Album
Mechanical Animals
Mechanical Animals is the third studio album by Marilyn Manson, released in September 1998 on Nothing Records. After the abrasive industrial grind of Antichrist Superstar, the band turned towards 1970s glam rock, with David Bowie, T. Rex and Queen as clear reference points, while keeping a hold on their industrial metal roots. Its themes are the trappings of fame and drug abuse.
It is also the middle chapter of a trilogy that begins with Antichrist Superstar and ends with Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death). Manson later explained that the story runs in reverse order, which makes this record the bridge between the two halves. It gave the band their first number one on the Billboard 200 and produced the singles "The Dope Show", "Rock Is Dead" and "I Don't Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me)", plus the promotional single "Coma White". It went platinum in the United States, Canada and New Zealand.
Mechanical Animals: tracklist, credits and charts
14 tracks · 1:02:39Tracklist
- 1Great Big White WorldGacy, White, Zum, Manson5:01
- 2The Dope ShowJeordie White and Marilyn Manson3:47
- 3Mechanical AnimalsWhite, Zum, Manson4:33
- 4Rock Is DeadGacy, White, Manson3:10
- 5DisassociativeGacy, White, Zum, Manson4:51
- 6The Speed of PainGacy, White, Zum, Manson5:30
- 7PosthumanGacy, White, Manson4:18
- 8I Want to DisappearJeordie White and Marilyn Manson2:57
- 9I Don’t Like the Drugs (but the Drugs Like Me)White, Zum, Manson5:03
- 10New Model No. 15Marilyn Manson and Jeordie White3:41
- 11User FriendlyGacy, White, Zum, Manson4:17
- 12Fundamentally LoathsomeGacy, Zum, Manson4:50
- 13The Last Day on EarthGacy, Manson, White5:01
- 14Coma WhiteGacy, White, Zum, Manson5:40
- Produced by
- Sean Beavan, Michael Beinhorn, Marilyn Manson
- Recorded at
- Conway (Hollywood), Westlake (Hollywood), The White Room (Boston)
- Recorded
- 1997–1998
- Mixed by
- Tom Lord‐Alge
- Engineered by
- Sean Beavan, Barry Goldberg
- Labels
- Nothing Records, Nothing, Interscope
- Length
- 1:02:39
Line-up
- Ginger Fish · drums (drum set), electronic drum set
- Madonna Wayne Gacy · keyboard, piano, mellotron, shakers, electronic drum set, sampler, keyboard bass
- Jeordie White · acoustic guitar, electric bass guitar, electric guitar, guitar family, keyboard bass
- Zim Zum · electric guitar, acoustic guitar
- Marilyn Manson · lead vocals, drum machine, electronic drum set, background vocals, synthesizer, vocoder, electric guitar, piano
- Michael Beinhorn · synthesizer · guest
- Alex Brown · background vocals · guest
- Lynn Davis · background vocals · guest
- Niki Haris · background vocals · guest
- John West · background vocals · guest
- Rose McGowan · vocals · guest
- Dave Navarro · electric guitar · guest
- Danny Saber · clavinet, strings · guest
- Dyanna Lauren · background vocals · guest
- Kobe Tai · background vocals · guest
- Neil Strauss · turntable · guest
Singles
- “The Dope Show” · 15 September 1998
- “I Don't Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me)” · 17 February 1999
- “Rock Is Dead” · 14 June 1999
- “Coma White” · 20 September 1999
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · Combined | 1 |
| UK Albums Chart · Combined | 8 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1998–2025 | 1 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) · 1998–2025 | 1 |
| New Zealand Albums · Combined | 3 |
| Norwegian Albums · Combined | 3 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP) · Combined | 4 |
| European Albums (Music & Media) · 1998–2025 | 5 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI) · Combined | 5 |
| Austrian Albums · 1998–2025 | 6 |
All 22 charts
| Finnish Albums · 1998–2025 | 6 |
| Swedish Albums · Combined | 6 |
| German Albums · 1998–2025 | 7 |
| Spanish Albums (AFYVE) · Combined | 8 |
| French Albums · 1998–2025 | 14 |
| Scottish Albums · Combined | 17 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 1998–2025 | 22 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · Combined | 25 |
| Dutch Albums · 1998–2025 | 42 |
| Swiss Albums · Combined | 44 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 1998–2025 | 45 |
| Greek Albums (IFPI) · 2025 | 58 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 1998 | Gold |
| Canada · 1998 | Platinum |
| Japan · 1999 | Gold |
| New Zealand | Platinum |
| Spain · 1999 | Gold |
| Sweden · 1998 | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 2013 | Gold |
| United States · 1999 | Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
85.4
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
6.1k
ListenBrainz listeners
127k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
44k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
The Very Best of Ugly Kid Joe: As Ugly as It Gets
Ugly Kid Joe · 1998
This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours
Manic Street Preachers · 1998
’98 Live Meltdown
Judas Priest · 1998
The Split CD
Queens of the Stone Age · 1998
Dizzy Up the Girl
Goo Goo Dolls · 1998
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age · 1998
Celebrity Skin
Hole · 1998
Psycho Circus
KISS · 1998
A Real Live Dead One
Iron Maiden · 1998
Also released on 15 September
Every year →
Concrete and Gold
Foo Fighters · 2017
Fireball
Deep Purple · 1971
Reality
David Bowie · 2003
Endgame
Megadeth · 2009
Halfway to Sanity
Ramones · 1987
Smear Campaign
Napalm Death · 2006
Free Your Soul... and Save My Mind
Suicidal Tendencies · 2000
Wither
Dream Theater · 2009
Race the Night
Ash · 2023
Favourite Pleasures
GUN · 2017
The Last Dubber
Ministry · 2009
The Very Best of Ugly Kid Joe: As Ugly as It Gets
Ugly Kid Joe · 1998
More from Marilyn Manson
Full discography →
Portrait of an American Family
1994
Smells Like Children
1995
Antichrist Superstar
1996
Remix & Repent
1997
The Last Tour on Earth
1999
Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)
2000
The Fight Song
2001
The Nobodies (2005 Against All Gods mix)
2001
The Golden Age of Grotesque
2003
Lunch Boxes & Choklit Cows
2004
Lest We Forget: The Best Of
2004
Eat Me, Drink Me
2007
The High End of Low
2009
Birth of the Antichrist
2012
Born Villain
2012
The Pale Emperor
2015
Heaven Upside Down
2017
We Are Chaos
2020
One Assassination Under God, Chapter 1
2024
One Assassination Under God, Chapter 2
2026
The best of 1998
All of 1998 →
System of a Down
System of a Down · 1998
Americana
The Offspring · 1998
Garage Inc.
Metallica · 1998
Follow the Leader
Korn · 1998
Adore
The Smashing Pumpkins · 1998
Yield
Pearl Jam · 1998
Dizzy Up the Girl
Goo Goo Dolls · 1998
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age · 1998
Iron Maiden An Introduction to… Virtual XI 1998
An Introduction to… Virtual XI
Iron Maiden · 1998
Celebrity Skin
Hole · 1998
Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie
Alanis Morissette · 1998
Virtual XI
Iron Maiden · 1998
More on Nothing Records
The label →
Year Zero
Nine Inch Nails · 2007
Broken
Nine Inch Nails · 1992
Smells Like Children
Marilyn Manson · 1995
Further Down the Spiral
Nine Inch Nails · 1995
The Last Tour on Earth
Marilyn Manson · 1999
Things Falling Apart
Nine Inch Nails · 2000
And All That Could Have Been
Nine Inch Nails · 2002
Remix & Repent
Marilyn Manson · 1997
The Fight Song
Marilyn Manson · 2001
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1998-09-15 vs 1998-09-14 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 14 September 1998 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 15 September 1998 | |
| Wikidata | 1998 | |
| US release | 15 September 1998 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 14 September 1998 | earliest UK or European date |
17 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | US | Nothing Records | 0602475500926 | other |
| 1998 | US | Nothing Records | 606949027322 | other |
| September 1998 | US | Nothing Records | 606949027315 | other |
| 14 September 1998 | AU | Nothing Records | 0602475500926 | original |
| 14 September 1998 | GB | Nothing Records | 606949027322 | original |
| 15 September 1998 | CA | Nothing Records | 606949027322 | other |
| 15 September 1998 | US | Nothing Records | 0606949027346 | other |
| 15 September 1998 | US | Nothing Records | 606949027322 | other |
| 15 September 1998 | DE | Nothing Records | 606949027322 | other |
| 15 September 1998 | JP | Nothing Records | 4988067035561 | other |
| 1999 | ID | Nothing Records | 0602475500926 | other |
| 21 June 1999 | GB | Interscope Records | 606949039424 | other |
| 21 June 1999 | DE | Nothing Records | 606949039424 | other |
| 2001 | GB | Simply Vinyl | 643346019512 | other |
| 3 December 2008 | JP | Universal Music | 4988005537775 | other |
| 14 August 2012 | XE | Nothing Records | 600753385647 | other |
| 29 January 2016 | XW | Interscope Records | 0602527101712 | other |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 600×529 | rejected |