Welcome To The Monkey House [Enhanced]

Amazon.com
The Dandy Warhols’ fourth album arrives with a cover that melds Sticky Fingers and The Velvet Underground and Nico. One therefore assumes that leader Courtney Taylor-Taylor’s claim that predecessor Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia was "the last classic rock album" was a bit tongue-in-cheek. (Actually, one had assumed that already.) Reversing rock’s usual guitars-front-keyboards-as-filigree, Monkey House takes the Dandys into a challenging sphere while remaining undeniably organic sounding. The band and co-producers Nick Rhodes (Duran Duran and Tony Visconti (Low, Electric Warrior) have built elaborate but never stifling arrangements of these songs--check out the way guest Nile Rodgers’s rhythm guitar part subtly funks up the last minute of "Scientist," or how the group makes the pulsing "(You Come In) Burned" perhaps the best yet of its trademark trancelike album closers. Taylor-Taylor continues to display growing self-knowledge in his "words of comic wisdom": "I Am Sound" isn’t a declaration of aural omniscience, but a simple affirmation of OK-ness, while "The Last High" dissects the end of a high-style love affair. Miss this and miss one of the year’s finest rock & roll records. --Rickey Wright

Welcome To The Monkey House,Dandy Warhols,Capitol,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop

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Welcome To The Monkey House [Enhanced]

Average customer rating: Welcome to the Mediocre House A Different Dandy Album CPM This CD is a Must Have! I Try to Live on Science Alone

Welcome To The Monkey House The Dandy Warhols , and Dandy Warhols Manufacturer: Capitol ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia The Dandy Warhols Come Down Odditorium or Warlords of Mars Tepid Peppermint Wonderland: A Retrospective DiG! ASIN: B0000AKX8G Release Date: 2003-08-19

Tracks:

1. Welcome To The Monkey House
2. We Used To Be Friends
3. Plan A
4. Wonderful You
5. Scientist
6. I Am Over It
7. The Dandy Warhols Love Almost Everyone
8. Insincere
9. The Last High
10. Heavenly
11. I Am Sound
12. Rock Bottom
13. (You Come In) Burned

Amazon.com

The Dandy Warhols' fourth album arrives with a cover that melds Sticky Fingers and The Velvet Underground and Nico. One therefore assumes that leader Courtney Taylor-Taylor's claim that predecessor Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia was "the last classic rock album" was a bit tongue-in-cheek. (Actually, one had assumed that already.) Reversing rock's usual guitars-front-keyboards-as-filigree, Monkey House takes the Dandys into a challenging sphere while remaining undeniably organic sounding. The band and co-producers Nick Rhodes (Duran Duran and Tony Visconti (Low, Electric Warrior) have built elaborate but never stifling arrangements of these songs--check out the way guest Nile Rodgers's rhythm guitar part subtly funks up the last minute of "Scientist," or how the group makes the pulsing "(You Come In) Burned" perhaps the best yet of its trademark trancelike album closers. Taylor-Taylor continues to display growing self-knowledge in his "words of comic wisdom": "I Am Sound" isn't a declaration of aural omniscience, but a simple affirmation of OK-ness, while "The Last High" dissects the end of a high-style love affair. Miss this and miss one of the year's finest rock & roll records. --Rickey Wright

Amazon.com

Dandy Warhols Photos

More from Dandy Warhols

The Dandy Warhols Come Down

Odditorium or Warlords of Mars

Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia

Customer Reviews:

Welcome to the Mediocre House.......2007-01-30

I was expecting more of 13 tales from urban bohemia, and that is not what this album is. Actually, its more of a dance album than a rock n roll album. 13 tales is one of my favorite albums of all time because of the obvious influences of some of my favorite old singers/songwriters (Mick Jagger, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Lou Reed), but with monkey house, they clearly did not have the same influences or even the same creative force which made 13 tales so memorable and varied. Basically, you can tell that the guy who produced Duran Duran albums had a large say in the production of this album and I find that sad. I do really like Plan A, though, and I listen to it about 10 times in a row and sing along then take the album off. I would not recomend this album unless you want some 80s sounding synth-pop to dance around to. But if you don't have 13 tales, get it quick.

A Different Dandy Album.......2007-01-29

Make no mistake about it, this is different from 13 Tales and Come Down, and sometimes change is both good and bad. The songs "The Last High" and "We Used to Be Friends" are two of my favorite tracks in any kind of music. "The Last High" is a trippy, but undeniably catchy song, one of my all-time favs. While "Friends" is just a great "hook-driven" rock song. "Plan A", and "Heavenly" are the other good songs on this album while "Rock Bottom" is decent. The Dandies have lightened up a bit as the guitar is not as heavy and the keyboards have become more of a focal point. I loved 13 Tales and Come Down as albums, but this one just isn't as good overall as those two. This one has great individual songs, but not enough other material to make this a great album. This is a decent album, but not great. Its one of those CD's that you just listen to a several songs then change the CD. I'd suggest just buying or downloading those 5 good tracks and the rest you can skip over.

CPM.......2006-10-30

I thought this was a terrific album that was very well produced but different from the earlier music.More commercial...Hard core fans might not approve....

This CD is a Must Have!.......2006-10-01

I bought this cd today, and was listening to it in the car. It made me want to pull the car over, get out, and Dance!!!! I absolutely Love it!

I Try to Live on Science Alone.......2006-08-21

As a Dandy Warhol newcomer, I was pleased to find that MONKEY HOUSE displayed none of the weaknesses of ODDITORIUM. In fact, some of this CD's strongest tracks suggest the mid-1970s work of David Bowie. And that's a very good thing, as it means there are bona-fide quality songs here. (BTW, Bowie apparently asked the group to open for one of his tours in 2003, the year this project came out. Coincidence?)

This album is a tribute to a Kurt Vonnegut short story collection, but one needn't be familiar with that author to recognize how excellent some of the pop herein is. It's laid-back, catchy, and sometimes stupidly goofy, as with the song "I Am a Scientist." ("I am a scientist... I try to live on science alone..." [repeat many times]).

Don't get me wrong; this isn't a perfect album; in fact, only five of its songs are good, but those five are very, VERY good indeed. (For the record, they are "We Used to Be Friends," the afore-mentioned science song, "The Dandy Warhols Love Almost Everyone," "The Last High," and "I Am Sound.")

Average customer rating: I love this CD more than life itself!! So desperately wanted to like it... Play it in a programmable machine A different direction with the same result A different direction with the same result

Welcome to the Monkey House The Dandy Warhols Manufacturer: EMI Int'l ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Rock | Imports | Stores | Music ASIN: B00009MK0Z Release Date: 2003-05-26

Tracks:

1. Welcome To The Monkey House
2. We Used To Be Friends
3. Plan
4. The Dope (Wonderful You)
5. I Am A Scientist
6. I Am Over It
7. The Dandy Warhols Love Almost Everyone
8. Insincere Because I
9. You Were The Last High
10. Heavenly
11. I Am Sound
12. Hit Rock Bottom
13. You Come In Burned

Amazon.com

The Dandy Warhols' fourth album arrives with a cover that melds Sticky Fingers and The Velvet Underground and Nico. One therefore assumes that leader Courtney Taylor-Taylor's claim that predecessor Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia was "the last classic rock album" was a bit tongue-in-cheek. (Actually, one had assumed that already.) Reversing rock's usual guitars-front-keyboards-as-filigree, Monkey House takes the Dandys into a challenging sphere while remaining undeniably organic sounding. The band and co-producers Nick Rhodes (Duran Duran and Tony Visconti (Low, Electric Warrior) have built elaborate but never stifling arrangements of these songs--check out the way guest Nile Rodgers's rhythm guitar part subtly funks up the last minute of "Scientist," or how the group makes the pulsing "(You Come In) Burned" perhaps the best yet of its trademark trancelike album closers. Taylor-Taylor continues to display growing self-knowledge in his "words of comic wisdom": "I Am Sound" isn't a declaration of aural omniscience, but a simple affirmation of OK-ness, while "The Last High" dissects the end of a high-style love affair. Miss this and miss one of the year's finest rock & roll records. --Rickey Wright

Album Description

Import edition of the Portland based alternative rock act's fourth album (U.S. scheduled for 8/05/03). 13 tracks including the first single, 'We Used To Be Friends'. Includes exclusive access to The Odditorium - the band's secret website. Capitol. 2003.

Album Details

The Dandy's Fourth Full Length Album is a Tribute to Kurt Vonnegut's Collection of Short Stories of the Same Title. Among the Tracks Are Collaborations with Former Chic Leader Nile Rodgers, Ex-lemonhead Evan Dando and Duran Duran Keyboardist Nick Rhodes.

Customer Reviews:

I love this CD more than life itself!!.......2003-09-14

because life before the Dandy Warhols was full of sadness and despair...;-)

It IS a radical change of sound for them but they've pulled it off because well, everything the Dandys do is cool. "You Were the Last High" is an instant classic, one of the most gorgeous tunes they've ever done. I didn't think they'd be able to top 13 Tales either but I took an immediate liking to this CD because it reminds me of the music I heard when I was sneaking into nightclubs underage in the '80s (only better...)

So desperately wanted to like it..........2003-08-16

And finally did. But, At first "Welcome to the Monkeyhouse" feels like a disappointment. Didn't like it. Was hoping it would click for me. But it didn't. Until maybe the 11th time through. Then, it works.

While I still find "The Dope" absolutely unlistenable, and the disc in general wears thin in the middle, "Monkeyhouse" starts and ends beautifully. "The Last High" and especially "Heavenly" may be among the Dandy's all-time best.

So, what at first seems a bitter disappointment ends up sounding sweet, if perhaps a trifle bit TOO sweet. Give it some time, enjoy, and hope we don't wait three more years for the next left turn.

Play it in a programmable machine.......2003-08-16

"Welcome to the Monkeyhouse" is full of gems. But, unless you are a complete duran-ophile, you may want to skip some of the lightest fare and enjoy what would have been a classic EP.

Try it like this... Tracks 1-3 followed by tracks 8-12. Classic stuff, some of the Dandy's best ever, without the bitter disapointment.

A different direction with the same result.......2003-08-12

The slight electronic treatments that appeared on 2000's NOT QUITE U.S.-breakthrough CD "Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia" and the subsequent Dandy Warhols remixes that have sprung up since then seem to have hinted that the band was moving from a traditional Brit-pop based guitar sound to one where keyboards and other gadgetry would be a bit more prominent. When the word hit that Duran Duran synth stylist Nick Rhodes was assisting with the production with the (VERY long-awaited) follow-up to "Thirteen Tales", the cat was out of the proverbial bag.
>
The result is an album that doesn't sound like any they've released before, yet still retains the inherent characteristic that makes the previous records sound so good (and is missing from so many other acts in the music business today): Quality songwriting and Courtney Taylor-Taylor's unabashed willingness to pay homage to (or completely rip off, depending on your point of view) the bands and artists he most admires.
>
The increased electronics add additional flavoring to the CD, but in some cases the end-result is that the songs sound like premixed remixes of Dandy Warhols songs (particularly the case with "I Am A Scientist")...and Dandy Warhols fans who are also Duran Duran fans (like me) will realize that the sound is more influenced by "Medazzaland" era Duran rather than the classic "Rio" sound. With this comes an undeniable funkiness previously lacking on Dandy Warhols CD's, especially in "The Dope" and "I Am Over It"...these songs wouldn't sound of place on one of Prince's better albums, actually.
>
The best song on the album is undeniably the Bowie-flavored (musically, anyway) "You Were The Last High", scheduled for release as the next single following the uber-pop electro-bublegum "We Used To Be Friends". It probably won't (and shouldn't) be remembered as the "Bohemian Like You" of 2003, but it is undeniably catchy and a joy to listen to, a ready-made classic.

>
"Welcome To The Monkey House" is neither better nor worse than its predecessors (personal preference will dictate how well it's received by fans already familiar with the Dandy Warhols); I wouldn't recommend it as being indicative of what the band's sound actually is (the ambient drone of "Insincere Because I" represents a style of song that has been repeated on nearly every album, but even that one track does not sum up the band's musical philosophy as recorded in studio). It's an interesting album, well-written and recorded; certainly worth your time and purchase. Do NOT expect to hear 13 more "Bohemian Like You" clone tracks, though.

A different direction with the same result.......2003-08-12

The slight electronic treatments that appeared on 2000's NOT QUITE U.S.-breakthrough CD "Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia" and the subsequent Dandy Warhols remixes that have sprung up since then seem to have hinted that the band was moving from a traditional Brit-pop based guitar sound to one where keyboards and other gadgetry would be a bit more prominent. When the word hit that Duran Duran synth stylist Nick Rhodes was assisting with the production with the (VERY long-awaited) follow-up to "Thirteen Tales", the cat was out of the proverbial bag.
>
The result is an album that doesn't sound like any they've released before, yet still retains the inherent characteristic that makes the previous records sound so good (and is missing from so many other acts in the music business today): Quality songwriting and Courtney Taylor-Taylor's unabashed willingness to pay homage to (or completely rip off, depending on your point of view) the bands and artists he most admires.
>
The increased electronics add additional flavoring to the CD, but in some cases the end-result is that the songs sound like premixed remixes of Dandy Warhols songs (particularly the case with "I Am A Scientist")...and Dandy Warhols fans who are also Duran Duran fans (like me) will realize that the sound is more influenced by "Medazzaland" era Duran rather than the classic "Rio" sound. With this comes an undeniable funkiness previously lacking on Dandy Warhols CD's, especially in "The Dope" and "I Am Over It"...these songs wouldn't sound of place on one of Prince's better albums, actually.
>
The best song on the album is undeniably the Bowie-flavored (musically, anyway) "You Were The Last High", scheduled for release as the next single following the uber-pop electro-bublegum "We Used To Be Friends". It probably won't (and shouldn't) be remembered as the "Bohemian Like You" of 2003, but it is undeniably catchy and a joy to listen to, a ready-made classic.

>
"Welcome To The Monkey House" is neither better nor worse than its predecessors (personal preference will dictate how well it's received by fans already familiar with the Dandy Warhols); I wouldn't recommend it as being indicative of what the band's sound actually is (the ambient drone of "Insincere Because I" represents a style of song that has been repeated on nearly every album, but even that one track does not sum up the band's musical philosophy as recorded in studio). It's an interesting album, well-written and recorded; certainly worth your time and purchase. Do NOT expect to hear 13 more "Bohemian Like You" clone tracks, though.

Average customer rating: A different direction with the same result Weirdly wonderful Something New Done Before got me on the second listen Band wagon should be filled after this

Welcome to the Monkey House The Dandy Warhols Manufacturer: Emi ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music ASIN: B00008Y4IY Release Date: 2003-05-19

Tracks:

1. Welcome To The Monkey House
2. We Use To Be Friends
3. Plan
4. The Dope (Wonderful You)
5. I Am A Scientist
6. I Am Over It
7. The Dandy Warhols Love Almost Everone
8. Insincere Because I
9. You Were The Last High
10. Heavenly
11. I Am Sound
12. Hit Rock Bottom
13. You Come In Burned

Amazon.com

The Dandy Warhols' fourth album arrives with a cover that melds Sticky Fingers and The Velvet Underground and Nico. One therefore assumes that leader Courtney Taylor-Taylor's claim that predecessor Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia was "the last classic rock album" was a bit tongue-in-cheek. (Actually, one had assumed that already.) Reversing rock's usual guitars-front-keyboards-as-filigree, Monkey House takes the Dandys into a challenging sphere while remaining undeniably organic sounding. The band and co-producers Nick Rhodes (Duran Duran and Tony Visconti (Low, Electric Warrior) have built elaborate but never stifling arrangements of these songs--check out the way guest Nile Rodgers's rhythm guitar part subtly funks up the last minute of "Scientist," or how the group makes the pulsing "(You Come In) Burned" perhaps the best yet of its trademark trancelike album closers. Taylor-Taylor continues to display growing self-knowledge in his "words of comic wisdom": "I Am Sound" isn't a declaration of aural omniscience, but a simple affirmation of OK-ness, while "The Last High" dissects the end of a high-style love affair. Miss this and miss one of the year's finest rock & roll records. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews:

A different direction with the same result.......2003-06-25

The slight electronic treatments that appeared on 2000's NOT QUITE breakthrough CD "Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia" and the subsequent Dandy Warhols remixes that have sprung up since then seem to have hinted that the band was moving from a traditional Brit-pop based guitar sound to one where keyboards and other gadgetry would be a bit more prominent. When the word hit that Duran Duran synth stylist Nick Rhodes was assisting with the production with the (VERY long-awaited) follow-up to "Thirteen Tales", the cat was out of the proverbial bag.
>
The result is an album that doesn't sound like any they've released before, yet still retains the inherent characteristic that makes the previous records sound so good (and is missing from so many other acts in the music business today): Quality songwriting and Courtney Taylor-Taylor's unabashed willingness to pay homage to (or completely rip off, depending on your point of view) the bands and artists he most admires.
>
The increased electronics add additional flavoring to the CD, but in some cases the end-result is that the songs sound like premixed remixes of Dandy Warhols songs (particularly the case with "I Am A Scientist")...and Dandy Warhols fans who are also Duran Duran fans (like me) will realize that the sound is more influenced by "Medazzaland" era Duran rather than the classic "Rio" sound. With this comes an undeniable funkiness previously lacking on Dandy Warhols CD's, especially in "The Dope" and "I Am Over It"...these songs wouldn't sound of place on one of Prince's better albums, actually.
>
The best song on the album is undeniably the Bowie-flavored (musically, anyway) "You Were The Last High", scheduled for release as the next single following the uber-pop electro-bublegum "We Used To Be Friends". It probably won't (and shouldn't) be remembered as the "Bohemian Like You" of 2003, but it is undeniably catchy and a joy to listen to, a ready-made classic.
>
"Welcome To The Monkey House" is neither better nor worse than its predecessors (personal preference will dictate how well it's received by fans already familiar with the Dandy Warhols); I wouldn't recommend it as being indicative of what the band's sound actually is (the ambient drone of "Insincere Because I" represents a style of song that has been repeated on nearly every album, but even that one track does not sum up the band's musical philosophy as recorded in studio). It's an interesting album, well-written and recorded; certainly worth your time and purchase. Do NOT expect to hear 13 more "Bohemian Like You" clone tracks, though.

Weirdly wonderful.......2003-06-17

On Welcome to the Monkey House, the Dandy Warhols bring the tunes and producer Nick Rhodes (of Duran Duran and The Devils) adds the new-wave sheen. True, this album is a departure for the band. But the album's early tracks, laden with '80s-inspired synths and bass, are fun, and it just gets better from there. Those who are turned off by Courtney Taylor-Taylor's falsetto should have nothing to complain about listening to the final third of the album. There isn't any filler here. The first single, "We Used to Be Friends," is infectious, and "You Were the Last High" is the best song Roxy Music never wrote. Taylor's a scientist, and Monkey House is progress for the Dandy Warhols.

Something New Done Before.......2003-06-12

The Dandy Warhols have proven themselves worthy of creative and unique music. They equally blend pop and rock together extremely well. Yet, I, myself wouldn't call them pop-rock. That's a title for say, Matchbox 20 (who I don't care for at all!). 'Welcome to the Monkey House' is a departure from anything they've done previous. Still, it's truely a Dandy Warhol album. It's fun, upbeat, with synthasized keyboards and that 80s bass that some love and yes, hate. Though, I must say I thouroughly enjoyed it. Here's an outline.

1. Welcome to the Monkey House (5/10) Hey it's an opening track. It's a little over a minute long. It's not the greatest. Hang in there. "So come on come on come on you monkies."

2. We Used to be Friends (7/10) Their first single on the album. Very catchy with the hand-claps and bug guitar riffs. Fun.

3. Plan A (8/10) Very good, multi-layed-musically. Taylor-Taylor's voice is used very well high-pitched, then mellow.

4. The Dope (9/10) I love this song! Good beat. The heavy exhales of breath are amusing. Very retro and cool .

5. I am a Scientist (10/10) Obviously my favorite song on the album. It's a great mock-up of the whole idea of science taking over. YES!

6. I am Over It (7/10) Groovy and downbeat. Possibly a good stoner song with the repeatative line, "I am over it."

7. The D.W.'s Love Almost Everyone (9/10) Taylor-Taylor uses the same voice as in 'Plan A'. Plenty of "woo ooohs". Though, yes, short.

8. Insincere Because I (7/10) Quite possibly the "Sleep" in Urban Bohemia. Rich and Mellow. Does very well with eyes closed.

9. You Were the Last High (9/10) Space like and dreamy. Enough said.

10. Heavenly (8/10) More guitar based, dark with this unusally deep back-up vocal during chorus.

11. I am Sound (7/10) More of a song driven by lush music rather than lyrics.

12. Hit Rock Bottom (10/10) Very good song. The coolness of Taylor-Taylor's voice comes out. "Oh yeah" This one's a keeper.

13. You Come in Burned (7/10) Hey it's the last song. All they want to do is use all kinds of funky wierd sounds to end their odyssy.

My ratings on the album probably don't match the "five star" rating I gave them. However, I gave it to them because they've earned it. So it's not their best but it sure is hell brave and unique to come out with something like this. Only they could pull it off. It's like what Taylor-Taylor says in "Hit Rock Bottom", "You ain't got music if you ain't got the muscle." And they do and it's worth the price of a double CD. So get it now and LISTEN.

got me on the second listen.......2003-06-04

This is a really great and different album for the band. However if you listen, they still sound like themselves. The songs have a more electronic production but the upbeat pop, slow build ups and other dandy trademarks are all here. Don't take the first single as an indication of what the whole album sounds like. Highlights are Plan A, I am a Scientist, Insincere Because I, Heavenly and You were the last high. This album still rocks like there other albums. The only downfalls being The Dope (wonderfull you), courtney taylor-taylors falsetto. Why wasn't this album named after track 7!

Band wagon should be filled after this.......2003-05-25

I have followed the Dandy's from the beginning.Their second, third, and new fourth album are great. Every friend I have played them for, loves them. I have seen them 3 times, the best being at the Crocodile Cafe in Seattle in 2000. While it would be cooler and better for me if you did'nt get into them, I would not be honest if I did'nt tell you just how incredible they really are. And Courtney is HOT to boot...so what are you waiting for??? Bowie loves them too...

Average customer rating: A different direction with the same result Be carful with the DVD Consistently good, even with the shift towards keyboards

Welcome to the Monkey House The Dandy Warhols Manufacturer: EMI ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Rock | Imports | Stores | Music ASIN: B00009OOL3 Release Date: 2004-02-17

Tracks:

1. Welcome to the Monkey House
2. We Used to Be Friends
3. Plan A
4. Dope (Wonderful You)
5. I Am a Scientist
6. I Am Over It
7. Dandy Warhols Love Almost Everyone
8. Insincere Because I
9. You Were the Last High
10. Heavenly
11. I Am Sound
12. Hit Rock Bottom
13. You Come in Burned

Tracks:

1. Bohemian Like You [Multimedia Track]
2. Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth [Multimedia Track]
3. Get Off [Multimedia Track]
4. We Used to Be Friends [Multimedia Track]

Amazon.com

The Dandy Warhols' fourth album arrives with a cover that melds Sticky Fingers and The Velvet Underground and Nico. One therefore assumes that leader Courtney Taylor-Taylor's claim that predecessor Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia was "the last classic rock album" was a bit tongue-in-cheek. (Actually, one had assumed that already.) Reversing rock's usual guitars-front-keyboards-as-filigree, Monkey House takes the Dandys into a challenging sphere while remaining undeniably organic sounding. The band and co-producers Nick Rhodes (Duran Duran and Tony Visconti (Low, Electric Warrior) have built elaborate but never stifling arrangements of these songs--check out the way guest Nile Rodgers's rhythm guitar part subtly funks up the last minute of "Scientist," or how the group makes the pulsing "(You Come In) Burned" perhaps the best yet of its trademark trancelike album closers. Taylor-Taylor continues to display growing self-knowledge in his "words of comic wisdom": "I Am Sound" isn't a declaration of aural omniscience, but a simple affirmation of OK-ness, while "The Last High" dissects the end of a high-style love affair. Miss this and miss one of the year's finest rock & roll records. --Rickey Wright

Album Description

Full title - Welcome To The Monkey House. Aussie limited edition of 2003 album includes a bonus DVD (PAL) which features four music videos to, 'Bohemian Like You', 'Get Off', 'Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth' and 'We Used To Be Friends'. Slipcase

Album Details

Australian Edition of "Welcome to the Monkey House" which Will Feature a Bonus Dvd Including Four of the Bands Previous Hit Singles/Videos. (Pal/Rc-0)

Customer Reviews:

A different direction with the same result.......2003-08-12

The subtle electronic treatments that appeared on 2000's NOT QUITE U.S. breakthrough CD "Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia" and the subsequent Dandy Warhols remixes that have sprung up since then seem to have hinted that the band was moving from a traditional Brit-pop based guitar sound to one where keyboards and other gadgetry would be a bit more prominent. When the word hit that Duran Duran synth stylist Nick Rhodes was assisting with the production with the (VERY long-awaited) follow-up to "Thirteen Tales", the cat was out of the proverbial bag.
>
The result is an album that doesn't sound like any they've released before, yet still retains the inherent characteristic that makes the previous records sound so good (and is missing from so many other acts in the music business today): Quality songwriting and Courtney Taylor-Taylor's unabashed willingness to pay homage to (or completely rip off, depending on your point of view) the bands and artists he most admires.
>
The increased electronics add additional flavoring to the CD, but in some cases the end-result is that the songs sound like premixed remixes of Dandy Warhols songs (particularly the case with "I Am A Scientist")...and Dandy Warhols fans who are also Duran Duran fans (like me) will realize that the sound is more influenced by "Medazzaland" era Duran rather than the classic "Rio" sound. With this comes an undeniable funkiness previously lacking on Dandy Warhols CD's, especially in "The Dope" and "I Am Over It"...these songs wouldn't sound of place on one of Prince's better albums, actually.
>
The best song on the album is undeniably the Bowie-flavored (musically, anyway) "You Were The Last High", scheduled for release as the next single following the uber-pop electro-bublegum "We Used To Be Friends". It probably won't (and shouldn't) be remembered as the "Bohemian Like You" of 2003, but it is undeniably catchy and a joy to listen to, a ready-made classic.

>
"Welcome To The Monkey House" is neither better nor worse than its predecessors (personal preference will dictate how well it's received by fans already familiar with the Dandy Warhols); I wouldn't recommend it as being indicative of what the band's sound actually is (the ambient drone of "Insincere Because I" represents a style of song that has been repeated on nearly every album, but even that one track does not sum up the band's musical philosophy as recorded in studio). It's an interesting album, well-written and recorded; certainly worth your time and purchase. Do NOT expect to hear 13 more "Bohemian Like You" clone tracks, though.
>
The DVD included with this version is a nice touch (also somewhat surprising that this Australian import is less expensive than the European version WITHOUT the DVD also offered by Amazon); it will play on your home PC (with a resolution that will make cubists weep with joy), but an all-region DVD player is a must if you wish to watch the videos on your TV set in North American or Europe.

Be carful with the DVD.......2003-08-03

People should know that the DVD that comes with this package is not playable on the normal American NTSC system. It is designed for play on the PAL system.

Consistently good, even with the shift towards keyboards.......2003-07-25

This album is made even cooler by the fact that I have been enjoying it all summer, while those who choose to wait for a stateside release ... have to wait until the end of August. HA!

That said, the standout tracks are the first single, "We Used To Be Friends" (you can't help but sing along), "Plan A" (Simon LeBon's backing vocal is cool), "The Dope" (funky-funky-FUNKAY beat), and "Heavenly" (summer's unknown classic).

This particular version is all the better by the included 4-video DVD. The unsettling thing, though, is that (to me, at least) Taylor and company manage to look a little unwashed and unwholesome throughout. I know, it's a stupid thing to go on point and say, but I'd almost rather NOT see them perform. I was all psyched to check out the vids (I've never previously seen ANY of them) and then reality set in. Don't play this one around the toddlers ... the nudity can get a bit racy. It was interesting, however, to see Taylor sporting a mohawk in the new "WUTBF" video.

P.S. When the guy above me says that you cannot play this DVD in an American DVD player, DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE! I don't have any PAL equipment or anything, and my Bose 3-2-1 system rocked that DVD like there was no tomorrow, so ...

Average customer rating:

Welcome to the Monkey House The Dandy Warhols Manufacturer: EMI Int'l ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Rock | Imports | Stores | Music ASIN: B0001FVEWW Release Date: 2004-02-17

Tracks:

1. Welcome to the Monkey House
2. We Used to Be Friends
3. Plan A
4. Dope (Wonderful You)
5. I Am a Scientist
6. I Am Over It
7. Dandy Warhols Love Almost Everyone
8. Insincere Because I
9. You Were the Last High
10. Heavenly
11. I Am Sound
12. Hit Rock Bottom
13. You Come in Burned

Tracks:

1. Bohemian Like You [Multimedia Track]
2. Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth [Multimedia Track]
3. Get Off [Multimedia Track]
4. We Used to Be Friends [Multimedia Track]

Rap Music:

1. Wonder What's Next [Enhanced]
2. A Million in Prizes: The Anthology [Explicit Lyrics]
3. A Valid Path
4. Alfie [Soundtrack]
5. All Rise
6. Antidote
7. Any Time Now [Live]
8. Baby [Enhanced]
9. Back in the U.S. Live 2002 [Live]
10. Back To The Egg [Original recording remastered] [Import]

Rap Music

rap music

Recommended Music:

Sound of the Nu Skool V.1 [Import]

Beethoven: Symphony 9 (Choral)

Autumn Serenades

Music: Joseph Haydn: Early Divertimento Sonatas

A Remark that Hugh Made

Bass from Da Bottom: Divas, Vol. 2

A Message to Deliver

Almost Yesterday

All Night Long

Blanca Rosa Gil. La dueña y Señora del Bolero

Barrel Of A Gun, Pt. 1 [CD-single] [Import]

Blue Street [Import]

Area: the Secret V.4 [Import]

Best Loved Christmas Carols

Once to Every Heart