Candyass

For the Mark Eitzel album, see Candy Ass. For the artist sometimes known as Candy Ass, see Cary Leibowitz.

Candyass
Studio album by Orgy
Released	August 18, 1998
Studio	Donner Pass Cabin, Truckee, California N.R.G. Studios, North Hollywood, California Josh's Garage, Hollywood, California Westlake Audio, West Hollywood, California
Genre	Electronic rock industrial rock nu metal
Length	48:10
Label	Warner Bros. Reprise Elementree
Producer	Josh Abraham Orgy
Orgy chronology
Candyass (1998) Vapor Transmission (2000)
Singles from Candyass
"Stitches" Released: April 30, 1998 "Blue Monday" Released: December 14, 1998

Candyass is the debut studio album by American rock band Orgy, released on August 18, 1998 by Warner Bros, Reprise and Elementree. ^{[1] [2]} One of the more influential rock albums of the late 1990s, it combines the riffs, hooks and songwriting of the genre with electronic music. While grouped in with nu metal, as lead singer Jay Gordon had produced Coal Chamber's self-titled debut album a year prior, and Korn frontman Jonathan Davis is a guest vocalist on "Revival", the band has described their music as "death pop". ^[3]

Candyass is the most successful Orgy album, and peaked at No. 32 on the US Billboard 200 . Many critics attribute the success of the album to its second single, "Blue Monday", a cover of New Order's song of the same name. While now perceived as one-hit wonders by many, the lead single, "Stitches", was also successful on rock and alternative charts. The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA on July 22, 1999, and certified Gold by Music Canada.

Critical reception of Candyass has been mixed-to-positive. Some praised the album as a refreshing take on nu metal, but others felt it was unoriginal, if well-written and having some of the better songs in the genre. Their following two albums, Vapor Transmission (2000) and Punk Statik Paranoia (2004), were not as well-received, and the band disbanded in 2005. Most reviews of the band's discography have been removed due to copyright issues.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Robert Christgau	[5]
Pitchfork	5.9/10 [6]

The Baltimore Sun wrote: "Whether through the ominous crunch of 'Social Enemies' or the frenzied thrum of 'Fiend', Orgy knows how to use its artfully distorted sound to stunning effect, evoking a world of anomie and unease with each verse and chorus." ^[7]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Orgy (Jay Gordon, Amir Derakh, Bobby Hewitt, and Ryan Shuck), except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Social Enemies"	Orgy, Josh Abraham, Troy Van Leeuwen	4:04
2.	"Stitches"		3:19
3.	"Dissention"	Orgy, Paige Haley	3:31
4.	"Platinum"		3:43
5.	"Fetisha"		4:02
6.	"Fiend"		4:29
7.	"Blue Monday" (New Order cover)	Bernard Sumner, Gillian Gilbert, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris	4:28
8.	"Gender"		4:28
9.	"All the Same"	Orgy, Haley	4:06
10.	"Pantomime"	Orgy, Haley	4:29
11.	"Revival"	Orgy, Jonathan Davis	4:11
12.	"Dizzy"		3:21
Total length:			48:10

Singles

• "Blue Monday" release date: April 30, 1998
• "Stitches" release date: December 14, 1998

Personnel

Orgy

• Jay Gordon – vocals, programming, additional synthesizers
• Amir Derakh – lead guitar, additional engineering
• Ryan Shuck – rhythm guitar
• Paige Haley – bass
• Bobby Hewitt – drums

Additional

• Chad Fridirici – engineering, mixing on "Gender", pro-tool editing
• Josh Abraham – production, additional engineering, programming, additional synthesizers
• Dave Ogilvie – mixing
• David Kahne – mixing on "Stiches", "Fetisha"
• Jay Baumgardner – mixing on "Pantomime"
• Tom Baker – mastering
• Brian Virtue – assistant engineer
• Cope Till – assistant engineer
• Doug Trantow – assistant engineer
• Anthony Valcic – programming
• Jonathan Davis – additional vocals on "Revival"
• Elijah Blue Allman – additional vocals on "Revival", additional synthesizers
• Troy Van Leeuwen – additional guitars on "Social Enemies" and "Dissention"
• Steve Gerdes – art direction, design
• Joseph Cultice – photography

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1998–99) Peak position US Billboard 200 [8] 32 US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [9] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1999) Position US Billboard 200 [10] 97

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [11]	Gold	50,000^
United States (RIAA) [12]	Platinum	1,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Kat Iudicello (June 26, 2000). "Candy Ass: Orgy Review". PopMatters. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
2. Gavin Edwards (September 16, 1999). "Orgy's Climax". Rollingstone. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
3. "Orgy // Punk Statik Paranoia". Punkstatikparanoia.com. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
4. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Candyass Review". AllMusic . Archived from the original on December 9, 2010. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
5. Robert Christgau review
6. Hansen, Skaht. "Orgy: Candyass: Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
7. Considine, J.D. (January 28, 1999). "Orgy Candyass". Live. The Baltimore Sun. p. 5.
8. "Orgy Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
9. "Orgy Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
10. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
11. "Canadian album certifications – Orgy – Candyass". Music Canada.
12. "American album certifications – Orgy – Candyass". Recording Industry Association of America.