Classic Album Review: MOTORHEAD, "Ace of Spades"

Motorhead are the kings of dirty heavy metal, the lords of fast and loud, and Lemmy is the god of all bass players. One of the most underrated metal/rock bands in the history of rock'n'roll, Motorhead inspired countless bands with their style of dirty, over the top, fast and powerful rock. Back in 1975 when most other rock/metal bands were playing that lame music we now call "classic rock," Motorhead was taking no prisoners with their speed-loving, bone crushing sound that was unheard of in the day. The band featured Filthy Phil on double-kick drums, Fast Eddie Clarke cutting it loose on the Marshall driven guitar, and Lemmy with his signature distorted-to-the-max bass and his growling, strep-throat vocals. Most people would call this "noise.". I call it "wang dang sweet thunder of rock"!

I had this album -- Ace of Spades -- on vinyl, and it is a classic Motorhead album all the way. It contains their most famous song, "Ace of Spades" - (covered by many), as well as other sleazy rocking tracks, most notably "The Chase is Better than the Catch", "Love You Like a Reptile", and another "hit"-- "We Are the Road Crew" (dedicated to road dogs everywhere). This album starts with a rip and tear and the adrenaline never stops. The beats are fast, the music is overdriven and you can tell they had their amps on 10 when they recorded this one. There is nothing polished about this album (or the band) -- it is dirty, raw and reckless, LOUD, with enough distortion, power and speed to make your head spin 360 degrees and love it!

Motorhead is one of the few bands who have been rocking for a long period of time (over 35 years now) without changing their sound. And that is a good thing. The world needs a band like Motorhead to counter the N Syncs and Backstreet Boyz of the world. The cast of characters keeps changing (Lemmy is the only original member currently in the group), but the thunderous sound of dirty rock remains the same. Motorhead has never put out a bad album, in my opinion, but Ace of Spades is the essential Motorhead album, as it captures the essence of what is Motorhead, what is raw, what is Rock.

If you've never listened to any Motorhead and you are a fan of loud, fast rock and roll (Metallica, Ramones, etc.) do yourself a favor and check out this album. For best results, turn your stereo up to 10, and to hell with the neighbors!