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Category:    Home > Reviews > Documentary > Music > Rock > Albums > Classic Albums: Motorhead - Ace Of Spades (Eagle DVD)

Classic Albums: Motorhead - Ace Of Spades

 

Picture: B-     Sound: B-     Extras: B-     Main Program: B-

 

 

Motorhead has long been an influential band to all those who wished to follow in their mighty footsteps, throughout the 80’s and into the present.  They have provided some of the best music to just thrash out to without the need of much meaningful thought behind it.  The disc being reviewed here from the Classic Albums series offers a decent amount of entertainment through a look at the band from their own perspective on the first years of their existence.  While their stories from the road are great to hear and offer some fun moments, they detract a little bit of focus from the album that is at the core of this DVD.  Actually, a lot of the attention falls square on Lemmy Kilmeister - the bassist/vocalist at the helm of it all; which is to be expected, as he’s the most prominent and easily recognized member of the band.  Despite seeming a bit sidetracked, the disc still does revolve around the album, and all of the song selections are taken from Motorhead’s most respected and well-known work, Ace Of Spades.

 

It’s interesting to be there when the band goes back to deconstruct some of the album’s key tracks straight from the mixing board, offering a listen and a little insight to some sounds you probably never noticed during the times you’ve heard the finished album.  Aside from this stuff, there are some fresh performances of a few songs - both as a band (with Eddie Clark being pasted in, as he was unable to join Lemmy and Phil in person) and as individuals.  These performances aren’t all that you might expect, and you’ll get a lot more enjoyment from listening to them on the original album, but it’s neat to have them here in a way.  This material is found scattered throughout the disc, and interspersed through it is a tour of the band’s early years, with a slight shift seen in the bonus material, which picks up on Lemmy’s many exploits throughout the past twenty-odd years or so.

 

All of this has a little trouble gelling together just right, so I’m not sure how many repeat viewings you’ll be giving this, but I’m sure that a lot of people would still like to have it on their shelves at home.  Rarely are documentaries of this kind something that you’ll see more than once or twice, and that’s okay, as long as you get what you paid for - and I believe that this disc serves up exactly what it offers.  There should have been a few more complete songs in my opinion, and a lot more concert footage; but the interviews from those in and around the band (as well as some of the more famous musicians who have succeeded in applying some of what Motorhead was doing to their own music) make it all a nice way to kill some time when you’re seeking a minor history lesson on one of your favorite bands.

 

As for the quality of the audio, some may be disappointed that the sound mix is only Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo and not with any Pro Logic surround sound.  This is okay with me though, as the stereo mix is decent - and since a lot of this is just interview footage, you won’t be teaching your speakers a lesson in anything new by having a 5.1 mix of things.  The picture is in anamorphically enhanced widescreen for 16x9 televisions, which will be nice for those with higher end sets to watch it on.  However, the picture quality isn’t superb, and originated on video, older film clips notwithstanding.  Not like this is a bad thing - just the standard for most documentaries of any stripe.

 

You could do worse with buying a music related DVD - and of all the music titles I’ve reviewed for the site so far, this is the only one I’d even give second thought to keeping.  The only other worth mentioning would be The Doors 2-Disc set, also available from Eagle Rock Entertainment.  Both of these presentations lack something to keep them from greatness, but they’re also not fake or just cheap cash-ins, so this is a company to keep your eye on when you‘re seeking out music-related DVDs.  I don’t think that any Motorhead follower will be able to resist buying this disc if they run into it at any point, and I don’t see any of them regretting their purchase decision either.  To those who decide to check it out, we hope you enjoy it.

 

 

-   David Milchick


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