Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs (1992)

ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ (commonly known as Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs or simply Psalm 69) is the fifth studio album by American industrial metal band Ministry, released on July 14, 1992, by Sire Records. It was produced by frontman Al Jourgensen and bassist Paul Barker, and was recorded from March 1991 to May 1992 in Chicago, Illinois, and Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The album's title, initially intended to be The Tapes of Wrath, ended up being derived from Aleister Crowley's The Book of Lies.

Psalm 69 features elements of speed metal, rockabilly, and psychobilly, with lyrics exploring social, political, and religious topics. With much anticipation following the success of Ministry's previous album The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste (1989), pressures on the band were said to be high, in addition to the growing substance abuse of several members and worsening relationships between them. It was also the first time Mike Scaccia had been significantly involved in a Ministry album, after appearing on tours in support of The Mind....

Preceded by lead single "Jesus Built My Hotrod", Psalm 69 was a critical and commercial success upon its release, peaking at number 27 on the US Billboard 200 and number 33 on the UK Albums Chart. It was supported by two more singles: "N.W.O." and "Just One Fix", with accompanying music videos directed by Peter Christopherson. Psalm 69 is considered to be Ministry's most successful album, having been certified gold in Canada and Australia, and platinum in the US. Following its release, Ministry joined the second annual Lollapalooza tour before commencing a tour through Europe and the US; "N.W.O.", "Just One Fix", and the title track have become permanent features of the band's live setlist. "N.W.O." was nominated for the Best Metal Performance at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards.

Background and recording

In March 1991, following the conclusion of the year-long tour in support of Revolting Cocks album Beers, Steers, and Queers, Ministry's frontman Jourgensen returned with his bandmates (including Barker and long-time drummer Bill Rieflin, both of whom appeared on the previous two Ministry albums) at Chicago Trax! studios, to work on Ministry's next major release. Jourgensen claimed that the record company Warner Bros. Records (to which Ministry were signed via their subsidiary Sire Records) initially gave the band an enormous budget expecting a follow-up to The Mind... to become a big hit compared with Michael Jackson's album Thriller. In actuality, Jourgensen, his then-wife Patty (née Marsh), and guitarist Scaccia spent most of the budget on drugs; Jourgensen later claimed in 2013 that they were paying about $1,000 per day. Meanwhile, the first Lollapalooza tour had arrived in Chicago in early August 1991. Jourgensen went backstage attending a show by the band Butthole Surfers. After the gig, he had invited Butthole Surfers' singer Gibby Haynes to Chicago Trax! to record what became the vocals and spoken word parts for the song "Jesus Built My Hotrod". While finishing "Jesus Built My Hotrod", Jourgensen was contacted by Sire/Warner Bros. executives, who asked if he had any completed material. Jourgensen sent them "Jesus Built My Hotrod" since it was the only song recorded by this time. While the label was not happy with just having "Jesus Built My Hotrod", Jourgensen told them either to give another advance for further work or sign the band off. The label was doubtful if the band would record anything else, but decided to release "Jesus Built My Hotrod". The single ultimately became a commercial and critical success, surprising the label; it peaked at No. 19 on the Alternative Airplay chart and had sold over 100,000 copies by mid-1992. Afterwards, Sire gave the band a larger budget, with the condition that the band would eventually finish the record.

Besides drug problems, there was also growing animosity between the band's members, divided into two groups. The first group included Jourgensen, Scaccia, and guest/studio keyboardist Michael Balch. The other group was dubbed "the Book Club" by Jourgensen, and it included Barker, Rieflin, and guest/live singer Chris Connelly. Jourgensen claimed that he and Scaccia added their parts separately from Barker, Rieflin, and Connelly; once Jourgensen and Scaccia would come in, they erased about 80 percent of what the Book Club associates did. Additional tensions arose between Jourgensen and Balch during the album's sessions, and the latter relocated back to his home city of Vancouver before the album's completion. Other notable individuals who contributed to Psalm 69 included guitarist Louis Svitek (who joined Ministry as touring guitarist afterwards), programmer Howie Beno, engineer Jeff Newell, and Haynes. Ultimately, all six individuals in the aforementioned two split groups were credited as songwriters (along with Beno and Haynes on one song each).