REVIEWS:
Post your comments about Motorhead
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Ace Of Spades, The Chase Is Better Than The Catch, Shoot You In The Back. LOW POINTS: None.
Ah, we have the album most people think of when the name Motorhead is mentioned (i.e. their biggest commercial success), and the result is about the definition of boneheaded straightforward 'fast and loose' rock - almost all of these songs are pretty much in the same style, with (usually) fast tempos, really simplistic punkish riffs that don't consist of more than two or three dumb chords (and probably didn't take more than a few brain cells to come up with, as several have pointed out), and even similar melodies. And yet, despite these shortcomings, or maybe because of them, Ace Of Spades is highly regarded as one of the top metal albums of 1980, a year that wasn't exactly lacking in quality albums from the genre, and that's simply because it sounds so raw and utterly dangerous like no other album in its' time, in spite of those obvious flaws on the surface. No wonder it fit in with those other albums like Back In Black (another album that, in many ways, has almost identical twin brothers). What else is there to say?
How about that the opening title track is absolutely awesome? This is probably one of the fastest and most convincing metal songs I've heard come out of the early 80's - the main speedy riff alone is unforgettable enough, but it also defines the raw intensity better than anything else here, not to mention it's got ripping guitar breaks throughout the verses, and the lyrics are very appropriate rebelliousness ('You know I'm going to lose, and gambling is for fools, but that's the way I like it baby, I don't wanna live forever'). It's a timeless classic, no matter how many times I've heard it skating around in Tony Hawk 3. I also find it appropriate that the closing thrash of "The Hammer" has a riff that's almost what "Ace Of Spades" would sound like in a different key, only more apocalyptic and desperate sounding, more appropriate to close the album off with. I guess it comes full circle here, right?
The remainder of the album has more of a 'mood piece' quality to it (if that term's actually applicable to Motorhead) where the overall raw atmosphere stands out more than individual songs do, but there are still some other highlights that get to me in particular. The best of the rest for me is probably "The Chase Is Better Than The Catch", a song that's more midtempo and plodding than the others, yet that seems to work towards it as that riff (another simplistic chord progression) pummels itself into your head in a way it might not have were the song fast, plus I find that bass-led middle breakdown amusing. What is this, a live show? I also quite dig the western movies ode "Shoot You In The Back", with a neat lyrical theme, a shotgun-like riff and a curious 'cranking' sound in the background, as well as the 'tour travel guide' "(We Are) The Road Crew", where the Lemmy's delivery in the verses is quite convincing.
The rest of the songs, whether they're snappier ("Dance", "Fire Fire"), built around generic rock and roll style riffing ("Fast And Loose", "Jailbait"), or showcasing that familiar combination of thrash and punk ("Live To Win", "Love Me Like A Reptile", "Bite The Bullet"), aren't really worth discussing in detail. Suffice to say, they all have that great raw atmosphere, simplistic-yet-powerful riffing, the patented Lemmy vocal approach, and cool guitar soloing from "Fast Eddie" Clarke, a feature that I guess is one of the main reasons why the album (or Motorhead in general) don't totally fit into the punk rock category. At any rate, this is just a fun and exciting album that may not be really great due to a lack of classics and the very uniform sound, but for a representative of the early 80's metal scene, it would be tough to think of an album that epitomizes it better than Ace Of Spades does.
Post your comments / reviews for this album
Index | Main band/artist reviews page