someone new to Motörhead (or ANY other band) certainly does not need to know anything about "the history of the band". You don't listen to any history, you listen too music. You don't even have to care about the names of the band members, number of played instruments or whatever.

Fully agree to what the others said before - Overkill is the one to start with!

Agree with you Toast regarding Rammstein. I do know that you shouldn't Büch Dich...

I have heard Sam Gopal, Rocking Vicars Opal Butterfly and Hawkwind, none is as good as Motörhead. I wouldn't recommend any of them to someone who is curious about Motörhead, no need to for beginners to "understand" music...

I have no doubt: Overkill and Inferno.

I think this is a difficult debate. It has to be an album that represents the band, something with a variation that compiles all band's 'brands'. I'm still stuck between Overkill, APD, Orgasmatron and TWIY.
Reading Blackadder's post, I think it's kind of 'relieving' or even thrilling when you get to know as many bands as possible before meeting your favourite band. Not necessarily to know where Motorhead came from, but also to have that feeling of getting to know so much shit or even 'good sketches' before getting to know what a true masterpiece is.

Choosing one album is really difficult.

My choice for a new fan would be 'No Sleep Till Hammersmith.' It's considered by many to be one of the greatest live albums released and I agree.

My second choice would be the Stone Deaf Forever box set. It can be had for not much money on ebay. I's an incredible box set. I used to have it in my car and would listen to it regularly. It has an incredible selection of songs spanning many years. I avoided looking thoroughly to the list of tracks on it as I like being surprised. I nearly crapped my pants when I heard Motorhead playing Silver Machine on there - Lemmy's first big hit.

That's cheating mate, it can not be a compilation album

Agree on both choices, as live albums are just compilation albums in a live setting. Compilations can be a very effective way of someone getting into a band though. I had heard AoS, Iron Fist and APD, and seen the band live but was still not totally convinced. It was No Remorse that really sealed the deal for me. Of course the 4 blistering new tracks did help

Id say No Remorse and TWIY
But if thats not allowed then

Bastards and TWIY
(There best/fastest and one of the the most Rock N Roll/latest)

If someone points San Gopal, Rockin Vicars and Hawkwind to me I wouldn´t never listen Motorhead... since there´s nothing related... apart Lemmy be a member of them.

I must answer on this one. Nothing related????!!!!!! Are you really a Motorhead fan? Except very very similar melody between Sam Gopal "Sky is burning" and "Dead and gone" song, Motorhead was MADE from Hawkwind and Pink Fairies style. Half first album On parole are songs from Hawkwind and Pink Fairies, and almost on most of "Motorhead" album too, same as next semi-official three live albums before Overkill. Nothing in common????!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone here from Croatia would NEVER LISTEN Motorhead without this connection from this extreme good bands from the past, as far as those people I know. Except maybe metal fans. But I don't recognize them as real Motorhead fans. EVEN THEY ARE about 50% of all Motor "fans" on this planet. I'm saying this because I can smell on many miles away comment from metal fan. We are different, don't take this personal. Only thing is, Lemmy is on my side, because I talk the same thing and see Motorhead on the same way like he, and that's rnr band and all that what I wrote here. SO, you are not only against me, you are against Lemmy too. Because what is a difference between me and Lemmy if we talk the same about what Motorhead is? Real Motorhead soul started to grow from Rockin Vickers (Lemmy), Sam Gopal, Hawkwind and then Motorhead (and Larry original line up, P. Fairies). If you don't know what is in common, for me than you are not real Motorhead fan. Sorry.