No sleep'til Hammersmith. 

a very short history of Heavy Metal.

"They covered Joan Baez! Can't be so bad."

F l e e t w o o d   M a c  - The Green Manalishi (1970)
B l u e   C h e e r  - Just A Little Bit (1968)
S a i n t e   A n t h o n y ’ s   F y r e  - Chance Of Fate (1970)
M o n t r o s e   - Space Station # 5 (1973)
I g g y   P o p  - Lust For Life (Live) (1977)
A C / D C  - Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (1976)
R u n a w a y s  - I Love Playin' With Fire (1977)
A C / D C  - Let There Be Rock (1977)
R u n a w a y s  - Cherry Bomb (Live) (1977)
V a n   H a l e n  - Eruption (outtake) (1978)
V a n   H a l e n  - Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love (1978)
J u d a s   P r i e s t  - Diamonds And Rust (1977) (Live) (1979)
J u d a s   P r i e s t  - Victim of Changes (1975) (Live) (1979)
J u d a s   P r i e s t  - Hell Bent For Leather (1978)
M o t ö r h e a d  - Capricorn (1979)
S a x o n  - Strong Arm of the Law (Live at Hammersmith) (1980)
G i r l s c h o o l  - Nothing To Lose (1980)
R i o t  - Outlaw (1981)
R i o t  - No Lies (1981)
G i r l s c h o o l  - C'mon Let's Go (1981)
I r o n   M a i d e n  - The Number Of The Beast (Live) (1982)
M e t a l   C h u r c h  - Beyond the Black (1984)
M e t a l   C h u r c h  - Highway Star (1984)
A c c e p t  - Princess Of The Dawn (1986) (Live) (1998)
M o t ö r h e a d  - M o t o r h e a d (1975) (Live) (1981)

This very small playlist selection contains some popular Hall-of-Fame musicians' finest works of art. If you are not much familiar with the genre then this might be a good start (or maybe all you want to know about it).

The title of this playlist obviously is taken from the 1981 M o t ö r h e a d  album of the same name in recognition of the famous Hammersmith Odeon concert hall in Hammersmith, London where many big Hard Rock/Metal bands had a performance in those days.

F l e e t w o o d   M a c  makes the start in this compilation as a tribute to influential blues guitarist, singer and songwriter the outstanding late Peter Green. The 1970 song has been covered by J u d a s   P r i e s t  to be also found on their fabulous 1979 "Unleashed in the East" live album.

I would agree when some say that the genre "Heavy Metal" originally started to evolve and separate from Psychedelic/Hard Rock around 1970 with bands like B l u e   C h e e r  and others. However, by 1976 many bands played significantly heavier than before, to name some popular: 
A C / D C,  R u n a w a y s.

At the time when BBC's "The Heavy Metal Show" (P.O. Box 1234 London SW1) started its weekly broadcast with V a n   H a l e n's unique 1978 "Eruption" at the latest the genre had its breakthrough in the U.K. and Metal bands became popular worldwide.

J u d a s   P r i e s t  is a pioneering British Heavy Metal band and was a forerunner of the ‘New Wave of British Heavy Metal’ movement, laying the groundwork for the speed and thrash metal of the ’80s and ’90s with numerous classic albums. (Discogs)

"Diamonds and Rust" by  J o a n   B a e z.
"Highway Star" by  D e e p   P u r p l e.

As a tribute to the late Lemmy Kilmister this story closes with a 1981 tour live version of his 1975 alltime genre classic "M o t o r h e a d".