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Motörhead > 1916 > Reviews
Motörhead - 1916

No Ofrench - 85%

Tanuki, March 14th, 2024

We all like to think of Motörhead as this invincible blues metal warlord, but the band was looking pretty mortal after Rock 'n' Roll. The traditional metal scene was on the brink of total structural collapse, like my life after college, not to mention they were tangled up in legal imbroglio, in-fighting, and three poorly-received studio albums in a row. In fact, this is the exact moment when most metal bands - even NWOBHM royalty - might consider bowing to the stage one last time. However, I think it's important to remember that Lemmy makes love to mountain lions.

1916 is one of the band's most recognizable and readily available studio albums, so it's no secret the balmy blues beatdown resonated exceptionally well with mainstream audiences. That's no small feat, since some of metal's most magnificent masterpieces like Painkiller and A Privilege of Power were being met with such frosty indifference. The 90's made it clear that greasy guitar riffs and blue-collar machismo were now faux pas... But Motörhead was never one to take fashion advice.

Besides, there's a latent classiness to Lemmy's bacon-breathed snarling, even when he's boasting of bedding large North American wildcats. It's hard not to appreciate lines like "I wish you luck, babe, I hope you find a dream and it comes true" in the fleetfooted ode to messy breakups 'The One to Sing the Blues'. Elsewhere, 'No Voices in the Sky' is the quintessence of a fun, melodic NWOBHM fistraiser that sounds very Wheels of Steel, and one gymnastic bassline short of a Killers composition. My personal favorite here is 'Make My Day', boasting a filthy thrash lead and one of Wurzel's best glissando solos to ever close up shop. Spectacular, artisanal rockabilly for the modern age, well and truly.

And then there's shit like 'Nightmare/The Dreamtime'. Shockingly few people criticize this airball of a filler track, and its egregious synth sweeps buzzing into your face like oblivious fruitflies. Yes, it's doomy and unique for the band, but it still sounds like something Ozzy would've written as a thirty-second intro to an actual song. Opinions vary on this album's crooning ballad of a title track, too, with even approbative views often admitting it feels jarring and non sequitur as the album's outro. It's potently well-written, sure, but exceptionally hard to take seriously after hearing Lemmy say "babe" more than Hulk Hogan says "brother".

But don't let my nitpicks put you off. Apart from a few questionable design decisions, 1916 is one of the shiniest jewels in Motörhead's dragon hoard of a discography. Put simply, it's the sound of a band bucking their ideas up after lo-fi hoodlums like Iron Fist and Rock 'n' Roll weren't cutting the mustard. Dare I say, this album has enough variety and dressage behind its blues metal pageantry to look Another Perfect Day in the eye.

I Make Love With Mountain Lions - 90%

Twisted_Psychology, December 27th, 2018
Written based on this version: 1991, CD, WTG Records

Back in the early 90s, Motorhead sought to conquer the American market. It only made sense as Lemmy had relocated to Los Angeles by then to become a permanent mainstay at the Rainbow Bar and Grill while the band was getting endorsements from such mainstream acolytes as Metallica and Guns ‘n Roses. Fortunately, Motorhead wasn’t too watered down in the process. On the contrary, 1916 may have been the most experimental album they ever released.

I don’t think there’s any other Motorhead album with as much variety as 1916. An array of different styles is pursued as “Going to Brazil” goes full on rockabilly, “Nightmare/The Dreamtime” is a creepshow with keyboards and vocal backmasking, “Love Me Forever” is an all-out power ballad, and “R.A.M.O.N.E.S.” is the perfect stylistic pastiche of its punk rock muse. Ideas like “Nightmare/The Dreamtime” and “Love Me Forever” really shouldn’t work with how far they take the band out of their comfort zone, but the strong songwriting helps see them through.

Of course, there’s still plenty of classic Motorhead to go around. “The One to Sing the Blues” starts the album off in a somewhat bumpy fashion, but “I’m So Bad (Baby I Don’t Care)” and “No Voices in the Sky” make up for it with their dirty guitar charges and catchy choruses. These songs are still noticeably leaner and heavier than any of the band’s 80s works, but they’re comfortable listens for longtime fans.

But the album’s biggest wild card is its World War I-themed title track. In contrast to the band’s other famous war-themed slow burn “Orgasmatron,” “1916” is an incredibly subdued track. Lemmy narrates a tale of young soldiers killed too young in a crackling voice accompanied by funerary keyboard work and a lonely timpani rhythm. It’s such a jarring listen, especially when compared to the album’s more fun tracks, but its placement at the end has an incredibly haunting effect. Easily the band’s most effective closer and one of their all-time best songs.

1916 doesn’t quite have the legendary reputation of Ace of Spades or Overkill, but it’s a strong collection of tracks all the same. The album’s stylistic variety does an excellent job of highlighting sides of the band not often seen and I imagine the subsequent Grammy nomination was pretty nice too. It’s not only an essential listen for fans and casual listeners alike, but also an effort that’s fun to throw in the face of the hacks who think that Motorhead albums all sound alike.

Highlights:
“I’m So Bad (Baby I Don’t Care)”
“No Voices in the Sky”
“Nightmare/The Dreamtime”
“R.A.M.O.N.E.S.”
“1916”

Originally published at http://psychicshorts.blogspot.com

To me, nothing less than their best one - 96%

TheBurningOfSodom, January 11th, 2017

Usually, I hate to behave as an alternative person. So many are the people who amuse themselves going against common thinking, seeing it as cool or trendy. Music doesn't exactly differ from this, since it's not hard to find someone denigrating your Reign in Bloods, Ride the Lightnings etc. hoping to rile the passing metalheads, also on this site. I imagine them in the act of saying: 'Hey, it would be fantastic to make fun of *insert name of half world's favourite band here*, surely nobody has ever done it!' or similar. It has degenerated, really. Anyway, what does this reflection have to do with the review?

By now, I guess everyone has noticed the title, and most of all, in the eyes of many people, the certain dose of blasphemy it contains. Sure, I've listened to the Ace of Spades title-track countless times, it has never tired me, and possibly it never will. I recognize that the album is a milestone of Motörhead career and of music history, it's universally known. Same goes with Overkill and its historic, proto-metal opener. Still, when somebody asks me about the Bastards' 'definitive' album, I've never had any doubts: I've always answered with 4 numbers. Yes, my friends, this time it's my turn to differ. 1916 is my favourite album composed by the late Lemmy Kilmister's (road) crew, and probably the most complete of them. This because it's one of their few albums which contains no weak songs, a small flaw otherwise verifiable on most of their many 'classic' albums.

Although Motörhead, at a surface level, have never been renowned for originality, be sure that you won't find 11 copycat tracks here. Rather, it seems that the band wanted to write an album which could sum up the best things of their first 15 years, and even recall some solutions experimented on the overlooked (but, needless to say, great) Another Perfect Day. There is speed, there is melody, there is emotion: there is Hard Rock, with capital letters, and plenty of it. The tracklist shows indeed all the different faces of 1916. We have powerful tracks like 'The One to Sing the Blues' and 'Make My Day' (one of my favourite songs ever), classic, carefree R'n'R cuts like 'Going to Brazil' and 'Angel City', the emotional apexes found in 'Love Me Forever' and the title-track, the anthemic 'No Voices in the Sky', the experimental, doomy 'Nightmare/The Dreamtime' or the punk-infused 'Ramones'... you know it's gonna be a great album when even the so-called fillers are pretty good! 'Shut You Down', while not a first choice of many, is straight-to-the-point and shredding; 'I'm So Bad (Baby I Don't Care)' is the only song which I didn't fall for, yet the guitar work is still stunning.

Musically speaking, I feel Lemmy couldn't surround himself with better mates than he did here. Philthy Animal left his final mark, returning as a band member for the last time, but still showcasing sparks of brilliance like on the opener track. Guitarists Würzel and Phil Campbell are instead at their 3rd effort, but their potential wasn't wholly exploited on the previous efforts, so it sounds like a step forward. Some of their leads are able to reach a legendary status, be it the seemingly endless outro of 'Make My Day' or the memorable climax of 'Love Me Forever' first solo, which still gives me goosebumps every time.

There's really no need to add something else: if, for some strange reason, you still haven't checked whether Motörhead are your ideal band or not, or (even worse) you don't know them and you need some music to begin, look no further than 1916. If you love Lemmy's crew you will surely have heard it, several times. But fuck it, play it again! It's too good to be left inactive.

On a final note, it really hurts to see that Phil Campbell is the only alive member to have played in this masterpiece. May Lemmy, Würzel and Philthy rest in peace, mankind won't forget you.

You can also find this review on MetalBite.com.

Lemmy can do no wrong. - 94%

Vlachos, July 31st, 2009

Motorhead enters the 1990s, and releases what was to hold up as, arguably, their best work for the whole decade. Very impressive, as Motorhead at their worst still makes Judas Priest sound like Stryper.

Rock ‘n roll attitude is embodied without a wasted note or breath. Sadness (and other powerful emotions that testosterone buries deep within most mens’ out of shape figures) is displayed in not too many and not too few songs tremendously and with little to no cheese. Punk is heard both evenly throughout the album as well as overtly on the obvious track. Thrash and speed metal elements are strong, and puts bands of those genres absolutely to shame. Doom and gloom is bookended by catchy, energetic tracks, yet nothing is out of place. The production is crisp and clean (as far as Motorhead goes I mean), but in no way soft or weak. Everything is surely unique to the band (which puts them out of the simple dimensions of their genre) and continues their legacy. If they hadn’t already done everything by the legendary Ace of Spades, this would be a major evolutionary step; a testament to Motorhead’s sheer genius.

That’s 1916 in a nutshell. If I had to explain to someone how incredibly awesome Motorhead is any more, I’d end up pontificating like a lunatic. But, it’s true! They’re amazing. This was released 18 years ago as of this time of writing, and while its style is rooted in the ‘70s and even earlier than that, it still holds up. In fact, for albums over 10 years old, this might be Motorhead’s album that holds up best.

Make My Day is probably my favourite track on here. The lyrics are great, it sounds spontaneous every time I listen to it, and the riffs... shit. Just listen to it. Remember the first time you listened to something like Holy Wars or Raining Blood? The riffs were lightning-fast and heavy but still got stuck in your head, prompting you replay it as soon as it was over. If you don’t fall into that category, I... I don’t know. As mentioned by another reviewer, this is a lost classic. I mean, every Motorhead song is good, but this is special even to them. I don’t think you can find this one on a live album, unfortunately.

Of course there’s the title track, which is of course at unlike anything they’ve ever done. I don’t care what great vocalists in metal and rock you can name, Lemmy is right up there as far as having soul in what’s sung. I can’t name many songs sadder than this. For me, the contrast between this and the rest of the album kind of enhances everything; you go through a great little journey, and it ends in tragic sadness. Oh, man.

For new Motorhead listeners this would ideally be the fifth or sixth album you have to listen to, and by the time you’re a fanatic this will probably be the one you’ll perhaps notice isn’t in as constant rotation as others, but very well may shine brightest and be saved for special occasions.

Motorhead at their most consistent. - 97%

Empyreal, September 23rd, 2008

Ahh, where do I start? Do I start with the obvious "This is Motörhead, and they will kick your ass"? Or do I go in a bit of a different, yet still extremely generic "You've heard of Motörhead, and so they need no introduction" path to introducing this album? Decisions, decisions. While I'm deciding, I'm going to put on Motörhead's 1916, so that all of you wonderful listeners can be floored by the hammering, electric-power-drill-esque opening riffs of "The One To Sing the Blues." Relish in its simplicity, and the way it bombards you with riff after riff, all the while with Lemmy Kilmister, the mastermind behind the whole thing, belting out his trademark gruff, down-and-dirty style rock vocals with even more energy and charisma than usual.

...is it over yet? [ ] Yes. [ ] No.

If you marked "yes," then move on to the next paragraph. If you marked "no," then go back and listen again.

After "The One to Sing the Blues" ends, you'll end up hearing the even better "I'm So Bad (Baby I Don't Care)," with its screaming, out-of-this-world solo work and a great performance from Lemmy, and you may share the reaction that I had - "holy fuck, this kicks ass!". We also have such displays of youthful bravado as the singalong arena punk anthem "No Voices in the Sky," the hard-hitting "Going to Brazil," and the obligatory Motörhead rock n' roll anthem "Angel City," which is catchy, dirty and classy all at once. Just keep listening to these songs. I'm almost ready to start the review this time. Honestly. Just give me a few more minutes.

You've probably noticed at this point that 1916 is not just another fast Motörhead romp, and that it has some of the most beautiful and stirring tracks that the band has produced to date. You've noticed those dissonant, dreamy chords on "Nightmare/The Dreamtime," and heard Lemmy's gritty croon. You've been floored by my personal favorite song here, the epic, pounding flare of "Love Me Forever," which carries a majestic element that I never used to associate with these guys. And after a few more heavy and fast songs, which have promptly ripped your face off by now, you will have likely reached...well, fuck, I'm not too good at pacing these things, am I? We've reached the VERY LAST SONG, and I still haven't figured out a decent enough opening statement for this review. We've reached the soft, melodic and poignant last stand of the title track, and you've probably got tears in your eyes. And if you don't, then you at least feel satisfactory at having listened to one of the most consistently awesome albums this great band has ever put out.

And as for my opening statement? Well, I'll just say that this is timeless fucking music. Metal, rock, punk, whatever you want to call it; it's timeless, enduring music that I will come back and enjoy on many a day. Long live Motörhead.

Originally written for http://www.metalcrypt.com

Lemmy Goes To LA... - 91%

Acrobat, January 20th, 2008

Ah yes, 1916 widely recognised as a damn fine Motörhead album and a terrible year for war. One could of perhaps feared that 1916 would be a bit of a sell-out, all the signs indicated that; Lemmy moves to LA and the band to a major label…..could we expect power ballads and Tawny Kitaen? Well no, although 1916 was a bit of a departure from the tried and tested Motörhead sound in places (which frankly was needed after the stagnant ‘Rock and Roll’) it still rocks like a bastard.

1916 finds Motörhead in a experimental mood but unlike previous experimentation’s (on the ‘Bomber’ album for instance) 1916’s quirks and experimentations don’t sound contrived or as some of the experiments on ‘Bomber’ did, shit. No, as it turns out ‘Nightmare/The Dreamtime’ and ‘Love Me Forever’ are quite good Motörsongs, hardly show stoppers but worthy nonetheless. But this experimentation shouldn’t come completely as a surprise as lest we forget that Motörhead have actually changed their sound over the years. Despite this experimentation, the real killers on 1916 are the balls out rockers which come complete with Lem’s wonderful ‘I’ve spent the past 20 years drinking and shagging’ swagger. ‘I’m So Bad (Baby I Don’t Care)’ is one of my absolute favourite Motörhead songs with a rather splendid riff and some of Lemmy’s best lyrics. It’s a corker, with all the swagger and attitude you could possibly ask for….listen to it and reaffirm your faith in Rock and Roll. ‘One to Sing the Blues’ is a simple yet effective song, effortlessly catchy and a nice way to start the album. ‘No Voices in The Sky’ was sent up wonderfully by Beavis and Butthead (eye for eye, tooth for tooth!) and is a melodic, lightening fast and almost poppy number, albeit still heavy. ‘Going to Brazil’ is just plain old Rock and Roll, its stayed in the set ever since although because of this songs success with have had to put up with a few second rate copies of it on subsequent albums….but I won’t hold it against the original. ‘Make My Day’ is perhaps my personal favourite and a forgotten Motörhead classic featuring some characteristically brilliantly lyrics, these being my personal favourite;
‘Dream lover, head to tail, coulda put a lot of boys in jail’, Ah Jailbait……A rhyming couplet that would of done William G Shakespeare proud…
‘R.A.M.O.N.E.S’ is unsurprisingly a tribute to that great Rock ‘N’ Roll band, The Ramones (but doesn’t all that punk shit belong on Mars?) and this too is a great lively number that sounds just like classic 70’s Ramones. Even thought some tracks stand out from the rest 1916 is a consistent piece of work and ranks among the bands best.

Performance wise, even thought this isn’t the most celebrated line up Motörhead ever had, its generally good performances all round. Philthy Animal although he wasn’t half the player he was when he came back after leaving in 1984, puts in a good performance here although he apparently had trouble with some of the timings in the studio. But you can’t really tell here as they managed to coax a good performance out of him. Guitarist’s Phil Campbell and Wurzel do a fine job here, with razor sharp riffing and good old balls out rock solos throughout. I’m quite fond of Motörhead’s twin guitar line up, I find it ultimately more interesting sonically than the current line up (although that said the current line up is still fantastic live and the guitar sound on ‘Inferno’ and ‘Kiss of Death’ is much improved from say ‘Overnight Sensation’, ‘Snakebite Love’, ‘We Are Motörhead’ etc). Lemmy of course plays some damn fine bass with his signature ‘plane taking off’ sound and sings (note sings not shouts) as well as ever. The production on ‘1916’ is greatly improved over ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ and ‘Orgasmatron’, the guitars less thin and the vocal performance better.

So as with about eight over Motörhead albums, ‘1916’ is a essential classic……and please Lemmy put ‘I’m So Bad (Baby I Don’t Care)’ back in the set list. Perhaps in keeping with tradition ‘1916’ was followed by the much weaker ‘March or Die’ (Motörhead albums go in a pattern of weak/strong, usually- except Motörhead don’t actually do bad albums, just lesser ones).

Top shelf stuff - 88%

a8o, September 7th, 2005

How do you review a Motorhead album? They all tear the guts out of rock and roll getting better the louder they're played

The opener "The One to Sing the Blues" owns, but "I'm So Bad" is really where the album starts, fast and loud and everything in between a Motorhead song needs to be. We don't even have to wait long for the next monsters "Going to Brazil" a live staple for a reason, "RAMONES" and "Shut You Down"...fuck I don't know what to say, two in a row.

But there's a little *gasp* variation here amid these songs. A song like "1916" doesn't exist anywhere else in the Motorhead catalogue, some organs and solemn lyrics lamenting war and death. "Nightmare/Dreamtime" is an interesting little track carried by Lemmy's vocal presence.

While the casual Motorhead fan really only need "Ace of Spades" and "Overkill" (perhaps "Hammersmith" too), the forgotten classic is "1916", a fucking beasts so what more is there to say? The band that strings a few chords together and makes a song as fresh as the most inventive prog.

I wanted Lemmy to autograph this one because... - 92%

StoneDeadForever, May 19th, 2003

This album, like Lemmy says himself, is a classic. The album itself is musically satisfying, and the songs individually could survive on their own as a single. "The One to Sing the Blues" is a most excellent way to start 1916. "I'm So Bad" is a fun, fast-paced song that plays in the background while you tip your hat to your one-night stand. "No Voices In the Sky," another fun 'n fast one, could be considered a heavy punk song, what with it's anti-wealth/religion/politics message. "Going to Brazil" definitely reflects Lemmy's love for good ol rock 'n' roll, with it's 50/60's era piano and guitar playing. "Nightmare/The Dreamtime" is a nice soothing (one of the few times "soothing" can describe a Motorhead song) and a nice one to listen to if you're having problems sleeping, as long as you can ignore Lemmy's creepy little gnome grumbles. "Love Me Forever" is a nice little ballad, though not one of Lemmy's lyrically strongest. Being a resident of SoCal, I love Lemmy's lyrics to "Angel City," but I also enjoy it because I can't listen to it without thinking of a lounge-like version of it. "Make My Day" is another classic, and i personally enjoy it's ever so catchy chorus. You better focus real hard or you'll miss "RAMONES," which took me a total of two minutes to learn it on guitar. "Shut You Down" doesn't really have anything special to it, but it's still a catchy and groove-like, so I don't skip it. Then, finally, we have the actual song "1916." This song will not only make you choke on your tears, make you want to celebrate Memorial Day early and wonder why it wasn't on the credits to Saving Private Ryan. So cheers Lemmy! This is probably the best album the four peice Motorhead ever made (unless you count Sacrifice since Wurzel left after the recording).