1. Marilyn Manson Mechanical Animals
Yet another one of those covers that fans are probably guilty of looking at without really questioning what it actually means. Manson with red hair and breasts so what? That's just standard Manson. But the meaning behind the album artwork is actually incredibly interesting. Mechanical Animals was released in 1998 and spawned some of Manson's earliest hits, including The Dope Show, I Don't Like The Drugs (But The Drugs Like Me) and Coma White. The album itself has a multi-layered concept. In essence, a drug addicted, glam rocker, gender ambiguous Alien called Omega falls to earth, and is subsequently forced to play with a rock band called The Mechanical Animals. The album depicts how Omega has become totally numb to the world, using drugs to cope with life. Essentially, Omego has become more of a product to be sold than a sentient being. That merely scratches the surface of the story told on the album, but that's what's shown on the cover: Manson playing Omega, the gender ambiguous alien. Makes a lot more sense now, doesn't it?
Brian Wilson
Contributor
Commonly found reading, sitting firmly in a seat at the cinema (bottle of water and a Freddo bar, please) or listening to the Mountain Goats.
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Brian