CORPORATE LINE: Marilyn Manson has unleashed ‘Lest We Forget’, a compilation of songs spanning the controversial artist’s career thus far. The album features the single “Personal Jesus”, a cover version of the classic Depeche Mode song.
THE MUSIC:
Everything from “Antichrist Superstar” is brilliant. “Tourniquet” is fantastic but “Man That You Fear” is quite possibly the greatest songs released by Manson and yet it’s left off for a handful of songs that could have been cut. “The Dope Show” was a single but not a very good one. It certainly wasn’t a great song and neither is the new single “Personal Jesus.”
The tracks from “The Golden Age of Grotesque” aren’t great. “mOBSCENE” is average at best. And as I’ve said in the past “This Is The New Sh*t” actually sounds a lot like the same old sh*t.
There are many songs that Manson fans will complain about being absent like “Dope Hat” and “Coma White.” Some of these songs could have been left behind for tracks like “I Put A Spell On You” which is as close to a haunted house anthem as it gets. What about “Cake And Sodomy?” Is Manson putting the real obscene behind him in order to sell a few million records—lest we forget that Wal-mart is one of the biggest retailers in the nation and if they ban Manson he can’t sell as many records. Were these songs skipped because they wanted retailers to put them on the shelves? Was that way the video for “(S)aint” is mysteriously missing even though the packaging claims it is released? I won’t create conspiracy theory but I know enough about the industry to tell you—yes that is why. Wal-mart wins again.
FRANKLY: If you listen to “Lest We Forget” beginning to end you’ll soon realize how similar most of songs sound. Manson did a good job of separating most of the songs on the individual records but here the singles all sound eerily the same from the beats and guitar notes and screeches. Listen to “The Beautiful People” and tell me that most of the songs don’t sounding exactly the same. Apparently Manson has made a career of not reinventing himself but reinventing the same songs.
The DVD contains videos and easter eggs—if you search you shall find. The much anticipated video for “(S)aint” is not included which is sure to disappoint fans. To be honest “Lest We Forget” is best for fans that aren’t sure whether or not they are ready for the whole Manson. Real fans will already own the best Manson tracks and can pass these not-so-greatest hits. If you are new to Manson buy “Antichrist Superstar” if you want the best bang for your buck. Let’s be honest, Manson has some good songs but is his greatest hits aren’t that great. Many of the songs are interesting and sound cool—but are they really great? About five of them are very good but none stack up against peers like Bowie. Verbel from “The Usual Suspects” said it best “The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” Well the greatest trick Marilyn Manson ever pulled was convincing the world he was a genius. But does that in make him a genius? You decide.
+ Rae Gun
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.