Motorhead – “Ace Of Spades”
This starts a new adventure for us with dual texting. Now, we will be doing “Classic Albums.” The roots of the music that we cover.
I suggested we talk about “Electric Light Orchestra’s Greatest Hits” but Andy won out, with probably Motorhead’s greatest album, “Ace Of Spades”. And with Lemmy’s recent passing, I could only agree.
Let the dual texting commence!
Slimedog- So I assume “Ace Of Spades” was your first Motorhead album?
Andy- Yes it was. I remember hearing the song, “The Chase Is Better Than The Catch” on the radio, which prompted me to buy the album.
Slimedog- I remember, clearly, hearing them for the first time in your car. Some weekend night before seeing some punk show. Maybe ’81. And I said I didn’t want to hear it because I didn’t like metal.
Andy- Yeah, that adds up since the album came out at the end of ’80. I knew the kind of metal you were talking about, but this was something completely different.
Slimedog- Yeah, I remember you saying, “Well, just give them a chance.” Metal to me then, meant guys with opera voices singing cosmic lyrics. You pointed out the many hilarious lines on the record as it went along.
Andy- The difference with this album was the pace was high energy in a similar vein to The Ramones which I knew you liked. And between Lemmy’s rough vocals and the intense, whiskey-stained guitar licks- I knew you would be intrigued.
Slimedog- Also, we should point out that rock music was a pretty, somber affair at the time. It wasn’t until The Dictators and Angry Samoans that I heard funny tunes. But the energy and the “real to life” lyrics are totally punk on this album.
Andy- True, some very interesting things were starting to happen with the music. With the advent of The Ramones, the pace started increasing significantly. Many new hardcore bands were emerging. And even metal bands were incorporating punk and hardcore.
Slimedog- So I guess the first song I heard by them was “Ace Of Spades.” Besides it being the most covered song by local bands we see today, I think it’s one of the best songs ever.
Andy- Yes, “Ace Of Spades” is an amazing, timeless tune that I expect, will illicit feelings of excitement for all time. But as far as this album goes, it’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Slimedog- And the secret here is Lemmy, of course. While Iggy had his low voice imitating John Lee Hooker or Howling Wolf. Lemmy always sounded like an old, nasty guy you’d meet in a bar room.
Andy- Yah, Lemmy was one of a kind, which is what made Motorhead so effective and amazing.
Slimedog- To me, he always sounded like an old bluesman on crack. I love the ending- three high ringing guitar notes, four times, followed by three bashing chords twice. How about the second song, “Love Me Like A Reptile?”
Andy- Another fantastic song and one of my favorites. Nice guitar licks throughout, along with a cool kind of rattlesnake sound.
Slimedog- The first line is, “Knew I had to bite you, babe, when I first layed eyes on you.” Not kiss or even fuck but bite! I also like “shock you like an electric eel,” and I really like the line “your murder in disguise.”
Andy- Ya, great song.
Slimedog- Obviously inspired by the beastiality of Captain & Tenille’s “Muskrat Love.” It ends with the same chords as “Born To Be Wild!” The third song is “Shoot You In The Back.”
Andy- Yeah this one conjures up thoughts of the rough and tumble brutality of “The Old West.” More great guitars by Fast Eddie. You can almost smell the dust rising up around you.
Slimedog- I’m thinking it was influenced by what they called the western movies made in the sixties- “Spaghetti Westerns” with Clint Eastwood. I love those movies and the soundtrack music by Ennio Morricone. “Fast” Eddie Clarke plays a nice wah-wah solo.
Andy- Definitely. So if you think about the pace of the last two songs, they were kind of medium fast. But in the next tune they crank up the speed a bit with “Live To Win.”
Slimedog- Yeah, this song is almost hardcore in speed with a long, but not self-indulgent guitar solo.
Andy- True. You know, as I think back to this great album, it occurs to me that these three guys were, arguably, the best incarnation of Motorhead, and, unfortunately, all three are no longer with us any more.
Slimedog- Yes, but they must have one helluva band in hell. And great shows there that, I assume, I’ll soon be attending.
Andy- That’s a ticket we’ll ALL be seeing eventually. In the next tune it’s early in the morning and Lemmy is looking for a little sump-in, sump-in, ’cause he likes it “Fast And Loose.”
Slimedog- This is one of my favorites on the album. This is the original “booty call” song.
Andy- Yeah, you have to admire Lemmy’s persistence throughout with…”Let me in, let me in.”
Slimedog- “Get yourself some original sin.” But what does he mean with the line, “Don’t get up, get down instead?”
Andy- Hmm, perhaps his girlfriend sleeps in a bunk bed and needs to climb down…
Slimedog- Thanks for clarifying, I thought it might be about pills. The first line starts it’s “2 o’clock in the morning” and whilst taking notes for this song I happened to spy my clock and it was 2:07 am.
Andy- I see. Eerily similiar to how “25 Or 6 To 4” by Chicago got written … just sayin’.
Slimedog- Just for mentioning the band Chicago while talking about Motorhead, I believe your head should be nailed to a tree.
Andy- Sorry I think I incurred a slight haematoma. How about we move on to the tune about the unsung heroes of rock’n’roll with, “We Are The Road Crew”.
Slimedog- Lots of songs about being on the road or groupies but this one is about roadies and is my second favorite on the album.
Andy- Yeah and Fast Eddie does another great job with some cool licks.
Slimedog- My favorite lines are: “I just love the life I lead/ Another beer is what I need” and “Driving like a maniac/ Driving to hell and back.” The rhythm really captures the feeling of travelling, rushing to get somewhere on time. And when Lemmy says, “That’s right,” the whole song explodes and another great wah-wah solo erupts.
Andy- In truth, there are so many great tunes on this album we could talk about it ad infinitum. It’s nearly impossible to find an album where every song is so awesome, but this one truly does that. Before we close I guess we should talk about the song that prompted me to get this album in the first place. Where Lemmy echoes that well known sentiment of the “chase being better than the catch.” Who knew he was such a philosopher. Like pursuing a love that once gotten is no longer desirable. Similar in sentiment to the journey being more important than reaching the destination. And although these three blokes have reached their final destination, wow- they surly had one hell of a journey along the way.
Slimedog– Well said. What other band is so loved by the different styles we cover, the most “crossover” band we have. And lyrically, rhyming “bad reputation” with “deprivation” is superb. OK. That’s all for now. Stay tuned for next time when we’ll cover Coldplay’s, “My, Do We Suck.”
