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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Ace of Spades

Motörhead

1980

Ace of Spades
Album Summary

Ace of Spades is the fourth studio album by British rock band Motörhead, released on 8 November 1980 via Bronze Records. It is the band's most commercially successful album, peaking at number four on the UK Albums Chart and reaching gold status in the UK by March 1981. It was preceded by the release of the title track as a single on 27 October, which peaked in the UK Singles Chart at No. 15 in early November.It was the band's debut release in the United States, with Mercury Records handling distribution in North America. In 2020, the album was ranked at 408 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.

Wikipedia

Rating

3.3

Votes

7117
Genres
Metal
Hard Rock

Reviews

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Sat Feb 13 2021
5

An absolute classic. I love how Lemmy just always sounds like he's trying to take a poop.

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Sat Jun 05 2021
5

All songs are the same, raw production, Lemmy cannot sing, frivolous lyrics, five stars!

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Tue Jul 20 2021
4

This album was an easy 5 for me… right up until “Jailbait”. Yikes, Lemmy, what the fuck were you thinking?

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Sun Jun 13 2021
2

Music is ok....but the lyrics SO INCEDIBLY LAME! I defy anyone to listen to and hear the lyrics to "love me like a reptile " and not roll their eyes. How can anyone intelligent person absorb a Joy Division lyrics and not laugh out loud at the drivel that Lemmy spews. I understand how musical taste is always subjective, but.... 2 🌟

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Tue Dec 22 2020
5

Oh, a bug! Somehow the site lets me rate this album from 1-5, even though its by Lemmy. Anything by Lemmy is a 5. “We are Motörhead. And we play rock and roll.”

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Mon Feb 22 2021
4

Excellent metal album got me pumped- some epic guitar solos although questionable (pedo) and bad lyrics on two particular songs

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Tue Feb 21 2023
1

Didn't mind it much. Just high-tempo and fun - you know what you're getting. Not much variety. However, 1 star for Jailbait. Don't be a nonce.

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Fri Jan 15 2021
5

Great, classic album. Unique metal sound that paved the way for speed metal, thrash and gutter punk.

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Thu Nov 24 2022
5

If Motörhead didn't exist, it would have been necessary to create them. Some huge Norwegian blacksmith hammering the band out of Marlboro reds, Jack Daniels, gunmetal, and heroin.

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Wed Feb 17 2021
4

It's Motörhead, so you never know quite what you're going to get. ...said nobody. This is a classic though!

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Thu Jan 14 2021
2

I liked Lemmy better when he was in Hawkwind.

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Thu Mar 17 2022
2

Ace of Spades is really the only noteworthy track here. Everything else pales in comparison. Decent album that was very influencial, but honestly it all sounds the same to me.

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Fri Jan 15 2021
1

Very similar songs, gets boring after a while.

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Mon Jul 19 2021

Repetitive and gets stale pretty quick. Apart from a few tracks, the album doesn’t offer much.

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Thu Oct 15 2020
5

True Rock n' roll. Long live Lemmy. Favorite tracks: "Ace of Spades", "Love Me Like a Reptile", "The Hammer"

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Sat Feb 20 2021
5

Great album. Wish I would have found them earlier, this album pumped me the hell up.

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Mon Feb 15 2021
5

1 a geiles album. Mir selbst ist auch eine Warze gewuchert die erstaunlich textsicher mitgrölen kann. Ein song nach dem anderen holt mich ab. Geile THPS 3 vibes auch direkt gehabt. 10 Uhr morgens gehört und nicht mehr aufhören können GEIL GEIL GEIL. 5* an Lemmy die geile Sauf-Sau

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Mon Feb 15 2021
5

Den größten Erfolg meines Lebens in den 10er Jahren verbuchte ich beim Bierpongturniersieg im Hood. Damals noch mit Muli Meier im Team unter dem Teamnamen "Beerkules". Einlaufmusik beim Eröffnungsspiel und im Finale war "Ace of Spades". Nothing more to add.

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Fri May 14 2021
5

Hell yeah! \m/ Quintessential, pioneering heavy metal album. This thing started/inspired so many other great albums to come it's unbelievable.

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Thu Jun 10 2021
5

Monumental, como la plaza de toros. Más influyente que la influenza.

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Mon Feb 22 2021
5

Yup, this is good. I can hear the hawkwind in some of these songs. Good to dig a little deeper than just the first 2 songs

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Mon Feb 22 2021
5

Fun classic rock album. Enjoyable listen.

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Mon Jun 21 2021
5

Wahnsinns-Album. Einfach aber doch wegweisend!

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Tue Mar 30 2021
5

Saw them live once, they were great. RIP Lemmy. Fantastic album.

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Tue Jun 01 2021
5

An almost perfect blend of early punk and metal. An exciting and energetic album filled with awesome guitar riffs, punishing drums and wonderfully fun vocals. It's just a great time from start to finish.

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Thu Sep 02 2021
5

The album FUCKING RULES. Motörhead are one of the more consistent bands to ever come out, and it’s a damn shame only two of their albums were included in this book (Overkill and Bomber should’ve made the cut).

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Tue Oct 26 2021
5

Another album that I've listened to multiple times before, which definitely skewes how enjoyable it is (rather than rating an album based on a single listen). It's so good though!

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Wed Oct 27 2021
5

-"Ace of Spades" has an absolutely thundering and classic riff. It is also a Chad song that doesn't even rhyme lol -The riff from "Shoot You in the Back" sounds like the riff from "Watchin' You" by Kiss -"Love Me Like a Reptile," "Fast and Loose," "(We Are) The Roadcrew," "Fire Fire," and "The Chase Is Better Than the Catch" are great catchy tunes

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Sat Nov 13 2021
5

Pure rock. it's like extract of rock. So much rock.

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Tue Nov 23 2021
5

The musical equivalent of a Lancaster Bomber exploding into your ear drums

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Mon Jan 03 2022
5

Fantastic. Been a fan for years

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Sat Jan 08 2022
5

There's something really charming about Motorhead, especially their early-mid 80s stuff. I could listen to it all week (and I think I have done at times lol). Super unique, gritty as it gets, it's one of those few times you don't have to wonder if the band was just writing songs about rock n roll or not. You can hear the authenticity oozing out of the speakers. Lemmy wasn't bunging on the "30 beers and 2 packs of smokes" voice. 5/5.

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Sat Jan 15 2022
5

Amazing album. Classic rocking tunes all through. Some lyrics a little dated and the sound is pretty constant for the whole album. Lemmy rules.

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Sat Feb 12 2022
5

They are in a real hurry to get somewhere where they already are, and the traffic sucks.

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Sat Feb 26 2022
5

An all time banger. RIP Lemmy.

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Wed Mar 16 2022
5

Superb from start to finish.

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Fri Mar 18 2022
5

This is pure, undiluted rock'n'roll that appeals to the hard rock, punk, and metal world simultaneously. I personally prefer some of their other albums but this is still a gem and the title track is their signature song. What a great band. Lemmy will always be a king. As a reminder: if you think this is a 1 or "sucks" but think that something like Grizzlybear or Sufjan Stevens is a 5, international law mandates that we stay a minimum of 500 ft away from each other at all times.

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Tue Mar 22 2022
5

SCC of an album! Full of Motorhead classics, the kings of rock n roll.

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Sat Apr 09 2022
5

motorhead innit. you know exactly what you're getting. even though i've heard ace of spades a million times (thank you Tony Hawks pro Skater 3) its still mint. i'm pretty glad that Lemmy fucked off his silver machine for speed and JD.

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Mon Apr 11 2022
5

Lemmy, Eddie and Phil’ masterpiece. Hard rock/metal’s eternal standard. Must be listened to from start to finish to appreciate its brilliance.

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Sat Apr 23 2022
5

YEAH BOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

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Wed Apr 27 2022
5

It's Motorhead! One of the greatest rock and roll records of all time. Slightly less shout-y than their previous records and marginally better recorded, but still with an immediacy and energy that cuts through almost anything. I've heard that they would spend a week in the studio getting the guitar tone, but it still sounds like they loaded in, turned on (loud!), and blitzkrieged their way through a set before storming off the invade another neighbouring country. It's sexist as hell (which hasn't dated well). I know Lemmy found Ace of Spades limiting, but what a song!

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Fri May 06 2022
5

Classic album. Still sounds great to this day. Legends.

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Fri May 20 2022
5

My favourite Heavy Metal band. I went to see them in the 80's and my ears have never fully recovered...... The dodgy lyrics and nihilist image don't detract in my view but only add to the mythos surrounding the band. Lemmy is a 100% cast-iron Legend to me and the fact that some of the WOKE reviews are seriously worried that their sons and daughters will be tainted by listening to this make me chuckle. Musically it's quite accomplished (especially the guitar solos) and needs to be played at top volume. 🌟 🌟🌟🌟🌟

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Tue Jul 05 2022
5

WHERE DO I EVEN START?!?!? Love this album to pieces, though if I had to pick my top 3 tracks: "(We Are) The Roadcrew," "Love Me Like a Reptile," and "Shoot You In the Back".

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Thu Jul 07 2022
5

Pretty much one of my favourite listening experiences ever. I've owned the album for about twenty years and it simply never gets dull. Title track is, of course, a scorcher but there's fuck all filler on this platter. A locomotive, an absolute juggernaut of an album.

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Tue Jul 26 2022
5

Fast chaotic motion. Riding on a machine, roaring through the wind, parts threatening to shake themselves loose, but everything holds together somehow. For 36 minutes at least. Never* tips over into nasty egotism like so many imitators, Motorhead is shouting who they are over the roar of the engine, and you can take them or leave them. Personally, I will take them. This is my first time listening to a full album of theirs, and it won't be the last. *ok just that one time

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Fri Sep 02 2022
5

This is a masterpiece. Ace of Spades is the ultimate Motörhead song.

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Wed Sep 07 2022
5

First listen. Classic! Heard many of the songs before but it was nice to put a name to a face.

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Tue Sep 13 2022
5

Will never forget hearing the title song as a young child watching the Young Ones; at which point it cemented itself as one of my favourite songs (despite the ludicrous lyrics) of all time.

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Tue Sep 13 2022
5

What’s not to like. Gritty, fast paced, great bluesy solos!

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Thu Sep 15 2022
5

Great album, love all the songs tbh. Some weird lyrics, but it's the 80s no? eh.

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Mon Sep 26 2022
5

Kaboom and Hell Yeah! Let's keep the party going and kickstart the weekend. And that's exactly what Motörhead does on "Ace of Spades," their fourth studio album: their most commercially successful one and US debut release. My second relentless album in a row after The Germs. This album is considered the proto-type for thrash, equal parts metal and punk. That pissed off their lead singer and bassist Lemmy Kilmister who said it's just rock and roll. However, you classify, it just rocks. I do hear a lot of Deep Purple cranked up a couple of notches with the speed. It was produced by Vic Maile who tried to translate the band's live act to vinyl and he nailed it. Besides Lemmy, Motörhead consisted of "Fast" Eddie Clarke on guitar and Phil "Philthy Animal" on drums. All great rock and roll names - check. The album cover is an ode to Western movies with each of the band members dressed as famous actors who played in Westerns. Let's not waste getting this going with "Ace of Spades," Motörhead's biggest song. Great guitar intro, searing guitar solo and Lemmy's voice. Lemmy uses gambling as metaphors for living life hard. "I don't want to live forever." "Love Me Like a Reptile" is one song that reminded me of Deep Purple with its more heavy metal guitar. The pace is kept fast though. The lyrics compares love/sex to lizards, black mambas, rattlesnakes and electric eels. The first side ends with "(We Are) The Road Crew" which is a tribute to their roadies. My head is now in consistent bob motion. Driving bass and drums. Two absolute stud guitar solos. The second side continues the musical barrage with "Fire, Fire" and "Jailbait." Both songs about women and sex. "Bite the Bullet" takes the title track to another speed level. Bye, bye Deep Purple. "The Chase is Better than the Catch" slows it down a bit but continues the theme. "The more I get the better it is." "The Hammer" ends the album in proper thrash fashion. "Believe me the hammer is coming down!" It's too bad if the only Motörhead you know is the song "Ace of Spades." This whole album is exhibit A as to why you need to listen to more and more. I need a cold shower now.

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Sun Oct 02 2022
5

What a fucking rush. They don’t deviate much from this formula, but my god is their formula worth listening to. Their mission statement is as direct as their throttling brand of metal: We are Motörhead, and we play rock and roll. It’s really remarkable how some records just consolidate the most perfect distillations of their genre - Ramones’ debut, Eno’s Another Green World and undeniably this one. Lemmy’s rock star charisma isn’t some exaggerated caricature, he fucking embodies every trope of the badass rocker in a completely authentic manner. And if you don’t like that, you can fuck off. Even extremely subject matters on tracks like “Jailbait” can be read as a matter-of-fact narration of the full throttle lifestyle of this band. The songs and production still hold up today, and the oft wielded criticism that this record lacks diversity seems a bit redundant to me. There’s no point criticising this group for what they aren’t. They’re just Motörhead. And they play some exhilarating rock and roll. Fav tracks: Shoot You In The Back, We Are The Roadcrew.

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Sat Nov 26 2022
5

Iron Maiden yesterday and Motörhead today! Does the metal gods smile on me? Yes they do! There aren't much good extreme metal included in this here book, but some of the original classics are here at least. The pummelling is endless, it's like a bulldozer going on and on, riff after riff, while Lemmy shouts on top of it. It's simple really. But also very effective.

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Sat Dec 03 2022
5

I was expecting this to be more lame music that old white divorced men play when they work on their motorcycle but it’s actually awesome. Every song gets you amped but especially ace of spaces and fast and loose. Just a great kinetic energy running through the whole thing. Also I was looking through my history and I meant for kind of blue to be a 4. Th Bee Gees are nowhere near a miles Davis John Coltrane collab and should not have the same score.

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Tue Dec 20 2022
5

sonzeira, já curto das antigas

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Fri Jan 20 2023
5

Hell yeah, Motorhead! Punks love 'em. Rockers love 'em. I love 'em. Got me so pumped up I played it a second time.

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Fri Jan 20 2023
5

Excellent. Fast, hard, energetic. Can you imagine what it would've been like to be at a live Motörhead show? And in the pit? I wish.

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Thu Feb 09 2023
5

Had this album before, but a pleasure to listen to again

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Fri Feb 24 2023
5

If you like Metal this album is foundational. Non stop licks that will force your head to bang. Who would win a fight between Lemmy and God? Trick question. Lemmy is God!

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Mon Mar 06 2023
5

Excellent effort, plenty of classic tracks, raw power all the way through

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Mon Mar 06 2023
5

As a metal fan, I loved this. I really had not listened to a ton of Motorhead outside Ace of Spades but this was very sold. Lemmy is one of the best to do it. Stand outs were Ace of Spades, Live to Win and Fire Fire.

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Sat Mar 25 2023
5

As an album gets a little samey however is such a tour de force of great hard rocking music and attitude impossible not to love. 4.8

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Mon Mar 27 2023
5

Never heard this album before. Obviously the title track is a classic but the rest holds up and really is rock n roll/metal/punk combined. can here some many links to other tunes and band. fantastic

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Mon May 08 2023
5

Side one is immense. Side two is even better. This is undoubtedly my favourite album from the so-called "classic" line up.

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Tue Jan 12 2021
4

1/11 Hard album, love the cover. Standout Tracks: Ace of Spades, Fast and Loose, (We Are) The Roadcrew, Jailbait, Emergency

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Wed Dec 30 2020
4

The same song for 36 minutes, which if you like the guitar tone and Lemmy's signature macho voice, then hey not a bad deal.

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Sun Oct 18 2020
4

Spotify. Fave song “ Ace of Spades”. This was pretty good listen. 3.75

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Mon Feb 01 2021
4

Fedt album - masser af energi og power

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Fri Feb 12 2021
4

Sånt otroligt ös, RIP Lemmy

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Thu Mar 11 2021
4

hadn't heard of "speed metal" before, but it fits; these songs have a very fast tempo

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Thu Apr 08 2021
4

mid everything sounds the same

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Wed Feb 03 2021
4

DRIVING GUITARS TO GET ME GOING IN THE MORNING

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Fri Jun 04 2021
4

Wikipedia says this is "speed metal" which makes sense as every song felt like it was being delivered at 100mph. Excellent

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Wed Apr 21 2021
4

37 Minuten ausgezeichnete Unterhaltung, schnörkellose Rockmusik zum Mitnicken. Hätte man (also: ich) mal früher drauf kommen können. Shoot You in The Back. Ich liebte es sofort!

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Thu Jan 28 2021
4

First one of these that I've immediately put back on as it's finished. Every track is similar but different enough for it not to grate. Heavier than stuff I'd usually listen to, but I'm into it.

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Wed Jun 30 2021
4

Mi parte favorita, creo, es la simpleza con la que tratan todo: esto es tan solo rock and roll, no le hacen falta apellidos de "la nueva escena del metal británico post punk" o jaladas así; las rolas se tratan de alcohol, fiestas, mujeres y suerte; el chiste es tocar fuerte y rápido. Ya viendo de manera más crítica, algunas canciones se parecen un poco entre sí y quizá es el lado débil del disco, sin embargo los tres grandes componentes de cada rola: la voz de Lemmy, la guitarra y la batería, hacen que valgan cada minuto.

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