Generation Swine
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| Generation Swine | |||||
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| Studio album by Mötley Crüe | |||||
| Released | June 24, 1997 | ||||
| Recorded | 1996 | ||||
| Genre | Alternative metal Heavy metal |
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| Length | 64:06 | ||||
| Label | Elektra | ||||
| Producer | Scott Humphrey | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| Mötley Crüe chronology | |||||
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Generation Swine, is an album by the American hard rock band Mötley Crüe released in 1997. It was the first studio album by the band with singer Vince Neil since 1989s Dr. Feelgood.
Contents |
[edit] Album
[edit] Background
Following the commercial failure of the Mötley Crüe album and tour, the band was under pressure by executives at Elektra records to return Mötley Crüe to the level of commercial success that the band enjoyed in the 1980s.
The band members, then officially consisting of vocalist/guitarist John Corabi, bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee and guitarist Mick Mars, were so frustrated with the failure of the previous album and tour sales that they fired numerous people around the group, including their accountant, manager Doug Thaler, and their producer Bob Rock. The band then hired Allen Kovac as their new manager and started looking for another producer to work with for their next record which was originally titled Personality #9.[1][2]
After the mass firing, the band was called to a meeting with Warner Bros. CEO Doug Morris to discuss the current state of the band. At the meeting, Morris tried to convince Sixx and Lee to get rid of Corabi, as he wasn't a "star," and reunite with original singer Vince Neil. Sixx and Lee were not interested in the idea of working with Neil again, and insisted on keeping Corabi in the group. With some additional convincing from Elektra CEO Sylvia Rhone, Morris agreed and the band continued with their work.[1]
[edit] Recording
Mötley Crüe had returned to the studio with the intention of recording a straight rock record that was to be more aggressive than the Mötley Crüe album was,[3] and with Rock producing they had recorded material such as "The Year I Lived In a Day" and "La Dolce Vita." The band was so excited about the new music, that according to Corabi; "At the end of each day we'd walk around the studio carrying our huge cocks in our hands because the music rocked so hard."[1]
After Rock was fired for being "Too expensive and overproduc[ing] the music,"[1] the band eventually chose Scott Humphrey to take Rock's place, with both Sixx and Lee agreeing to serve as co-producers on the album. After Humphrey, Sixx and Lee took over as producers, the recording process became very disorganized, as Humphrey and Sixx regularly argued over ideas for the album. Mars' role in the band was greatly reduced due to an ongoing feud between him and Humphrey, and Corabi grew increasingly frustrated with the sessions as well, as he would learn and write material only to find it completely changed by the time he returned to the studio.
As the recording of the album continued, the band was still being pressured to reunite with Neil, and Corabi decided that he had had enough of the frustration of working under the pressure that the band and Humphrey were putting on him. With Corabi out of the band, the door was now open for Neil to return.
Neil meanwhile, had been busy with his own solo career and the untimely death of his daughter Skylar, when Kovac had approached him with the same idea of reuniting with Mötley Crüe as Morris had presented to Sixx and Lee earlier. Neil, like Sixx and Lee, was against the idea of working with the band again, but Kovac had planted the idea of a reunion in Neil's head that eventually changed his mind. After meeting with Sixx and Lee, Neil agreed to rejoin the band and finish the album who's title had now been changed to Generation Swine.[1]
Musically, the album shows Mötley Crüe trying to update their image and sound, and shows the band experimenting with current sounds such as electronica and alternative rock throughout the record. Most of the album was written while Corabi was with the band,[4] and as such Neil (whose voice is higher and cleaner than Corabi's) had difficulty adjusting his voice to the new material and sound.
Even with Neil back in the band, the album proved to be a departure from traditional Mötley Crüe albums. Besides the aforementioned experimentation with various types of music, the album featured Sixx and Lee on lead vocals for the first time. Sixx was featured on lead on the song "Rocketship," which was written as a love song to his new romance with model Donna D'Errico, and sang lead on parts of "Find Myself" and "Beauty." Lee was featured on lead vocals on the song "Brandon," which was a namesake song to his first born son, and his then-current wife, model Pamela Anderson.
Lyrically, Generation Swine ranges from songs about drugs and prostitution such as "Find Myself" and "Beauty," to the anti-suicide stance on "Flush," and familial love on "Rocketship" and "Brandon."
[edit] Reaction
Generation Swine debuted at #4 on the Billboard charts and was awarded Gold status by the RIAA on August 27, 1997.[5] Despite the high initial charting position though, the album failed to return the band to the level of critical and commercial success that had been hoped for with the reunion, and according to Nielsen SoundScan the album has sold about 306,000 copies in the U.S. to date.[6] Rolling Stone gave the album two stars, and noted that "...Fans who like to be rocked to pieces crave consistency, and Generation Swine is more schizophrenic than Wesley Willis."[7]
"Afraid" was released as the first single from the album. The video featured Hustler Magazine publisher Larry Flynt, who also put the band on the cover of an issue of Hustler that year. "Afraid" reached #10 on the US mainstream rock charts, but that too did little to generate interest in the album. The band felt that the album's sluggish sales were due to Elektra not promoting the album properly, claiming that the label was only interested in promoting R & B acts. Rhone discredited this claim though, stating that Mötley Crüe were a major priority for Elektra and that the label had spent a large sum of money in order to get the band to perform "Shout at the Devil '97" on the American Music Awards in January of 1997.[1]
[edit] Lawsuit
On July 7, 1997, Corabi filed a $4-million lawsuit against the band for alleged breach of contract, fraud, and slander. Corabi's claim was that he had not received royalties or credit for his work and contributions while he was in the band.[8][9]
Corabi was only officially credited for two songs on the original pressing of Generation Swine, "Flush" and "Let Us Prey," but claimed that he was responsible for at least 80% of the material on the album.[9]
[edit] Track listing
- "Find Myself" (Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars, Tommy Lee) – 2:51
- "Afraid" (Sixx) – 4:07
- "Flush" (Sixx, Lee, John Corabi) – 5:03
- "Generation Swine" (Sixx, Lee) – 4:39
- "Confessions" (Lee, Mars) – 4:21
- "Beauty" (Sixx, Lee, Scott Humphrey) – 3:47
- "Glitter" (Sixx, Humphrey, Bryan Adams) – 5:00
- "Anybody Out There?" (Lee, Sixx) – 1:50
- "Let Us Prey" (Sixx, Corabi) – 4:22
- "Rocketship" (Sixx) – 2:05
- "A Rat Like Me" (Sixx) – 4:13
- "Shout at the Devil '97" (Sixx) – 3:43
- "Brandon" (Lee) – 3:25
[edit] 2003 remastered edition
In 2003, the band re-issued their albums on their own label Mötley Records including added bonus tracks from each album's specific era.
- "Afraid" (Sixx) – (Swine/Jimbo Mix) – 3:58
- "Wreck Me" (Lee, Vince Neil, Mars, Sixx) – (previously unreleased) – 4:19
- "Kiss The Sky" (Corabi, Lee, Neil, Mars, Sixx) – (previously unreleased) – 4:47
- "Rocketship" (Sixx) - (early demo) – 1:37
- "Confessions" (Lee) - (featuring Tommy Lee on vocals, demo) – 3:35
- "Afraid" (Sixx) – [Video]
[edit] Personnel
- Vince Neil – vocals
- Mick Mars – guitar
- Nikki Sixx – bass, vocals
- Tommy Lee – drums, piano, vocals
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f Lee, Tommy, Mick Mars, Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx and Neil Strauss. The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band, Regan Books, 2002. ISBN 0-06-039288-6
- ^ Rolling Stone Crue to be Kind
- ^ Scott, Linda. 1995. INTERVIEW: Nikki Sixx, Motley Crue
- ^ Crücial Crüe Remaster liner notes
- ^ RIAA Certification
- ^ Peters, Mitchell. April 15, 2008. Motley Crue Roars Back With New Album, Tour Billboard.com. Retrieved on April 17, 2008
- ^ Weiderhorn, Jon. Jun 26, 1997. Generation Swine.
- ^ Corabi Files Lawsuit Against Motley Crue, Elektra Records
- ^ a b Yahoo! News And Justice For All...Heavy Metal Lawsuits Parker, Lyndsey
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