Motörhead Vinyl Records – Ace of Spades, Overkill & Essential Albums on Vinyl

Motörhead are the loudest band in rock history, and one of the most important. Founded by Lemmy Kilmister in 1975 after he was sacked from Hawkwind, the classic three-piece line-up of Lemmy (bass, vocals), "Fast" Eddie Clarke (guitar) and Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor (drums) operated between 1976 and 1982 and recorded some of the most uncompromising hard rock anyone has ever made. Lemmy's growled bass-as-lead-guitar and his wrecked rasp are foundational to thrash metal, punk, and every adjacent genre that came after.

Ace of Spades (1980) is the one everyone knows, but Overkill and Bomber (both 1979) are arguably as good, and the live album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith (1981) is one of the finest hard rock live records ever released. Lemmy died in December 2015 just days after his 70th birthday, ending the band that had defined his life for forty years. Motörhead on vinyl is transcendent — the sheer volume and density of the recordings reward proper mastering. The Bronze and later Sanctuary pressings, and the recent BMG 180g reissues, are all superb.

Best Motorhead Albums on Vinyl

Ace of Spades (1980)
Their masterpiece. The title track alone is one of the most iconic songs in rock; the rest of the album — (We Are) The Road Crew, Love Me Like a Reptile, Fire Fire, The Hammer — has extraordinary sustained quality. The 180g reissues are essential.

Overkill (1979)
The album that established the Motörhead sound in full. The title track's double-kick-drum intro, Stay Clean, No Class — a faster, harder record than its predecessors. Many fans' favourite Motörhead album.

Bomber (1979)
The follow-up to Overkill, same year. Stone Dead Forever, Lawman, the title track — recorded with Jimmy Miller (Rolling Stones, Traffic) producing. Rougher than Overkill but with some of Clarke's best guitar work.

No Sleep 'til Hammersmith (1981)
The definitive live album. Bomber, Iron Horse, Ace of Spades, Overkill — recorded during the Short Sharp Pain in the Neck tour of 1981. Went to UK number one. One of the greatest live rock records.

Orgasmatron (1986)
The first album with the "new" line-up of Phil Campbell and Würzel on guitars. Deaf Forever, Orgasmatron, Built for Speed — darker and more doom-influenced than the classic era. A quiet late-career highlight.

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