ARTIST: Motorhead

TITLE: Ace of Spades

YEAR RELEASED: 1980

CHART ACTION:  #201 US, #4 UK

SINGLES: Ace of Spades (#15 UK)

OTHER SONGS YOU MAY KNOW: Love Me Like a Reptile, (We Are) The Roadcrew, The Chase Is Better Than the Catch

LINEUP: Fast Eddie Clark, Lemmy Kilmesiter, Philthy Animal Taylor

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT: Landmark album from as Lemmy says, “a rock ‘n’ roll band”.

 SOME WORDS, PHRASES AND CLAUSES ABOUT THIS RECORD: Every rock ‘n’ roll fan worth their salt knows “Ace of Spades”, right? How about 11 other tracks almost as good?  You got it here folks!

Riffs? Yeah, Fast Eddie has the riffs. Power? Yeah, Lemmy and Philthy Animal bring that? Swagger and attitude? In spades, as it were. Volume? The switch is broken – it’s full blast all the time.

Motorhead came into their own here, and it was due to producer Vic Maile that they harnessed their power. He was a no-nonsense producer that didn’t cotton to their outlandish behavior and arguments and got them to focus on the songs. He also mixed the album himself, making it clear and bright (well, as bright as Motorhead can be). The result? A rock ‘n’ roll classic.

Some of the songs may not be…um…suitable. But it was a rock ‘n’ roll album that celebrated the lifestyle of the 70’s. It also included a tribute to the road crew. I fully believe Lemmy and Motorhead lived this album.

NOTES & MINUTIAE: Lemmy summed up this album: “We only thought of ourselves as a good time rock ‘n’ roll band, really… But we weren’t trying to get a message across, apart from have a good time, you know: get pissed, get stoned, and fuck a chick. And that’ll do.”

IS THERE A DELUXE VERSION: Yes, their EP with Girlschool is appended.

 

GRADE: A+: You gotta crank this record, if only to piss off the right people.

ARTIST: Motorhead 

TITLE:  Overkill

YEAR RELEASED: 1979

CHART ACTION: #24 UK

SINGLES: Overkill (#39 UK), No Class (#61 UK)

OTHER SONGS YOU MAY KNOW: Stay Clean, Metropolis, I’ll Be Your Sister, Capricorn

LINEUP: Lemmy Kilmister, Fast Eddie Clark, Philthy Animal Taylor

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT: After several false starts, Motorhead gets a proper recording session and melts everyone’s face.

SOME WORDS, PHRASES AND CLAUSES ABOUT THIS RECORD: Talk about a game changer! The second full-length by Motorhead becomes a big hit, despite the hurdles they overcame early in their career. Finally, the fury and power of their sound comes to life.

Riffs? Yeah, they’re all over the place here. Lemmy being Lemmy, playing his massive bass and croaking out his lyrics with anger and vengeance? You bet. This is the record that established the formula for most of Motorhead’s early career, and it’s packed to the brim with favorites – including “Stay Clean” which may be their best song thanks to Fast Eddie’s incessant wah-wah riff and Lemmy’s bass solo.

Metal fans definitely should have this. Heck, rock fans should have this in their collection. It’s a touchstone album that has inspired so many bands of so many genres. You don’t have to look pretty, or sound pretty. You just have to melt faces!

NOTES & MINUTAE: The owner of Bronze Records let them record a single (“Louie Louie”) and he released it without hearing it first. When he heard it, he thought it was awful – but it quickly hit the charts and led to an appearance on Top of the Pops. He got over his objection to the sound soon after!

IS THERE A DELUXE VERSION:  A couple are out there – one with singles attached and one with several alternate takes.

GRADE: A. Most every song here is top notch and one that almost every hard rock or metal fan wishes they would have recorded.