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
