Ace of Spades (Motörhead album)

Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |{{#if: Template:Start date<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> | Template:Short description}}}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Category handlerTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=The Golden Years (EP)1980Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers (EP)1980studioAce of SpadesMotörhead - Ace of Spades (1980).jpgMotörheadTemplate:Start date<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>4 August – 15 September 1980<ref name=MAOS>Ace of Spades, Motörhead, Sanctuary Records, SMEDD243, 2005 liner notes, page 10 & 11</ref>Jackson's Studios (Rickmansworth, England)<ref name=MAOS />Template:HlistTemplate:DurationBronzeVic Maile<ref name=MAOS />x|2=</?t[drh][ >]|nomatch=}}|Template:Main other}}Template:Main other}} Ace of Spades is the fourth studio album by English rock band Motörhead, released on 8 November 1980 via Bronze Records. It is the band's most commercially successful album, peaking at number four on the UK Albums Chart and reaching gold status in the UK by March 1981. It was preceded by the release of the title track as a single in October, which peaked in the UK Singles Chart at No. 15 in early November.<ref name="RC1">Template:Cite journal</ref>

It was the band's debut release in the United States, with Mercury Records handling distribution in North America. In 2020, the album was ranked at 408 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.<ref name="rollingstone.com">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Background

By 1979, Motörhead had released two extremely successful classic albums, Overkill and Bomber, and had gained a loyal fan following by constant touring and television appearances. Their ferocious, loud proto-thrash playing style appealed equally to punks and heavy metal fans, but in 1979 Sounds writer Geoff Barton coined the term "New Wave of British Heavy Metal" (NWOBHM) to classify a slew of newer bands such as Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, and Saxon. Motörhead – a band that resented being labeled anything other than rock 'n' roll – was placed in this new genre, which would go on to influence the emerging thrash metal movement that would include bands like Metallica and Megadeth. In the 2011 book Overkill: The Untold Story of Motörhead, Joel McIver quotes vocalist and bassist Lemmy: Template:Quote Regardless, the association with NWOBHM would be another positive element in the increasing momentum that would lead to the band's most successful commercial period at the beginning of the new decade. In fact, United Artists decided to finally release the band's "lost" first album at this time under the title On Parole, which had originally been recorded in 1976 but shelved because it was deemed commercially unviable. Next, the Big Beat label, which had taken over Chiswick's catalogue, released Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers, packaging four extra tracks that the band had laid down for their debut album. Further evidence of Motörhead's nascent mainstream success was the release of the EP The Golden Years in May 1980 on Bronze Records, which became their highest charting release to date, peaking at No. 8.

Recording

Motörhead recorded Ace of Spades with Vic Maile at Jackson's Studios in Rickmansworth in August and September 1980. Maile, who had worked with the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and the Who, had crossed paths with Lemmy when he was a member of Hawkwind. The bassist recalls in his 2002 memoir White Line Fever: Template:Quote As Steffan Chirazi observes in the liner notes to the 1996 reissue of Ace of Spades: Template:Quote

Maile, who was affectionately nicknamed "Turtle" by the band (for his resemblance to the reptile), was critical in giving Motörhead a sleeker sound on record without sacrificing its raw power. Diminutive and soft-spoken, Maile was well equipped to deal with the trio, who were notorious for in-fighting and general unmanageability. In the documentary The Guts and the Glory, drummer Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor remembers: Template:Quote In 2015, Clarke recalled to John Robinson of Uncut: Template:Quote Whereas the band had previously had an input at the mixing stage, Maile took sole responsibility here, Clarke explaining that the result was "you can finally hear everything that's going on."<ref name="IFTP">Ace of Spades official tour programme. Motörhead interviewed by Giovanni Dadomo</ref> Of the performances, Lemmy stated "Vic got me singing instead of just shouting all the time", while Taylor added "and he got me playing more solid."<ref name="IFTP" />

Composition

The album includes some of the band's most popular songs, including "The Chase Is Better Than the Catch", "(We Are) the Road Crew", and the hit single "Ace of Spades", which rose to No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart. In his autobiography, White Line Fever, Lemmy speaks at length about the tune:Template:Quote In 2011, Lemmy admitted to James McNair of Mojo: Template:Quote The song "(We Are) the Road Crew" was written as a tribute to the band's roadies. In the 2004 Classic Albums documentary on the making of the album, guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke declares: Template:Quote In the same film, Lemmy, who worked as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix and the Nice, recalls that he wrote the song "in ten minutes" and that when roadie Ian "Eagle" Dobbie heard the song "he had a tear in his eye". Many of the songs, such as "Love Me Like a Reptile". "The Chase Is Better Than the Catch", and "Jailbait". blatantly reference sex, which drew the ire of some critics and feminists. Clarke explained to Classic Albums in 2005: Template:Quote

Release

Motörhead appeared on Top of the Pops twice in October to promote the single "Ace of Spades", and were guests on the ITV children's morning show Tiswas on 8 November. The band undertook a UK tour from 22 October through to 2 December under the banner Ace Up Your Sleeve, with support from Girlschool and Vardis. After the Belfast show on 2 December, hijinks resulted in Taylor breaking his neck forcing him to wear a neck-brace and curtailing any further band activity. The other members of the band took the opportunity to collaborate with Girlschool for the St. Valentine's Day Massacre EP.

Artwork

Like the song "Shoot You in the Back", the Ace of Spades artwork employs a classic wild west motif. Originally the idea for the album cover was to have it in a sepia tone and have gunfighters at a card table, but the band decided against it. They decided instead to have themselves in the desert dressed as cowboys. The 'Arizona desert-style' pictures used on the album sleeve and tour programme were taken during a photo session at a sandpit in Barnet.<ref name="PL">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Each of their cowboy outfits were based on different type of Western protagonist. Eddie was based on Clint Eastwood's character, The Man with No Name from the Dollars Trilogy. Phil's costume was based on Marlon Brando's character Rio in One-Eyed Jacks. Lemmy's costume was claimed by Phil to be inspired from Bret Maverick from the TV show Maverick. Contrary to popular belief, the sky was not real and was airbrushed in due to it being very cloudy that day.<ref>Template:Cite episode</ref>

Critical reception

Template:Album ratings The album has been described as "one of the best metal albums by any band, ever"<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and a significantly influential "hard rock classic".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Failed verification Robert Christgau stated: "Punks have never bought his leather jacket and indie connections because Lemmy Kilmister's grizzled-biker-born-to-rock is metal without the heavy—no preening solos or blow-dried bullshit. I recommend the bit where he promises to get fast and loose with his latest receptacle as soon as he finishes the song about it (not her, of course not), and note that his writing is more one-note than need be, wit and all--fucking for the hell of it can drive anybody into a rage, and tuneless fucking for the hell of it is really pointless."<ref name="RC"/> AllMusic calls it "rock-solid, boasting several superlative standouts" and insists it "rightly deserves its legacy as a classic". Sid Smith of BBC Music enthused in 2007: Template:Quote Despite the band always referring to their music as rock 'n' roll,<ref name="CRR">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the album, and particularly its title track, have been considered amongst the most influential in the development of thrash metal.<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> The title track is, for many, the definitive Motörhead anthem.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The album is listed in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. In 2020, it was ranked at 408 on [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|Rolling StoneTemplate:'s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]] list.<ref name="rollingstone.com" />

Classic Albums documentary

On 28 March 2005, the documentary about the album (a part of the Classic Albums series) was released on DVD by Eagle Vision. The in-depth look at the making of the album includes interviews with and performances by Lemmy, Phil Taylor and Eddie Clarke.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Track listing

Sanctuary Records 2005 2-CD deluxe edition

<ref name=MAOS /> Disc one includes the original album without bonus tracks. Template:Tracklist

• Dirty Love is an official release by Eddie Clarke on Receiver Records Ltd. in 1989 (which nonetheless features the name "Motörhead" on the front and back album covers), which had various outtakes from the Ace of Spades sessions on it. It includes the tracks "Hump on your Back", "Waltz of the Vampire", "Bastard" and "Godzilla Akimbo", which are all demos that never got to be mastered at the time, but were done so in poor quality later for this release. These four tracks are also credited to Clarke solely on this release, even though it is the three members of Motörhead playing on the tracks.<ref>Dirty Love, Motörhead, Receiver Records Ltd, RRLP 123, 1989 Liner Notes, page rear</ref>
• The 1996 reissue is missing Girlschool covering "Bomber", and the 2005 reissue is missing the tracks completely, from the St. Valentines Day Massacre EP the bands did in 1981 for their shared label Bronze Records.Template:Fact

BMG 40th anniversary deluxe edition

On 30 October 2020, BMG released a deluxe box set of the album, which includes seven 12" LPs, one 10" EP and a DVD. Beside the normal album, which is presented in a special 40th Anniversary Master, the box set included the album Riders Wearing Black, which is a live recording made on 23 December 1981, at the Whitla Hall in Belfast. Another live recording, made on 5 March 1981, at Parc Expo in Orleans, is called Dead Man's Hand. The rarity collection is called The Good, The Bad & The Ugly. The set comes with a 10" EP, which includes seven instrumental demos, titles A Fistful Of Instrumentals. Pre-orders from the official shop of the band were able to receive a Dutch replica of the Ace Of Spades single, with the instrumental of the song on the b-side.

Personnel

Per the album's liner notes.<ref name=MAOS />

• Lemmy – vocals, bass, backing vocals on "Emergency"
• "Fast" Eddie Clarke – lead guitar, lead vocals on "Emergency"
• Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor – drums except on "Please Don't Touch" & "Emergency"
• Kim McAuliffe – rhythm guitar on "Please Don't Touch"
• Kelly Johnson – co-lead vocals & co-lead guitar on "Please Don't Touch"
• Enid Williams – bass on "Please Don't Touch" (Note: Enid and Lemmy play bass on the track, making it a six piece for this song)
• Denise Dufort – drums on "Please Don't Touch" & "Emergency" (Note: Dufort plays all the drums on the EP because Taylor had a broken neck at the time)

Production

• Vic "Chairman" Maile – producer, engineer & mixing
• Giovanni Scatola – mastering (2005 remaster)
• Martin Poole – design
• Alan Ballard – photography
• Curt Evans – 2005 cover design
• Joe Petagno – Snaggletooth

2005 deluxe edition remaster

• Steve Hammonds – release coordination
• Jon Richards – release coordination
• Malcolm Dome – sleeve notes
• Mick Stevenson – project consultant, photos and archive memorabilia

Charts

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Chart (1980-1981)	Peak position

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Chart (2020)	Peak position

Chart (2025)	Peak position
Greek Albums (IFPI)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	24

Release history

Date	Region	Label	Catalogue	Format	Notes
October 1980	United Kingdom	Bronze	BRON531	LP	Peaked at No. 4 in the UK Albums Chart
October 1980	United Kingdom	Bronze	BRONG531	LP
October 1980	Italy	Bronze	BROL 34531	LP
October 1980	Germany	Bronze	202 876-270	LP	Some mispressed with side one on both sides
October 1980	United States	Mercury	SRM-1-4011	LP	Different track running order
1986	United Kingdom	GWR	GWLP6	LP
1986	United Kingdom	Legacy	LLMCD 3013	CD
1988	United States	Profile	PCD-3243	CD
1988	United States	Profile	PRO-3243	LP
1991	United Kingdom	Castle	CLACD 240	CD	Liner notes by Mörat from Kerrang!
1996	United Kingdom	Template:Hlist	ESM CD 312	CD	Includes three bonus tracks
2003	Italy	Earmark	41003	LP
28 January 2003	United Kingdom	Silverline	2881339	DVD-Audio<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Surround Sound format
2005	United States	Sanctuary	06076-86408-2	2xCD

• The labels on the 1986 GWR re-issue had the GWR logo and "A" on one side, and side two on the other. The tracks were also erroneously listed in the order of the US release.