Ace of Spades is the fourth studio album by English rock band Motörhead, released in October 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.[4]
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:
I like Iron Maiden and Saxon out of the new mob, and that's about it, really... We were too late for the first metal movement and early for the next one... Motörhead don't fit into any category, really. We're not straight heavy metal, because we're a rock 'n' roll band, which no-one knows how to market anymore.
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:
He used to own a mobile studio – Hawkwind hired it out to do Space Ritual and he came with it... Vic was a great man and a great producer, really brilliant... Those were good times; we were winning, we were younger, and we believed it.
As Steffan Chirazi observes in the liner notes to the 1996 reissue of Ace of Spades:
Vic Maille at the production helm used an expert ear to translate the monstrous live sound and feel of the band to vinyl.
Maille, 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, Maille 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:
Even if he was angry, he was angry like this: (assumes soft-spoken tone) 'You're not supposed to do it like that,' or 'Stop that boys .'" Lemmy concurs, "Vic was great. He was the first one who told us we were all cunts and work harder. He had a very dry personae: 'Is that really the best shot you've got?'
In 2015, Clarke recalled to John Robinson of Uncut:
He didn't drink, he didn't smoke, and he was very delicate because he was diabetic. He had to have his Ryvita at six o'clock. We couldn't get heavy with him, couldn't fucking shake him, you know what I mean? He might die! So we had to listen to him.
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."[6] 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."[6]
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:
I used gambling metaphors, mostly cards and dice – when it comes to that sort of thing, I'm more into the slot machines actually, but you can't really sing about spinning fruit, and the wheels coming down. Most of the song's just poker, really - 'I know you've got to see me, read 'em and weep, Dead man's hand again, aces and eights' - that was Wild Bill Hickock's hand when he got shot. 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. For myself, I've had enough of that song.
I'm glad we got famous for that rather than for some turkey, but I sang 'The eight of spades' for two years and nobody noticed.
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:
They were a good crew, and they were proud of how good they were. I would put them up against any crew in the world.
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:
We only thought of ourselves as a good time rock 'n' roll band, really... But we weren't trying to get a message across, apart from have a good time, you know: get pissed, get stoned, and fuck a chick. And that'll do.
The Mercury Records vinyl release has an entirely different track order, which many fans feel is a better delivery of the album as a whole.
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.[7] 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.[8]
The album has been described as "one of the best metal albums by any band, ever"[17] and a significantly influential "hard rock classic".[18][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."[11]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:
When Lemmy sings the lyrics to '(We Are) The Road Crew' it's the sound of a grizzled veteran who has been there, done that and gone back for second helpings... If ever a piece of music was a manifesto for the mad, bad and dangerous to know party then the title track is it. Unrepentant and full of hell, there's not one note out of place.
Despite the band always referring to their music as rock 'n' roll,[19] the album, and particularly its title track, have been considered amongst the most influential in the development of thrash metal.[20] The title track is, for many, the definitive Motörhead anthem.[21]
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.[22]
[2]
Disc one includes the original album without bonus tracks.
All tracks are written by Kilmister, Clarke, Taylor
Disc two
No.
Title
Original release
Length
1.
"Dirty Love"
B-Side of Ace of Spades single
2:55
2.
"Ace of Spades (Rare)" (Demo)
Dirty Love CD release
3:03
3.
"Love Me Like a Reptile" (Demo)
Dirty Love CD release
4:16
4.
"Love Me Like a Reptile" (Alternative Version)
Stone Dead Forever CD release
3:31
5.
"Shoot You in the Back" (Demo)
Dirty Love CD release
3:11
6.
"Fast and Loose" (Demo)
Dirty Love CD release
3:06
7.
"(We Are) the Road Crew" (Demo)
Dirty Love CD release
3:24
8.
"Fire, Fire" (Alternative Version)
Stone Dead Forever CD release
2:41
9.
"Jailbait" (Alternative Version)
Stone Dead Forever CD release
3:33
10.
"The Hammer" (Alternative Version)
Stone Dead Forever CD release
3:11
11.
"Dirty Love" (Outtake)
Dirty Love CD release
1:02
12.
"Dirty Love" (Demo)
Dirty Love CD release
3:51
13.
"Fast and Loose" (Live - BBC Radio 1 Dave Jensen Show, Maida Vale 4 Studio, London, 1 October 1981)
4:18
14.
"Live to Win" (Live - BBC Radio 1 Dave Jensen Show, Maida Vale 4 Studio, London, 1 October 1981)
3:33
15.
"Bite the Bullet / The Chase Is Better Than the Catch" (Live - BBC Radio 1 Dave Jensen Show, Maida Vale 4 Studio, London, 1 October 1981)
6:05
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.[23]
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.
BMG 40th anniversary deluxe edition
On 30th 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.
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.
^Q (10/96, pp. 186–187) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...their defining moment....the title track is not so much the best song on the record as the greatest rock single ever recorded, three minutes of genuinely hair-raising rollercoasteresque Grand Prix tank racing superfast guitar-belch rock..."
Dietrich BonhoefferLahir(1906-02-04)4 Februari 1906Breslau, Schlesien, Prusia, Jerman(sekarang Wrocław, Polandia)Meninggal9 April 1945(1945-04-09) (umur 39)Flossenbürg, Bayern, JermanSebab meninggalEksekusi dengan cara digantungPendidikanStaatsexamen (Tübingen), Doktor Teologi (Berlin), Privatdozent (Berlin)GerejaPersatuan Gereja-gereja Prussia (1906–1933)Gereja yang Mengaku (1933–1945)Karya tulisPenulis beberapa buku dan artikel (lihat di bawah)JemaatJemaat Gereja Zion, Berlin …
Untuk kapal lain dengan nama serupa, lihat Kapal_tempur_Jepang_Fusō. Fusō setelah dibangun Sejarah Kekaisaran Jepang Nama Fusō (Kanji Jepang: 扶桑)Asal nama Nama klasik untuk JepangDipesan 24 September 1875Pembangun Samuda Brothers, Cubitt Town, LondonPasang lunas 24 September 1875?Diluncurkan 17 April 1877Selesai Januari 1878Reklasifikasi Kapal Pertahanan Pesisir, Desember 1905Dicoret 1 April 1908Nasib terjual untuk di besituakan, 1909 Ciri-ciri umum (as built) Jenis Central-battery ironcl…
Artikel ini tidak memiliki referensi atau sumber tepercaya sehingga isinya tidak bisa dipastikan. Tolong bantu perbaiki artikel ini dengan menambahkan referensi yang layak. Tulisan tanpa sumber dapat dipertanyakan dan dihapus sewaktu-waktu.Cari sumber: SMP Brawijaya Smart School – berita · surat kabar · buku · cendekiawan · JSTORartikel ini perlu dirapikan agar memenuhi standar Wikipedia. Tidak ada alasan yang diberikan. Silakan kembangkan artikel ini sem…
Skyscraper in Sandton, South Africa The LeonardoThe tower in 2020Alternative names75 on MaudeRecord heightTallest in Africa from 2019 to 2021[I]Preceded byCarlton CentreSurpassed byIconic TowerGeneral informationStatusCompletedTypeMixed-useLocationSandton, Johannesburg, South AfricaCoordinates26°6′15.2″S 28°3′19.96″E / 26.104222°S 28.0555444°E / -26.104222; 28.0555444Groundbreaking17 November 2015Construction started2015Completed2019; 5 years ago&…
.uz البلد أوزبكستان الموقع الموقع الرسمي تعديل مصدري - تعديل uz. هو نطاق إنترنت من صِنف مستوى النطاقات العُليا في ترميز الدول والمناطق، للمواقع التي تنتمي لأوزبكستان.[1][2] مراجع ^ النطاق الأعلى في ترميز الدولة (بالإنجليزية). ORSN [الإنجليزية]. Archived from the original on 2019-05…
Natasha RyderNatasha di acara televisi Ini Talkshow.LahirNatasha Irvina Ryder8 Mei 1999 (umur 24)Tempat tinggalJakarta, IndonesiaPekerjaanSelebritas internetaktrismodelpembawa acaraTahun aktif2013—sekarangKeluarga Kimberly Ryder (kakak) Edward Akbar (kakak ipar) Tamara Bleszynski (bibi) Natasha Irvina Ryder[1] (lahir 8 Mei 1999)[2] adalah seorang selebritas internet, model, aktris, dan pembawa acara berkebangsaan Indonesia.[3][4] Ia merupakan adik dari…
Archaeological site of an ancient Buddhist monastery in Pakistan Takht-i-Bahi تختِ باہیA view of the site's main cluster of ruinsShown within PakistanShow map of PakistanTakht-i-Bahi (Gandhara)Show map of GandharaLocationMardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PakistanCoordinates34°17′10″N 71°56′48″E / 34.28611°N 71.94667°E / 34.28611; 71.94667TypeSettlementHistoryFounded1st century CEAbandoned7th century CE UNESCO World Heritage SiteOfficial nameBuddhist Ruins of…
Questa voce o sezione sugli argomenti battaglie e seconda guerra mondiale non cita le fonti necessarie o quelle presenti sono insufficienti. Commento: bibliografia scarsa e che fa ancora uso di Biagi (un semplice giornalista); note in numero insufficiente: voce non affidabile. Puoi migliorare questa voce aggiungendo citazioni da fonti attendibili secondo le linee guida sull'uso delle fonti. Segui i suggerimenti dei progetti di riferimento 1, 2. Operazione Frühlingserwachenparte del fronte …
Царственные страстотерпцы Икона работы Александра Айнетдинова. 2009 Умер 17 июля 1918(1918-07-17)Екатеринбург, РСФСР Канонизирован 20 августа 2000 года В лике страстотерпцев День памяти 4 (17) июля Медиафайлы на Викискладе Канонизация царской семьи — прославление в лике пра…
Major League Baseball team season 1903 Cleveland NapsLeagueAmerican LeagueBallparkLeague ParkCityCleveland, OhioOwnersCharles SomersManagersBill Armour← 19021904 → The 1903 Cleveland Naps season was the third Major League Baseball season for the Cleveland American League team. After two seasons as the Bluebirds or Blues and also being called the Bronchos (or Broncos) in 1902, beginning with the 1903 season, the team was called the Naps in honor of star second baseman N…
For the women's event, see 2022–23 Women's FA Cup. Football tournament season 2022–23 FA CupFootball Association Challenge CupWembley Stadium hosted the final on 3 June 2023Tournament detailsCountryEnglandWalesDates5 November 2022 – 3 June 2023Teams732[1] (all)640 (qualifying competition)124 (main competition incl. 32 qualifiers)Defending championsLiverpoolFinal positionsChampionsManchester City (7th title)Runner-upManchester UnitedTournament statisticsMatches played144Goals…
United States historic placeCoit Memorial TowerU.S. National Register of Historic PlacesSan Francisco Designated Landmark No. 165 View of Coit Tower in August 2021Coit TowerShow map of San Francisco CountyCoit TowerShow map of CaliforniaCoit TowerShow map of the United StatesLocation1 Telegraph Hill Blvd.San Francisco, CaliforniaCoordinates37°48′09″N 122°24′21″W / 37.80250°N 122.40583°W / 37.80250; -122.40583Area1.7 acres (0.69 ha)Built1933Archi…
Questa voce sull'argomento microbiologia è solo un abbozzo. Contribuisci a migliorarla secondo le convenzioni di Wikipedia. Segui i suggerimenti del progetto di riferimento. Come leggere il tassoboxVaricellovirus Virus della varicella-zoster Classificazione dei virus Dominio Acytota Gruppo virus a dsDNA Famiglia Herpesviridae Sottofamiglia Alphaherpesvirinae Genere Varicellovirus Il varicellovirus è un genere della sottofamiglia delle alphaherpesvirinae e comprende le seguenti specie: Her…
1998 song performed by Sara Evans No Place That FarSingle by Sara Evansfrom the album No Place That Far B-sideCryin' Game[1]ReleasedSeptember 28, 1998GenreCountryLength3:37LabelRCA NashvilleSongwriter(s)Sara Evans, Tony Martin, Tom ShapiroProducer(s)Norro Wilson, Buddy CannonSara Evans singles chronology Cryin' Game (1998) No Place That Far (1998) Fool, I'm a Woman (1999) Music videoNo Place That Far at CMT.com No Place That Far is a song co-written and recorded by American country m…
Kalla Ankourao, 2019 Nigerien politician Kalla Ankourao (born 1 January 1946[1][2]) is a Nigerien politician. A member of the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism (PNDS), he was Minister of Public Health from 1995 to 1996 and Minister of Equipment from 2011 to 2012. Political career During the 1980s, Ankourao worked at the Ministry of Public Works and Urban Planning as Director of Urban Planning.[3] Ankourao was elected to the National Assembly of Niger in the Febru…
بنية الهيموغلوبين، وفيه يبدو العامل المرافق من الهيم الحاوي على فلز الحديد باللون الأخضر. البروتين الفلزي [1] هو مصطلح عام شامل في الكيمياء الحيوية للبروتينات الحاوية عامل مرافق يدخل في تركيبه أيون فلزي.[2][3] تعد هذه البروتينات وفيرة في الجسم نسبياً، فهناك تقديري…