''Massive Luxury Overdose'' is the second studio album by the Swedish pop group

Army of Lovers Army of Lovers is a Swedish dance- pop group which formed in 1987 and had a number of hits in Europe throughout the 1990s. Some of their biggest successes include the song "Crucified", which was a big hit in Europe, charting 31 weeks in the Eu ...

. The album was released in 1991, and the second version (called U.S. Edition) was released in 1992. The album contains the band's biggest hits, including " Obsession", and "

Crucified Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagin ...

", which was a #1 hit in 29 countries. The original version of this album also includes three songs from their first album ''

Disco Extravaganza ''Disco Extravaganza'' is the debut studio album by Swedish pop group Army of Lovers, released in 1990. In the US, the album was simply titled ''Army of Lovers'' and was released there the following year. A remastered version of the album was re ...

'' (1990), which aren't included in the U.S. edition."

Background

When La Camilla left the band in 1991, she was replaced by

Michaela Dornonville de la Cour Army of Lovers is a Swedish dance- pop group which formed in 1987 and had a number of hits in Europe throughout the 1990s. Some of their biggest successes include the song "Crucified", which was a big hit in Europe, charting 31 weeks in the E ...

. For the second release in 1992, the band recorded four new songs and released the album under the same name but with a new cover, introducing Michaela. Army of Lovers made their first tour in March 1992 and at that time the album had already sold over 500,000 copies. The tour began in Sweden, at High Chaparral in Kulltorp, and after several Swedish cities the tour continued throughout Europe.

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

editor Neil Raggett wrote, "Some album titles do nail it, and this is one of the prime candidates." "

" was named the "most memorable number", "a totally over-the-top

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

anthem on all fronts". He also mentioned the "half-twinky, half-ominous" " Candyman Messiah" and "Say Goodbye to Babylon", which are "taking religious imagery and tweaking it for all it's worth". David A. Keeps from ''

Austin American Statesman The ''Austin American-Statesman'' is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of Texas. It is owned by Gannett. The paper prints Associated Press, ''New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', and ''Los Angeles Times'' international ...

'' felt the album is "audacious in its appropriations". He added; "We Stand United" is "a rote re-creation of

Chic Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Pronounced Chick. Etymology ''Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English dictiona ...

's classic disco", "Say Goodbye to Babylon" "blends Theme from '' Midnight Express'' into massive hallelujah choruses suitable for

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musicals, ...

", "I Cross the Rubicon" has "a piano bass line

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

thunders beneath cymbals, horn crescendos, whispered male vocals and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

diva whoops", "Walking With a Zombie" "fuses boulevardier accordion with an insistent

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

beat", and "Crucified" is "steeped in romantic and biblical imagery that suggests, in a typically broad camp stroke, that obsessive love is the most religious experience of all." American magazine ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' constated that the "campy Swedish trio continues to reverently pilfer through '70s-era disco and '80s-style

hi-NRG Hi-NRG (pronounced "high energy") is a genre of uptempo disco or electronic dance music (EDM) that originated in the United States during the late 1970s and early 1980s. As a music genre, typified by fast tempo, staccato hi-hat rhythms (and the ...

on this glittery sophomore outing." They highlighted the "bombastic" "Dynasty of Planet Chromada" and the "swin-vibed" "Say Goodbye to Babylon", and concluded, "Melodramatic dance/pop that should make acts like

Pet Shop Boys The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo i ...

green with envy." ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' said, "A great record, proper disco style dance music and packed full of cultural surprises." Joe Brown from ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' wrote that here, "the Army presents its unapologetic, exuberant

Eurodisco Eurodisco (also spelled as Euro disco) is the variety of European forms of electronic dance music that evolved from disco in the late 1970s, incorporating elements of pop and rock into a disco-like continuous dance atmosphere. Many Eurodisco ...

as if

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

never happened." He felt that on tracks like "Crucified" and "Dynasty of Planet Chromada", "the Army reveals a lyrical obsession with a millenarian-apocalyptic- sacrilege thang, and La Camilla's kitschy cooing includes imitations of

Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a model, singer and actress. Born in Jamaica, she and her family moved to Syracuse, New York, when she was a teenager. Jones began her modelling career in New York state, then in Paris, working for ...

and

Debbie Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble; July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1981. Born in ...

Commercial performance

In Sweden, ''Massive Luxury Overdose'' sold about 70,000 copies, and worldwide the album sold at least 2 million copies.Tidningen Vi, no 26/27, 1 July 1993, Hans Wigstrand, "Våra välljudande världsstjärnor", pp. 19-20

Track listing

Charts

Sales and certifications

Personnel

*Backing vocals: Erika Essen-Möller, Jean-Paul Wall, Katarina Wilczewski, Malin Bäckström, Richard Evenlind *Co-producer: Per Adebratt (tracks: 1 to 6, 8 to 10) *Engineer: Per Adebratt (tracks: 1 to 10) *Guitar: Anders Wollbeck (tracks: 1, 5, 7, 10) *Keyboards: Anders Wollbeck (tracks: 1 to 10) *Mixed by: Per Adebratt (tracks: 1 to 10) *Percussion: André Ferrari (tracks: 1, 4, 5, 10) *Producer: Alexander Bard (tracks: 1 to 10), Anders Wollbeck (tracks: 1 to 10) *Programmed by: Anders Wollbeck (tracks: 1 to 10) *Saxophone: Anders Gustavson (tracks: 1, 5, 8, 10)

Notes

References

{{Authority control 1991 albums 1992 albums Army of Lovers albums Stockholm Records albums