ACE OF SPADES TURNS 40

Motorhead's Ace of Spades is 40 years old this year.

Technically the 4th studio album, by Motorhead, Ace of Spades was the official debut of the band, in the United States, and it not only cemented them as heavy metal pioneers, but it became an inspiration for numerous bands who are now, themselves, considered icons of hard and classic rock.

Motorhead were part of a movement happening in Britain, during the late 1970s, called the New Wave of Heavy Metal. Other bands lumped into this "sub-genre" included Iron Maiden, Def Leppard and Saxon.   However, unlike those other artists, due to their thrash style of playing, Motorhead appealed to not only heavy metal fans, but punk rockers too.  

Reaching store shelves in November, 1980 and preceded by the release of the title track as a single, in October of that year, Ace of Spades attained Gold status in the UK by March, 1981.  Produced by Vic Maile who had worked with Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and The Who, previously, Ace of Spades had a somewhat sleeker sound than Motorhead's first albums, without the loss of raw power the band was known for.  With Mr. Maile at the board, Motorhead's Ace of Spades became a 36 minute audible power punch.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of its release, a deluxe edition is being released.  This set contains all of the following:

• 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 A 40 page book telling the story of Ace Of Spades through previously unpublished interviews with the people that were there.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.
• All encased in a classic Wild West dynamite box.
• A limited edition 7" reproduction of the Dutch 'Ace Of Spades', with a previously unreleased instrumental version on Side B. (while supplies last)

To get the latest updates on this release and/or other Motorhead news, visit www.iMotorhead.com.