The Last Sucker

Infobox Album | Name = The Last Sucker
Type = studio
Artist = Ministry


Released = September 18, 2007
Recorded = May 2007
Genre = Industrial metal
Length = 56:00
Label = 13th Planet
Producer = Al Jourgensen, Dave Donnelly
Reviews = *AbsolutePunk.net (87%) [http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=315047 link]
*Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:kifrxzthldhe link]
* Blabbermouth rating-10|8 [http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/showreview.aspx?reviewID=1244 link]
* The Skinny Rating|4|5 [http://www.skinnymag.co.uk/content/view/5649/141/ link]
Last album = "Rio Grande Dub"
(2007)
This album = "The Last Sucker"
(2007)
Next album = " Cover Up"
(2008) |

"The Last Sucker" is the eleventh studio album by industrial metal band Ministry, released in 2007 through 13th Planet Records.

The album is the 3rd and final part of the band's anti-George W. Bush trilogy, preceded by 2004's "Houses of the Molé" and 2006's "Rio Grande Blood". According to a May 2006 interview with frontman Al Jourgensen, it is also the band's last studio release of original material. [cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002576728|publisher=Billboard|author=Gary Graff|title=Ministry Plots Final Disc|date=May 26, 2006|accessdate=2007-02-24]

Overview

Jourgensen told Billboard that he had "...other things to do. I just started a label (13th Planet Records), and I want to sign some bands and really build it up like I did with WaxTrax in the '80s, not just a vanity label. I think it's time, and I'll be leaving on the top of my game instead of hanging on too long and doing crappy Aerosmith and Rolling Stones albums thirty years later."

"That seems to be my muse; everyone seems to think I write real shitty music when a Democrat's in office. So we'll do that one, and then me and George (W.) Bush go riding off hand-in-hand, into the sunset."

Fear Factory frontman Burton C. Bell recorded some guest vocals for the album. [cite web|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=68168|publisher=Blabbermouth|author=News Archive|title=Fear Factory Frontman To Guest On New Ministry Album|date=March 4, 2007|accessdate=2007-07-07]

On July 17, 2007, a promotional copy of the album was leaked on the internet. A week earlier lyrics and full credits for the album were released by SureShotWorx on their official website.

A Best Buy exclusive version of the CD contains remixes of "Watch Yourself" and "The Last Sucker."

The track "Let's Go" was released as the album's only single.

The final track, "End of Days Part Two", contains a lengthy sample from 34th President of the United States Dwight Eisenhower's farewell address, warning about the dangers of the "military-industrial complex". The end of the song also features a quiet sample of "O Fortuna" in the background. The same music was sampled at the beginning of the first album in the Bush Trilogy, "Houses of the Molé".

Cover art

The limited edition digipack has an image of George W. Bush's face that morphs into a lizard creature's face and back when turned. The image is on a card that can be removed from digipack. Underneath the morphing image is the word "Behold!" followed by a message written in code. When decoded the message says::The ancient bloodline rare:whose mystic portrait does declare:the image on the 33rd degree:fair for all to look and see:but few there are to whom he is known:though here he is so plainly shown Fact|date=July 2008

The picture would be a reference to the theory which is popular in the some conspiracy circles, that humanity is held in slavery by a race of extraterrestrial lizard men, who can morph their shape into human and back again. Amongst the lizards is supposedly a number of the leaders of the world, including George Bush, Dick Cheney, and the English queen. One of the most famous proponents of this theory is Englishman David Icke.

The inner cover art contains a parody of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper", with Jourgensen in the center of the table and figures from the Bush administration around him; Bush himself is drawn in Philip the Apostle's place.

Track listing

# "Let's Go" "(Jourgensen/Quirin)" - 4:53
# "Watch Yourself" "(Jourgensen/Raven)" - 5:29
# "Life Is Good" "(Jourgensen/Quirin)" - 4:15
# "The Dick Song" "(Jourgensen/Quirin)" - 5:50
# "The Last Sucker" "(Jourgensen/Victor)" - 5:59
# "No Glory" "(Jourgensen/Victor)" - 3:42
# "Death and Destruction" "(Jourgensen/Quirin)" - 3:31
# "Roadhouse Blues" "(Morrison/Krieger/Manzerek/Densmore)" (The Doors cover) - 4:26
# "Die in a Crash" "(Jourgensen/Victor/Bell)" - 4:03
# "End of Days (Part 1)" "(Jourgensen/Victor/Raven/Bell)" - 3:22
# "End of Days (Part 2)" "(Jourgensen/Victor/Raven/Bell)" - 10:25

Bonus Tracks

* "Watch Yourself (The End is Here)" - 4:30 (found on Best Buy versions at track #23)
* "The Last Sucker (Remix)" - 3:44 (found on Best Buy versions at track #69)
* "Die in a Crash Remix" - 5:22 (iTunes exclusive)
* "No Glory (Remix)" - 4:49 (Napster only download)

Credits

*Alien Jourgensen - vox, guitars, bass, harmonica, drum programming, programming, production
*Tommy Victor - guitars, bass, b/g vox
*Paul Raven - bass, guitars, b/g vox
*Sin Quirin - guitars, bass
*John Bechdel - keyboards
*Casey Chaos - vox ("Roadhouse Blues")
*Burton C. Bell - vox ("Die in a Crash", "End of Days (Part One)", "End of Days (Part Two)" )
*Angie Jay - add. b/g vox ("End of Days (Part Two)")
*Erin Braswell - add. b/g vox ("End of Days (Part Two)")
*Josh Bradford - add. b/g vox ("End of Days (Part Two)")
*Kevin Spence - add. b/g vox ("End of Days (Part Two)")
*Dave Donnelly - production
*John Bilberry - engineering, drum programming [cite web |url=http://www.sureshotworx.de/index.php?pg=811&thsuresd=e07843bd34285c79990e9369cdfb7c9a |title=SureShotWorx |accessdate=2007-07-19 |format= |work= ]

Charting Positions

Album

References