NEW YORK — It was all about quality, not quantity, as Marilyn Manson celebrated the release of his Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) with a brief acoustic invitation-only show on Tuesday night.

Manson and his band took to the New York nightclub Saci to mark the arrival of the group's fifth studio album. Hundreds of diehard Manson fans scored tickets to the event through radio contests, via Manson's Web site or by being among the first to pick up Holy Wood (released Tuesday) in New York City.

The gig served as a brief departure from Manson's current Guns, God and Government World Tour, and the band left most of its wattage on the road, opting for a stripped-down approach.

Welcome to our first, and probably our last, acoustic show," Manson said to an eager crowd at the top of the four-song set.

Clad in burgundy leather pants, a long-sleeve black mesh shirt and blood-red eye makeup, Manson — along with

bandmates Twiggy Ramirez, John 5, Madonna Wayne Gacy and Ginger Fish — eased into the short setlist with the dirgelike "Godeatgod," the first track on Holy Wood.

Manson (born Brian Warner) then took his followers into unfamiliar territory, offering a cover of what he called "my favorite John Lennon song," "Working Class Hero.

Next Manson pulled out a cover of the Johnny Mandel song "Suicide Is Painless" — best known as the theme song to "M*A*S*H.

This song is far more depressing than anything I could have ever written," Manson said before diving into the song, which his band covered on the recently released soundtrack to "Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows.

Manson then reached back to Holy Wood to close the set with "Count to Six and Die (The Vaccuum of Infinite Space Encompassing)," the track that closes the album.

Manson will return to his Guns, God and Government World Tour (and to a more amped-up sound) on Wednesday

(November 15), with the first of two shows at Philadelphia's Electric Factory.