“ was very delicate because he was a diabetic. 'If it was anyone else, we'd have told him to go and fuck off and die or tied 'em to the car and run around the car park with them,' guitarist Eddie Clarke told Uncut. And, Maile had some unorthodox ideas that seemed strange for a gritty rock 'n' roll band (Lemmy never embraced the term “metal”).

The idea of the producer taking on a ragged slugfest by Motörhead and keeping it raw seems counterintuitive on paper.

“The only one I really didn’t like was Iron Fist and that’s mostly because the production was no good.”īy contrast, the production on Ace of Spades is clear and savage, which is surprising since the album was produced by Vic Maile, who was known for his work with Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton and Led Zeppelin.

“Sure, I like Ace of Spades, but no more than most of our other albums,” Kilmister told me in 2013. “Fast and Loose,” “(We Are) the Road Crew,” “The Chase is Better Than the Catch” and “Love Me Like a Reptile” stand alongside “Ace of Spades” as some of the band’s finest material. The album is filled with raging, ripping songs that helped define the group, at least in North America. That view is debatable, but one thing’s clear: “Ace of Spades” was the storming anthem the band needed to break into a new market and Ace of Spades was the ideal home for the song and other band classics. “I keep telling people this, but they think I’m fucking lying, but I’m not: I didn’t think it was any better than any of my other songs and I still don’t,” he told Decibel. More importantly, Ace of Spades officially exposed the world at large to Motorhead, setting the standard by which all of their other albums would be measured.Kilmister was pleased that “Ace of Spades” turbo-charged his career, yet he was always upfront about his confusion with the public’s reaction. 4 in the U.K., where the title song also became their first Top 20 hit. And fans responded, sending Ace of Spades to No. Producer Vic Maile completed things on Ace of Spades, later returning to work on the live album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith and the classic single ' Killed By Death.' One of the great unsung contributors in British rock, Maile as able to get a fresh, biting sound that captured the rock and roll spirit. Even when they slow things down, Motorhead seems to get just that much heavier on 'The Chase is Better Than the Catch.' 'Live to Win,' 'Fast and Loose,' and '(We Are) the Road Crew).' There isn't one duff track in the batch. 'Dance' is a full-on raver that cooks like a lost Yardbirds gem, while 'Bite the Bullet' and 'The Hammer' are speed-fueled affirmations of life. They come barreling out on initial songs like 'Love Me Like A Reptile' and 'Shoot You in the Back,' and it's clear these boys mean business. It's not easy to arrive at a signature approach, but he was able to do so here – as was Taylor, whose own style would go on to influence countless drummers over the years. The way that trio played together was truly incredible, and though Motorhead continued with other members until Lemmy's death, this lineup still holds a special place in the band's history.Īce of Spades is a big reason why. Hardly a one-man show, guitarist 'Fast' Eddie Clarke and drummer Phil 'Philthy Animal' Taylor made up the Motorhead lineup that gave the world these early LPs. Ace of Spades, a thrill ride from start to finish, would be the first Motorhead studio effort to receive distribution in the U.S. hit with 1979's Bomber, was conquering the world. All that was left, after scoring a Top 20 U.K. To this point, they had had released three albums, hitting upon a signature blend of speed, aggression and riffs following Lemmy's dismissal from Hawkwind. Motorhead stayed true to a singular vision of playing loud, hard, heart-pounding, adrenaline-surging rock and roll. 'We are Motorhead,' Lemmy has said when introducing countless concerts over the years, 'and we play rock and roll!' And so it remained, despite many wanting to assign them the label of heavy metal – and even punk - over the years.

Ace of spades song