My favourite era is Filthpig to animoose (filthpig and spoon being my favourites), followed by twitch to mind. Psalm 69 is a good album, but ranks below those before and after it.
I agree that houses is Jourgensen’s best “solo” effort (although, as Rey Washam mentioned, that was much more of a band effort than Jourgensen gave credit for (i.e. that it was written by the band jamming and Jourgensen picking what he liked )). Rio Grande is ok as far as metal goes (and I would say the same about Houses), but it falls so far behind the old stuff that (again, same about Houses). And the Last sucker was just plain lazy. It was a paint-by-numbers affair that wasn’t even ok metal, let alone anything beyond that. The first two bush albums were let downs, but they were not bad for what they were (metal with drum machines), but the last one wasn’t even that. And the covers that I heard on the last tour were so lame that I didn’t even bother to pick up cover up (first ministry album I have ever not even bothered to buy).
But I also agree that the stuff before filth pig should not be “the Jourgensen years” but should be “the collaborative years.” The Bush trilogy should really be the Jourgensen years.
For me personally the ‘classic’ years (1987 - 95) are unsurpassed. Such a shame what happened to this once great band in the end. So much talent wasted.
I first got hooked on Ministry back in 1991. Was in a car driving to some gig - I think it was a Hard Ons show - and someone popped the Rape And Honey cassette in and turned the volume up…LOUD.
Needless to say, it blew my head right off my shoulders. To this day, it’s still one of my all time favourite albums.
I think the Barker years were the pinnacle of the band. They took the genre they had pioneered and took it in new directions that Ministry clones could never replicate because those acts lack imagination and innovation.
I discovered the band after AI, seeing “What About Us” on what was then MuchMusic, then seeing videos for “Just 1 Fix” and “NWO”. First CD I bought was ‘Greatest Fits’.
Ministry was in the ‘Animositisomina’ era at that time so I picked it up. Some tracks immediately clicked, but others I didn’t “get” immediately. Now I love that album and it’s my favorite despite the excessive treble making it a bit painful no headphones. I still hold that album in high regard.
In some ways I think ‘Animositisomina’ is the new ‘Dark Side of the Spoon’ in the sense that people are finally starting to see the good in ‘Dark Side…’ and praise the album, but ‘Animositisomina’ maybe hasn’t sunk in yet.
well like most people, the music we listen to in our teenage years or in later years the first entry into an artists catalog tend to be our favorite stuff… I mean when you’re 15 and younger you can just listen to the same cd over and over and over and not get sick of it (for the most part i’m generalizing here), while later on we tend to buy a cd, but not really ave the time to “Live” it like when we’re kids…
on a side note did anybody else notice that ryko is re-releasing (according to fye.com) filth pig? anybody know if it’s getting a remastering or an added bonuses?
I mean when you’re 15 and younger you can just listen to the same cd over and over and over and not get sick of it
Spot on. When I was 15 I listened to Soundgarden’s Bad Motor Finger over and over while I was learning guitar. Couldn’t get sick of it if I tried. When I was 14 I listened to Filth Pig tons as well, often 3-4 times in the one day.
[reply]on a side note did anybody else notice that ryko is re-releasing (according to fye.com) filth pig? anybody know if it’s getting a remastering or an added bonuses?[quote]
If there was a re release with bonus material! … excuse me, I’m drooling.
even if there’s gonna be a rerelease, what bonus material do you expect? it’s gonna be b-sides from the singles, no doubt about that. and that could be the fall 12’’ version, reload 12’’ version, tv3, paisley. lay lady lay and brick windows edits are redundant, so they’re out. the only other track that may be considered for inclusion is lion’s mouth. so nothing new… but the reissue would be interesting to check out though, to see how they compressed the dynamic range.
[#e5e5e5]on a side note did anybody else notice that ryko is re-releasing (according to fye.com) filth pig? anybody know if it’s getting a remastering or an added bonuses?[/#e5e5e5]
[/quote]
What.
[shocked]
[reply]
even if there’s gonna be a rerelease, what bonus material do you expect? it’s gonna be b-sides from the singles, no doubt about that. and that could be the fall 12’’ version, reload 12’’ version, tv3, paisley. lay lady lay and brick windows edits are redundant, so they’re out. the only other track that may be considered for inclusion is lion’s mouth. so nothing new… but the reissue would be interesting to check out though, to see how they compressed the dynamic range.
“Lion’s Mouth”?
[shocked]
What.
Somebody fill me in here before I do something exceedingly NSFW.
lion’s mouth is a 10-minute instrumental ministry track featuring bits of timothy leary’s spoken word (think both versions of gila copter, vocals i mean) that was featured on 1997 “beyond life with timothy leary” (forgot the exact name). it’s a tribute album to him.
in several interviews around 95, there were statements that paisley and lion’s mouth are going to be on a new record called “filth pig”. that’s it. so generally i consider lion’s mouth a filth pig outtake.
and for some reason i consider “what about us”, at least it’s musical part to be something from dark side sessions. i don’t know why. maybe it’s the sound or ty coon vocals. maybe it’s just me!
“Lion’s Mouth” is on YouTube. I’m listening to it now. I don’t know how this track escaped my knowledge. I know about “TV III”, “Paisley” and “Happy Dust” already.
yeah, but happy dust was from dark side bunch. probably. i’m more interested in extended versions of step and nursing home. and original supermanic soul which had some samples in it.
I always thought What About Us was related to DSOTS as well. I remember i bought A.I. just to see Ministry, they looked cool and all, but their appearence was too short. The movie its self was pretty good a 21st century pinnochio thing going on, thought it was too long, fucking 3-4 hours geez louis.
gila, you’ve inadvertently led me to one of my new favorite Ministry tracks of all time. “Lion’s Mouth” is doing very weird things to me right now. This track is dark. DARK. Like a bizarre cross between “The Hills Have Eyes” and “Something Wicked This Way Comes” mixed down into a musical form. This is serial killer music. This is music to do very, very evil things to.
This just further proves to me that the “Filth Pig” through “Animositisomina” years were the absolute best.
Good Lord, does that man freak me right the fuck out.
While we’re on the subject of Ministry’s best/worst of, I gotta give some respect to “With Sympathy” for being the very best of a genre I really dislike. Was listening to it today for no reason and kinda realized that early '80s synth-pop does damned near nothing for me anymore. “Effigy,” though, reigns supreme.
