fbpx
Wikipedia

Twitch (Ministry album)

Twitch[nb 1] is the second studio album by American industrial band Ministry, released on March 12, 1986 by Sire Records. Recorded mostly in London and West Berlin during 1985, it was largely produced by On-U Sound Records owner Adrian Sherwood, while the band's frontman Al Jourgensen co-produced two tracks. It stepped away from the synthpop-oriented form of Ministry's 1983 debut studio album, With Sympathy, and moved toward a darker, more aggressive sound, heavily influenced by industrial dance groups Cabaret Voltaire and Front 242.

Preceded by "Over the Shoulder", with an accompanying video directed by Peter Christopherson, the album was supported by a concert tour of North America, which was the first to feature Paul Barker and Bill Rieflin in the line-up, playing bass guitar and drums, respectively. The album was released to mixed reviews.

Background and production edit

Shortly after touring in support of Ministry's 1983 debut album, With Sympathy, Al Jourgensen and bandmates moved to Evanston, Illinois, and proceeded to record what was to be Ministry's second album with Arista Records. Amid differences in the upcoming recording's style, the band left Arista in Spring 1984, following a legal dispute, and returned to Wax Trax! Records, their original label.[1][2] In that year's Autumn, Ministry embarked on the tour of the East Coast with Belgian industrial dance band Front 242 as a supporting act;[3]: 645 [4] according to various accounts, Jourgensen began working on new music either during that tour or the same time With Sympathy was recorded.[5][6][2] In his 2013 autobiography, Ministry: The Lost Gospels..., Jourgensen said that during an aforementioned tour, Seymour Stein had attended several gigs trying to offer the band a new deal with his record label Sire Records, a Warner Bros. Records subsidiary. As various accounts state, Jourgensen declined an offer, recalling his experience with Arista, but eventually volunteered, setting conditions that Sire would give Jourgensen complete creative control over his work, and would give resources to buy a Fairlight CMI synthesizer, and also to support the Wax Trax! imprint; as Jourgensen put it in 2013, "it was kind of a personal sacrifice to keep that company rolling and allow them to keep signing bands."[7] By the Summer of 1985, Ministry released several non-album singles on Wax Trax!: “All Day”, “(Every Day Is) Halloween”, and “The Nature of Love”,[8][9] before getting signed to Sire.[10] By this point, Jourgensen remained the only official member of Ministry.[11][12]

Stein subsequently employed On-U Sound Records owner Adrian Sherwood as the record's principal producer, after regarding his remix work on Depeche Mode's 1984 singles "People Are People" and "Master and Servant".[13][14] Jourgensen, Sherwood, and Keith LeBlanc began work in Chicago in Spring 1985, before relocating in London-based Southern Studios;[11][3] the later sessions were held in West Berlin at Hansa Tonstudio.[13][15]: 20 [16][17] Recalling sessions in The Lost Gospels..., Jourgensen mostly regarded Sherwood for production advice, though he expressed dislike about his experience in London, citing cultural differences and conflicts with Sherwood's friends; also he admitted that can't "feel like this one's really mine because it's so Adrian Sherwood-influenced."[18][17]

Style and composition edit

Musically, Twitch is more abrasive and beat-driven than preceding Ministry releases, stepping away from the pop-oriented sound of With Sympathy, and incorporating elements from the growing industrial scene of the mid-1980s instead.[19][20][21][22] Various authors wrote that the album's overall sound is at times reminiscent of Ministry's contemporary acts in Europe, Cabaret Voltaire and Front 242.[nb 2] It is described as an electronica,[28] industrial,[29] and EBM/industrial dance record[30] which also contains material ascribed to the two latter genres,[26][31] as well as dance-pop,[32] dub,[33] eurodisco,[34][35] noise rock[36] and synthpop.[26] Jourgensen's English-accented singing, while carried over from With Sympathy, was approached with distortion effects.[35][25][37] Twitch was also the first Ministry record featuring use of sampling, which became one of Ministry's trademarks over the years.[27][26] The production also features the use of white noise and distortion.[35]

The opening track, "Just Like You", is cited by Jourgensen as his “first real political Ministry song”.[16] “We Believe” is described as a "sequencer hammerlock"[36] and has been compared to the music of Nine Inch Nails.[38] "All Day Remix" is a re-worked version of "All Day", originally the A-side from Wax Trax!'s 1985 single which included “Halloween”; drummer Stephen George and bassist Brad Hallen, who quit the band after 1984, were still credited for their contribution to the original track.[39][40] "The Angel" features backing vocals from Jourgensen's then-wife Patty; though uncredited, their daughter Adrienne appears as a toddler in this track's intro.[41]

Promotion edit

"Over the Shoulder" single and video edit

The sole single from Twitch, "Over the Shoulder", was released in late November 1985, and marked Ministry's debut on Sire.[42][43] The song is cited as an early example of electro-industrial,[44][45] and contains multiple layers of looped synthesizer parts along with distinctive heavy drum machine pattern along with Jourgensen's weak vocal approach, referred to by Billboard editors "as mannered as Scritti Politti heard over the telephone."[42][43][46][31][improper synthesis?] In the same magazine's "Dance Trax" column, writer Brian Chin described it as “a Bee Gees satire.”[47] In a later review published in the March 1986 issue of Spin Magazine, columnist John Leland praised Sherwood's work with Ministry's "typically banal ideas."[48]

The music video for "Over the Shoulder" was directed by Peter Christopherson.[nb 3][51][52][53] According to Jourgensen, the director hired two kids to steal a car, then filmed it. When the band asked to film in a store, the owner refused. The director allegedly paid the same kids to break into the store and trash it, and the band asked once again. The owner, needing money to pay for cleanup, agreed. Jourgensen said, "Everything that happened on that video was criminal."[50]

In 2000, the video of "Over the Shoulder" was featured on compilation album Tapes of Wrath;[44][54] the song was to be featured on a 2001 compilation album Greatest Fits, but was left off due to medium limitations.[55]

Tour edit

Following the release of Twitch the band commenced a four-month tour through the US and Canada with a new four-piece line-up; Jourgensen approached former members of the Blackouts—Roland Barker, his brother Paul Barker and Bill Rieflin—to join the band. Both Barkers performed keyboards and bass, respectively; Rieflin joined on drums.[56][57] Dave “Rave” Ogilvie, then producer of Canadian electro-industrial band Skinny Puppy, joined them as a sound engineer, while Frank Nardiello—future Thrill Kill Kult singer Groovie Mann—was a lighting technician.[58][59]

Release edit

Twitch was released on March 12, 1986 by Sire and Warner Bros. Records. Shortly after, it entered Billboard 200 on April 4 for three weeks, peaking at No. 194. A new issue of the album was released on March 13, 1990, featuring tracks from the "Over the Shoulder" single.[60] As of February 2007, the album sold 138,755 copies in the United States.[61]

Twitched, an unauthorized 2003 release by Radioactive Records, is an allegedly alternate version of Twitch, featuring the track listing that the band is said to have intended it to have before the intervention of the record company. It includes previously unreleased alternative versions of tracks from the album.[38]

Critical reception edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [27]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music     [62]
MusicHound Rock     [63]
Musicianpositive[20]
Robert ChristgauB−[64]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [65]
Spin Alternative Record Guide6 / 10[66]

Music critic Robert Christgau has described Twitch as "fleetingly gothic, marginally industrial, unrelenting in a vaguely threatening way, they shout "The world is ending" on a crowded dancefloor."[64] Ira Robbins of Trouser Press called the record as "the first steps into a murky swamp that subsumes Jourgensen's distorted, nearly spoken vocals within a pounding electronic rhythm onslaught," while stating: "Although much of this unsuccessful experiment throbs along dully, with haphazard intersections of good new ideas and bad old ideas, the militaristic "All Day Remix" offers a cogent demonstration of the direction Jourgensen is headed."[67] In a retrospective review, AllMusic critic Alan Escher has stated that "this sounds nothing like any of Ministry's other albums; listeners may hear how they became what they did." Escher also noted: "It's interesting though repetitive at times ("Crash and Burn"), and if you care to listen to Jourgensen's rants, he really does have something to say."[27]

Track listing edit

All tracks are written by Al Jourgensen

Twitch – vinyl edition
No.TitleProductionLength
1."Just Like You"Adrian Sherwood5:03
2."We Believe"Sherwood5:56
3."All Day Remix"
  • Jourgensen
  • Sherwood
6:03
4."The Angel"Sherwood6:06
5."Over the Shoulder"Sherwood5:13
6."My Possession"Sherwood5:05
7."Where You at Now? / Crash & Burn / Twitch (Version II)"
  • Jourgensen
  • Sherwood
12:15
Twitch – CD edition (additional tracks)
No.TitleProductionLength
8."Over the Shoulder" (12" Version)Sherwood6:46
9."Isle of Man" (Version II)Sherwood4:30
Twitched – 2003 unauthorized release
No.TitleLength
1."Just Like You"5:06
2."We Believe"5:55
3."The Angel"5:55
4."Isle of Man" (Ver. 1)3:29
5."Over the Shoulder"5:05
6."Possession"5:30
7."Abortive"3:25
8."Twitch" (Part 1)3:49
9."The Angel" (Short Version)4:31
10."Over the Shoulder" (Extended Version)6:43
11."Isle of Man" (Ver. 2)4:34
12."Twitch" (Ver. 2)2:01

Personnel edit

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Twitch.[68]

Ministry edit

Additional personnel edit

Chart positions edit

Chart (1986) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[69] 194

Footnotes edit

  1. ^ The album was named as the reference to an amphetamine called "Wiz", which was prevalent in Europe; Jourgensen was using it during sessions of Twitch in London, and so he did later during sessions of Revolting Cocks album Big Sexy Land in Brussels (Jourgensen & Wiederhorn 2013, p. 59).
  2. ^ Various authors, writing on Ministry and Twitch in particular, considered the album's sound to be influenced by that of Cabaret Voltaire[23][19][24][25][26] and Front 242.[27]
  3. ^ In various interviews, Jourgensen believes the director to be either Christopherson[49] or Storm Thorgerson.[50]

References edit

  1. ^ Phillip, Elizabeth (1985). "Chicago / Local Scene Reports". In Robbins, Ira A. (ed.). The Rolling Stone Review. New York: Scribner's. p. 188. ISBN 0-684-18332-3. ISSN 8755-6324. LCCN 85642819. OCLC 1225857589 – via the Internet Archive.
  2. ^ a b Zaleski, Annie (May 10, 2018). "35 Year Ago: Ministry Release Disavowed Debut, 'With Sympathy'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Townsquare Media. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Fontenoy, Richard (1999). "Ministry". In Buckley, Jonathan; Duane, Orla; Ellingham, Mark; Spicer, Al (eds.). Rock: The Rough Guide (2nd ed.). London, New York: Rough Guides. pp. 645–646. ISBN 1-85828-457-0 – via the Internet Archive.
  4. ^ Jourgensen & Wiederhorn 2013, pp. 58, 75.
  5. ^ "Interview With John Soroka". Prongs.org. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  6. ^ Jourgensen & Wiederhorn 2013, p. 52.
  7. ^ Masuo 1996, p. 71; Jourgensen & Wiederhorn 2013, p. 58.
  8. ^ Greene 1993, p. 28; Jourgensen & Wiederhorn 2013, pp. 56–58; Reed 2013, p. 236.
  9. ^ Rod Smith (March 27, 2014). "Wax Trax: An Introduction". Red Bull Music Academy Daily. Red Bull Music Academy. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  10. ^ Popson, Tom (July 26, 1985). . Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 11, 2018. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  11. ^ a b Wolanski, Coreen (March 1, 2003). "Ministry - Nothing Exceeds Like Excess". Exclaim!. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  12. ^ Huey, Steve. "Ministry". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  13. ^ a b "Adrian Sherwood / On-U Sound". Test Pressing. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  14. ^ Greene 1993, p. 28.
  15. ^ Moore, Paul (1992). "Keith LeBlanc" (interview; scans). Technology Works. No. 13. pp. 16–25. Retrieved May 11, 2018 – via Imgur.
  16. ^ a b Jourgensen & Wiederhorn 2013, p. XXIX.
  17. ^ a b Acharya, Kiran. "Revolting Lots: Al Jourgensen's Favourite Ministry Albums". The Quietus. p. 13. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  18. ^ Jourgensen & Wiederhorn 2013, pp. 64–66.
  19. ^ a b Finley, Kathleen (April 4, 1986). "Twitching techno-pop solo". The Villanovan. Vol. 61, no. 19. Retrieved October 16, 2018 – via the Internet Archive.
  20. ^ a b Considine, J. D. (June 1986). "Ministry: Twitch (Sire)". Short Rock Takes. Musician. Vol. 7, no. 92. p. 90. ISSN 0733-5253.
  21. ^ Masuo 1996, p. 71.
  22. ^ Brooks, Jeffrey S. (2017). "Chapter 5: The Evolution of a Revolution". In Terri N. Watson; Jeffrey S. Brooks; Floyd D. Beachum (eds.). Educational Leadership and Music: Lessons for Tomorrow's School Leaders. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing. p. 48. ISBN 9781681238579 – via Google Books.
  23. ^ "TWITCH — Ministry — Sire 25309..." Album Releases. Cash Box. Vol. 49, no. 39. March 15, 1986. p. 12. ISSN 0008-7289. Retrieved May 14, 2018 – via the Internet Archive.
  24. ^ Dubin, J. D. (April 7, 1986). "Success On The Dancefloor". The Varsity. Vol. 106, no. 51. p. 18. Retrieved October 16, 2018 – via the Internet Archive.
  25. ^ a b Knowles, Christopher (2010). The Secret History of Rock 'n' Roll. Berkeley, California: Viva Editions (Simon and Schuster). p. 236. ISBN 978-1-57344-405-7 – via Internet Archive. But Ministry's second album, Twtich (1986) saw singer/leader Alain Jourgensen dropping the synth-pop and hijacking the songbook of industrial dance pioneers Cabaret Voltaire, complete with pounding drum machines, sampled noises, and half-whispered, English-accented vocals.
  26. ^ a b c d Stanton, Mike (July 26, 2016). "Fourculture Classics #6 – Twitch". Fourculture Magazine. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  27. ^ a b c d
    • Esher, Alan. "Twitch - Ministry". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
      • Print version* "Ministry". All Music Guide: The Definitive Guide To Popular Music. Edited by Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra, Stephen Thomas Erlewine. San Francisco: All Media Guide / Backbeat Books. 2001. pp. 264. ISBN 0879306270 – via the Internet Archive.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  28. '^ Angle, Brad (December 1, 2007). "Ministry: Track Record". Revolver Magazine. Retrieved April 27, 2018. While Ministry wouldn't perfect their trademark wall-of-guitar-and-sample style until later albums, Twitchs hard-edged yet danceable electronica was a turning point for the band.
  29. ^ Prown, Pete; Newquist, Harvey P. (1997). "Ministry / Chapter 33: Industrial and Grindcore". Legends of Rock Guitar: The Essential Reference of Rock's Greatest Guitarists. Foreword by Joe Satriani; edited by Jon Eiche. Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 250–251. ISBN 0-7935-4042-9. OCLC 1285652457 – via the Internet Archive. He released a strictly industrial album in 1986, Twitch...
  30. ^ Kretsch, Ron (June 10, 2013). "Early Ministry KICKED ASS". Dangerous Minds. Retrieved May 16, 2018. The consensus narrative of his main band Ministry's career trajectory holds that after an early anglophile period that's as big of a let's-pretend-it-didn't-happen embarrassment to most their fans as Pablo Honey is to Radiohead snobs, the band really got started with the industrial dance masterpiece Twitch.
  31. ^ a b Chillingworth, Alec (August 18, 2016). "Every Ministry album, ranked from worst to best". TeamRock. Future Publishing. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  32. ^ Robbins, Darren (March 12, 2006). "Ministry: With Sympathy vs. Twitch". Pop Dose. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  33. ^ Eddy, Chuck (April 2010). "Industrial Metal". Spin. Vol. 26, no. 3. p. 91. Retrieved July 4, 2018. Anglophile synth-pop poseurs bucking for Spandau Ballet's MTV minutes on their earliest records, Al Jourgenson's Chicago outfit shape-shifted twice during the 1980s. First, letting Adrian Sherwood soak them in dense dub on 1986's Twitch, then deciding they could sound meaner than Big Black — which they couldn't, but nice try!
  34. ^ "Ministry, 'Twitch'; Producer: Adrian Sherwood; Sire 25309". Album & Single Reviews. Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 12. March 22, 1986. p. 78. Retrieved May 16, 2018 – via Google Books.
  35. ^ a b c Sheffield, Rob (December 1992). "Ministry". Artist of the Year: Runners-Up. Spin. Vol. 8, no. 9. p. 60. Retrieved May 16, 2018 – via Google Books.
  36. ^ a b Chin, Brian (April 19, 1986). "Dance Trax". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 16. p. 41. Retrieved May 16, 2018 – via Google Books.
  37. ^ Jourgensen & Wiederhorn 2013, p. 64.
  38. ^ a b Greg Prato. "Twitched - Ministry". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  39. ^ Reed 2013, p. 237.
  40. ^ Kretsch, Ron (March 25, 2015). "'The Game is Over' Previously unreleased Ministry song from 1983". Dangerous Minds. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  41. ^ "Session with Patty Jourgensen". Prongs.org. 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  42. ^ a b "Ministry: Over The Shoulder". Album & Singles Reviews. Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 47. November 23, 1985. p. 67. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved February 28, 2018 – via Google Books.
  43. ^ a b "12' Reviews". Dance. Cash Box. Vol. 49, no. 24. November 23, 1985. p. 20. ISSN 0008-7289. Retrieved July 4, 2018 – via the Internet Archive.
  44. ^ a b Gomes, Whitney Z. "Tapes of Wrath". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  45. ^ Rollman, Hans (August 6, 2015). "Ministry: Trax! Box". PopMatters. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  46. ^ Carey, Jean (July 6, 2006). "Stainless Steel Providers". Miami New Times. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  47. ^ Brian Chin (December 14, 1985). "Dance Trax". News. Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 50. p. 51. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  48. ^ John Leland (March 1986). "Ministry: 'Over the Shoulder' with b/w 'Isle of Man' and 'Twitch' (Sire)". Singles. Spin Magazine. Vol. 1, no. 11. p. 37. Retrieved March 21, 2018 – via Google Books.
  49. ^ Jourgensen, Al (January 2005). "Interview de Al Jourgensen (Ministry), pour la sortie de House Of The Molé Paris, fin mai 2004.". Metalorgie (Interview) (in French). Interviewed by Mikki Fajito. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  50. ^ a b Jourgensen & Wiederhorn 2013, p. 65.
  51. ^ "End credits". Tapes of Wrath (DVD). Warner Music Video. 2000.
  52. ^ Liggeri, Domenico (2013). Musica per i nostri occhi: Storie e segreti dei videoclip (electronic book) (in Italian). Giunti. ISBN 9788858761106 – via Google Books. Nell'86 i Ministry per Over the shoulder lo lasciano delirare con i concetti allo stesso modo in cui loro lo fanno con i suoni, consentendogli di descrivere minuzio come due giovannissimi ladri rubano un'istigazione a delinquere, facendo poi compiere al cantante un furto con effrazione in un supermercato , quindi tendando la metafora tra una macchina distrutta dalla sfasciacarozze e l'apertura di una scatoletta, legando il tutto con il tema ricorrente delle galline in batteria: se ne potrebbe evincere che come atto di ribellione all'omologazione sociale sia giustificato perfino commettere reati.
  53. ^ Horan, Anthony. "Ministry - Tapes of Wrath - DVD Review". DVD.net. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  54. ^ Mühlmann, Wolf-Rüdiger. "Ministry: Tapes of Wrath". Rock Hard (in German). Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  55. ^ Barker, Paul (June 28, 2001). "Ministry". Ink19 (Interview). Interviewed by Kiran Aditham. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  56. ^ Popson, Tom (March 28, 1986). . Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on August 29, 2018. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  57. ^ Greene 1993, p. 32; Jourgensen & Wiederhorn 2013, p. 68.
  58. ^ "Session with Robert Roberts". Prongs.org. n.d. p. 5. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  59. ^ Scaccia, Mike (July 13, 2012). "Ministry guitarist Mike Scaccia on Rigor Mortis, Psalm 69 and his friendship with Al Jourgensen". Westword (Interview). Interviewed by Tom Murphy. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  60. ^ Greene 1993, p. 32.
  61. ^ Neilstein, Vince (2007-02-07). . pissarmy.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
  62. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (1998). "Ministry". Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5 (3rd ed.). Muse UK Ltd. pp. 1155–1156. ISBN 1561592374 – via the Internet Archive.
  63. ^ Christensen, Thor (1999). "Ministry". In Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (loan required). Detroit: Visible Ink Press. p. 762. ISBN 978-1-57859-061-2 – via the Internet Archive.
  64. ^ a b "CG: Ministry". robertchristgau.com. Christgau, Robert. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  65. ^ McLeod, Kembrew (November 2004). "Ministry". In Brackett, Nathan (ed.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 544. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8 – via Internet Archive.
  66. ^ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. New York: Vintage Books. pp. 250–251. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  67. ^ Robbins, Ira. "Ministry". Trouser Press. from the original on May 20, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  68. ^
    • Twitch (vinyl sleeve). Ministry. Sire Records. 1986. 9 25309-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
    • Twitch (CD booklet). Ministry. Sire Records. 1990. 9 25309-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  69. ^ "Ministry Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2021.

Bibliography edit

  • Greene, Jo-Ann (April 2, 1993). "Ministry". Goldmine (scans). Vol. 19, no. 7 (331). pp. 26, 28, 32, 38, 40. ISSN 1055-2685 – via Prongs.org archive.
  • Jourgensen, Al & Wiederhorn, Jon (July 9, 2013). Ministry: The Lost Gospels According To Al Jourgensen. Boston, MA: Da Capo Press. ISBN 9780306822186 – via the Internet Archive.
  • Masuo, Sandy (January–February 1996). "Ministry: It's Not Easy Being Mean". Option: Music Culture. No. 66. pp. 66–73. ISSN 0882-178X.
  • Reed, S. Alexander (2013). Assimilate: A Critical History of Industrial Music. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-983260-6. LCCN 2012-42281. OCLC 1147729910 – via the Internet Archive.

twitch, ministry, album, twitch, second, studio, album, american, industrial, band, ministry, released, march, 1986, sire, records, recorded, mostly, london, west, berlin, during, 1985, largely, produced, sound, records, owner, adrian, sherwood, while, band, f. Twitch nb 1 is the second studio album by American industrial band Ministry released on March 12 1986 by Sire Records Recorded mostly in London and West Berlin during 1985 it was largely produced by On U Sound Records owner Adrian Sherwood while the band s frontman Al Jourgensen co produced two tracks It stepped away from the synthpop oriented form of Ministry s 1983 debut studio album With Sympathy and moved toward a darker more aggressive sound heavily influenced by industrial dance groups Cabaret Voltaire and Front 242 TwitchStudio album by MinistryReleasedMarch 12 1986Recorded1985StudioSouthern Studios LondonHansa Tonstudio West BerlinGenreEBM electro industrial industrial dance new waveLength45 41LabelSireProducerAdrian SherwoodAlain JourgensenMinistry chronologyWith Sympathy 1983 Twitch 1986 Twelve Inch Singles 1981 1984 1987 Singles from Twitch Over the Shoulder Released November 1985 Preceded by Over the Shoulder with an accompanying video directed by Peter Christopherson the album was supported by a concert tour of North America which was the first to feature Paul Barker and Bill Rieflin in the line up playing bass guitar and drums respectively The album was released to mixed reviews Contents 1 Background and production 2 Style and composition 3 Promotion 3 1 Over the Shoulder single and video 3 2 Tour 4 Release 5 Critical reception 6 Track listing 7 Personnel 7 1 Ministry 7 2 Additional personnel 8 Chart positions 9 Footnotes 10 References 11 BibliographyBackground and production editShortly after touring in support of Ministry s 1983 debut album With Sympathy Al Jourgensen and bandmates moved to Evanston Illinois and proceeded to record what was to be Ministry s second album with Arista Records Amid differences in the upcoming recording s style the band left Arista in Spring 1984 following a legal dispute and returned to Wax Trax Records their original label 1 2 In that year s Autumn Ministry embarked on the tour of the East Coast with Belgian industrial dance band Front 242 as a supporting act 3 645 4 according to various accounts Jourgensen began working on new music either during that tour or the same time With Sympathy was recorded 5 6 2 In his 2013 autobiography Ministry The Lost Gospels Jourgensen said that during an aforementioned tour Seymour Stein had attended several gigs trying to offer the band a new deal with his record label Sire Records a Warner Bros Records subsidiary As various accounts state Jourgensen declined an offer recalling his experience with Arista but eventually volunteered setting conditions that Sire would give Jourgensen complete creative control over his work and would give resources to buy a Fairlight CMI synthesizer and also to support the Wax Trax imprint as Jourgensen put it in 2013 it was kind of a personal sacrifice to keep that company rolling and allow them to keep signing bands 7 By the Summer of 1985 Ministry released several non album singles on Wax Trax All Day Every Day Is Halloween and The Nature of Love 8 9 before getting signed to Sire 10 By this point Jourgensen remained the only official member of Ministry 11 12 Stein subsequently employed On U Sound Records owner Adrian Sherwood as the record s principal producer after regarding his remix work on Depeche Mode s 1984 singles People Are People and Master and Servant 13 14 Jourgensen Sherwood and Keith LeBlanc began work in Chicago in Spring 1985 before relocating in London based Southern Studios 11 3 the later sessions were held in West Berlin at Hansa Tonstudio 13 15 20 16 17 Recalling sessions in The Lost Gospels Jourgensen mostly regarded Sherwood for production advice though he expressed dislike about his experience in London citing cultural differences and conflicts with Sherwood s friends also he admitted that can t feel like this one s really mine because it s so Adrian Sherwood influenced 18 17 Style and composition editMusically Twitch is more abrasive and beat driven than preceding Ministry releases stepping away from the pop oriented sound of With Sympathy and incorporating elements from the growing industrial scene of the mid 1980s instead 19 20 21 22 Various authors wrote that the album s overall sound is at times reminiscent of Ministry s contemporary acts in Europe Cabaret Voltaire and Front 242 nb 2 It is described as an electronica 28 industrial 29 and EBM industrial dance record 30 which also contains material ascribed to the two latter genres 26 31 as well as dance pop 32 dub 33 eurodisco 34 35 noise rock 36 and synthpop 26 Jourgensen s English accented singing while carried over from With Sympathy was approached with distortion effects 35 25 37 Twitch was also the first Ministry record featuring use of sampling which became one of Ministry s trademarks over the years 27 26 The production also features the use of white noise and distortion 35 The opening track Just Like You is cited by Jourgensen as his first real political Ministry song 16 We Believe is described as a sequencer hammerlock 36 and has been compared to the music of Nine Inch Nails 38 All Day Remix is a re worked version of All Day originally the A side from Wax Trax s 1985 single which included Halloween drummer Stephen George and bassist Brad Hallen who quit the band after 1984 were still credited for their contribution to the original track 39 40 The Angel features backing vocals from Jourgensen s then wife Patty though uncredited their daughter Adrienne appears as a toddler in this track s intro 41 Promotion edit Over the Shoulder single and video edit The sole single from Twitch Over the Shoulder was released in late November 1985 and marked Ministry s debut on Sire 42 43 The song is cited as an early example of electro industrial 44 45 and contains multiple layers of looped synthesizer parts along with distinctive heavy drum machine pattern along with Jourgensen s weak vocal approach referred to by Billboard editors as mannered as Scritti Politti heard over the telephone 42 43 46 31 improper synthesis In the same magazine s Dance Trax column writer Brian Chin described it as a Bee Gees satire 47 In a later review published in the March 1986 issue of Spin Magazine columnist John Leland praised Sherwood s work with Ministry s typically banal ideas 48 The music video for Over the Shoulder was directed by Peter Christopherson nb 3 51 52 53 According to Jourgensen the director hired two kids to steal a car then filmed it When the band asked to film in a store the owner refused The director allegedly paid the same kids to break into the store and trash it and the band asked once again The owner needing money to pay for cleanup agreed Jourgensen said Everything that happened on that video was criminal 50 In 2000 the video of Over the Shoulder was featured on compilation album Tapes of Wrath 44 54 the song was to be featured on a 2001 compilation album Greatest Fits but was left off due to medium limitations 55 Tour edit Following the release of Twitch the band commenced a four month tour through the US and Canada with a new four piece line up Jourgensen approached former members of the Blackouts Roland Barker his brother Paul Barker and Bill Rieflin to join the band Both Barkers performed keyboards and bass respectively Rieflin joined on drums 56 57 Dave Rave Ogilvie then producer of Canadian electro industrial band Skinny Puppy joined them as a sound engineer while Frank Nardiello future Thrill Kill Kult singer Groovie Mann was a lighting technician 58 59 Release editTwitch was released on March 12 1986 by Sire and Warner Bros Records Shortly after it entered Billboard 200 on April 4 for three weeks peaking at No 194 A new issue of the album was released on March 13 1990 featuring tracks from the Over the Shoulder single 60 As of February 2007 the album sold 138 755 copies in the United States 61 Twitched an unauthorized 2003 release by Radioactive Records is an allegedly alternate version of Twitch featuring the track listing that the band is said to have intended it to have before the intervention of the record company It includes previously unreleased alternative versions of tracks from the album 38 Critical reception editProfessional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingAllMusic nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 27 Encyclopedia of Popular Music nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 62 MusicHound Rock nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 63 Musicianpositive 20 Robert ChristgauB 64 The Rolling Stone Album Guide nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 65 Spin Alternative Record Guide6 10 66 Music critic Robert Christgau has described Twitch as fleetingly gothic marginally industrial unrelenting in a vaguely threatening way they shout The world is ending on a crowded dancefloor 64 Ira Robbins of Trouser Press called the record as the first steps into a murky swamp that subsumes Jourgensen s distorted nearly spoken vocals within a pounding electronic rhythm onslaught while stating Although much of this unsuccessful experiment throbs along dully with haphazard intersections of good new ideas and bad old ideas the militaristic All Day Remix offers a cogent demonstration of the direction Jourgensen is headed 67 In a retrospective review AllMusic critic Alan Escher has stated that this sounds nothing like any of Ministry s other albums listeners may hear how they became what they did Escher also noted It s interesting though repetitive at times Crash and Burn and if you care to listen to Jourgensen s rants he really does have something to say 27 Track listing editAll tracks are written by Al JourgensenTwitch vinyl editionNo TitleProductionLength1 Just Like You Adrian Sherwood5 032 We Believe Sherwood5 563 All Day Remix JourgensenSherwood6 034 The Angel Sherwood6 065 Over the Shoulder Sherwood5 136 My Possession Sherwood5 057 Where You at Now Crash amp Burn Twitch Version II JourgensenSherwood12 15 Twitch CD edition additional tracks No TitleProductionLength8 Over the Shoulder 12 Version Sherwood6 469 Isle of Man Version II Sherwood4 30 Twitched 2003 unauthorized releaseNo TitleLength1 Just Like You 5 062 We Believe 5 553 The Angel 5 554 Isle of Man Ver 1 3 295 Over the Shoulder 5 056 Possession 5 307 Abortive 3 258 Twitch Part 1 3 499 The Angel Short Version 4 3110 Over the Shoulder Extended Version 6 4311 Isle of Man Ver 2 4 3412 Twitch Ver 2 2 01Personnel editCredits adapted from the liner notes of Twitch 68 Ministry edit Al Jourgensen vocals production amp engineering 3 7a 7b Additional personnel edit Adrian Sherwood production amp engineering 1 7a 7c Gareth Jones engineering 1 Keith LeBlanc percussion amp programming 4 Patty Jourgensen additional vocals 3 4 Brad Hallen bass 3 Stephen George percussion 3 Luc van Acker vocals 7a Brian Shanley album cover design photographyChart positions editChart 1986 Peakposition US Billboard 200 69 194Footnotes edit The album was named as the reference to an amphetamine called Wiz which was prevalent in Europe Jourgensen was using it during sessions of Twitch in London and so he did later during sessions of Revolting Cocks album Big Sexy Land in Brussels Jourgensen amp Wiederhorn 2013 p 59 Various authors writing on Ministry and Twitch in particular considered the album s sound to be influenced by that of Cabaret Voltaire 23 19 24 25 26 and Front 242 27 In various interviews Jourgensen believes the director to be either Christopherson 49 or Storm Thorgerson 50 References edit Phillip Elizabeth 1985 Chicago Local Scene Reports In Robbins Ira A ed The Rolling Stone Review New York Scribner s p 188 ISBN 0 684 18332 3 ISSN 8755 6324 LCCN 85642819 OCLC 1225857589 via the Internet Archive a b Zaleski Annie May 10 2018 35 Year Ago Ministry Release Disavowed Debut With Sympathy Ultimate Classic Rock Townsquare Media Retrieved May 17 2018 a b Fontenoy Richard 1999 Ministry In Buckley Jonathan Duane Orla Ellingham Mark Spicer Al eds Rock The Rough Guide 2nd ed London New York Rough Guides pp 645 646 ISBN 1 85828 457 0 via the Internet Archive Jourgensen amp Wiederhorn 2013 pp 58 75 Interview With John Soroka Prongs org Retrieved May 15 2018 Jourgensen amp Wiederhorn 2013 p 52 Masuo 1996 p 71 Jourgensen amp Wiederhorn 2013 p 58 Greene 1993 p 28 Jourgensen amp Wiederhorn 2013 pp 56 58 Reed 2013 p 236 Rod Smith March 27 2014 Wax Trax An Introduction Red Bull Music Academy Daily Red Bull Music Academy Retrieved December 10 2017 Popson Tom July 26 1985 The Wax Trax Method Of Making Records Chicago Tribune Archived from the original on March 11 2018 Retrieved June 3 2018 a b Wolanski Coreen March 1 2003 Ministry Nothing Exceeds Like Excess Exclaim Retrieved December 4 2017 Huey Steve Ministry AllMusic All Media Network Retrieved December 8 2017 a b Adrian Sherwood On U Sound Test Pressing Retrieved October 20 2018 Greene 1993 p 28 Moore Paul 1992 Keith LeBlanc interview scans Technology Works No 13 pp 16 25 Retrieved May 11 2018 via Imgur a b Jourgensen amp Wiederhorn 2013 p XXIX a b Acharya Kiran Revolting Lots Al Jourgensen s Favourite Ministry Albums The Quietus p 13 Retrieved 16 May 2018 Jourgensen amp Wiederhorn 2013 pp 64 66 a b Finley Kathleen April 4 1986 Twitching techno pop solo The Villanovan Vol 61 no 19 Retrieved October 16 2018 via the Internet Archive a b Considine J D June 1986 Ministry Twitch Sire Short Rock Takes Musician Vol 7 no 92 p 90 ISSN 0733 5253 Masuo 1996 p 71 Brooks Jeffrey S 2017 Chapter 5 The Evolution of a Revolution In Terri N Watson Jeffrey S Brooks Floyd D Beachum eds Educational Leadership and Music Lessons for Tomorrow s School Leaders Charlotte NC Information Age Publishing p 48 ISBN 9781681238579 via Google Books TWITCH Ministry Sire 25309 Album Releases Cash Box Vol 49 no 39 March 15 1986 p 12 ISSN 0008 7289 Retrieved May 14 2018 via the Internet Archive Dubin J D April 7 1986 Success On The Dancefloor The Varsity Vol 106 no 51 p 18 Retrieved October 16 2018 via the Internet Archive a b Knowles Christopher 2010 The Secret History of Rock n Roll Berkeley California Viva Editions Simon and Schuster p 236 ISBN 978 1 57344 405 7 via Internet Archive But Ministry s second album Twtich 1986 saw singer leader Alain Jourgensen dropping the synth pop and hijacking the songbook of industrial dance pioneers Cabaret Voltaire complete with pounding drum machines sampled noises and half whispered English accented vocals a b c d Stanton Mike July 26 2016 Fourculture Classics 6 Twitch Fourculture Magazine Retrieved May 16 2018 a b c d Esher Alan Twitch Ministry AllMusic All Media Network Retrieved February 24 2018 Print version Ministry All Music Guide The Definitive Guide To Popular Music Edited by Vladimir Bogdanov Chris Woodstra Stephen Thomas Erlewine San Francisco All Media Guide Backbeat Books 2001 pp 264 ISBN 0879306270 via the Internet Archive a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint others link Angle Brad December 1 2007 Ministry Track Record Revolver Magazine Retrieved April 27 2018 While Ministry wouldn t perfect their trademark wall of guitar and sample style until later albums Twitchs hard edged yet danceable electronica was a turning point for the band Prown Pete Newquist Harvey P 1997 Ministry Chapter 33 Industrial and Grindcore Legends of Rock Guitar The Essential Reference of Rock s Greatest Guitarists Foreword by Joe Satriani edited by Jon Eiche Milwaukee WI Hal Leonard Corporation pp 250 251 ISBN 0 7935 4042 9 OCLC 1285652457 via the Internet Archive He released a strictly industrial album in 1986 Twitch Kretsch Ron June 10 2013 Early Ministry KICKED ASS Dangerous Minds Retrieved May 16 2018 The consensus narrative of his main band Ministry s career trajectory holds that after an early anglophile period that s as big of a let s pretend it didn t happen embarrassment to most their fans as Pablo Honey is to Radiohead snobs the band really got started with the industrial dance masterpiece Twitch a b Chillingworth Alec August 18 2016 Every Ministry album ranked from worst to best TeamRock Future Publishing Retrieved May 16 2018 Robbins Darren March 12 2006 Ministry With Sympathy vs Twitch Pop Dose Retrieved May 16 2018 Eddy Chuck April 2010 Industrial Metal Spin Vol 26 no 3 p 91 Retrieved July 4 2018 Anglophile synth pop poseurs bucking for Spandau Ballet s MTV minutes on their earliest records Al Jourgenson s Chicago outfit shape shifted twice during the 1980s First letting Adrian Sherwood soak them in dense dub on 1986 s Twitch then deciding they could sound meaner than Big Black which they couldn t but nice try Ministry Twitch Producer Adrian Sherwood Sire 25309 Album amp Single Reviews Billboard Vol 98 no 12 March 22 1986 p 78 Retrieved May 16 2018 via Google Books a b c Sheffield Rob December 1992 Ministry Artist of the Year Runners Up Spin Vol 8 no 9 p 60 Retrieved May 16 2018 via Google Books a b Chin Brian April 19 1986 Dance Trax Billboard Vol 98 no 16 p 41 Retrieved May 16 2018 via Google Books Jourgensen amp Wiederhorn 2013 p 64 a b Greg Prato Twitched Ministry AllMusic All Media Network Retrieved November 4 2017 Reed 2013 p 237 Kretsch Ron March 25 2015 The Game is Over Previously unreleased Ministry song from 1983 Dangerous Minds Retrieved May 11 2018 Session with Patty Jourgensen Prongs org 2013 Retrieved September 2 2015 a b Ministry Over The Shoulder Album amp Singles Reviews Billboard Vol 97 no 47 November 23 1985 p 67 ISSN 0006 2510 Retrieved February 28 2018 via Google Books a b 12 Reviews Dance Cash Box Vol 49 no 24 November 23 1985 p 20 ISSN 0008 7289 Retrieved July 4 2018 via the Internet Archive a b Gomes Whitney Z Tapes of Wrath AllMusic All Media Network Retrieved November 29 2017 Rollman Hans August 6 2015 Ministry Trax Box PopMatters Retrieved June 3 2018 Carey Jean July 6 2006 Stainless Steel Providers Miami New Times Retrieved May 23 2018 Brian Chin December 14 1985 Dance Trax News Billboard Vol 97 no 50 p 51 Retrieved February 28 2018 John Leland March 1986 Ministry Over the Shoulder with b w Isle of Man and Twitch Sire Singles Spin Magazine Vol 1 no 11 p 37 Retrieved March 21 2018 via Google Books Jourgensen Al January 2005 Interview de Al Jourgensen Ministry pour la sortie de House Of The Mole Paris fin mai 2004 Metalorgie Interview in French Interviewed by Mikki Fajito Retrieved May 30 2018 a b Jourgensen amp Wiederhorn 2013 p 65 End credits Tapes of Wrath DVD Warner Music Video 2000 Liggeri Domenico 2013 Musica per i nostri occhi Storie e segreti dei videoclip electronic book in Italian Giunti ISBN 9788858761106 via Google Books Nell 86 i Ministry per Over the shoulder lo lasciano delirare con i concetti allo stesso modo in cui loro lo fanno con i suoni consentendogli di descrivere minuzio come due giovannissimi ladri rubano un istigazione a delinquere facendo poi compiere al cantante un furto con effrazione in un supermercato quindi tendando la metafora tra una macchina distrutta dalla sfasciacarozze e l apertura di una scatoletta legando il tutto con il tema ricorrente delle galline in batteria se ne potrebbe evincere che come atto di ribellione all omologazione sociale sia giustificato perfino commettere reati Horan Anthony Ministry Tapes of Wrath DVD Review DVD net Retrieved May 30 2018 Muhlmann Wolf Rudiger Ministry Tapes of Wrath Rock Hard in German Retrieved March 15 2018 Barker Paul June 28 2001 Ministry Ink19 Interview Interviewed by Kiran Aditham Retrieved March 27 2018 Popson Tom March 28 1986 Adventures With Ministry In The Land Of Majors Chicago Tribune Archived from the original on August 29 2018 Retrieved December 16 2017 Greene 1993 p 32 Jourgensen amp Wiederhorn 2013 p 68 Session with Robert Roberts Prongs org n d p 5 Retrieved May 20 2018 Scaccia Mike July 13 2012 Ministry guitarist Mike Scaccia on Rigor Mortis Psalm 69 and his friendship with Al Jourgensen Westword Interview Interviewed by Tom Murphy Retrieved May 20 2018 Greene 1993 p 32 Neilstein Vince 2007 02 07 I come bearing a gift Ministry s official soundscan numbers pissarmy com Archived from the original on 2007 09 28 Retrieved 2007 10 07 Larkin Colin ed 1998 Ministry Encyclopedia of Popular Music Vol 5 3rd ed Muse UK Ltd pp 1155 1156 ISBN 1561592374 via the Internet Archive Christensen Thor 1999 Ministry In Graff Gary Durchholz Daniel eds MusicHound Rock The Essential Album Guide loan required Detroit Visible Ink Press p 762 ISBN 978 1 57859 061 2 via the Internet Archive a b CG Ministry robertchristgau com Christgau Robert Retrieved February 26 2018 McLeod Kembrew November 2004 Ministry In Brackett Nathan ed The New Rolling Stone Album Guide New York Simon amp Schuster p 544 ISBN 0 7432 0169 8 via Internet Archive Weisbard Eric Marks Craig eds 1995 Spin Alternative Record Guide New York Vintage Books pp 250 251 ISBN 0 679 75574 8 Robbins Ira Ministry Trouser Press Archived from the original on May 20 2020 Retrieved May 20 2020 Twitch vinyl sleeve Ministry Sire Records 1986 9 25309 1 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link Twitch CD booklet Ministry Sire Records 1990 9 25309 2 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link Ministry Chart History Billboard 200 Billboard Retrieved October 31 2021 Bibliography editGreene Jo Ann April 2 1993 Ministry Goldmine scans Vol 19 no 7 331 pp 26 28 32 38 40 ISSN 1055 2685 via Prongs org archive Jourgensen Al amp Wiederhorn Jon July 9 2013 Ministry The Lost Gospels According To Al Jourgensen Boston MA Da Capo Press ISBN 9780306822186 via the Internet Archive Masuo Sandy January February 1996 Ministry It s Not Easy Being Mean Option Music Culture No 66 pp 66 73 ISSN 0882 178X Reed S Alexander 2013 Assimilate A Critical History of Industrial Music Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 983260 6 LCCN 2012 42281 OCLC 1147729910 via the Internet Archive Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Twitch Ministry album amp oldid 1221526210, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.