Generation Swine

Infobox Album | Name = Generation Swine
Type = studio
Artist = Mötley Crüe


Released = June 24, 1997
Recorded = 1996
Genre = Heavy metal
Length = 64:06
Label = Elektra | Producer = Scott Humphrey
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|2|5 [http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:8jy67ul080j0 link]
*"Rolling Stone" Rating|2|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/motleycrue/albums/album/216284/review/6067879/generation_swine link]
Last album = "Mötley Crüe"
(1994)
This album = "Generation Swine"
(1997)
Next album = "Greatest Hits"
(1998)

"Generation Swine", is the seventh studio album by American hard rock band, Mötley Crüe released on June 24, 1997. The album is the first to feature singer Vince Neil since "Dr. Feelgood", and the last to feature the original line-up until "Saints of Los Angeles".

Speaking of the album in 2008, singer Vince Neil states that the album is "terrible" due to "too much experimenting". [Soeder, John. [http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2008/08/motley_crue_gets_back_to_rock.html "Motley Crue Gets Back to Rock 'n' Roll Basics for New Album, Tour"] . www.cleveland.com/entertainment. Aug 15, 2008.]

Album

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".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] [ [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/tool/articles/story/5924607/crue_to_be_kind Rolling Stone "Crue to be Kind"] ]

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.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]

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, [Scott, Linda. 1995. [http://www.westnet.com/consumable/1995/March15.1995/revsixx.html INTERVIEW: Nikki Sixx, Motley Crue ] ] 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."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]

After Rock was fired for being "Too expensive and overproduc [ing] the music,"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] 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".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]

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, ["Crücial Crüe" Remaster liner notes] 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."

Reaction

"Generation Swine" debuted at #4 on the Billboard charts and was awarded Gold status by the RIAA on August 27 1997. [ [http://www.riaa.com/gp/database/search_results.asp RIAA Certification] ] 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. [Peters, Mitchell. April 15, 2008. [http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i721645931ea9e846e92f64fe4e516c89 Motley Crue Roars Back With New Album, Tour] Billboard.com. Retrieved on April 17, 2008] "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." [Weiderhorn, Jon. Jun 26, 1997. [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/motleycrue/albums/album/216284/review/6067879/generation_swine Generation Swine] .]

"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.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]

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. [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5929180/corabi_files_lawsuit_against_motley_crue_elektra_records/print "Corabi Files Lawsuit Against Motley Crue, Elektra Records"] ] [http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/12050984 Yahoo! News "And Justice For All...Heavy Metal Lawsuits" Parker, Lyndsey] ]

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. [http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/12050984 Yahoo! News "And Justice For All...Heavy Metal Lawsuits" Parker, Lyndsey] ]

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

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]

Personnel

* Vince Neil – vocals
* Mick Mars – guitar
* Nikki Sixx – bass, vocals
* Tommy Lee – drums, piano, vocals
* John Corabi- Guitar and Vocals (uncredited)

References