The Golden Age of Grotesque (album)
- This article is about the album. For other uses, see The Golden Age of Grotesque (song) and The Golden Age of Grotesque (art exhibition).
The Golden Age of Grotesque | |||||
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The Golden Age of Grotesque cover | |||||
Studio album by Marilyn Manson | |||||
Released | May 5, 2003 | ||||
Recorded | 2002–2003 at the Doppelherz Studio in Hollywood, California; The Mix Room in Burbank, California | ||||
Genre | Industrial metal | ||||
Length | 57:40 | ||||
Label | Nothing, Interscope | ||||
Producer | Marilyn Manson, Tim Skold, Ben Grosse | ||||
Professional reviews | |||||
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Marilyn Manson chronology | |||||
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The Golden Age of Grotesque is the fifth studio album by Marilyn Manson, released on May 5, 2003 by Interscope Records. It incorporates themes from the glamorous Swing era of the thirties, as well as from the Weimar Republic of pre-Nazi Germany. It was revealed in a 2007 interview with Kerrang! that this was intended to be Marilyn Manson's departure from music, however his divorce drove him to write the album's successor, Eat Me, Drink Me. It spawned two singles ("mOBSCENE" and "This Is the New Shit").
Contents
Themes
Instrumentally, this album is more beat-driven and electronic than previous albums. This is perhaps due to Tim Skold's presence — some believe this album's sound is at times reminiscent of KMFDM, with whom Skold had collaborated prior to recording with Manson.
Lyrically, this album is full of historical and pop references, much like Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death). References include Peter Pan, Adolf Hitler, and Oscar Wilde. As in many of his other works, he makes use of word play and double-meanings, coining words like "gloominati", "scabaret sacrilegends", "vivi-sex symbol", "cocaingels", "mOBSCENE", "vodevil" and "para-noir".
The album also draws themes from Mel Gordon's 2000 book Voluptuous Panic: The Erotic World of Weimar Berlin. Concerned that Gordon might take issue with use of the book's material, Manson called Gordon, who said he couldn't imagine a greater compliment than a popular record based on the academic book. The album artwork is also influenced by the illustrations found in Voluptuous Panic.
The Golden Age of Grotesque has been viewed by many long-time fans as mildly disregarded, with its main ideas lost. The most enduring theme is chiefly notable in the single "This is the New Shit". The song was seen as poppy, with the chorus - and title - possibly referring to the fact that Tim Skold had joined the band, bringing with him a completely new and different style of music that featured electronic beats and sounds previously ignored in earlier Manson albums. While this could be regarded as Manson's attempt to sell to the masses, the song in fact is railing against contemporary music, i.e., 'the new shit', and goes so far as to spell out the what Manson viewed the formula for mainstream success to be:
"Babble, babble, bitch, bitch, rebel, rebel, party, party, sex, sex, sex, and don't forget the violence, blah, blah, blah, got your lovey-dovey sad and lonely, stick your stupid slogan in, everybody sing along."
The album, probably misconceived because of the parody that it has placed on its stereotypical audience, follows the evolution of Manson himself ("Thaeter") through to "Obsequey (The Death of Art)", or "art into a product". This album takes on dual layer story lines, first as a punk rock ballad spouting the notion to live life to its fullest in presumption that there is no future. The second storyline takes a parody to the idea that living life to the fullest has led us into a nihilistic stupidity, hence the "rebel to sell" references within "The Bright Young Things" and the transformation into a commercially acceptable "happy" icon, Mickey Mouse (Manson posed as Mickey Mouse throughout the album's publicity).
Track listing
- 1. "Thaeter" – 1:14
- 2. "This Is the New Shit" – 4:19
- 3. "mOBSCENE" – 3:25
- 4. "Doll-Dagga Buzz-Buzz Ziggety-Zag" – 4:10
- 5. "Use Your Fist and Not Your Mouth" – 3:34
- 6. "The Golden Age of Grotesque" – 4:05
- 7. "(s)AINT" – 3:42
- 8. "Ka-boom Ka-boom" – 4:02
- 9. "Slutgarden" – 4:06
- 10. "♠" ("Spade") – 4:34
- 11. "Para-noir" – 6:01
- 12. "The Bright Young Things" – 4:19
- 13. "Better of Two Evils" – 3:48
- 14. "Vodevil" – 4:39
- 15. "Obsequey (The Death of Art)" – 1:35
Bonus tracks
- 16. "Tainted Love" (Appears on all commercial versions) – 3:20
- 17. "Baboon Rape Party" (Japan and UK bonus track) – 2:41
- 18. "Paranoiac" (Japan bonus track) – 3:54
B-sides
- "Mind of a Lunatic" (Geto Boys cover) – 9:49
Charting positions
Album
Year | Chart | Position |
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2003 | Billboard 200 | 1 |
2003 | Top Internet Albums | 1 |
Singles
Year | Single | Chart | Position |
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2003 | "mOBSCENE" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 18 |
2003 | "mOBSCENE" | Modern Rock Tracks | 26 |
Release history
Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
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Mexico | May 5, 2003 | Interscope Records | Compact disc | — |
Germany | May 12, 2003 | Interscope Records | Compact disc | — |
North America | May 13, 2003 | Interscope Records | Compact disc | — |
United Kingdom | May 13, 2003 | Interscope Records | Compact disc | — |
Australia | May 19, 2003 | Interscope Records | Compact disc | — |
Japan | June 17, 2003 | Interscope Records | Compact disc | — |
Trivia
- In a January 11, 2007 interview with The Heirophant, Marilyn Manson revealed that he performed keyboard duties on the record, and not the band's keyboardist Madonna Wayne Gacy who allegedly at the time had no interest to perform or simply did not show up for studio sessions.
- Original pressings of the album included a bonus DVD containing a short film directed by Manson, titled Doppelherz.
- The Austrian-Irish artist Gottfried Helnwein collaborated with Manson on this album. The cover and the artwork inside the album sleeve was created by Helnwein, and this artwork was also shown in his exhibitions.
Personnel
- Marilyn Manson – vocals, keyboards, synthesizer bass, mellotron, saxophone, digital editing, loops, snare drum rolls, producer
- John 5 – guitar, piano, orchestration
- Tim Skold – bass, guitar, accordion, keyboards, producer, loops, artwork, digital editing, drum programming, synthesizer bass, electronics, beats
- Ginger Fish – drums, rhythm direction
- Chuck Bailey – assistant engineer
- Tom Baker – mastering
- Jon Blaine – hair stylist
- Blumpy – digital editing
- Jeff Burns – assistant
- Ross Garfield – drum technician
- Lily & Pat – backing vocals
- Ben Grosse – producer, engineer, digital editing, mixing
- Mark Williams – A&R
- Gottfried Helnwein – art direction
- Andrew Baines – backing vocals