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Class 6(66)
Motörhead: Ace of spades
10/01/13 || Habakuk
Introduction
If you really need an introduction to either the band or the album at hand, then you are either a twelve-year-old, or you are in desperate need of reading this article and getting rid of some ten bucks to have this mandatory listen available at your home. Trust me, history ain’t getting more fun.
Songwriting
10. Every song here is a fucken winner, which makes this album such a stalwart release, even apart from the big hit. Sure some songs are slightly above the rest, curiously even the title track with its ridiculously high notoriety until today. It’s just a great tune. Simple, catchy and driving, that song epitomizes… well, whatever you want it to – from skateboarding to killing sprees. However, “Ace of Spades” or ♠, as it shall henceforth be written (neat) is an album that each and every one you ask will have a different set of favorites from. Personally, I most enjoy the more upbeat bits like “Dance” – seriously, what kind of bad ass band can get away with such a number, Ratt doesn’t count? – “Jailbait” or “Fast and Loose”. Yet also “The chase is better than the catch”, which was the first song I learned on bass, “Shoot you in the back” or “(We are) The road crew” are frequently played by yours truly. All killer, no filler, as they say. And that goes even for the bonus tracks you’ll find on the re-releases.
And in order not to go over and over the same anecdotes that you could get better from the guys themselves, I urge everyone to check Youtube for Motorhead – Classic Album Documentary – a fantastic 45 minute insight of how this album came to be. The most curious thing about it is probably that all the guys actually survived until today.
Production
10. There is a certain resonating, metallic depth to the guitars that gives this album its old school feel without sounding “dated” – how would something that sounds like you as the listener are in the studio yourself do that, anyway? Exactly. So, ♠ sounds fuzzily warm and breathing and very much alive, also supported by soundbits of the recording strewn in (“stop wincing about!”), which were apparently partly added during a remaster, but who cares as long as they work. So, the album manages to retain a sort of imperfect, ad-hoc feel although the performances themselves are flawless. I don’t see any room for improvement, to be honest.
Guitars
9. Tuned down half a step, Eddie Clarke’s guitar work excels both in gritty riffing and more lead-oriented proceedings – and the boundaries between the two are blurred as Clarke is allowed to move up the fretboard at ease, thanks to Lemmy working the bottom range single-handedly. As opposed to later Motörhead’s Phil Campbell who seems more like a metal guitarist with a rock passion, Clarke is a true rock-rooted guitarist. It shows in the ample use of twangy leads, ringing, open notes and pauses as opposed to the everpresent palm-muted metal works everyone is so used to today. Listening to him really epitomizes why Motörhead always saw themselves as essentially a rock band, defying the notion of “metal”. That they laid the foundation for a lot of the genre’s bands is another story, but at the core, they played balls-out, blasting rock and roll. And well at that.
Vocals
10. Love him or hate him, my score is set. Lemmy Kilmister knows how to work them vocal chords. His voice is the incarnation of personality and rock and roll together.
Bass
9. Lemmy playing his rhythm guitar styled bass lines of course powers the band with an insane grit and heaviness. The amount of punch the lead-driven “Dance”, or “Fast and loose” receive once the Rickenbacker starts barking is just mindboggling. There is no three-piece like Motörhead, thanks to that snarly Marshall bass sound. Sure, this is probably not how a bass should be played technically, but were any fucks given? Lemmy says no. Never.
Drums
8.5. “Philthy Animal”‘s performance oozes the sheer enjoyment of playing, but it’s also technically rock solid, as opposed to the likes of say, Mick Harris of Napalm Death. Be it the insertion of double kick drums into the classic rock style (“Jailbait”), that rattlesnake shaking in “Love me like a reptile” or the tapdance spoons in “Ace of spades”, there is a lot of small detail to be discovered and enjoyed – that is, if flawless flow and hard-hitting groove aren’t enough for you.
Lyrics
8. There is absolutely no message apart from bad-assery and misconduct to be found, and I guess that was the intention. Sex, touring, Rock and Roll, gambling, “western movies!” – I guess drugs are just a sort of overtone.
Cover art
9. One of two Motörhead studio records almost completely unadorned by Snaggletooth (well, he’s on the jackets, really small). In this case it was worth it, as opposed to “Overnight sensation”. That cowboy shoot done somewhere in England shows the attitude of “we can do whatever we want and it will still be more badass than anything you’ll ever manage” perfectly. And no, nobody else can pull it off, no matter how hard they try to sport that cowboy hat in the mall.
Logo
10. First time in black, that logo gets the top grade, no discussion. As it would in white. No idea why they started with red and blue.
Booklet
My re-release version has anecdotal liner notes from 1996, lyrics, a short shout out, the compulsory Lemmy quote, and that’s that. 7.
Overall and ending rant
Even though I don’t hand out tens, I feel hardpressed to give one here, as ♠‘s importance and sheer greatness can hardly be overestimated. If you like tens, then imagine this to be one. I’ll stick with my …
- Information
- Released: 1980
- Label: Bronze Records
- Website: www.imotorhead.com
- Band
- Ian ‘Lemmy’ Kilmister: vocals, bass
- ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke: guitars
- Philthy ‘Animal’ Taylor: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. Ace of Spades
- 02. Love me like a reptile
- 03. Shoot you in the back
- 04. Live to win
- 05. Fast and loose
- 06. (We are) The road crew
- 07. Fire, fire
- 08. Jailbait
- 09. Dance
- 10. Bite the bullet
- 11. The chase is better than catch
- 12. The hammer
