Animal Rights (album)

Last updated
Animal Rights
MobyAnimalRights.jpg
Studio album by
Moby
ReleasedSeptember 23, 1996 (1996-09-23)
RecordedSummer 1995 – Spring 1996 in Manhattan, New York
Genre
Length
  • 53:13(UK release)
  • 72:38(US release)
Label
Producer
Moby chronology
Rare: The Collected B-Sides 1989–1993
(1996)		Animal Rights
(1996)		 I Like to Score
(1997)
Singles from Animal Rights
  1. "That's When I Reach for My Revolver"
    Released: August 26, 1996 (1996-08-26)
  2. "Come On Baby"
    Released: November 4, 1996 (1996-11-04)

Animal Rights is the fourth studio album by American musician Moby, released on September 23, 1996. The album was a temporary style shift from the electronica music that Moby had previously released to an alternative rock sound influenced by the hardcore punk music that he had enjoyed as a teenager. [3] The album was released to mediocre critical reviews and commercial performance. [3]

Contents

Background

Moby's decision to release a punk rock album was in part the result of being disillusioned by the lack of positive media feedback he had been receiving from the music media for his electronic works, which they struggled to comprehend and failed to take very seriously. [4] Moby had previous experience performing rock music, having been a member of the groups Vatican Commandos and Ultra Vivid Scene in the 1980s. [5] [6] [7]

The album was recorded between the summer of 1995 and spring of 1996 in Manhattan, New York. Moby worked alongside Alan Moulder in the making of the album. [8] Just as Moby decided to change direction, the electronic music he moved away from started to gain recognition and popularity through artists like The Chemical Brothers and The Prodigy. [4]

Packaging

The cover photograph features Moby at two weeks old, being held by his grandfather. The album's liner notes contain various pictures, an essay on the course of basic rights over history, an essay outlining Moby's disregard for the Christian Coalition, and a page with various "last minute maxims", such as "cruelty is unacceptable" and "you can't expect people to worry about the world when they can't feed themselves or their children."

Release

The first single from Animal Rights, released on August 26, 1996, was a cover of Mission of Burma's 1981 song "That's When I Reach for My Revolver". The single peaked at number 50 on the UK Singles Chart. [9]

On September 23, 1996, Animal Rights was released in the United Kingdom, where it charted at number 38 on the UK Albums Chart. [10] The first batch of released copies in the United Kingdom were packaged with a 49-minute bonus CD called Little Idiot. Consisting entirely of drum-free ambient tracks, it was the second in a line of ambient bonus CDs, following Underwater, which came with Everything Is Wrong . Little Idiot included reworkings of tracks from Animal Rights – it also features a drawing of Moby's character "Little Idiot", who would later appear on various music videos and single and album covers. A second single from Animal Rights, "Come On Baby", was released on November 4, 1996, but failed to chart.

Animal Rights was not released in Moby's native United States until five months later on February 11, 1997, with a different tracklisting. The album failed to chart on the Billboard 200, but reached number 31 on the Heatseekers Albums chart. [11] Moby toured the record as the opening act for Soundgarden on their Down on the Upside tour, where he was met with largely unreceptive audiences. [3] He also undertook a separate promotional tour for Animal Rights, where, he later recalled, he found himself playing to "roughly 50 people a night". [3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Chicago Sun-Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Entertainment Weekly C+ [13]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [15]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [16]
NME 8/10 [17]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [18]
Spin 4/10 [19]
The Village Voice A− [20]

Animal Rights received generally negative reviews upon its first release. [3] Moby had earlier made his reputation with electronic music, but Animal Rights found him embracing punk rock and ambient music. While most critics praised his attempt at diversifying, Salon 's Douglas Wolk opined that Animal Rights "finds Moby falling on his nose" and concluded that "maybe somebody should try to convince Moby that guitars are actually made out of dead animals", [21] while Rolling Stone 's Lorraine Ali felt that "this time around, he has decided to push an agenda instead of boundaries". [18] However, James Oldham of NME wrote that "Animal Rights is a brave, turbulent and consistently exhilarating record", [17] and Robert Christgau, writing in The Village Voice , said that the two discs "enrich and play off each other with the flow and coherence Everything Is Wrong lacks". [20] Seeming to expect a negative critical reaction, Moby added the following entreaty to the bottom of the credits page: "please listen to animal rights in its entirety at least once." [22]

Legacy

According to Moby's manager Eric Härle, Animal Rights nearly ended Moby's career because not only did the new direction leave audiences cold – with music media uninterested and his existing fan base largely alienated by it – but it led to people being confused as to what kind of artist Moby really was. [4] Having "wipe[d] out all of his early good work" in establishing himself, Moby was left struggling for any kind of recognition and quickly became seen as a "has-been" in the eyes of many people in the industry. [4] In an interview for Rolling Stone , Moby admitted that the failure of Animal Rights, combined with the negative reception he received from Soundgarden's fanbase while touring the album, led him to consider quitting music. [3] However, he chose to continue his career after other artists, including Terence Trent D'Arby, Axl Rose and Bono, personally told him they enjoyed the album. [3] By 2002, Animal Rights had sold 100,000 copies worldwide. [23]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote that Animal Rights "ranks as one of the classic failed albums, right alongside Sinéad O'Connor's big-band Am I Not Your Girl ." [1] On the other hand, Drowned in Sound critic Mark Reed, in a 2002 retrospective review, suggested that Animal Rights had been unfairly lambasted by contemporary critics for being unrepresentative of Moby's capabilities and for "daring to go against the grain", describing it as "one of the most underbought, underrated, unusual albums a major recording artist has ever produced." [24] Additionally, despite the negative critical reaction, Moby has since named Animal Rights as his favorite album of his. [25]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Moby, except where noted

UK release
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Now I Let It Go" 2:08
2."Come On Baby" 4:39
3."Someone to Love" 2:51
4."Heavy Flow" 1:54
5."You" 2:33
6."My Love Will Never Die" 4:32
7."Soft" 3:57
8."Say It's All Mine" 6:04
9."That's When I Reach for My Revolver" Clint Conley 3:55
10."Face It" 10:01
11."Living" 6:59
12."Love Song for My Mom" 3:40
Total length:53:13
US release
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Dead Sun" 3:40
2."Someone to Love" 3:09
3."Heavy Flow" 1:55
4."You" 2:33
5."Now I Let It Go" 2:09
6."Come On Baby" 4:30
7."Soft" 3:54
8."Anima" 2:25
9."Say It's All Mine" 6:04
10."That's When I Reach for My Revolver"Conley3:55
11."Alone" 10:45
12."Face It" 10:00
13."Old" 3:06
14."Living" 6:58
15."Love Song for My Mom" 3:38
16."A Season in Hell" 3:57
Total length:72:38
Japanese bonus track [26] [27]
No.TitleLength
17."New Dawn Fades"5:32
Bonus disc: Little Idiot
No.TitleLength
1."Degenerate"3:25
2."Dead City"4:53
3."Walnut"3:06
4."Old"5:06
5."A Season in Hell"4:01
6."Love Song for My Mom"3:43
7."The Blue Terror of Lawns"3:22
8."Dead Sun"3:44
9."Reject"18:28
Total length:49:48

Personnel

Credits for Animal Rights adapted from album liner notes. [22]

Artwork and design

Charts

Chart (1996–97)Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [28] 41
Scottish Albums (OCC) [29] 45
UK Albums (OCC) [10] 38
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [11] 31

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moby</span> American musician (born 1965)

Richard Melville Hall, known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, DJ and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "among the most important dance music figures of the early 1990s, helping bring dance music to a mainstream audience both in the United States and the United Kingdom".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soundgarden</span> American rock band

Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Cornell switched to rhythm guitar in 1985, replaced on drums initially by Scott Sundquist, and later by Matt Cameron in 1986. Yamamoto left in 1989 and was replaced initially by Jason Everman and shortly thereafter by Ben Shepherd. The band dissolved in 1997 and reformed in 2010. Following Cornell's death in 2017, Thayil declared in October 2018 that Soundgarden would not continue, though they did reunite in January 2019 for a one-off concert in tribute to Cornell. Cornell and Thayil were the only members to appear on every album by the band.

<i>Superunknown</i> 1994 studio album by Soundgarden

Superunknown is the fourth studio album by American rock band Soundgarden, released on March 8, 1994, through A&M Records. Produced by Michael Beinhorn and the band themselves, Soundgarden began work on the album after touring in support of their previous album, Badmotorfinger (1991). Superunknown retained the heaviness of the band's earlier releases while displaying a more diverse range of influences.

<i>Down on the Upside</i> 1996 studio album by Soundgarden

Down on the Upside is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Soundgarden, released on May 21, 1996, through A&M Records. Following a worldwide tour in support of its previous album, Superunknown (1994), Soundgarden commenced work on a new album. Self-produced by the band, the music on the album was notably less heavy and dark than the group's preceding albums and featured the band experimenting with new sounds.

<i>A-Sides</i> 1997 greatest hits album by Soundgarden

A-Sides is a compilation album by the American rock band Soundgarden with songs spanning the band's thirteen-year career. It was released on November 4, 1997, through A&M Records.

<i>Play</i> (Moby album) 1999 studio album by Moby

Play is the fifth studio album by American electronic musician Moby. It was released on May 17, 1999, through Mute Records internationally and V2 Records in North America. Recording of the album began in mid-1997, following the release of Moby's fourth album, Animal Rights (1996), which deviated from his electronica style; Moby's goal for Play was to return to electronica, blending downtempo with blues and roots music samples. Originally intended to be his final record, the album was recorded at Moby's home studio in Manhattan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Cameron</span> American drummer

Matthew David Cameron is an American musician who is the drummer for the rock band Pearl Jam. He first gained fame as the drummer for Seattle-based rock band Soundgarden, which he joined in 1986. He appeared on each of the band's studio albums until its break-up in 1997. In 1998, Cameron was invited to join Pearl Jam's U.S. Yield Tour and then became a permanent member of the band. In 2010, Cameron became simultaneously a member of Pearl Jam and the reunited Soundgarden. He remained with Soundgarden until its disbandment after the death of lead singer Chris Cornell in 2017. Cameron, along with guitarist Kim Thayil and Cornell, is one of three members to feature on every Soundgarden studio album.

<i>Hotel</i> (album) 2005 studio album by Moby

Hotel is the seventh studio album by American electronica musician, singer, songwriter, and producer Moby. It was released on March 14, 2005, internationally by Mute Records and on March 22, 2005, in the United States by V2 Records. The album marked a stylistic shift from electronic and dance-oriented music towards alternative rock and Moby's decision not to use vocal sampling for the first time since his 1993 album Ambient.

<i>The End of Everything</i> (album) 1996 studio album by Voodoo Child

The End of Everything is the second studio album by Voodoo Child, a pseudonym of American electronica musician Moby. It was released in July 1996 by record labels Trophy, Mute and Elektra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pretty Noose</span> 1996 single by Soundgarden

"Pretty Noose" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Written by the band's frontman, Chris Cornell, "Pretty Noose" was released in April 1996 as the first single from the band's fifth studio album, Down on the Upside (1996). The song reached number two on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, topped the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart, and peaked at number 10 in Finland. The song was included on Soundgarden's 1997 greatest hits album, A-Sides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blow Up the Outside World</span> 1996 single by Soundgarden

"Blow Up the Outside World" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, "Blow Up the Outside World" was released on November 18, 1996, as the third single from the band's fifth studio album, Down on the Upside (1996). The song topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, where it spent a total of four weeks at number one. The song was included on Soundgarden's 1997 greatest hits album, A-Sides.

Hater was an American rock supergroup that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1993. The band formed as a side project mostly under the direction of Soundgarden bassist Ben Shepherd. Additional members included Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron, guitarist John McBain, bassist John Waterman for the self-titled album, Devilhead vocalist Brian Wood, brother of Mother Love Bone vocalist Andrew Wood, and Alan Davis on bass for The 2nd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soundgarden discography</span>

The discography of Soundgarden, an American rock band, consists of six studio albums, two live albums, six compilation albums, eight extended plays, 24 singles and 23 music videos.

<i>MobySongs 1993–1998</i> 2000 compilation album by Moby

MobySongs 1993–1998, also known as Songs 1993–1998 or simply Mobysongs, is a compilation album by American electronica musician Moby. It features selections from his work released in North America on the Elektra label, before his breakout 1999 release, Play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ty Cobb (song)</span> 1997 song by Soundgarden

"Ty Cobb" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Featuring lyrics written by frontman Chris Cornell and music written by bassist Ben Shepherd, "Ty Cobb" was released in April 1997 as the fourth single from the band's fifth studio album, Down on the Upside (1996). The song was included on Soundgarden's 1997 greatest hits album, A-Sides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moby discography</span>

The discography of American musician Moby consists of twenty-two studio albums, one live album, eleven compilation albums, twelve remix albums, three video albums, four extended plays, eighty-nine singles, fourteen promotional singles, a hundred and fifty music videos, and forty-four remixes.

<i>Wait for Me</i> (Moby album) 2009 studio album by Moby

Wait for Me is the ninth studio album by American electronica musician Moby. It was released on June 29, 2009 by Little Idiot and Mute.

<i>Destroyed</i> (Moby album) 2011 studio album by Moby

Destroyed is the tenth studio album by American electronica musician Moby, released on May 13, 2011 by record labels Little Idiot and Mute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Live to Rise</span> Song by Soundgarden

"Live to Rise" is a song recorded by American rock band Soundgarden for the 2012 film The Avengers. The song was released by Hollywood Records on April 17, 2012, as a free digital download during its first week of availability at the iTunes Store, and was later included on the film's soundtrack album, Avengers Assemble: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture, released on May 1, 2012.

<i>King Animal</i> 2012 studio album by Soundgarden

King Animal is the sixth and final studio album by American rock band Soundgarden, released on November 13, 2012, through Universal Republic and Loma Vista Recordings in North America and Vertigo Records elsewhere. Produced by the band alongside Adam Kasper, it was Soundgarden's first studio album in 16 years, following Down on the Upside (1996). King Animal was also the final studio album released by Soundgarden prior to the death of frontman Chris Cornell in 2017 and the subsequent dissolution of the band in 2018.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Animal Rights – Moby". AllMusic . Retrieved September 29, 2011.
  2. ↑ Smith, Andrew (October 15, 2000). "Definitely Moby". The Observer . Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Weingarten, Christopher (July 2, 2009). ""Play" 10 Years Later: Moby's Track by Track Guide to 1999's Global Smash". Rolling Stone . New York. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Bouwman, Kimbel (March 25, 2003). "Interview with Eric Härle, manager at DEF for Moby, Sonique, Röyksopp". HitQuarters . Archived from the original on June 9, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Moby reuniting w/ Vatican Commandos for a CT NYC hardcore show + D.I. dates, boat shows, 45 Grave, Jello & more". BrooklynVegan . May 12, 2010. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  6. ↑ "120 Reasons to Live: Ultra Vivid Scene". Magnet . 4 January 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  7. ↑ Buckley, Peter (2003). "Moby". The Rough Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to More Than 1200 Artists and Bands (3rd ed.). London: Rough Guides. p.  683. ISBN   978-1-84353-105-0 . Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  8. ↑ Moby (2016). Porcelain: A Memoir. Penguin Press. ISBN   978-1-59420-642-9.
  9. ↑ "Moby". Official Charts Company . Retrieved March 19, 2012.
  10. 1 2 "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  11. 1 2 "Moby Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  12. ↑ Kim, Jae-Ha (February 9, 1997). "Moby, 'Animal Rights' (Elektra)". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  13. ↑ Browne, David (February 21, 1997). "Animal Rights". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  14. ↑ Bennun, David (September 20, 1996). "Moby: Animal Rights (Mute)". The Guardian .
  15. ↑ Scribner, Sara (February 9, 1997). "Moby, 'Animal Rights,' Elektra". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  16. ↑ Prior, Clive (July 2016). "Moby: Animal Rights". Mojo (272): 109.
  17. 1 2 Oldham, James (September 21, 1996). "Moby – Animal Rights". NME . Archived from the original on September 30, 2000. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  18. 1 2 Ali, Lorraine (January 23, 1997). "Animal Rights". Rolling Stone . Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  19. ↑ Hunter, James (March 1997). "Moby: Animal Rights". Spin . 12 (12): 101. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  20. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (May 27, 1997). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  21. ↑ Wolk, Douglas (March 13, 1997). "Animal Rights". Salon . Retrieved September 29, 2011.,
  22. 1 2 Animal Rights (liner notes). Moby. Mute Records. 1996. STUMM 150.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  23. ↑ Flick, Larry (April 13, 2002). "Moby Opts For More Warmth, Less Attitude". Billboard . Vol. 114, no. 15. p. 12. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  24. ↑ Reed, Mark (May 19, 2002). "Album Review: Moby – Animal Rights". Drowned in Sound . Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
  25. ↑ Lindsay, Cam (June 16, 2016). "Rank Your Records: Moby Spontaneously Ranks His Nine Records". Vice . Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Release "Animal Rights" by Moby - MusicBrainz".
  27. ↑ "Moby – Animal Rights (1997, CD)". Discogs .
  28. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Moby – Animal Rights" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  29. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.