Marilyn Manson - Lest We Forget (The Best Of)

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.
 

• Visit the Official website.
• Listen to samples and Purchase this CD online (with bonus DVD)

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