spanning four decades, we start with Eddie’s earliest bands, disc one appropriately being titled The Early Years, which starts sweetly, with a short-spoken introduction from Eddie himself, and follows through with various tracks which showcase Eddie’s bluesy, sometimes Hendrix-inflected playing. Some of the tracks border on a southern rock style (The Confession), boogie (People Places and Things), while others (Takin’ it Easy) showcase a bigger, grander approach, and show a definite Yardbirds influence.

Disc Two, simply titled Motörhead… well… obviously it’s the ‘classic’ line up – with Philthy ‘Animal’ Taylor whipping up a storm on drums, along with Lemmy and Eddie. And, of course, the disc opens with Ace of Spades… how could it not?! To this day it’s still THE damn unbeatable rock n roll statement. Fight me.

Included here, along with some essential choices from the catalogue, are three previously unreleased Bomber demos (Dead Men Tell No Tales, Alligator and Lawman), and some tracks that feature Eddie on vocals. One gem I had forgotten about but was happy to see here is Stone Dead Forever,by the Motörhead/Girlschool collaborative project known as Headgirl, which also features Eddie on vocals.

Onto Disc Three, Fastway, and you get Eddie’s next move after Motörhead, following his departure in 1982. Originally formed with ex-UFO bassist Pete Way and featuring former Humble Pie drummer Jerry Shirley and hitherto unknown Irish singer Dave King, Fastway had a more trad British rock sound, coming on at times like a brasher, more economical Led Zeppelin for the eighties, with King’s vocals firmly in Robert Plant territory. It’s terrific stuff. Pete Way left the band before recording the debut album to form his own band, Waysted, but that’s for another box set. (I’ve got just the thing for you HERE – Ed).

Included here are an array of tracks spanning all their albums, along with some demos and remixes. Highlights for me here are Say What You Will, from their debut, and Trick or Treat, from the aforementioned 1986 teen metal horror flick of the same name for which Fastway supplied tunes for the lead protagonist, shock rocker Sammy Curr. A fun movie which also features cameos from Ozzy Osbourne and Gene Simmons.

Disc Four, The Solo Years is mostly comprised of Eddie’s final two solo albums and shows a pretty good blend of both Motörhead and Fastway, while also displaying his beloved blues roots, particularly in evidence on the track, for which the box set is named, Make My Day, while putting across an almost cruisy late seventies L.A. feel. It should be noted that Eddie also carries off the lead vocals quite convincingly.

There’s a lot to be thankful for here, and in fact, one particular highlight is Laugh at The Devil, which features Lemmy guesting on vocals.

Certainly, a worthwhile listen, and give the book a good going over too. It’s high time Fast Eddie Clarke’s legacy was out from that huge shadow and got some well-deserved recognition.
It’s just a shame he’s no longer around.

Enjoy.