Motörhead – Live 1980 (fltr: Lemmy, Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor, “Fast” Eddie Clarke)
Introduction
In 1980, Motörhead released their most successful studio album. Ace Of Spades is a classic rock record that defined Motörhead for a wider audience both musically and lyrically.
Motörhead
Ian Fraser Kilmister (better known as Lemmy) was the bassist for the space rock group Hawkwind, where he also wrote songs. The last one he wrote for them was called Motorhead. In May 1975, he was fired after being arrested for drug possession in Canada.
The last song title turned out to be a great band name, with a slight modification: Motörhead. The group would go on to make “loud, fast, city, raucous, arrogant, paranoid, speedfreak rock ‘n’ roll”, Lemmy would never deviate from that motto. The band was formed in 1975, and in 1976 the classic lineup came together: Lemmy (bass and vocals), “Fast” Eddie Clarke (guitar), and Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor (drums).
Motörhead – First 3 albums
In 1977, Motörhead released their self-titled debut album, which introduced the band’s logo, “Snaggletooth, the War-Pig.” In 1979 they released two new albums: Overkill and Bomber.
In August and September 1980, the band entered the studio with producer Vic Maile. The first result was the single Ace Of Spades, released on October 27, 1980, as a preview of the forthcoming album. Maile and Lemmy had known each other since the Hawkwind years, and the collaboration worked perfectly. Lemmy later said: “Vic was great. He was the first one who told us we were all cunts and to work harder. He had a very dry persona: ‘Is that really the best shot you’ve got?'”
Motörhead – Ace Of Spades
Ace Of Spades
Ace Of Spades was released on November 8, 1980, becoming the band’s most successful studio album. The title track remains the song most closely associated with Motörhead to this day.
To be honest, although “Ace of Spades” is a good song, I’m sick to death of it now. Two decades on, when people think of Motörhead, they think “Ace of Spades.” We didn’t become fossilised after that record, you know. We’ve had quite a few good releases since then. But the fans want to hear it, so we still play it every night. Personally, I’ve had enough of that song.
Lemmy autobiography White Line Fever, 2012
Many of the lyrics are about sex and partying, an image the band was more than happy to embrace. (We Are) The Road Crew was written as a tribute to the band’s actual road crew. Musically, the album is a mix of rock ‘n’ roll, punk, heavy metal, and blues.
Just before the album’s release, Motörhead was grouped with the new wave of heavy metal bands, and the album was soon seen as a prototype for the genre. Nowadays the band is seen as a precursor to thrash metal. Lemmy, however, always insisted that Motörhead was, at its core, a “rock ‘n’ roll” band.
Upon release, Ace Of Spades received immediate critical acclaim and commercial success. Within six months, it was certified gold in the UK. It was also Motörhead’s first album to be released in the United States. Today, it’s widely regarded as a classic and appears on countless ‘best of’ lists.
Motörhead – 1980
Review
I don’t own many Motörhead albums, and I don’t listen to them that often, but when I do, it’s a real treat. The heavy sound, the speed, the raw execution, and the band’s no-nonsense attitude have always appealed to me.
Live, the band was simply unmatched in their genre. What’s impressive is that Ace Of Spades captures that live energy remarkably well. It’s my favorite studio album by the band. The follow-up live record, No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith, which sold slightly more than Ace Of Spades, is my favorite Motörhead album overall and an excellent snapshot of the band’s first four releases.
Ace Of Spades has rightfully earned its status as a classic Motörhead album.
Motörhead – Ace Of Spades – Single
Songs
All songs written by Ian Fraser Kilmister, Eddie Clarke and Phil Taylor.
- Ace Of Spades
- Love Me Like A Reptile
- Shoot You In The Back
- Live To Win
- Fast And Loose
- (We Are) The Road Crew
- Fire, Fire
- Jailbait
- Dance
- Bite The Bullet
- The Chase Is Better Than The Catch
- The Hammer
The album was preceded by the single Ace Of Spades, released on October 17, 1980.
Musicians
- Lemmy – vocals, bass
- “Fast” Eddie Clarke – guitar
- Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor – drums
Motörhead – No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith
After Ace Of Spades
Following the release of Ace Of Spades, Motörhead went on tour. A recording from that tour was released in June 1981 as the live album No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith, one of my favorite live albums. In April 1982, they released Iron Fist, the last album with the original lineup. Guitarist Clarke refused to record a cover of Tammy Wynette’s Stand By Your Man and left the band.
In 1984, the single Killed By Death was released, a song that would also become legendary (that title alone!). Motörhead continued to perform in various incarnations until Lemmy’s death in 2015. The albums kept coming, though none ever matched the success of Ace Of Spades and No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith:
- Another Perfect Day (1983)
- Orgasmatron (1986)
- Rock ‘N’ Roll (1987)
- Nö Sleep At All (1988)
- 1916 (1991)
- March Ör Die (1992)
- Bastards (1993)
- Sacrifice (1995)
- Overnight Sensation (1996)
- Snake Bite Love (1998)
- Everything Louder Than Everyone Else (1999)
- We Are Motörhead (2000)
- Hammered (2002)
- 25 & Alive: Live At Brixton Academy (2003)
- Inferno (2004)
- Kiss Of Death (2006)
- Better Motörhead Than Dead: Live At Hammersmith (2007)
- Motörizer (2008)
- The Wörld Is Yours (2010)
- Aftershock (2013)
- Bad Magic (2015)
On December 28, 2015, Lemmy passed away, just four days after his 70th birthday and 20 days after finishing Motörhead’s final tour. The band posted the following message on Facebook:
Motörhead – Lemmy death announcement – 12/29/2015
That same day, Motörhead officially announced that they were disbanding. All members of the ‘classic’ Motörhead lineup have passed away.
In Closing
What do you think of Ace Of Spades? Let me know!
Video/Spotify
This story contains an accompanying video. Click on the following link to see it: Video: Motörhead – Ace Of Spades. The A Pop Life playlist on Spotify has been updated as well.
