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Marilyn Manson - Lest We
Forget (The Best Of) |
by Joey Grace
I typically don’t like greatest hits albums,
mostly because I think it underscores the artist's true genius, in that
it cuts the songs, takes them out of context of their original form and
pastes them on a new profitable canvas. It also pisses me off when
artists release greatest hits albums when they are still recording new
material, or are still alive!
Lest We Forget isn’t a greatest
hits album; it’s supposedly the Best Of, which I would assume it would
leave off any track of Golden Age of Grotesque. The album
awkwardly works it’s way backwards, with only two tracks representing Portrait
of an American Family, a couple songs from Mechanical Animals,
only three songs from Antichrist Superstar (which doesn’t even begin
to demonstrate that albums brilliance) and a few covers of the 80’s.
The full scale of Marilyn Manson is not represented in this disc, it can’t
even be considered, an introduction to the band.
“Love Song” kicks us off with an
extremely relevant chorus for our country’s state of affairs, “Do you love
your guns? (Yeah) Your God? (Yeah) Your Government? (Fuck yeah).”
This anthem he wrote for Holywood in the wake of Columbine, as he
was being attacked yet again from all the self-righteous fundamentalist
groups. Then we go to “Personal Jesus” that is not all that different
than the original just some amped up guitars in place of synthesizers and
Manson’s healthy man-growl, and woopty doo, you have your new single to
promote your “new album”. It takes a full five songs to break up
the monotony of Holywood and Grotesque to get to the super sexy “Dope Show”
that still makes me want to glam-out and snort cocaine off a strippers
tit. “Dope Show” quickly gives way to the super stupid “This is the
New Shit” that declares that there is nothing new to be said or done, so
why not write a song that sounds just like that, “Babble babble, bitch
bitch…blah blah blah.”
The only good cover is of course “Sweet
Dreams”, back when the band seemed to take chances. They slowed down
the melody and made the new wave synth-pop song really creepy. The
album gets better beyond this point. We get to the Portrait
sessions, with “Lunchbox” and “Get your Gunn”, I’m severely disappointed
that they left off “Cake and Sodomy”, what better line is “White
trash get down on your knees, its time for cake and sodomy!” What
can I say about “Tourniquet”, only that it is the greatest love song of
the 90’s. Like I said the album is better towards the end, and he
leaves the last two songs for Antichrist with “Beautiful People”
and “The Reflecting God.” The only way it could have ended better
was to have “Fundamentally Loathsome” or “Man That You Fear”. But what
the hell do I know?. Too much of the album is devoted to the newer
stuff. Lyrically Holywood and Grotesque are not bad,
but they music is so bland compared to what the band is capable of.
I would hope that Manson would like to push the musical envelope as much
as he pushes the lyrical one. But, don’t worry I’m sure in two years
we can expect another Manson album on the shelves, and they will probably
release three more greatest hits albums before he dies or slowly fades
away.
In conclusion, if you are a Manson fan
and you already have all the albums you can skip this, and make your own
best of mix at home. If you are just getting into Manson, and you
want this to start your self-hating journey into the trendy goth scene,
just listen with caution and know that there are better Manson songs out
there.
CD Info
Marilyn
Manson - Lest We Forget (The Best Of)
Label: Nothing
Records (Interscope)
Rating:  
Tracks:
Love Song, The
Personal Jesus
Mob Scene
Fight Song, The
Tainted Love
Dope Show, The
This Is The New Shit
Disposable Teens
Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
Lunch Box
Rock Is Dead
Get Your Gunn
Long Hard Road Out Of Hell
Beautiful People, The
Reflecting God, The |
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