Satan Takes a Holiday | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1995 | |||
Recorded | San Francisco, 1995 | |||
Genre | Keyboard music, torch songs, vaudeville, outsider music | |||
Length | 70:57 | |||
Label | Amarillo | |||
Producer | Gregg Turkington, Chris X | |||
Anton Szandor LaVey chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
Satan Takes a Holiday is an album by Anton Szandor LaVey, a celebrity figure best known for his creation of the Church of Satan (CoS) inside of the United States, which was released through Amarillo Records in 1995. In addition to founding LaVeyan Satanism as a belief system, he had a long career as a showman and particularly as a musician, which the album's various tracks captured. [2] [1]
The album is an eclectic work of underground music featuring a diverse mix of musical styles as well as lyrical topics, with its songs being primarily based on LaVey's personal interest in the synthesizer. Unlike the public image often associated with his words and actions, and the surrounding controversy, the album has received positive reviews from publications such as AllMusic and is known for its often comedic approach, emphasizing straightforward entertainment. Scholar James R. Lewis of the book Satanism Today: An Encyclopedia of Religion, Folklore, and Popular Culture has asserted that "LaVey's musicianship is preserved" in both the album and a previous release from 1994 in songs that "are impressive", particularly given LaVey's abilities in musical engineering. [2] [1]
It's title is a reference to the notorious Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra release of the same name alongside multiple previous forms of popular media known as _____ Takes a Holiday. These include the drama movies Death Takes a Holiday and Sin Takes a Holiday among other things.
In addition to founding LaVeyan Satanism as a belief system, LaVey had a long career as a showman and particularly as a musician, which the album had captured. In contrast to the dramatic and serious public image often associated with LaVey and his doctrines, with his words and actions drawing controversy, the album is a frequently comedic release intended for straightforward entertainment purposes featuring popular music styles of a "lighthearted" nature, including lyrics with romantic appeals and merry-go-round type carnival backgrounds. It additionally features materials from a diverse array of songwriters, including media created in the 19th Century. A praising review by music journalist Greg Prato of AllMusic remarked that "[b]efore listening to this album, one must cast aside all preconceptions of... LaVey". Prato regarded LaVey's diverse take in both musical genres and instrumental skills as "comforting" to the listener, in the context of the whole album's "spooky" nature. [1]
In depth, Satan Takes a Holiday is an eclectic body of songs that LaVey primarily constructed using his personal synthesizer. A few of these tracks are standards, being associated with famous media of years prior, and their composers well known. Nevertheless, LaVey chose all of these songs to create deliberate modes of feeling in terms of emotional tone. [1] His original treatments of many of these releases, and others similar to them in context and style, were performed on a variety of organs that he mastered over the course of his life. Throughout his various experiences, LaVey performed many such songs in burlesque houses, circuses, carnivals, and roadhouses as an entertainer, with his career's twists and turns not necessarily being associated with the CoS in any sense. The album's very title shows this in the context of the positive term "holiday".
LaVey is joined on this recording by Blanche Barton, another celebrity who's otherwise best known for serving as the "High Priestess" of the CoS. Nick Bougas additionally takes part. He's otherwise best known for being the director of LaVey's film biography titled Speak of the Devil: The Canon of Anton LaVey , having also worked in other movie projects over the years.
It's title is a reference to the notorious Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra release of the same name alongside multiple previous forms of popular media known as _____ Takes a Holiday. These include the drama movies Death Takes a Holiday and Sin Takes a Holiday among other things.
Looking back in retrospect, scholar James R. Lewis of the book Satanism Today: An Encyclopedia of Religion, Folklore, and Popular Culture has asserted that "LaVey's musicianship is preserved" in both the album and a previous release from 1994 in songs that "are impressive", particularly given LaVey's abilities in musical engineering. [2] Still looking back retrospectively, Amarillo Records released Satan Takes a Holiday in 1995, in the context of LaVey's campaigns during the 1990s. [2] [1] The independent record label has been known for its association with other eccentric artists (especially in the burgeoning San Francisco music scene of the 1990s) and was created by actor and comedian Gregg Turkington, who ironically had absolutely no connection to Amarillo, Texas whatsoever and abandoned the company while also emigrating out of the United States altogether. [3]
The information for the track listings were lifted, at times verbatim, from the liner notes for the CD of this release. Copyright Amarillo Records, 1995.
Figure skating world champion Javier Fernández performed a short program to "Satan Takes a Holiday" during the 2013-14 season in his sport. This time period included the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. [4] The program was choreographed by David Wilson.
Satanism refers to a group of religious, ideological, and/or philosophical beliefs based on Satan—particularly his worship or veneration. Satan is commonly associated with the Devil in Christianity, a fallen angel often regarded as chief of the demons who tempt humans into sin. The phenomenon of Satanism shares "historical connections and family resemblances" with the Left Hand Path milieu of other occult figures such as Chaos, Hecate, Lilith, Lucifer, and Set. Self-identified Satanism is a relatively modern phenomenon, largely attributed to the 1966 founding of the Church of Satan by Anton LaVey in the United States—an atheistic group that does not believe in a supernatural Satan.
The Church of Satan (CoS) is a religious organization dedicated to the religion of Satanism as defined by Anton Szandor LaVey. Founded in San Francisco in 1966, by LaVey, it is considered the "oldest satanic religion in continual existence", and more importantly the most influential, inspiring "numerous imitator and breakaway groups". According to the Church, Satanism has been "codified" as "a religion and philosophy" by LaVey and his church. Founded in an era when there was much public interest in the occult, witchcraft and Satanism, the church enjoyed a heyday for several years after its founding. Celebrities attended LaVey's satanic parties and he was invited on talk shows. His Satanic Bible sold nearly a million copies.
Anton Szandor LaVey was an American author, musician, and LaVeyan Satanist. He was the founder of the Church of Satan, the philosophy of LaVeyan Satanism, and the concept of Satanism. He authored several books, including The Satanic Bible, The Satanic Rituals, The Satanic Witch, The Devil's Notebook, and Satan Speaks! In addition, he released three albums, including The Satanic Mass, Satan Takes a Holiday, and Strange Music. He played a minor on-screen role and served as technical advisor for the 1975 film The Devil's Rain and served as host and narrator for Nick Bougas' 1989 mondo film Death Scenes.
The Satanic Bible is a collection of essays, observations, and rituals published by Anton LaVey in 1969. It is the central religious text of LaVeyan Satanism, and is considered the foundation of its philosophy and dogma. It has been described as the most important document to influence contemporary Satanism. Though The Satanic Bible is not considered to be sacred scripture in the way that the Christian Bible is to Christianity, LaVeyan Satanists regard it as an authoritative text as it is a contemporary text that has attained for them scriptural status. It extols the virtues of exploring one's nature and instincts. Believers have been described as "atheistic Satanists" because they believe that God and Satan are not external entities, but rather projections of an individual's personality—benevolent and stabilizing forces in their life. There have been thirty printings of The Satanic Bible, selling over a million copies.
LaVeyan Satanism is the name given to the form of Satanism promoted by American occultist and author Anton LaVey (1930–1997). LaVey founded the Church of Satan (CoS) in 1966 in San Francisco. Although LaVey is thought to have had more impact with his Satanic aesthetics of "colourful" rituals and "scandalous" clothes that created a "gigantic media circus", he also promoted his ideas in writings, such as the popular Satanic Bible. LaVeyan Satanism has been classified as a new religious movement and a form of Western esotericism by scholars of religion. LaVey's ideas have been said to weave together an array of sometimes "contradictory" "thinkers and tropes", combining "humanism, hedonism, aspects of pop psychology and the human potential movement", along with "a lot of showmanship", His ideas were heavily influenced by the ideas and writings of Friedrich Nietzsche, Ayn Rand and Arthur Desmond.
The Church of Satan: A History of the World's Most Notorious Religion is a book by Blanche Barton, published on November 1, 1990 by Hell's Kitchen Productions.
Diane Hegarty, was an American religious leader who, along with longtime partner Anton LaVey, co-founded the Church of Satan.
The Secret Life of a Satanist: The Authorized Biography of Anton LaVey is a biography on the life of Anton LaVey, the founder of LaVeyan Satanism and the Church of Satan, released in 1990 through Feral House publishing. The book is written by Blanche Barton, administrator of the Church of Satan and partner and confidant of LaVey."
The Sigil of Baphomet is the official insignia of the Church of Satan, founded 1966. The sigil has been called a "material pentagram" representational of carnality and earthly principles. The Church describes the symbol as the "...preeminent visual distillation of the iconoclastic philosophy of Satanism."
Karla Maritza LaVey is the daughter and eldest child of Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey. She is an American radio host, former high priestess of her father's organization and founder and administrator of the First Satanic Church in San Francisco, California.
The First Satanic Church is an organization founded by Karla LaVey on October 31, 1999, in San Francisco, California. The church is dedicated to LaVeyan Satanism as codified by Anton LaVey in The Satanic Bible. The church's stated mission is to carry on the legacy of Anton LaVey through "the study of Satanism and the occult sciences". For over a decade the church operated The 600 Club, a now-defunct Internet forum dedicated to discussions of Satanism.
Theistic Satanism, otherwise referred to as traditional Satanism, religious Satanism, or spiritual Satanism, is an umbrella term for religious groups that consider Satan, the Devil, to objectively exist as a deity, supernatural entity, or spiritual being worthy of worship or reverence, whom individuals may believe in, contact, and convene with, in contrast to the atheistic archetype, metaphor, or symbol found in LaVeyan Satanism.
Satan Speaks! is a book of essays by Anton LaVey, published in 1998 by Feral House following his October 1997 death. It includes a foreword by Marilyn Manson, an introduction by Blanche Barton and cover art by Coop.
Greater and lesser magic, within LaVeyan Satanism, designate types of beliefs with the term greater magic applying to ritual practice meant as psychodramatic catharsis to focus ones emotions for a specific purpose and lesser magic applied to the practice of manipulation by means of applied psychology and glamour to bend an individual or situation to one's will.
Hail Satan, sometimes Latinized as Ave Satanas or Ave Satana, is an exclamation used by some Satanists to invoke the name of Satan in contexts ranging from sincere expression to comedy or satire. The Satanic Temple uses the phrase as a sincere expression of rational inquiry removed from supernaturalism and archaic tradition-based superstitions.
Zeena Galatea Schreck, known professionally by her mononymous artist name ZEENA, is a Berlin-based American visual and musical artist, author and the spiritual leader of the Sethian Liberation Movement (SLM), which she founded in 2002.
The Satanic Mass: Recorded Live at the Church of Satan is the first released audio recording of a Satanic ritual by high priest Anton Szandor LaVey, recorded September 13, 1967 at Church of Satan headquarters, known as The Black House. The album was originally released as a vinyl LP in 1968, on LaVey's own label Murgenstrumm. It was reissued by Amarillo Records on June 21, 1995.
Speak of the Devil: The Canon of Anton LaVey is a documentary film about Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey, released in 1993 through Wavelength Video and directed by Nick Bougas.
Nicholas Bougas is an American documentary film director, illustrator and record producer. As a cartoonist, he has used the pen name A. Wyatt Mann to produce racist, antisemitic, antifeminist and homophobic cartoons.
Joy of Satan Ministries, also referred to as Joy of Satan (JoS), is a western esoteric occult organization founded in 2002 by Andrea Herrington. Joy of Satan Ministries advocates "Spiritual Satanism", an ideology that presents a synthesis of theistic Satanism, Nazism, gnosticism, paganism, western esotericism, UFO conspiracy theories and extraterrestrial beliefs similar to those popularized by Zecharia Sitchin and David Icke.