Educated Horses is the third studio album by American musician Rob Zombie, released on March 28, 2006, by Geffen. A streaming "listening party" was held on MP3.com starting March 22, 2006, which caused advance copies to spread throughout P2P software programs. It is the first album to feature guitarist John 5 and drummer Tommy Clufetos, and the last to feature bassist Blasko.

Educated Horses
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 28, 2006 (2006-03-28)
Recorded2005 at The Chop Shop in Hollywood, California
GenreIndustrial metal, alternative metal
Length38:25
LabelGeffen
ProducerScott Humphrey, Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie chronology
Past, Present & Future
(2003)
Educated Horses
(2006)
The Best of Rob Zombie
(2006)
Singles from Educated Horses
  1. "Foxy Foxy"
    Released: February 14, 2006
  2. "American Witch"
    Released: 2006
  3. "Let It All Bleed Out"
    Released: 2006

In response to questions about what the album's title means, Rob Zombie said:

"It was a weird kind of phrase, like, that I remembered as something as a kid. You know, my parents, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles, the whole family, were involved in carnival business and, like, circus business, so as a kid, we would get dragged to these things, and we'd have to spend all this time there. And that was just one of the attractions I remember, what they would call the trained animals, you know, educated horses."

[citation needed]

Production edit

Educated Horses can be described as Zombie's most experimental album to date. Writing for Rob Zombie for the first time, John 5 experimented with a number of acoustics, which can be heard on tracks such as "Sawdust in the Blood" and "Death of It All". Yet the album still contains his signature horror tastes. "17 Year Locust" and "The Scorpion Sleeps" were both written about creepy-crawlies.

Rob Zombie has stated that the album had influences from glam rock artists like Slade, T. Rex, and Gary Glitter.[1]

Reception edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [2]
Blabbermouth.net7/10[3]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal4/10[4]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music     [5]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[6]
IGN7.2/10[7]
Rolling Stone     [8]
Slant Magazine     [9]

The album debuted at number five on the U.S. Billboard 200, Zombie's highest chart position since Hellbilly Deluxe, selling about 120,000 copies in its first week. It also debuted at number one on Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart.[10] In its second week it dropped to number fourteen, selling a further 46,720 copies.[11]

The song "The Lords of Salem" was nominated for the Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance of 2008.[12]

Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone magazine had this to say:

A handful of cuts are too long on sludgy instrumental grooves, but whether Zombie is out-Trent Reznoring Trent Reznor on the sitar-laden grindfest "17 Year Locust" or spitting fire amid the apocalyptic blues riffs of "The Devil's Rejects," he sounds like a gifted schlockmeister that Strokes fans can enjoy. Or at least tolerate.[13]

Music videos edit

Zombie directed music videos for "Foxy Foxy" and "American Witch". Artist and animator David Hartman created two animated music videos, for "American Witch" and "The Lords of Salem".

Track listing edit

All songs written by Rob Zombie, John 5 and Scott Humphrey unless otherwise noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Sawdust in the Blood" 1:22
2."American Witch" 3:47
3."Foxy Foxy"Zombie, Humphrey3:28
4."17 Year Locust" 4:06
5."The Scorpion Sleeps" 3:38
6."100 Ways" 1:53
7."Let It All Bleed Out"Zombie, Humphrey4:09
8."Death of It All" 4:22
9."Ride" 3:32
10."The Devil's Rejects" 3:54
11."The Lords of Salem" 4:13
Total length:38:25

Personnel edit

Chart positions edit

References edit

  1. ^ "70's, 80's & 90's Classic Rock, Soul & Pop Music Videos | VH1". VH1 Classic. Archived from the original on July 5, 2008. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  2. ^ "Educated Horses - Rob Zombie". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Blabbermouth (March 22, 2006). "Educated Horses". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  4. ^ Popoff, Martin; Perri, David (2011). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 4: The '00s. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 568. ISBN 9781-926592-20-6.
  5. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2007). "Zombie, Rob". Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. p. 1551. ISBN 978-0857125958.
  6. ^ Collis, Clark (March 27, 2006). "Educated Horses Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2007.
  7. ^ D., Spence (April 12, 2006). "Rob Zombie - Educated Horses". IGN. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  8. ^ Hoard, Christian (April 5, 2006). "Rob Zombie: Educated Horses : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 9, 2006. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
  9. ^ Schiller, Brian (April 6, 2006). "Review: Rob Zombie, Educated Horses". Slant Magazine. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  10. ^ Katie Hasty, "T.I. Rules As 'King' Of Album Chart", Billboard.com, April 5, 2006.
  11. ^ Soundscan, "Soundscan / Billboard Top 200 Albums 04.12.06", Prince.org, April 14, 2006.
  12. ^ Grammy.com: 2009 Hard Rock nominees
  13. ^ Rolling Stone (April 5, 2006). "Educated Horses review". Wenner Media. Archived from the original on November 3, 2007. Retrieved April 5, 2006.
  14. ^ "Rob Zombie - Educated Horses". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  15. ^ "Rob Zombie (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  16. ^ "Rob Zombie - Educated Horses" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  17. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  18. ^ "Rob Zombie | full Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  19. ^ "Rob Zombie (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  20. ^ "Rob Zombie (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  21. ^ "Rob Zombie (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  22. ^ a b c "Rob Zombie (Mainstream Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  23. ^ "Rob Zombie (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved October 30, 2021.