Welcome to the Monkey House (album)

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For the book by Kurt Vonnegut, see Welcome to the Monkey House.
Welcome to the Monkey House
File:Welcome To The Monkey House.jpg
Studio album by The Dandy Warhols
Released May 5, 2003
Recorded September 11, 2001 – December 2, 2002
Genre Pop rock, electropop, alternative rock, synthpop
Length 48:27
Label Capitol
Producer Courtney Taylor-Taylor, Nick Rhodes, Tony Visconti
The Dandy Warhols chronology
Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia
(2000)Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia2000		 Welcome to the Monkey House
(2003)		 The Black Album/Come On Feel the Dandy Warhols
(2004)The Black Album/Come On Feel the Dandy Warhols2004
Singles from Welcome to the Monkey House
  1. "We Used to Be Friends"
    Released: April 23, 2003
  2. "You Were the Last High"
    Released: July 28, 2003
  3. "Plan A"
    Released: November 24, 2003

Welcome to the Monkey House is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock band The Dandy Warhols. The album was recorded between September and December 2002 and released on May 5, 2003 by Capitol Records.

The album was originally mixed by Grammy Award-winning soul music engineer Russell Elevado, but Capitol Records were unhappy with releasing it, and instead released a more polished, synthpop-influenced mix by Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran. The original mix of the album was later released as The Dandy Warhols Are Sound in 2009. The album's lead single "We Used to Be Friends" was the theme to Veronica Mars during its run as well as its subsequent film adaptation.

Background and content

The album's title was inspired by Kurt Vonnegut's short story of the same name.[1]

The album cover painting is by Ron English,[2] and is a prime example of his signature mash-up style – the visual pun of a banana half-exposed by a zipper down its peel cannily melds two of the most famous classic rock album cover designs, both by one of English's acknowledged major influences, Andy Warhol: The Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers and The Velvet Underground's The Velvet Underground & Nico.

Mix

The album was originally mixed by Grammy Award-winning soul music engineer Russell Elevado, but Capitol Records, the band's label at the time, were unhappy with releasing it,[3] and instead released a more polished, synthpop-influenced mix by Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran.[3] In 2009, Dandy Warhols guitarist Peter Holmström claimed it "was not the version I wanted released".[4] The Elevado mix was released as The Dandy Warhols Are Sound on the band's own Beat the World record label in 2009.

Release

Three singles were released from the album: "We Used to Be Friends" on April 23, 2003, "You Were the Last High" on July 28 and "Plan A" on November 24.[5]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 73/100[6]
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 3/5 stars[7]
The A.V. Club favorable[8]
Robert Christgau A−[9]
Drowned in Sound 4.5/5 stars[10]
Entertainment Weekly B[11]
Kludge 6/10[12]
Pitchfork 3.3/10[13]
PopMatters favorable[14]
Q 4/5 stars[15]
Uncut 4/5 stars[16]

The album was generally well-received critically. XRay Magazine described the album as a "belligerent, snotty-nosed, speed-fueled romp through sinister electro punk, slightly corrupt melodic rock and skew-whiff handle of 80s glam-sodden pop, albeit refracted through a knowing noughties thrift store cool."[17] AllMusic wrote, "With their fifth album [...] the band capitalizes on their pop sensibilities and even manages to turn their prior weaknesses into strengths, resulting in a collection of gloriously blank, cleverly stupid neo-new wave songs."[7] Robert Christgau gave the album an A– rating, calling it "clever and droll but also hypnotic and mysterious".[9]

On the other hand, Pitchfork gave the album a low 3.3/10 rating, writing, "these songs highlight the poseur mentality and insincerity that paradoxically plagues and blesses The Dandy Warhols".[13] Sunday Herald wrote, "Sometimes over-indulgence can be fun, but Welcome to the Monkey House is simply too much."[18]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Courtney Taylor-Taylor, except where noted. 

No. Title Writer(s) Alternate title Length
1. "Welcome to the Monkey House"       1:04
2. "We Used to Be Friends"       3:20
3. "Plan A"       4:01
4. "Wonderful You"     "The Dope (Wonderful You)" 4:37
5. "Scientist"   Taylor-Taylor, David Bowie "I Am a Scientist" 3:13
6. "I Am Over It"       3:50
7. "The Dandy Warhols Love Almost Everyone"       1:54
8. "Insincere"     "Insincere Because I" 3:49
9. "You Were the Last High"   Evan Dando, Taylor-Taylor "The Last High" 4:46
10. "Heavenly"       3:36
11. "I Am Sound"       4:00
12. "Rock Bottom"     "Hit Rock Bottom" 2:53
13. "(You Come In) Burned"     "You Come In Burned" 7:24

The alternate titles listed above are the song titles as printed on the back cover, disc and in the liner notes of non-U.S. editions of the album, apart from "The Last High", which was the credited title of "You Were the Last High" on U.S. pressings (despite maintaining the full title when released as a single).

Enhanced CD content

The enhanced CD contains the short film The End of the Old as We Know It, written and directed by Courtney Taylor-Taylor, and a link to The Odditorium, a no-longer-active website where fans could "see band web casts, play games and download exclusive music and mayhem".

Personnel

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The Dandy Warhols
Additional musicians
  • Sally Boyden – backing vocals on "We Used to Be Friends"
  • Sam Dodds – backing vocals on "We Used to Be Friends"
  • Adam Flick – bass guitar on "Plan A" and "I Am Sound"
  • Jamie Jackson – electric piano on "I Am Sound"
  • Simon Le Bon – backing vocals on "Plan A"
  • Yoad Nevo – additional guitar on "We Used to Be Friends", "Plan A", "Heavenly" and "I Am Sound"
  • Parker Posey – mandolin on "I Am Sound"
  • Nick Rhodes – additional synthesizer on tracks 2, 3 and 5–11
  • Nile Rodgers – rhythm guitar on "I Am a Scientist"
  • Cloudia Tinley – "giggles" on "We Used to Be Friends"
  • Mark Tinley – additional guitar on "I Am Over It"
  • Tony Visconti – bass guitar on "The Dope (Wonderful You)", bass guitar and backing vocals on "Hit Rock Bottom"
Production
  • Steven Birch – sleeve design
  • Brian Coates – engineering on tracks 1–4 and 6–13
  • Brian Gardner – mastering
  • Ron English – album cover painting
  • Nick Friend – recording assistance
  • Yoad Nevo – additional programming on tracks 2, 3 and 5–11
  • Daniel Porter – mixing assistance
  • Nick Rhodes – production on tracks 2, 3 and 5–11
  • Bjorn Thorsrud – engineering on tracks 2–7, 9, 10, 12 and 13, additional production on track 2
  • Mark Tinley – engineering and programming on tracks 2, 3 and 5–11
  • Tony Visconti – production on "Hit Rock Bottom"
  • Jeremy Wheatley – mixing, additional production on tracks 2 and 9, additional programming on tracks 2, 3 and 5–11

References

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External links

fr:The Dandy Warhols Are Sound

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