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The Golden Age of Grotesque

Released May 2003.

There are three versions of the album: 15 track, 17 track and limited edition 17 track with bonus DVD. Four versions if you count the double LP vinyl edition, that also has 17 tracks.

The Golden Age Of Grotesque front cover. MM
The Golden Age Of Grotesque cover art and era symbol
  1. Thaeter (Intro)
  2. This Is the New Shit
  3. mOBSCENE
  4. Doll-Dagga Buzz-Buzz Ziggety-Zag
  5. Use Your Fist and Not Your Mouth
  6. The Golden Age of Grotesque
  7. (s)AINT
  8. Ka-Boom Ka-Boom
  9. Slutgarden
  10. Spade
  11. Para-noir
  12. The Bright Young Things
  13. Better of Two Evils
  14. Vodevil
  15. Obsequy (The Death of Art)
UK regular version has two bonus tracks:
  1. Tainted Love (UK Bonus Track)

  2. Baboon Rape Party (UK Bonus Track)
Limited Edition version also has the same bonus tracks:
  1. Tainted Love (UK Bonus Track)
  2. Baboon Rape Party (UK Bonus Track)
PLUS a DVD containing a film called Doppelherz (the word means Dual Heart or 'two hearts in one').

Double LP vinyl edition also has the bonus tracks:
  1. Tainted Love
  2. Baboon Rape Party
I've now discovered there's a Japanese limited edition CD/DVD set of:
  • Special Edition 18-track CD album including 3 bonus tracks.
  • Bonus Multi Region NTSC DVD of 'Doppelherz' art film.
Catalogue Number UICS9009

Comes in a picture slipcase with obi-strip.

Added notes for The Golden Age of Grotesque

It's been two and a half years since Holy Wood was released, making this album much anticipated by the fans. mOBSCENE, the first single, was released 22 April 2003 but the video for it was online and on TV in various countries even sooner.

Whilst co-hosting the Radio One Rock Show with Mary-Anne Hobbs (night of Tuesday 22 April 2003), Marilyn remarked that the next video would be made in Vienna -but it was made in Belgium! He asked if people would prefer it to be (s)AINT or This Is The New Shit. And it turned out to be the latter. The title was changed to 'This Is The New Hit', to avoid radio edit 'bleeps'.

The Golden Age of Grotesque album entered the UK album charts on Sunday 18th May 2003 at number 4. This makes it the highest charting MM album in the UK to date.

Copied the following from
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/top40/albums.shtml
for Sunday 18th May 2003:

1 (2) Justified Justin Timberlake Jive
2 (3) Elephant White Stripes XL Recording
3 (4) Busted Busted Universal

4 ( ) The Golden Age Of Grotesque Marilyn Manson Interscope

5 (1) Think Tank Blur Parlophone
6 (12) Fallen Evanescence Epic
7 (6) Stripped Christina Aguilera RCA
8 (5) American Life Madonna Maverick
9 (7) Come Away With Me Norah Jones Parlophone
10 (17) Chocolate Factory R Kelly Jive

Interesting to see who the 'competition' was at the time.

Even better news was the album going in at number one in five countries: America, Germany, Italy, Austria and Switzerland, and add in more top 5 chart positions elsewhere. I realize that 'chart position' means many things to many people, but you can still call all of the above a great result. And on the oracle, he said: Thank you.

MM last reached the top spot of the US album charts with 1998's Mechanical Animals.

Here's how I think TGAOG's chart placings went:
  • USA: 1
  • Austria: 1
  • Germany: 1
  • Italy: 1
  • Switzerland: 1
  • France: 2
  • UK: 4
  • Norway: 4
  • Sweden: 4
  • Australia: 5
  • Czech Republic: 6
  • Denmark: 6
  • Greece: 6
  • Ireland: 7
  • Finland: 8
  • Belgium: 11
  • Brazil: 16
  • New Zealand: 16
  • The Netherlands/Holland: 26
Those Dutch are so rebellious.

Promotional copies of The Golden Age Of Grotesque were out by 20th March 2003 - or earlier?

Singles from The Golden Age of Grotesque era:

  1. mOBSCENE
  2. This Is The New Shit
Tracks on The Golden Age of Grotesque singles