| Generation Swine | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Mötley Crüe | ||||
| Released | June 24, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1995-1997 | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal, alternative metal | |||
| Length | 64:06 | |||
| Label | Elektra | |||
| Producer | Scott Humphrey | |||
| Mötley Crüe chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
| Sputnikmusic | [2] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
Generation Swine is the seventh studio album and final for Elektra Records by the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, released on June 24, 1997. The album is the first to feature singer Vince Neil since Dr. Feelgood (1989), and the last to feature the original line-up until Saints of Los Angeles (2008).
Contents |
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, 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.[4][5]
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.[4]
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,[6] 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."[4]
After Rock was fired for being "Too expensive and overproduc[ing] the music,"[4] 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 whose title had now been changed to Generation Swine.[4]
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,[7] 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."
Generation Swine debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Gold by the RIAA on August 27, 1997.[8][9] Despite the strong charting debut, 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.[10] Rolling Stone gave the album two stars, noting that "...Fans who like to be rocked to pieces crave consistency, and Generation Swine is more schizophrenic than Wesley Willis."[11]
"Afraid" was released as the first single from the album. The video featured Hustler 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 second single released was "Beauty" which reached number 37 on the mainstream rock charts. 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 was 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 1997.[4]
Speaking of the album in 2008, singer Vince Neil states that the album was "terrible" due to "too much experimenting".[12]
Generation Swine would be the group's final release on Elektra Records, as the label and Mötley Crüe would break their relationship off in early 1998.[13] Future releases from the group would come from their own Mötley Records.[13]
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.[14][15]
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.[15]
In 2003, the band re-issued their albums on their own label Mötley Records including added bonus tracks from each album's specific era.
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Mötley Crüe
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Additional personnel
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| Organization | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| RIAA – United States | Gold | August 26, 1997 |
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