Is The Best of a good place to start with Motörhead?

Yes, The Best of is recommended as a starting point for new Motörhead listeners. Lemmy’s gravel-throated voice rides a distorted bass charge that makes heavy metal feel as fast and unruly as punk. Released in 2000, this two-disc compilation looks back over more than two decades of Motörhead, from their 1970s beginnings through their later recordings. It arrived in the same year as We Are Motörhead, when Lemmy was still leading an active band rather than simply revisiting its past.

Who is The Best of for?

The Best of works well if you're into high-energy party soundtrack, live performance adrenaline rush and dynamic collection of anthems.

How many songs are on The Best of?

The Best of has 40 tracks, running approximately 147 minutes.

The Best of

Motörhead · 2000

147 min · 40 tracks · hard rock

Lemmy’s gravel-throated voice rides a distorted bass charge that makes heavy metal feel as fast and unruly as punk.

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Top tracks — play these first

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Ace of Spades Start here — Its instantly recognizable bass-led attack and gambling imagery distill Motörhead’s speed and swagger into less than three minutes.
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Overkill (long version) — Philthy Animal Taylor’s double-bass drumming drives the track relentlessly, while its false endings turn a hard-rock sprint into an extended onslaught.
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Please Don't Touch — Recorded with Girlschool as Headgirl, this remake of a Johnny Kidd and the Pirates song connects Motörhead’s attack to British rock ’n’ roll and their ties with fellow heavy bands.
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Orgasmatron — Its slower, grinding weight offers a contrast to the early speed, with Lemmy delivering a series of accusatory first-person portraits over an ominous riff.
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God Save the Queen — Motörhead’s Sex Pistols cover brings their longstanding affinity with punk to the collection’s later stretch, translating the song into their own blunt instrumental attack.

Elevation

Our rating, out of 100 — and why.

AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.

57 /100

Foothills

Higher than 6% of albums we've rated

This compilation captures key moments in Motörhead's career but suffers from repetition and length.

What we noticed

Several tracks are repeated, including 'Bomber' and 'Motorhead', which creates a sense of redundancy in the compilation.

Composition 25% of the score: 6/10
Craft 20% of the score: 7/10
Durability 25% of the score: 5/10
Distinctiveness 18% of the score: 6/10
Sequencing 12% of the score: 4/10

Influence 6/10

Significant within its genre. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.

Is this for you?

Good fit if you like

high-energy party soundtrack
live performance adrenaline rush
dynamic collection of anthems
short bursts of intensity
for road trips

Maybe skip if you

prefer slow, mellow tunes
seek long, cohesive pieces

Where this album fits

In the catalog: Starting Point — Compiles key tracks, making it accessible for new listeners to explore Motörhead.
Themes: gambling risk· live performance energy· punk rock crossover
Career context: Released in 2000, this two-disc compilation looks back over more than two decades of Motörhead, from their 1970s beginnings through their later recordings. It arrived in the same year as We Are Motörhead, when Lemmy was still leading an active band rather than simply revisiting its past.
Stylistic neighbors: Judas Priest· Iron Maiden· AC/DC

Moments worth listening for

Where the writing does something specific.

Orgasmatron

Three successive verses speak in the first person as organized religion, political power and war.

The repeated dramatic-monologue structure makes different institutions sound like manifestations of the same appetite for control.