I've been thinking of doing this for awhile, as I've never seen anyone create a thread where they attempt to rank Motorhead's studio releases. I've seen top 5 lists and such, but never someone's rankings of all the albums. This is likely because it is a futile task, as one's opinions on the matter may change from day to day, but I'm up for the challenge! (keeping in mind, of course, that this could change from day to day.

I will rank from 20 to 1, with some (hopefully limited) commentary. I have omitted On Parole, as it wasn't "officially" released by the band, and isn't listed as one of their albums on this site. Here it is:

20. Hammered--I've just never been able to get into this one, and I've kept trying, including recently; too many borrowed riffs from other bands, not enough fast stuff, I guess. Faves: "Brave New World", "Red Raw"; least faves: several, would have to listen to it again...probably "Dr. Love."

19. March or Die--Used to be least favorite, but has grown on me a bit. Too mainstream-sounding for my tastes, but it's kind of a fun album overall. Faves: "Stand", "March or Die", "Name in Vain"; least: "Cat Scratch Fever"--seems uninspired.

18. Kiss of Death--Odd, since I originally had this ranked at # 6 until I really started listening to the albums closely! Simply not many songs that I'm nuts about. Fave: "Sucker"; least: mmm...depends on mood...sometimes "One Night Stand", "Under the Gun"...nothing I really hate, just sorta meh.

17. Motorhead--I like pretty much everything on here, but there is not much that gets me ecstatic. Good punky feel, though. Faves: title track, "Lost Johnny", "Vibrator"; least: maybe "Iron Horse" (?), which is pretty darn good!

16. Bastards--much more uneven (and long) than the first album, but the highs are higher. Faves: first four songs; least: most everything else. Do like Liar, too. Yes, I realize that this is a favorite of most MH fans, but it's my list, then, isn't it?

15. Bomber--On a good day, this could be a few slots higher. I had this on cassette only for years, and never listened to it much; I finally got it on CD a couple of years ago, and am still catching up to it. A little slow tempo-wise for me, but some good material and a nice feel to it. Faves: "Stone Dead Forever", "Poison", "Talking Head," "Bomber"; least, "Lawman."

14. Another Perfect Day--Very well done, full of good material, obviously lots of good lead guitar. Lousy production/mix, at least on my vinyl copy. Despite a couple good fast ones, this is mostly a case of Motorhead "not being Motorhead." Nice to hear them try something different, but I'm glad that they didn't pursue this direction any further. Faves: "I Got Mine", "Die You Bastard", "Back at the Funny Farm"; least: all good, maybe "One Track Mind", due to length.

13. Motorizer--I'm really surprised that this made it so high, but it has grown on me a ridiculous amount over the past several months. Just some good, straight, hard Motorhead, with no diddling around. Faves: "Rock Out", "Teach You How to Sing the Blues", "Buried Alive", "One Short Life"; least: "Heroes", again, due to length.

12. Sacrifice--Another straight-up, hard, no monkey business kind of album. No ballads, and not many solos, just straight to the gut metal/punk/rock n roll. Faves: title cut, "Sex and Death", "Don't Waste Your Time"; least: "Make 'em Blind".

11. Rock 'n' Roll--Yes, I know this is supposed to be mediocre, and at least a couple songs, though solid, sound like filler ("Stone Deaf..." and "Boogeyman", perhaps?), but this album has its own feel to it, and, for the most part, flows nicely. Faves: title track (one of my top all-time MH tunes, and the only one that got played at my wedding reception), "The Wolf", "Traitor"; least: "Eat the Rich."

10. Orgasmatron--Ok, so the production is a little odd, but this album is still pretty classic. Plenty of good fast tunes, but a couple of their better mid-tempo numbers in "Deaf Forever" and "Built for Speed." Faves: "Deaf...", "The Claw", "Ridin' with the Driver", "Mean Machine"; least: "Ain't my Crime"

9. Iron Fist--It may not be the classic that AOS and Overkill are, but this is still classic MH, with plenty of speed. Faves: title track, "Heart of Stone", "Loser", "Speedfreak", "Don't Need Religion"; least: dunno, maybe "America"?

8. The World is Yours--This one just keeps growing on me. It amazes me that the band can still put out rock music of this high a caliber at their ages. Hard to get tired of this one. Faves: "Outlaw", "I Know What You Need", "Brotherhood of Man"...pretty much the whole thing except for my least fave: "Rock 'n' Roll Music"--just comes off a little flat to me.

7. 1916--Have always loved this one. Great diversity here, with a power ballad, a non-power ballad, some poppier rock, straight up rock-n-roll, an experimental/psychedelic piece, a novelty/tribute song that still rocks like hell, and several kick-ass MH rockers! Faves: "Make My Day", "I'm So Bad...", "1916", "Ramones"; least: "Angel City", though it continues to grow on me.

6. Overnight Sensation--I took awhile to fully warm up to this, but now it rocks my world. Again, some good diversity here, with some faster ones, but with some more melodic stuff too. Faves: "I Don't Believe a Word", the 3 fast ones, "Broken"; least: "Love Can't Buy you Money" (MH doing funk metal doesn't necessarily work), title track (though very much growing on me).

5. Snakebite Love--My favorite songs on here just blow me away. This is something of a "fun" album, which isn't a bad thing. A few so-so tunes, but the top ones make up for it. Faves: "Take the Blame", "Dead and Gone" (maybe not fun, but emotionally powerful), title track, "Don't Lie to Me", "Better Off Dead", "Night Side" (take that, Mikkey Dee!); least: "Joy of Labour"

4. Ace of Spades--Not one of my currently most listened-to MH albums, this has to be considered for its all-time greatness; it's sheer timelessness. Faves: title track (still not really sick of it!); "The Hammer", "We Are the Road Crew" (yes, the obvious ones!); least, mmm...maybe "Fast and Loose."

3. Overkill--Song for song, such a great album; no weak cuts, really. Another album that has its own feel to it. Faves: title cut, "Limb From Limb", "(I Won't) Pay Your Price"; least: maybe "Metropolis", despite its "classic" status.

2. We Are Motorhead--I have read many reviews of this album, and I've read that it lacks fast songs, lacks strong material, and that it is not that memorable; to which I respond, "Are we listening to the same album?!" This album is just balls-out rock. Lots of good riffy rockers, some speedy stuff, nearly all of it memorable. Faves: "Wake the Dead", "One More...", "Stagefright...", title track, "See Me Burning"; least: "God Save the Queen"--not a bad cover, but is it really necessary?

1. Inferno--Insanely stuffed with instant MH classics...wow! I can't imagine any MH fan not loving this album. Faves: "...Tragedy", "Killers", "...Wolf", "Fight", "Smiling...", "Whorehouse...", "Terminal...", "Down on Me"; least: "Suicide"

So there you have it! I'd like to challenge anyone to post their complete rankings too, though I know most will say that it's impossible, and that it constantly changes! Give it a try though, and you may find that you liked some albums better than you had realized (and some, not so much). Enjoy!