Welcome to the Monkey House (album)
Encyclopedia
Welcome to the Monkey House is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock
band The Dandy Warhols
. "We Used to Be Friends
" was a popular single from the album, which later went on to be the theme song for the cult TV show Veronica Mars
.
-winning soul
mixing engineer Russell Elevado
, but Capitol Records
, the band's label at the time, were unhappy with releasing it, and it was shelved, contrary to the band's wishes. The released version is instead a more polished, synth pop-influenced mix by Nick Rhodes
of Duran Duran
. Duran Duran admitted to being a fan of the group, with Nick Rhodes saying "The Dandys are one of the few bands now with a real vibe". The Elevado mix was released as The Dandy Warhols Are Sound
in 2009.
On the making of the record, frontman Courtney Taylor-Taylor said "The approach to this record is different, because we wanted to see if we could take the Simon and Garfunkel
melodies and lay them over Dr. Dre
arrangements".
's short story of the same name
and 1968 collection
, its cover painting by Ron English
is a prime example of that artist's mash-up signature style; the visual pun of a banana half-exposed by a zipper down its peel cannily melds two most famous classic rock album cover designs by one of English's acknowledged major influences, Andy Warhol
: The Rolling Stones
' Sticky Fingers
, and The Velvet Underground
's The Velvet Underground & Nico (on which Warhol was also nominal "producer").
.
gave the album an A- rating, calling it "clever and droll but also hypnotic and mysterious". On the other hand, Pitchfork
, critical of the band's work, gave the album a low 3.3/10 rating, but cited "You Were the Last High" as a redeeming point.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band The Dandy Warhols
The Dandy Warhols
The Dandy Warhols are an American alternative rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1994. The band was founded by singer-guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and guitarist Peter Holmström, with keyboardist Zia McCabe and drummer Eric Hedford later joining. Hedford left in 1998 and was replaced by...
. "We Used to Be Friends
We Used to Be Friends
"We Used to Be Friends" is a song by American alternative rock band The Dandy Warhols. It was released as the lead single to their fourth studio album, Welcome to the Monkey House, in 2003. It single failed to chart in the US but charted neatly in the UK where it peaked at number 18. The song is...
" was a popular single from the album, which later went on to be the theme song for the cult TV show Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during television network UPN's final two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network. Veronica Mars was produced by Warner Bros...
.
Background
The album was originally mixed by Grammy AwardGrammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
mixing engineer Russell Elevado
Russell Elevado
Russell Elevado , is a recording engineer and record producer based in New York City. Elevado's achievement for recording and mixing contemporary R&B recording artist D'Angelo's critically acclaimedVoodoo album, gained him a Grammy award in 2000...
, but Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, the band's label at the time, were unhappy with releasing it, and it was shelved, contrary to the band's wishes. The released version is instead a more polished, synth pop-influenced mix by Nick Rhodes
Nick Rhodes
Nick Rhodes is an English musician, is best known as the keyboardist of the pop rock band Duran Duran...
of Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
. Duran Duran admitted to being a fan of the group, with Nick Rhodes saying "The Dandys are one of the few bands now with a real vibe". The Elevado mix was released as The Dandy Warhols Are Sound
The Dandy Warhols Are Sound
The Dandy Warhols Are Sound is the release of Grammy Award-winning soul mixing engineer Russell Elevado's original mix of The Dandy Warhols' 2003 studio album, Welcome to the Monkey House...
in 2009.
On the making of the record, frontman Courtney Taylor-Taylor said "The approach to this record is different, because we wanted to see if we could take the Simon and Garfunkel
Simon and Garfunkel
Simon & Garfunkel are an American duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. They formed the group Tom & Jerry in 1957 and had their first success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl". As Simon & Garfunkel, the duo rose to fame in 1965, largely on the strength of the...
melodies and lay them over Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
arrangements".
Album cover
Just as the album's title directly references Kurt VonnegutKurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was a 20th century American writer. His works such as Cat's Cradle , Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions blend satire, gallows humor and science fiction. He was known for his humanist beliefs and was honorary president of the American Humanist Association.-Early...
's short story of the same name
Welcome to the Monkey House (short story)
"Welcome to the Monkey House" is a Kurt Vonnegut short story that is part of the collection Welcome to the Monkey House. It is alluded to in God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater as one of Kilgore Trout's stories.-Plot summary:...
and 1968 collection
Welcome to the Monkey House
Welcome to the Monkey House is an assortment of short stories written by Kurt Vonnegut, first published in August 1968. The stories range from war-time epics to futuristic thrillers, given with satire and Vonnegut's unique edge...
, its cover painting by Ron English
Ron English
Ron English is an American contemporary artist who explores popular brand imagery and advertising. His signature style employs a mash-up of high and low cultural touchstones, including comic superhero mythology and totems of art history, to create a visual language of evolution...
is a prime example of that artist's mash-up signature style; the visual pun of a banana half-exposed by a zipper down its peel cannily melds two most famous classic rock album cover designs by one of English's acknowledged major influences, Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
: The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
' Sticky Fingers
Sticky Fingers
-Personnel:The Rolling Stones*Mick Jagger – lead vocals, acoustic guitar on "Dead Flowers", electric guitar on "Sway", percussion*Keith Richards – electric guitar, six & twelve string acoustic guitar, backing vocals...
, and The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...
's The Velvet Underground & Nico (on which Warhol was also nominal "producer").
Track listing
"I Am a Scientist" contains a sample of "Fashion" by David BowieDavid Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
.
Enhanced CD content
The enhanced CD contained 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".Reception
The album received a generally favorable critical reception. Allmusic wrote, "With their fifth album, Welcome to the Monkey House, 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." Robert ChristgauRobert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
gave the album an A- rating, calling it "clever and droll but also hypnotic and mysterious". On the other hand, Pitchfork
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
, critical of the band's work, gave the album a low 3.3/10 rating, but cited "You Were the Last High" as a redeeming point.
Personnel
- Courtney Taylor-TaylorCourtney Taylor-TaylorCourtney Taylor-Taylor is an American singer-songwriter from Portland, Oregon. He is the lead singer and guitarist of alternative rock band The Dandy Warhols, a band he co-founded. The vast majority of the band's songs are written by Taylor-Taylor, including hits "We Used to Be Friends" and...
– vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Zia McCabeZia McCabeZia McCabe is a percussionist, bass guitarist, and keyboard player. She is a member of American alternative rock band The Dandy Warhols. She graduated from Battle Ground High School in Battle Ground, Washington in 1992. In 1995, with hardly any prior musical experience, Zia joined The Dandy Warhols...
– keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals - Peter LoewPeter LoewPeter Holmström is a guitarist from Portland, Oregon, United States. He is a founding member of The Dandy Warhols and Pete International Airport. He is a graduate of the Oregon Episcopal School in Portland and also attended NYU. His influences include The Jesus and Mary Chain, Love and Rockets, and...
– guitar - Brent De BoerBrent De BoerBrent "Fathead" DeBoer is an American singer and drummer, known for being the drummer of alternative rock band The Dandy Warhols. He replaced founding member Eric Hedford in 1998 and is a cousin of Warhols' frontman Courtney Taylor-Taylor. He graduated from Lakeridge High School in Lake Oswego,...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, vocals - Nick RhodesNick RhodesNick Rhodes is an English musician, is best known as the keyboardist of the pop rock band Duran Duran...
– synthesiser on "We Used to Be FriendsWe Used to Be Friends"We Used to Be Friends" is a song by American alternative rock band The Dandy Warhols. It was released as the lead single to their fourth studio album, Welcome to the Monkey House, in 2003. It single failed to chart in the US but charted neatly in the UK where it peaked at number 18. The song is...
", "Plan A", "Scientist", "I Am Over It", "The Dandy Warhols Love Almost Everyone", "Insincere", "The Last High", "Heavenly" and "I Am Sound" - Tony ViscontiTony ViscontiAnthony Edward Visconti is an American record producer and sometimes a musician or singer.Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers; his lengthiest involvement with any artist is with David Bowie: intermittently from Bowie's 1969 album Space Oddity to 2003's Reality, Visconti...
– bass on "Wonderful You" and "Rock Bottom", backing vocals on "Rock Bottom" - Nile Rogers – guitar on "Scientist"
- Simon Le BonSimon Le BonSimon John Charles Le Bon is an English musician, best known as the lead singer, lyricist and musician of the band Duran Duran and its offshoot, Arcadia.-Early life:...
– backing vocals on "Plan A" - Yoad NevoYoad NevoYoad Nevo is a London based producer/mixer known for his work with Jem, Pet Shop Boys, Bryan Adams, Girls Aloud, Sugababes, Dandy Warhols, Goldfrapp, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Moby, Air, Morcheeba, amongst others...
– guitar on "Welcome to the Monkey House", "Plan A" and "Heavenly" - Adam Flick – bass on "Plan A", "I Am Sound"
- Mark Tinley – guitar on "I Am Over It"
- Jamie Jackson – pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
on "I Am Sound" - Parker PoseyParker PoseyParker Christian Posey is an American actress. She became known during the 1990s after a series of roles in several well-received independent films. As a result, she has often been referred to as the "Queen of the Indies"....
– mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
on "I Am Sound" - Sally Boyden – backing vocals on "We Used to Be FriendsWe Used to Be Friends"We Used to Be Friends" is a song by American alternative rock band The Dandy Warhols. It was released as the lead single to their fourth studio album, Welcome to the Monkey House, in 2003. It single failed to chart in the US but charted neatly in the UK where it peaked at number 18. The song is...
" - Sam Dodds – backing vocals on "We Used to Be FriendsWe Used to Be Friends"We Used to Be Friends" is a song by American alternative rock band The Dandy Warhols. It was released as the lead single to their fourth studio album, Welcome to the Monkey House, in 2003. It single failed to chart in the US but charted neatly in the UK where it peaked at number 18. The song is...
" - Cloudia Tinley – giggles on "We Used to Be FriendsWe Used to Be Friends"We Used to Be Friends" is a song by American alternative rock band The Dandy Warhols. It was released as the lead single to their fourth studio album, Welcome to the Monkey House, in 2003. It single failed to chart in the US but charted neatly in the UK where it peaked at number 18. The song is...
"
External links
- Welcome to the Monkey House at The Dandy Warhols' official website