The cover of Motorhead’s single for Stiff that was never issued.
Motorhead were one of the acts picked up by the embryonic Stiff and Lemmy was a frequent visitor to its offices at 32 Alexander Street. He would quietly disappear into the basement to speak to the accounts department and politely enquire about any royalties he was due. Generally, he left empty-handed.
At the fag end of 1976, the group headed to Worthing on the south coast to record a single at Pebble Beach studios. The A-side, a cover of the Holland Dozier Holland song ‘Leaving Here’, was backed by the incendiary ‘White Line Fever’. But BUY 9 ever reaching the shops due to contractual issues and Stiff aficionados only got hold of a copy when the first 10 singles were issued in a box-set. Leaving Here was also included on the compilations Hits Greatest Stiffs (FIST 10 and Heroes & Cowards (SEWL 1000) and appeared on the self-titled Motorhead album released on Chiswick in 1977.
In common with bands like The Pink Fairies and Plummet Airlines, that passed through Stiff’s revolving doors in its year in operation, Motorhead’s spell with Stiff was fleeting. But it was sufficient to earn them a place in the label’s colourful history.
The Stiff Records Story 