Motörhead

Undoubtedly one of rock's most anthologized bands bar none (even Kiss!), heavy metal legends Motörhead have their back catalog plundered and reconfigured yet again with this collection of singles (including B-sides) from their Bronze Records years…

Before forming Motörhead, Ian Kilmister (aka Lemmy) could boast of having been a member of space rock cowboys Hawkwind and a career in horsebreaking (that's horsebreaking, not housebreaking). He was also, to top it all, the son of a vicar. Having been expelled from his former employers after a disagreement with border guards over the contents of his luggage, he took the name for his new band from the final song he'd written for Hawkwind…

Motörhead were an English rock band formed in June 1975 by bassist, singer, and songwriter Ian Fraser Kilmister (1945–2015), professionally known by his stage name Lemmy, who had remained the sole constant member. The band are often considered a precursor to, or one of the earliest members of, the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, which re-energised heavy metal in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Despite this, Lemmy had always dubbed their music as simply "rock and roll"…

Motörhead was an English rock band formed in June 1975 by bassist, singer, and songwriter Ian Fraser Kilmister (1945–2015), professionally known by his stage name Lemmy, who had remained the sole constant member. The band are often considered a precursor to, or one of the earliest members of, the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, which re-energised heavy metal in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Despite this, Lemmy had always dubbed their music as simply "rock and roll"…

Like AC/DC, Motörhead rarely stray from their niche, crafting reliable records from a punk metal template that began in 1977 with their self-titled debut. Inferno is no exception, as the sum of its parts does little to deviate from the formula. Opening with the blistering "Terminal Show" – marking the first of two appearances by guitar legend Steve Vai – Lemmy, Philip, and Mikkey burn through 12 raucous blues-rock fist-pumpers with the energy of a trio of wily twentysomethings. Lemmy's gruff vocal style is ageless; as "f*ck you" now as it was on "Ace of Spades." All of the classic Motörhead themes are present; there's sticking-it-to-the-man ("Life's a Bitch"), murder and death ("Smiling Like a Killer"), and sex (the surprise back porch acoustic jam "Whorehouse Blues")…

Although it isn't as extensive as No Remorse, All the Aces: The Best of Motörhead does gather the best-of-the-best of that collection, as well as the cream of the uneven, Bill Laswell-produced Orgasmatron (although the "Ace of Spades" remix that closes the original track listing could have been left off in favor of another, more necessary item). There's plenty of quality material from Motörhead's early-'80s heyday that didn't make the cut here, so it's better to think of All the Aces as a concise survey rather than a definitive encapsulation…

This is the prefect CD to introduce someone to Motörhead. Sure "Ace of Spades" and "Overkill" are great songs, but Motörhead is so much more than their "hits". This album embraces the more over looked gems like "Traitor", "Bad Religion", and "Cradle To The Grave"…

There have been dozens and dozens of Motörhead compilations released over the decades, but the first one remains definitive, even if it's not perfect. Released in 1984 as a gap-filler – for Motörhead were regrouping in the wake of the bandmember shuffling that followed the odd Another Perfect Day album – No Remorse compiled two-dozen songs across two discs (latter-day editions adding a good serving of bonus tracks, too)…

As part of its 2005 Motörhead reissue campaign, Sanctuary Records compiled and released a collection of BBC Radio 1 recordings featuring the band. This double-disc, 22-song release includes a series of four shows: a 1978 John Peel session, a 1979 In-Concert session from London, a 1981 David Jensen session, and a 1986 Friday Rock Show session. There's nothing particularly revelatory here, especially when you consider the bonus discs of such material that accompanied Sanctuary's concurrent Motörhead reissues…