As far as I can tell, only one version of this maxi-single was ever released, and it's from the USA, which makes sense. I would argue that this is my favourite later Ministry track. It might be number 2 overall, after Over the Shoulder. Of course, now that I just listened to the track, I may have to put it in the number one slot :)
Oddly, this didn't get a vinyl pressing until 2014! The original was released on CD in 1987 (but it had far fewer tracks) and a year later it was released on cassette. They even did a another cassette release in 1994! WTF? Why not press vinyl in 1987? 1987 was really for CDs. The 2014 release was on clear vinyl. My copy is the 2021 limited edition repress on silver vinyl, which I admit I got from Amazon on a Limited Time Deal for an excellent price. Here are all of your early Ministry favourites.
A1 Everyday Is Halloween
A2 Nature Of Love
A3 All Day
A4 Cold Life
B1 Halloween (Remix)
B2 Nature Of Love (Cruelty Mix)
B3 All Day (Remix)
C1 Cold Life (Dub)
C2 Same Old Madness
C3 Primental
C4 I'm Falling
D1 Nature Of Outtakes
D2 I'm Falling (Alternative Mix)
D3 Overkill
D4 He's Angry
D5 Move (Original Mix)
As with most of Ministry's work, the album's lyrics deal mainly with political corruption ("Thieves"), cultural violence ("So What"), environmental degradation, nuclear war ("Breathe"), drug addiction ("Burning Inside") and insanity ("Cannibal Song"). [source]
I really really love this record. To me, this is the best thing Ministry did, and it might be the best industrial album ever recorded.
From 1958 to October 2015, Tisdale, Saskatchewan's slogan was "The Land of Rape and Honey," a reference to the area's canola crops. Canola oil is derived from rapeseed. I guess years and years of complaints finally convinced the town to dump that slogan. Anyway, Ministry adopted that slogan for this album's name. And what an album this is. They moved headfirst into what I guess could be described as Industrial Metal.
The Wikipedia entry suggests that Al Jourgensen viewed this record as the "first true" Ministry album, though the author provides no citation. The same entry adds this, about the disturbing cover image:
The album cover is an electronically processed image of a burned corpse in the Leipzig-Thekla subcamp of Buchenwald. Jourgensen took a picture of the holocaust from a documentary on television and distorted the image himself. According to Jourgensen, it was originally rejected by the record label but they later changed their mind after Jourgensen presented a head of a roadkilled deer he had found on the road; he cut off the head, put it in his truck, drove from Austin to Los Angeles, went into the Sire Records building, threw the deer on the desk of the head of the art department and said, "here's your new fucking [album] cover. [source]
I absolutely love this record. I can see that it would not be for everyone. I recall putting a track from this record on a mixed tape that I gave to a friend. I think the other tracks were also heavy. He asked me why I had become an angry young man. I just liked the sound and fell of it all. I am, by no means, interested in metal.
Twitch was the first full-length Ministry record I ever owned. The record has a much darker and heavier sound than the earlier synth efforts. I really liked the direction the band took with this release and it remains one of my favourite Ministry records.
Bill Rieflin joined the band for this outing. If you are a King Crimson fan, like me, you will also know him from a later incarnation of that band, as well as his work with a number of industrial bands and also R.E.M.
The CD version of this record -- which I also own -- includes the 12" version of Over the Shoulder along with Isle of Man (Version II). Turn it up.
Here is more synthpop from Ministry, before they adopted a raging industrial metal sound. It's not a bad new wave synth tune. I still really like this. At around this time, I had buried my head in Skinny Puppy, Cabaret Voltaire, Killing Joke, etc.
Oddly, the a-side is All Day, and the b-side contains the smash club hit, Everyday (Is Halloween). I suppose both were popular tunes, but I prefer the track on the flipside better. I think that Everyday (Is Halloween) was played without fail at the club I used to attend every time I went.
This 12" was released in blue, green, yellow, or red sleeves. I have a blue sleeve.
For quite some time, Over the Shoulder was my favourite song. I played it for everyone. It was one of those tracks which really connected with me, probably because it is so weird. I think my dad heard it once and he must have wondered if there was something wrong with my stereo system.
This 12", which was pressed in Canada. has:
Over The Shoulder (12" Version)
Isle Of Man (Version II)
Twitch (Version II)
I believe that the US and European pressing had the same tracks. This might still be my favorite Minitsry song.
I've read that Al Jourgensen doesn't like to think about or even admit that this happened. I've also read once that the record label wanted him to play this sort of genre, against his will. I've also read that that the last statement is garbage. I've also read that Al simply doesn't like the first LP. Still, I do like early ministry, and I love later Ministry, It's all good. Much later, he explored heavier industrial territory, which almost approached metal, in some ways. The other tracks from this 12" are I'm Falling, Primental, and Cold Life Dub.
