In November, Motörhead’s seminal fourth studio album, ‘Ace Of Spades,’ will be turning 40. To celebrate, the band will be releasing a deluxe edition of the classic album, as well as releasing a special anniversary box set. Both are set to hit shelves October 30.
The deluxe edition of the album will be available as hardbound book-packs with either two CDs or three LPs and include the album plus unheard tracks recorded during their ‘Ace Up Your Sleeve’ tour, as well as never-before-seen photos and the story of the album. As for the box set, that will be filled with even more era-specific content and at least 42 previously unreleased tracks. Packaged in a “classic Wild West dynamite box,” the set includes:
- The ‘Ace Of Spades’ album, half-speed mastered and created from the original master tapes.
- Two double-live albums of previously unheard concerts from the Ace Up Your Sleeve tour.
- ‘A Fistful Of Instrumentals’: A 10” EP of previously unreleased, instrumental tracks from 1980.
- ‘The Good, The Broke & The Ugly’: A double album of B-sides, outtakes and rare tracks.
- ‘Ace On Your Screens’: A DVD compilation of rare TV appearances from 1980-81, a live concert from 1981 and a 5.1 audio mix of the original album.
- ‘The Ace Of Spades story’: A 40 page book telling the story of Ace Of Spades through previously unpublished interviews with the people that were there. Includes never before seen photos and memorabilia.
- The Ace Up Your Sleeve tour programme
- The Motörhead Rock Commando comic
- A set of 5 poker dice that can be played on the game board inside the box set lid.
- A limited edition 7″ reproduction of the Dutch “Ace Of Spades,” with a previously unreleased instrumental version on Side B. (while stock last!)
According to a description of the album in the press release,
“In 1980, off the back of two essential albums, Overkill and Bomber the previous year, Motörhead continued to get bigger, better, louder and faster by the second. This time, on Ace Of Spades they teamed up with producer Vic Maile and came up with twelve songs; each and every one of which crams a regular band’s ten minutes of playing into an average of three. The song titles alone made ears bleed: “Love Me Like A Reptile,” “Shoot You In The Back,” “The Chase Is Better Than The Catch” and “The Hammer” were a few examples. This landmark album saw the three amigos of Lemmy, Fast Eddie Clarke and Philthy Animal Taylor at the helm of the juggernaut that was Motörhead, gaining phenomenal growth in popularity as they forged onward. The band’s and fans ideas, wants and inspirations, converged at a perfect tangent. Anyone disputing this fact need look no further than any heavy metal gig of the time and play ‘spot the Motörhead T-shirt and jacket.’ They outnumbered anyone else by at least five to one. A statistic that is still accurate some forty five years since they first began!
The Ace Of Spades album release was a magical moment in rock’n’roll history, an album which had enormous global impact and continues to resonate and inspire people worldwide. Fans to this day still remember where they were when they first heard it, and it immediately inspired bands worldwide to absorb the album’s energy, speed, and attitude into their own work. Ace Of Spades is ground zero for thrash, speed metal, and punk / metal crossover.”
To coincide with the box set announcement, Motörhead has released a video featuring a live version of “Ace Of Spades” from their 1981 show in Belfast. That can be viewed on the band’s YouTube channel here.
Last year, the band gave the deluxe anniversary treatment to their 1979 albums ‘Overkill’ and ‘Bomber.’ Those versions were met with high acclaim from fans and critics alike.
The ‘Ace Of Spades’ deluxe editions and 40th anniversary box set are available for pre-order now. More information and news about the release can be found on the band’s website. A tracklisting for the box set follows below.
BOX SET TRACKLISTING
‘Ace of Spades’
Side One
Ace Of Spades
Love Me Like A Reptile
Shoot You In The Back
Live To Win
Fast And Loose
(We Are) The Road Crew
Side Two
Fire Fire
Jailbait
Dance
Bite The Bullet
The Chase Is Better Than The Catch
The Hammer
A Fistful Of Instrumentals
Side One
Ace Of Spades (demo)
Hump On Your Back (demo)
Shoot You In The Back (demo)
Fast And Loose (demo)
Side Two
Dirty Love (demo)
Love Me Like A Reptile (demo)
Dance (demo)
Riders Wearing Black
Live At Whitla Hall, Belfast – 23rd Dec 1981
Side One
Ace Of Spades
Stay Clean
Over The Top
The Hammer
Shoot You In The Back
Metropolis
Side Two
(We Are) The Road Crew
No Class
Bite The Bullet
The Chase Is Better Than The Catch
Side Three
Jailbait
Leaving Here
Capricorn
Too Late, Too Late
Side Four
Overkill
Bomber
Motörhead
Dead Man’s Hand
Live At Parc Expo, Orleans – 5th March 1981 Side One
Side One
Ace Of Spades
Stay Clean
Over The Top
Metropolis
Shoot You In The Back
Side Two
The Hammer
Jailbait
Leaving Here
Fire Fire
Love Me Like A Reptile
Side Three
Capricorn
Too Late, Too Late
(We Are) The Road Crew
No Class
Side Four
Bite The Bullet
The Chase Is Better Than The Catch
Overkill
Bomber
The Good, The Broke & The Ugly
Side One
Ace Of Spades (Alternative Version)
Dirty Love
Love Me Like A Reptile (Alternative Long Version)
Shoot You In The Back (Alternative Version)
Side Two
Hump On Your Back
Fast And Loose (Alternative Version)
(We Are) The Road Crew (Alternative Version)
Fire Fire (Alternative Version)
Jailbait (Alternative Version)
Side Three
Waltz Of The Vampire
The Hammer (Alternative Version)
Dirty Love (Alternative Long Version)
Bastard
Godzilla Akimbo
Side Four
Love Me Like A Reptile (Alternative Version)
Dirty Love (Alternative Version)
Please Don’t Touch (Performed by Headgirl)
Bomber (Performed by Girlschool)
Emergency
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
