Released July 14, 1992 Psalm 69 The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs(1992) Box(1993) Release date 10 July 1992 | Length 44:38 | |
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Recorded 1991–1992 at Chicago Trax Studios Similar Ministry albums, Industrial metal albums |
Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs (or as simply referred to as Psalm 69) is the common title for the fifth studio album by industrial metal band Ministry, released in 1992 on Sire Records. The actual title of the album is ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ, which is made up of κεφαλή (kephalē), a Greek word meaning "head" (and by extension "heading" or "chapter"), and ΞΘ, the number 69 in Greek numerals. The title Psalm 69 is used for simplicity's sake. The album gave Ministry a more mainstream audience, with the track "Jesus Built My Hotrod" receiving major airplay on MTV and various other music stations. Psalm 69 also marked Ministry's first release with guitarist Mike Scaccia, who was recruited by band frontman and founder Al Jourgensen in 1989.
Contents
- History
- Etymology
- Reception and awards
- NWO
- Just One Fix
- TV II
- Hero
- Jesus Built My Hotrod
- Scarecrow
- Psalm 69
- Corrosion
- Grace
- Singles
- Chart positions and certifications
- Ministry
- Additional personnel
- Songs
- References
Video game composer Frank Klepacki cites Psalm 69 album as a primary influence in creating the iconic Industrial soundtrack in 1995's Command & Conquer video game.
History
The record company Sire gave the band $750,000 to make the album; frontman Al Jourgensen and guitarist Mike Scaccia spent almost $1,000 a day of the money on drugs.
The song "Jesus Built My Hotrod" features guest vocals by Gibby Haynes from the Butthole Surfers. Jourgensen explained the process of collaborating with Haynes during the recording process:
Gibby came down completely drunk off his ass to the studio we're at in Chicago. He couldn't even sit on a stool, let alone sing. I mean, he was wasted. He fell off the stool about ten times during the recording of that vocal. He made no sense and it was just gibberish. So I spent two weeks editing tape of what he did.
Etymology
The title of the album is directly linked to chapter 69 of The Book of Lies, a written work of Aleister Crowley, where he uses the expression "The way to succeed and the way to suck eggs" as a pun for the 69 sex position ("suck seed" and "suck eggs"). Moreover, Crowley titled the chapter ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ, Greek κεφαλη or "head" and ΞΘ or "69" (both slang in English for oral sex - but not the original ancient Greek words).
Subsequent to the album's release, Ministry put multiple references to the number 69 in future albums. For example, the albums Dark Side of the Spoon and Houses of the Molé both had hidden tracks with a track number of 69.
Reception and awards
"N.W.O." was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance at the Grammy Awards of 1993, but lost to Nine Inch Nails' "Wish".
"N.W.O."
Additional samples of Bush saying "God bless America! [croud sheering]", "Wait... Watch and learn.", and "I believe in freedom", and Joseph McCarthy saying "I'm not setting myself above any law", appear on the extended dance mix from the single release.
"Just One Fix"
"TV II"
"Hero"
"Jesus Built My Hotrod"
All the samples used in "Jesus Built My Hotrod" appear on the Redline/Whiteline version from the single release, not on the album version.
"Scarecrow"
"Psalm 69"
"Corrosion"
"Grace"
Singles
Chart positions and certifications
Ministry
Additional personnel
Songs
1NWO5:31
2Just One Fix5:11
3TV II3:05