lambchops's Full Review: Lest We Forget: The Best Of [PA] by Marilyn Manson
The mayor of mayhem, the purveyor of pestilence—Marilyn Manson is back with a new collection in tow. Lest We Forget: The Best of assembles Marilyn Manson’s sixteen biggest hits in addition to a brand new cover. It’s a fantastic primer for this oft misunderstood artist.
Marilyn Manson, humbly born Brian Warner, has become an unlikely star in the 1990’s. Parents hated him, religious groups reviled him, but fans adored him. Marilyn Manson was never the kind of figure willing to be brushed under a rug. Regardless of what you think of him, consider for a moment that he is an artist. His music and his body are his art—his words are a sign of the times. With panties in a bunch, critics have picked on him. But in doing so his music has ended up everywhere. His heavy metal/industrial sound is appealing at the same time it feeds my need for the occasional headbanging session.
Indeed, I like Marilyn Manson and must at the same time respect him for his ability to really get under the skin of everybody that’s ever heard him. At the same time he has been in courts and kicked out of cities, Manson has also sold millions of records the most popular and acclaimed of which to date has been Antichrist Superstar (1996). First conceived in 1989, Warner’s alter ego and company have released six full-length albums in addition to a variety of EPs, singles, videos, and other materials. However, Lest We Forget is the first collection of hits for the artist.
Lucky fans will end up with the version with the DVD bonus disc while most will get the single CD. Stocked with seventeen songs, the CD documents Manson’s rise to infamy beginning with material from Portrait of an American Family (1994) through most recently The Golden Age of Grotesque (2003). There is something here for even the most modest Manson fan—though this is a Greatest Hits so there are a number of missing fan favorites. While maybe not for the biggest fans, it is a great place to start for folks who may have been previously unsure about where to begin in a collection. Lest We Forget cements Manson’s place in musical history.
The most recognizable songs here are those which are covers (Tainted Love, Sweet Dreams and even Personal Jesus) in addition to the massive hits (The Beautiful People, Tourniquet, Rock Is Dead to name a few). However, I’ve always had my own personal favorites and those too are included. While these songs are in no way arranged in chronological order, it is clear that Manson’s musical vision has developed nicely over the years. It has developed from sheer shock rock to something more grounded in societal angst. If there is one thing people need to be today it is more critical of their own surroundings.
Lest We Forget is absolutely entertaining. It holds my attention from start to finish even taking into account the less popular tracks and three (yes three) covers. These covers bring up an interesting point. Manson injects a certain amount of savoir faire into these familiar tracks. The first time I heard him was in 1995 with Sweet Dreams (originally written and performed by the Eurythmics). I liked that song a good deal. When he later recorded Tainted Love I was impressed by his re-envisioned version of the previously not-particularly-scary song. It somehow only seems appropriate that the only new song on Lest We Forget too is a cover. Personal Jesus (originally recorded by Depeche Mode) was always a dark electronic-rock song. As interpreted by Manson it is pitch black and feverish. I like it quite a lot actually.
As I mentioned earlier, my favorite era was indeed that of the Antichrist Superstar. In addition there are a few songs from other albums and soundtracks that prove particularly appealing. Manson’s songs The Beautiful People and Tourniquet are some of his best and I adore songs The Dope Show, Rock Is Dead, and Long Hard Road Out Of Hell. For my money, I like having all of them in one place—though out of the context of an album they do lose some meaning. Then again, folks really concerned with that aspect of Manson’s music already own all of his albums. Best of albums are intended more for people looking for an overview of a career. Lest We Forget works nicely in this capacity.
Back to those songs I love. The Beautiful People and Tourniquet are great offerings for different reasons. The Beautiful People is a raw, angry song that proved to be popular on both MTV and radio. Tourniquet shows some musical restraint—something that I think some folks would be surprised by. Long Hard Road Out of Hell on the other hand is probably my favorite song. It is an oddly evocative, melodic, and suspenseful song which begins quietly but builds toward a wild balls-out heavy rockin’ opus. I think it shows Manson at his most appealing and creative at the same time. Considering it never appeared on an actual full-length Manson album this is another good reason to pick up Lest We Forget.
Two tracks from Mechanical Animals (1998) also seriously kick my butt. The Dope Show sounds a bit strange, but it is also melodic and fantastic and worth hearing (if you haven’t already). Ditto on Rock is Dead which is a wild and unrelenting Manson offering. Whichever era of Manson’s career you like, there are songs from it (save for the very earliest and “Spookiest” songs). I am keenest on the mid-1990’s but there is an even sampling from each album which makes Lest We Forget a worthwhile purchase.
Marilyn Manson is often disregarded or outright abhorred because of his apparent anti-Christian and anti-moral messages. I don’t think either is at all applicable. In fact, Manson is more of a societal mouthpiece. He speaks the mind of folks that may or may not be outspoken otherwise. The fact that he gets under the skin of so many critics tells me that he is accomplishing exactly what he set out to do. Lest We Forget documents that journey.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. The Love Song (Holy Wood, 2000)
02. Personal Jesus (new song)
03. Mobscene (The Golden Age of Grotesque, 2003)
04. The Fight Song (Holy Wood, 2000)
05. Tainted Love (Not Another Teen Movie Soundtrack, 2001)
06. The Dope Show (Mechanical Animals, 1998)
07. This Is the New Shit (The Golden Age of Grotesque, 2003)
08. Disposable Teens (Holy Wood, 2000)
09. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (Smells Like Children, 1995)
10. Lunchbox (Portrait of an American Family, 1994)
11. Tourniquet (Antichrist Superstar, 1996)
12. Rock Is Dead (Mechanical Animals, 1998)
13. Get Your Gunn (Portrait of an American Family, 1994)
14. The Nobodies (Holy Wood, 2000)
15. Long Hard Road Out of Hell (Spawn Soundtrack, 1997)
16. The Beautiful People (Antichrist Superstar, 1996)
17. The Reflecting God (Antichrist Superstar, 1996)
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