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The Last Sucker

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The Last Sucker
A defaced version of George W. Bush's portrait, making him look like he is a human-snake hybrid
Studio album by
Ministry
ReleasedSeptember 18, 2007 (2007-09-18)
RecordedMay 2007
Studio13th Planet Studios, El Paso, Texas
GenreIndustrial metal, thrash metal
Length55:58
Label13th Planet
ProducerAl Jourgensen, Dave Donnelly
Ministry chronology
Rio Grande Dub
(2007) 		The Last Sucker
(2007) 		Relapse
(2012)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic73/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com[2]
AbsolutePunk.net87%[3]
AllMusic[4]
Blabbermouth.net8/10[5]
Los Angeles Timesfavorable[6]
Miami New Timesfavorable[7]
Pitchfork Media6.9/10[8]
PopMatters[9]
The Skinny[10]
Spin6/10[11]
StylusB+[12]

The Last Sucker is the eleventh studio album by industrial metal band Ministry, released in 2007 through 13th Planet Records. For three years until their reformation in 2011, it was the band's last studio album featuring new material.

The album is the third and final part of the band's anti-George W. Bush trilogy, preceded by 2004's Houses of the Molé and 2006's Rio Grande Blood.[13]

Overview

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Jourgensen told Billboard that he had "...other things to do. I just started a label (13th Planet Records), and I want to sign some bands and really build it up like I did with WaxTrax in the '80s, not just a vanity label. I think it's time, and I'll be leaving on the top of my game instead of hanging on too long and doing crappy Aerosmith and Rolling Stones albums thirty years later."

"That seems to be my muse; everyone seems to think I write real shitty music when a Democrat's in office. So we'll do that one, and then me and George (W.) Bush go riding off hand-in-hand, into the sunset."

Fear Factory frontman Burton C. Bell recorded some guest vocals for the album.[14]

On July 17, 2007, a promotional copy of the album was leaked on the internet. A week earlier lyrics and full credits for the album were released by SureShotWorx on their official website.

A Best Buy exclusive version of the CD contains remixes of "Watch Yourself" and "The Last Sucker."

The final track, "End of Days Part Two", contains a lengthy sample from 34th President of the United States Dwight Eisenhower's farewell address, warning about the dangers of the "military-industrial complex".[7] The end of the song also features a quiet sample of "O Fortuna" in the background. The same music was sampled at the beginning of the first album in the Bush Trilogy, Houses of the Molé.

In an interview with Songfacts from 2012, Jourgensen reflected on the political aspect of the album:

"By the end of Last Sucker, I actually felt guilty and bad about bashing Bush. In Rio Grande Blood, I was all into it: this guy's evil. But by the end of Last Sucker, I was just like, this guy is in over his head. The oligarchy rules, and this guy plays with crayons and reads My Pet Goat. I mean, he's a blithering idiot. I protested him here in El Paso one time. I got within 10 feet of him. I can't believe the Secret Service let me get that close. And he was at a taco stand, like, 'I'll take one of them there enchiritos.' Well, there was no enchirito on the menu, and I don't even know what an enchirito is. But George W. was insistent, so they made him an enchirito, and I got to witness the whole thing and I started feeling sorry for him. What a dolt, man. This guy is so stupid, he can't be running the country. Cheney and the oligarchy is running the country. This guy just plays with Tonka trucks and orders enchiritos. I actually felt sorry for him."[15]

Cover art

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The limited edition digipak has an image of George W. Bush's face that morphs into a lizard creature's face and back when turned. The image is on a card that can be removed from the digipack.

The inner cover art contains a parody of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper, with Jourgensen in the center of the table and figures from the Bush administration around him; Bush himself is drawn in Philip the Apostle's place.

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Let's Go"Al Jourgensen, Sin Quirin4:53
2."Watch Yourself"Jourgensen, Paul Raven5:29
3."Life Is Good"Jourgensen, Quirin4:15
4."The Dick Song"Jourgensen, Quirin5:50
5."The Last Sucker"Jourgensen, Tommy Victor5:59
6."No Glory"Jourgensen, Victor3:42
7."Death & Destruction"Jourgensen, Quirin3:31
8."Roadhouse Blues" (Originally performed by The Doors)Jim Morrison, Robby Krieger, John Densmore, Ray Manzarek4:26
9."Die in a Crash"Jourgensen, Victor, Burton C. Bell4:03
10."End of Days (Pt. 1)"Jourgensen, Victor, Raven, Bell3:22
11."End of Days (Pt. 2)"Jourgensen, Victor, Raven, Bell10:25
Total length:55:58
Best Buy/Deluxe edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
23."Watch Yourself (The End Is Here)"4:30
69."The Last Sucker" (Remix)3:44
Miscellaneous bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
12."Die in a Crash" (Remix, iTunes exclusive)5:22
13."No Glory" (Remix, Napster only download)4:49
14."Death & Destruction" (Remix, Japan bonus track)5:09

Personnel

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Ministry

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Additional personnel

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  • Burton C. Bell - vocals (9–11)
  • Josh Bradford - add. backing vocals (11)
  • Angie Jay - add. backing vocals (11)
  • Kevin Spence - intro vox (8) add. backing vocals (6–11)
  • Erin Braswell - add. backing vocals (11)
  • Dave Donnelly - production, mastering
  • John Bilberry - engineer, drum programming[16]
  • Lawton Outlaw - art direction, design, layout

Chart positions

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Chart (2007) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[17] 95
US Billboard 200[18] 130
US Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[19] 17
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[20] 16

References

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  1. ^ "Critic Reviews for The Last Sucker". Metacritic. Retrieved 2012-11-10.
  2. ^ Hanson, Eric. "Ministry - The Last Sucker Review". About.com. Archived from the original on 2009-07-03.
  3. ^ OKComputer1016 (2008-04-28). "Ministry - The Last Sucker - Album Review". AbsolutePunk.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Jeffries, David. "The Last Sucker - Ministry". AllMusic.
  5. ^ Bergman, Keith. "CD Reviews (Ministry, The Last Sucker)". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 2012-11-10.
  6. ^ Burk, Greg (2007-09-25). "Country boy in the big city (Quick Spins: Ministry, The Last Sucker)". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 23, 2015. Retrieved 2012-11-10.
  7. ^ a b Henderson, Chris (October 8, 2007). Castillo, Arielle (ed.). "Ministry, The Last Sucker (13th Planet/Megaforce)". Miami New Times. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  8. ^ Stosuy, Brandon (2008-03-17). "Ministry: The Last Sucker". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2012-11-10.
  9. ^ Friedman, Lou (2007-09-20). "Ministry: The Last Sucker". PopMatters.
  10. ^ The Skinny Review Archived 2007-10-19 at archive.today
  11. ^ Buhrmester, Jason (2007-10-12). "Ministry, 'The Last Sucker' (13th Planet/Megaforce)". Spin.
  12. ^ Lee, Cosmo (2007-09-25). "Ministry - The Last Sucker - Review". Stylus. Archived from the original on 2008-09-04.
  13. ^ Gary Graff (May 26, 2006). "Ministry Plots Final Disc". Billboard. Retrieved 2007-02-24.
  14. ^ News Archive (March 4, 2007). "Fear Factory Frontman To Guest On New Ministry Album". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on January 16, 2016. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
  15. ^ MacIntosh, Dan (18 February 2012). "Al Jourgensen of MInistry". Songfacts. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  16. ^ "SureShotWorx". Retrieved 2007-07-19.
  17. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  18. ^ "Ministry Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  19. ^ "Ministry Chart History (Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  20. ^ "Ministry Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
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