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Encyclopedia > Mechanical Animals
Mechanical Animals
Mechanical Animals cover
Studio album by Marilyn Manson
Released September 15, 1998
Recorded at the White Room, Westlake and Conway Studios
Genre Industrial Metal
Synth Metal
Synth Rock
Glam Metal
Hard Rock
Length 62:38
Label nothing, Interscope
Producer(s) Michael Beinhorn and Marilyn Manson
Professional reviews
Marilyn Manson chronology
Remix & Repent
(1997)
Mechanical Animals
(1998)
The Last Tour on Earth
(1999)
Alternate Cover
200px
Limited Tour Edition

Mechanical Animals is Marilyn Manson's third full-length album, released on September 15, 1998. It was the #1 selling album for its first week of release, the first for Marilyn Manson's career. The album "tells a story" through its lyrics and music, similar to Manson's other albums and endeavors. Four singles were released off the album: The Dope Show, Rock is Dead, I Don't Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me) and, only released promotionally and with a video, Coma White. It is Manson's worldwide best-seller and all-around most critically-acclaimed work. Despite its success, the album was marred by controversy and is notorious for its shocking imagery. Initial sales were extremely strong but it became virtually blacklisted when it became the scapegoat of the Columbine shootings of 1999, (despite the dislike of Marilyn Manson by the shooters) with unit sales halting very close behind the figure for its predecessor, Antichrist Superstar. Image File history File links Marilyn_Manson_Mechanical_Animals. ... A studio album is a collection of previously unreleased, studio-recorded tracks by a recording artist. ... Marilyn Manson is a rock band based in Los Angeles, California. ... September 15 is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Industrial metal is a musical genre which draws elements from industrial music and heavy metal music. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Glam metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that arose in the late 1970s in the United States. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Nothing Records was an American record label, specializing in industrial rock and electronic music, founded by Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails) and John Malm, Jr. ... Interscope Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as one third of UMGs Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Michael Beinhorn is an American musician and record producer. ... Marilyn Manson (born Brian Hugh Warner ) is the lead singer of the band Marilyn Manson. ... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. ... Image File history File links 4_stars. ... Not to be confused with the Canadian music magazine Music Express The New Musical Express (better known as the NME) is a music magazine in the UK which has been published weekly since March 1952. ... Image File history File links Stars10070. ... Robert Christgau (2007) Robert Christgau (sometimes abbreviated in print to Xgau), born April 18, 1942, is an American essayist, music journalist, and the self-declared Dean of American Rock Critics[1] His first reviews were published by Esquire in 1967. ... This article is about the magazine. ... Image File history File links 3. ... Marilyn Manson is a rock band based in Los Angeles, California. ... Remix & Repent is a five-track EP from the Industrial Metal band Marilyn Manson. ... The Last Tour on Earth is a live album comprising recordings from Marilyn Mansons Mechanical Animals and Rock is Dead tours. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Mansoncomic. ... Marilyn Manson is a rock band based in Los Angeles, California. ... The Dope Show is a song from Marilyn Mansons 1998 album Mechanical Animals, released in September of that year as the albums lead single. ... Rock is Dead is a single off of Marilyn Mansons third studio album, Mechanical Animals. ... I Dont Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me) is the second single taken from Marilyn Mansons album Mechanical Animals. ... Coma White is a single by the band Marilyn Manson about the numbing effects of drugs. ... Staff and students evacuate Columbine High School shortly after the shooting. ... Antichrist Superstar (written Antichrist Svperstar in several places as an allusion to Latin) is Marilyn Mansons second full-length studio release and was released in 1996. ...

Contents

Overview

Compared to Marilyn Manson's previous work, Antichrist Superstar, Mechanical Animals is, on an aesthetic level, far less dark. In both image and music, Mechanical Animals is inspired by 1970s style, Bowie-esque Glam Rock (It's worth noting that Manson has always cited Bowie as his biggest influence). Antichrist Superstar (written Antichrist Svperstar in several places as an allusion to Latin) is Marilyn Mansons second full-length studio release and was released in 1996. ... David Bowie (IPA: []) (born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947) is an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, arranger and audio engineer. ... David Bowie as Glam superstar Ziggy Stardust on the cover of his 1973 Album Aladdin Sane Glam rock (also known as glitter rock), is a style of rock and roll music, which initially surfaced in the post-Hippie early 1970s. ...


Musically, many songs are much lighter in melodies (though not generally lyric-wise) than those on Antichrist Superstar and they are far less sonically abrasive. The music is far more complicated than most of his work.


In the album, Manson takes on two roles, being a substance addicted Glam Rocker and a gender-bending Alien called Omega (pronounced specifically in this case, as intimated by phonetic accents in the liner notes, oh-mee-gah). Manson's other role is that of Alpha, or a facet of himself. Subsequently, seven of the fourteen songs are from the perspective, lyrical and musical, of a fictional band called Omega and the Mechanical Animals, while the other seven are by Marilyn Manson. The Omega songs are typically those most nihilistic and superficial lyrically, such as "New Model, No. 15", "User Friendly", and The Dope Show. The album artwork features a dual liner note book, in which one half has lyrics for the Omega songs, and when flipped over, has those for the Alpha songs. Marilyn Manson (born Brian Hugh Warner ) is the lead singer of the band Marilyn Manson. ... The Dope Show is a song from Marilyn Mansons 1998 album Mechanical Animals, released in September of that year as the albums lead single. ...


Alpha Songs

  • Great Big White World
  • Mechanical Animals
  • Disassociative
  • The Speed Of Pain
  • Posthuman
  • Fundamentally Loathsome
  • The Last Day On Earth

Omega Songs

The lyrical themes in the album revolve around the evils of conformity, similar to the Pink Floyd album The Wall . In a 1998 interview, Manson himself related the album to the band's previous work, saying, "On Antichrist Superstar I compared myself to Lucifer's fall from heaven. . . The new album is more about what happens when I land on Earth and try to fit in as a human being." (I'm just a sample of a soul made to look just like a human being.) The Dope Show is a song from Marilyn Mansons 1998 album Mechanical Animals, released in September of that year as the albums lead single. ... Rock is Dead is a single off of Marilyn Mansons third studio album, Mechanical Animals. ... I Dont Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me) is the second single taken from Marilyn Mansons album Mechanical Animals. ... Coma White is a single by the band Marilyn Manson about the numbing effects of drugs. ... Pink Floyd are an English rock band that earned recognition for their psychedelic rock music, and, as they evolved, for their avant-garde progressive rock music. ... For other uses, see The Wall (disambiguation). ...


After the release of Holy Wood (in the shadow of the valley of death), it arose that the correct listening would be Holy Wood, Mechanical Animals and finally Antichrist Superstar (reverse of order released) because though Antichrist Superstar and Mechanical Animals made sense on their own, there was a hidden story running through the three releases. Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) is a Rock & Roll album by Marilyn Manson. ...


Packaging

When released on vinyl, the record was split into two separately sleeved albums on opaque white and transparent blue colored vinyl; the first credited to Marilyn Manson, and the latter to Omega and the Mechanical Animals. The Manson album dealt with songs of love and alienation, while the Mechanical Animals disc contained anthems of sex and drug use.


When viewed through the original blue CD packaging or the transparent blue LP, one can read hidden messages in yellow text in the booklet, which becomes green (such as "www.comawhite.com," "I no longer knew if Coma White was real or just a side effect," and "now children it's time for recess, please roll up your sleeves"). Regarding the many other purported hidden meanings contained in this epic album (and there are many, many hidden things, supposedly), is the influence and presence of the number 15. One blatant example is the band's new logo on the controversial album cover, it reads "MAR1LYN MAN5ON" with a figure 1 for the 'i' in Marilyn and a figure 5 for the letter 's' in Manson, the Omega-head logo contains 15 squares on the forehead, another obvious instance being the track 'New Model No. 15', and 'User Friendly', in the pre-verse of which, Manson harmonizes with exactly fifteen "doo's" each time it is sung. Other notes of interest on the number 15 include the fact that Marilyn Manson's birthday is January 5 (1/5), 15 tracks appear on the album, The Devil's Tarot card is XV (15), and the album's release date was September 15. January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Devil (XV) The Devil (XV) is a trump card in the tarot deck. ... Visconti-Sforza tarot deck - The Devil card is a XX Century remake of the card missing from the original XV Century Deck The tarot is a set of cards featuring 21 trump cards and a special card called The Fool, in addition to the usual suit (face and pip) cards...


The controversial album cover has won critical acclaim and numerous awards. The (in)famous photo is the brainchild of long-time Manson photographer, Joseph Cultice, of New York City. Contrary to popular internet rumours, the band leader, Manson, did not undergo any plastic surgery for this androgynous, alien look. The breasts are prosthetic, manufactured specially by George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic. This design would be the basis for early design sketches of the Darth Maul character from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Interestingly, Manson has stated in interviews that Johnny Depp is the current owner of these prosthetic breasts, while Manson himself owns Johnny's strawberry-blonde wig worn in the film Blow. Manson is in reality, naked, and covered head to toe in latex paint, provided by the same movie make-up company. His genitalia are covered by a thin cup of plastic to create the androgynous appearance of the alien figure he calls Omega. Joseph Cultice began his photography career in Phoenix, Arizona, where he was inspired by his love of rockn roll and pop icons like KISS and David Bowie. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... George Walton Lucas, Jr. ... Industrial Light & Magic original logo, designed by Drew Struzan Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) is a motion picture special visual effects company, founded in May 1975 by George Lucas and owned by Lucasfilm Ltd. ... Darth Maul is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. ... Film poster for Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is a 1999 film by George Lucas starring Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, and Jake Lloyd. ... Johnny Depp (born John Christopher Depp II[2] on June 9, 1963, in Owensboro, Kentucky) is an Academy Award-nominated and SAG Awards-winning American actor and for his performances in the films Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Whats Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), Ed Wood (1994... Blow is a 2001 drama film about the American cocaine smuggler George Jung, directed by Ted Demme (who later died of a cocaine-related heart attack). ...


The album also features an alternate, less "obscene" cover which is contained on the reverse side of the album liner notes. It is coincidentally, the cover for an album of the same name by Omega and the Mechanical Animals, a fictitious band comprised of characters played by the members of Marilyn Manson. The photo featured on this alternate cover art is a prime example of dissimulation, or the psycho-artistic method of distributing knowledge or ideas in plain view, but in a way that only certain members of the mass public can comprehend, often with multiple meanings present; one meaning for the select few who understand, and another meaning for the masses. An example from this image is the haunting, still unsolved symbolism of the numeral 15; Manson quite cunningly hides the figure 5 in plain view, including the five syringes edited into the background behind him, the number of fingers he holds up, the number of visible buttons on his suit, et cetera. Dissimulation is a form of deception in which one conceals the truth. ...


A limited tour edition of Mechanical Animals was released in the UK (including other locations like Australia and even Mexico, where only 100 copies of this edition arrived) with an illustrated hardcover sleeve by Marcus Wild. Though limited edition, the album is easily attainable in certain regions. The packaging is identical to the original version except for the bonus eight page comic book by Wild, illustrating scenes from I Don't Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me) music video. I Dont Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me) is the second single taken from Marilyn Mansons album Mechanical Animals. ...


Musical statistics and controversy

Arguably, this album's most successful song is "The Dope Show", which fared extremely well on both video and single charts in the United States and abroad. "The Dope Show" was written by Manson (words) and Twiggy Ramirez (music). It continues to reign as the band's most commercially successful song. The Dope Show's music video debuted the band's controversial new, androgynous glam rock image to the world. It is inspired by Alejandro Jodorowsky's The Holy Mountain, a controversial art film, as well as the David Bowie film, The Man Who Fell to Earth. Again, Bowie's influence has been enormous on this album, though each influence has been noted publicly by Manson himself. The Dope Show is a song from Marilyn Mansons 1998 album Mechanical Animals, released in September of that year as the albums lead single. ... The Dope Show is a song from Marilyn Mansons 1998 album Mechanical Animals, released in September of that year as the albums lead single. ... Jeordie Osborne White (born June 20, 1971), also known by his former pseudonym Twiggy Ramirez (derived from Twiggy, a model, and Richard Ramirez, a convicted serial killer)[1] is a musician and currently the bassist for Nine Inch Nails and Goon Moon. ... Alejandro (or Alexandro) Jodorowsky Alejandro Jodorowsky or Alexandro Jodorowsky (IPA: ) (born February 7, 1929, in Tocopilla, Chile) is an actor, playwright, director, producer, composer, mime, comic book writer and psychotherapist born to Ashkenazi Jewish parents of Russian origin. ... La montaña sagrada (The Holy Mountain, reissued as The Sacred Mountain) is a 1973 cult film directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky who also participated as actor, composer, set designer, and costume designer. ... David Bowie (IPA: []) (born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947) is an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, arranger and audio engineer. ... A French poster for the film The Man Who Fell to Earth is a novel by Walter Tevis about an extraterrestrial who crashlands on Earth seeking a way to ship water to his planet, which is suffering from a severe drought. ...

Manson's "Omega" symbol

This album features a hidden, fifteenth track, playable only on a computer; it is untitled and experimental, further playing on the album's theme of the character Omega and conformity. Upon entering the album into a computer, an autorun file starts a program that displays two of Manson's paintings while the song plays in the background. It is thought to be an experiment in synesthesia. ImageMetadata File history File links Mansonomega. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Mansonomega. ... Autorun or autoplay (sometimes spelled in CamelCase as AutoRun or AutoPlay) is the ability of many modern computer operating systems to automatically take some action upon the inserting of removable media such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or flash media. ... Synesthesia (also spelled synæsthesia or synaesthesia, plural synesthesiae or synaesthesiae)—from the Ancient Greek (syn), meaning with, and (aisthēsis), meaning sensation—is a neurological condition in which two or more bodily senses are coupled. ...


When released on September 15, 1998, the album was immediately boycotted by the Wal-Mart corporation, citing "obscenity" in the album's cover artwork. To combat this, Nothing Records issued another edition, featuring the album's title superimposed over Manson's "breasts". Wal-Mart still refused to sell the album, and consequently pulled all previous albums by Manson in light of the Columbine tragedy on April 20, 1999 (after the release of Mechanical Animals, and after the cover controversy). To this day, Wal-Mart's corporate website states that Manson's work, among the work of other artists, will not be sold in their stores, but 2003 saw the mass sale of Manson's fifth LP, The Golden Age of Grotesque in nearly all Wal-Marts; representatives claim they chose to sell this latest album by the "shock-rocker" because it was to be "commercially viable" and was "on the Top Ten charts". Likewise, before the release of the album, a number of groups raised concerns about the track "Great Big White World" possibly being a racially-motivated reference until Manson himself cleared up the rumors by stating that it was about cocaine. September 15 is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. ... Nothing Records was an American record label, specializing in industrial rock and electronic music, founded by Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails) and John Malm, Jr. ... Staff and Students evacuate Columbine High School shortly after the shooting The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999 at Columbine High School in Jefferson County, Colorado, near Denver and Littleton, Colorado, in the United States. ... April 20 is the 110th day of the year (111th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ... The Golden Age of Grotesque is the fifth full length album by Marilyn Manson released in 2003. ... Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. ...


The third single, Rock is Dead, was featured in The Matrix: Music from the Motion Picture, soundtrack album for the film The Matrix—the song is the main theme and is played during the credits. The Matrix is a science fiction/action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski and starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano and Hugo Weaving. ...


Track listing

All lyrics by Marilyn Manson.

  1. Great Big White World – 5:01 (Ramirez, Gacy, Zum)
  2. The Dope Show – 3:46 (Ramirez)
  3. Mechanical Animals – 4:33 (Ramirez, Zum)
  4. Rock is Dead – 3:09 (Ramirez, Gacy)
  5. Disassociative – 4:50 (Ramirez, Gacy, Zum)
  6. The Speed Of Pain – 5:30 (Ramirez, Gacy, Zum)
  7. Posthuman – 4:17 (Ramirez, Gacy)
  8. I Want To Disappear – 2:56 (Ramirez)
  9. I Don't Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me) – 5:03 (Ramirez, Zum)
  10. New Model No.15 – 3:40 (Ramirez, Manson)
  11. User Friendly – 4:17 (Ramirez, Gacy, Zum)
  12. Fundamentally Loathsome – 4:49 (Gacy, Zum)
  13. The Last Day On Earth – 5:01 (Manson, Gacy, Ramirez)
  14. Coma White – 5:38 (Ramirez, Gacy, Zum)
  15. Untitled - 1:22 (insert disc into computer to play)

The Dope Show is a song from Marilyn Mansons 1998 album Mechanical Animals, released in September of that year as the albums lead single. ... Rock is Dead is a single off of Marilyn Mansons third studio album, Mechanical Animals. ... I Dont Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me) is the second single taken from Marilyn Mansons album Mechanical Animals. ... Coma White is a single by the band Marilyn Manson about the numbing effects of drugs. ...

Credits

  • Marilyn Manson — vocals, producer, Vocoder, photography
  • Madonna Wayne Gacy — piano, drums, keyboards, synthesizer, drums (electric), sampling, Mellotron, shaker
  • Twiggy Ramirez — guitar (acoustic), bass, guitar, bass (electric), guitar (rhythm), noise
  • Zim Zum — guitar (acoustic), guitar, guitar (rhythm), keyboards, guitar synthesizer
  • Ginger Fish — drums, vocals, Vocoder
  • John 5 — live guitar
  • Rose McGowan background vocals on "Posthuman"
  • Michael Beinhorn — producer
  • Billy Corgan — consultant
  • Tom Lord-Alge — mixing
  • Sean Beavan — programming, producer, engineer, editing
  • Barry Goldberg — engineer
  • Rob Brill — assistant engineer
  • Ted Jensen — mastering
  • Danny Saber — keyboards
  • John West — vocals (bckgr)
  • Alexandra Brown — vocals (bckgr)
  • Lynn Davis — vocals (bckgr)
  • Nikki Harris — vocals (bckgr)
  • Kobe Tai — vocals (bckgr)
  • Dyanna Lauren — background vocals (or, as the liner notes state, "pornography") on "User Friendly"
  • Joseph Cultice — photography
  • Devra Kinery — makeup
  • Angela Garcia — makeup
  • Alex Dizon — hair stylist

In 1998, Marilyn Manson asked Dave Navarro to play a guitar solo for Manson's song I Don't Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me) which appears on the record Mechanical Animals, to which Navarro agreed, earning himself credit for the solo in the album's liner notes. A vocoder (name derived from voice encoder, formerly also called voder) is a speech analyzer and synthesizer. ... The Mellotron is an electromechanical polyphonic keyboard musical instrument originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. ... Timothy Michael Linton (born June 25, 1969), better known by the stage name Zim Zum, is a Chicago, IL rock musician. ... John Lowery (born July 31, 1971 in Grosse Pointe, Michigan), better known under his stage name John 5, is a United States musician and a former member of Marilyn Manson. ... Rose Arianna McGowan (born September 5, 1973)[1] is an American actress known for her role as Paige Matthews in The WB television series Charmed and the cult-classic The Doom Generation. ... William Patrick Billy Corgan, Jr. ... Lynn Davis, is an American singer/vocalist who has toured and/or recorded with many artists such as Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Tracie Spencer, Mooney Suzuki, Whitney Houston, Meat Loaf, and Yanni for whom she appears on the live concert album and video Yanni Live at the Acropolis as a vocalist... Carla Carter (born January 15, 1972), better known by her stage name Kobe Tai, is a pornographic actress of Taiwanese and Japanese heritage. ... Dyanna Lauren (born Diane Hurley on March 18, 1965 in Los Angeles, California) is an American erotic dancer and a porn star. ... David Michael Navarro (born June 7, 1967) is a guitarist who has played in the rock bands Janes Addiction and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. ... I Dont Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me) is the second single taken from Marilyn Mansons album Mechanical Animals. ...


Charting positions

Album

Year Chart Position
1998 The Billboard 200 1

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1998 "The Dope Show" Mainstream Rock Tracks 12
1998 "The Dope Show" Modern Rock Tracks 15
1999 "I Don't Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me)" Mainstream Rock Tracks 25
1999 "I Don't Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me)" Modern Rock Tracks 36
1999 "Rock is Dead" Mainstream Rock Tracks 28
1999 "Rock is Dead" Modern Rock Tracks 30

  Results from FactBites:
 
Mechanical Animals Review | Marilyn Manson | Reviews @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com (1369 words)
Mechanical Animals was another milestone for Marilyn Manson.
While it has its limits, I don't find that it's overly versatile, although he does possess a variety of techniques at his disposal, it suits the music perfectly, and is just a good voice in general, giving the music the feel and attitude that it may not otherwise have had.
On Mechanical Animals Manson proves once again that he is an incredibly talented lyricist, mixing intelligence and decadence with humour and sarcasm.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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