MOTÖRHEAD – Ace of Spades [40th Anniversary Edition Deluxe Box]

The Backstory

Hot on the heels of last year’s well-received anniversary editions of Motörhead’s Overkill and Bomber albums (1979 Box Set), comes the record that transformed Motörhead into Heavy Metal legends. Ace of Spades gets the 40th Anniversary treatment with multiple configurations that are sure to please casual fans, regular fans, and die-hard fans as well. This review is for the [digital] deluxe box set edition. At this time, the vinyl box set has sold out at Motothead’s website.

The Packaging

The look and the presentation of this box set is top-notch. It looks as if a lot of work went into the detail and presentation of the artwork. There were no cutting corners here.

Ace of Spades – 40th Anniversary Master

You know the songs, you love the songs, you don’t need them critiqued. 75% of the album’s songs have appeared on multiple Motörhead “best of” compilations, and staples such as “Ace of Spades” and “The Chase is Better Than the Catch” were still on the set list of Motörhead’s final shows. This isn’t the first time that Ace of Spades has been remastered, but the 40th anniversary edition may just be the best. Any muddiness that was on the original is gone. The production is crisp and clear. Some would say that muddiness is what made Ace of Spades what it was, but you can still get that version if you want it.

Riders Wearing Black
Live at Whitla Hall, Belfast, Dec. 23rd 1981

This live show is the better quality of the two. Motörhead was simply on fire in 1981.

Dead Man’s Hand
Live at Parc Expo, Orleans, Mar. 5th 1981

Even though the Belfast show is the better quality of the two, the rawness and energy of this Parc Expo show is still enjoyable. There are different songs and songs played in different order on this show, so it avoids any possible fatigue from hearing the same set over and over.

The Good, The Broke, and The Ugly

This album is collection of demos and alternate versions of songs from Ace of Spades. A couple of the tracks never made it past demo form. It’s a great way to hear how the song developed into the final product. Some fans like things like this, but honestly how many times are you going to revisit this collection?

A Fistful of Instrumentals

They are not instrumental versions of the final song, these are all in demo form. A little rougher than the final product. Again, how many times are you going to go back to this?

Ace on Your Screens DVD

The DVD is an excellent look at life on the road for Motörhead in 1980-1981. The interview segments from the foreign press are amusing as they continually question the band about their “tough guy” look. You’ll also find out that Lemmy is an ABBA fan. In between interview segments are live TV performances. Some of the performances are live, others are pre-recorded or lip synced as was the case for TV in the early ’80s. Motörhead’s appearance on a children’s television program is by far the best segment. The running time is about 50 minutes.

The Verdict

The 40th Anniversary Edition of Ace of Spades is the perfect time capsule of the life and adventures of Motörhead in 1980-1981. You get insight to how the album came to be with the instrumentals, demos, and alternate takes. You get the final presentation of Ace of Spades in the best sound quality. You get a glimpse into what attending a Motörhead live show was like at the time. Plus, you get video footage of everything in between. Of course there are some things you are only going to visit once or twice, but they way this box set is presented, it’s still worth the investment. Hopefully, they will be producing more vinyl deluxe sets in the future.

TUNE INTO METALEXPRESSRADIO.COM at NOON & MIDNIGHT (EST) / 6:00 & 18:00 (CET) TO HEAR THE BEST TRACKS FROM THIS UPCOMING RELEASE!!!

Tracklist

Ace of Spades – 40th Anniversary Master

1. Ace of Spades
2. Love Me Like a Reptile
3. Shoot You in the Back
4. Live to Win
5. Fast and Loose
6. (We Are) The Road Crew
7. Fire Fire
8. Jailbait
9. Dance
10. Bite the Bullet
11. The Chase is Better Than the Catch
12. The Hammer

Riders Wearing Black
Live at Whitla Hall, Belfast, Dec. 23rd 1981

1. Ace of Spades
2. Stay Clean
3. Over the Top
4. The Hammer
5. Shoot You in the Back
6. Metropolis
7. Jailbait
8. Leaving Here
9. Capricorn
10. Too Late, Too Late
11. (We Are) The Road Crew
12. No Class
13. Bite the Bullet
14. The Chase is Better Than the Catch
15. Overkill
16. Bomber
17. Motörhead

Dead Man’s Hand
Live at Parc Expo, Orleans, Mar. 5th 1981

1. Ace of Spades
2. Stay Clean
3. Over the Top
4. Metropolis
5. Shoot You in the Back
6. The Hammer
7. Jailbait
8. Leaving Here
9. Fire, Fire
10. Love Me Like a Reptile
11. Capricorn
12. Too Late, Too Late
13. (We Are) The Road Crew
14. No Class
15. Bite the Bullet
16. The Chase is Better Than the Catch
17. Overkill
18. Bomber

The Good, The Broke, and The Ugly

1. Ace of Spades (Alternate Version)
2. Dirty Love
3. Love Me Like a Reptile (Alternate Long Version)
4. Shoot You in the Back (Alternate Version)
5. Hump on Your Back
6. Fast and Loose (Alternate Version)
7. (We Are) The Road Crew (Alternate Version)
8. Fire Fire (Alternate Version)
9. Jailbait (Alternate Version)
10. Waltz of the Vampire
11. The Hammer (Alternate Version)
12. Dirty Love (Alternate Long Version)
13. Bastard
14. Godzilla Akimbo
15. Love Me Like a Reptile (Alternate Version)
16. Dirty Love (Alternate Version)
17. Please Don’t Touch (w/Girlschool)
18. Bomber (Girlschool)
19. Emergency

A Fistful of Instrumentals 

1. Ace of Spades
2. Hump on Your Back
3. Shoot You in the Back
4. Fast and Loose
5. Dirty Love
6. Love Me Like a Reptile
7. Dance

Ace on Your Screens DVD

Part 1: Motörhead on TV 1980-1981
Part 2: BBC in the City: Live in Belfast ’81
Part 3: 5.1 audio mix of Ace of Spades