Motorhead - Ace Of Spades (Classic Albums)
(Eagle Vision - 2004)

 

The documentary to what many fans consider to be their finest album, Ladies and Gentlemen, let's hear you applause for Motorhead that's if you can be heard because they are so ever so loud a band !!
Yes it's your chance to see it again if you missed it over the Christmas season of 04/05 - crammed full of tales of how the band got together and how well they got on as a band - that is when Filthy Phil Taylor and Fast Eddie Clarke weren't at loggerheads with each other.

This is hilarious stuff where Lemmy and his old drummer Mr. T are sat in the studio twiddling the nobs, explaining where some of the sounds and songs came from - for example, did you know that one of Eddie's distortion pedals was actually a hamster that squeaked in a little box - reckon that's a joke - well we can only hope so anyway. You find out how the cover art came to be and why one of the songs has a wild bit of distortion in it - all the answers are here and more.

You also get to hear the band playing instrumental versions of 'Jailbait'; 'We are the Road Crew'; 'The Chase is better than the Catch' and of course 'Ace of Spades' - well they couldn't miss that out could they ? Lemmy and Phil are together in one studio and Eddie is elsewhere - so he's superimposed in with the footage of the terrible twosome.

Nice to see interviews with the likes of Dobbie and Eagle (their lifelong road crew); Dave Brock (of Hawkwind); Phil Alexander (ex-Kerrang Magazine) and others including the late great Tommy Vance (Rock In Peace mate) who tells us what he thinks about 'Ace of Spades' and the band in general.

Motorhead performing 'Louie Louie' on 'Top of the Pops' is included with Gerry Bron (of Bronze Records) explaining how that appearance came about as well as archive interviews with the band at the time of the original album release. Wahey, you even get a couple of Hawkwind clips too !!

The extras are exceptional too giving you an insight on what Lemmy is like as a person coming from who know him best (which includes Kim McCauley and Kelly Johnson of Girlschool who strangely don't feature in the original programme); the craft of songwriting; Lemmy talking about world famous LA club 'The Rainbow' with a gorgeous babe either side of him plus Eddie and Phil playing their separate parts to each of the featured songs.

This DVD is a Motorheadbangers dream come true. Get it bought, get it on and prepare to be reduced to a puddle of laughter and at the same time shocked, intrigued and of course deafened by the intoxicating music.

10/10

By Glenn Milligan