1916 is the ninth studio album by British rock band Motörhead, released in January 1991. It was their first on WTG Records. The single "The One to Sing the Blues" peaked at number 45. The album was the final Motörhead album to feature Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor on drums in its entirety.

Background

In 1990, Motörhead frontman Lemmy moved from England to the U.S., settling in West Hollywood within walking distance of the Rainbow Bar and Grill. With Phil Carson managing the band, the sessions for what would become the album 1916 began with Ed Stasium, best known for producing the Ramones, Talking Heads, and Living Colour. The band recorded four songs with the producer before deciding he had to go. When Lemmy listened to a mix of "Going to Brazil", he asked him to turn up four tracks, and on doing so heard claves and tambourines Stasium had added without the band's knowledge. Stasium was fired and Peter Solley hired as producer.

Recording

1916 was Motörhead's first studio album in nearly four years, and their first release on WTG after a legal battle with GWR Records was resolved. Some of its songs – including "The One to Sing the Blues", "I'm So Bad (Baby I Don't Care)", "No Voices in the Sky", "Going to Brazil" and "Shut You Down" – were originally performed on Motörhead's 1989 and 1990 tours. The title track – an uncharacteristically slow ballad in which Lemmy's singing is only lightly accompanied – is a tribute to, and reflection on, young soldiers who fell in battle during World War I. In his 2002 memoir, Lemmy reveals that the song was inspired by the Battle of the Somme:

Although songs like the ballad "Love Me Forever" and "Angel City" (which includes a saxophone) were stylistic departures for the band, the album still contained Motörhead's ear-splitting brand of rock 'n' roll, including "I'm So Bad (Baby I Don't Care)" and "R.A.M.O.N.E.S", a tribute to punk band the Ramones, by whom it was covered. In the 2002 book Hey Ho Let's Go: The Story of the Ramones, Everett True quotes singer Joey Ramone as saying: "It was the ultimate honour – like John Lennon wrote a song for you."

In the album's liner notes, the band says:

The absence of French, Bulgarian, Russian, Serbian and Portuguese flags from the album artwork was explained as an unintentional oversight. "Love Me Forever" was later covered by Doro Pesch, and Beyond the Black.

The Yugoslavian release of the album on ZKP-RTVL was the final record to be released in Slovenia prior to its independence and the renaming of the label to ZKP-RTVS.

Critical reception

The LP received mostly positive reviews from contemporary critics. Robert Christgau rated it an A−, calling it "sonically retrograde and philosophically advanced." Kris Needs wrote in Classic Rock: "One of their most well-rounded sets, this memorabilia-stacked reissue comes with two non-album belters, 'Eagle Rock' and runaway hell train 'Dead Man's Hand'."

  • Lemmy – lead vocals, bass
  • Phil "Wizzö" Campbell – guitar
  • Michael "Würzel" Burston – guitar
  • Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor – drums
  • James Hoskins – cello on "1916"

;Production

  • Peter Solley – producer, mixing
  • Ed Stasium – producer <small>("No Voices in the Sky", "Going To Brazil" and "Love Me Forever")</small>
  • Casey McMackin – engineer
  • Paul Hemingson – engineer <small>("No Voices in the Sky", "Going To Brazil" and "Love Me Forever")</small>
  • Steve Hall – mastering
  • Graig Nelson – album cover
  • Toni Hanzon – album cover
  • Joe Petagno – Snaggletooth

Charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

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! Chart (1991)

! Peak<br/>position

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! scope="row"| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)

| align="center"| 95

|-

! scope="row"| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)

| align="center"| 11

|-

|-

|-

|-

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|}

References

  • Motörhead official website