The Manson Family Album

Last updated

The Manson Family Album
TheMansonFamilyAlbum.jpg
Hitachi Maxell re-recordable cassette cover, featuring the album's track listing handwritten by the band's guitarist, Daisy Berkowitz.
Demo album by
Marilyn Manson
ReleasedUnreleased
RecordedJuly–Fall 1993
Studio Criteria Studios, Miami
Length56:58
Producer Roli Mosimann
Marilyn Manson chronology
The Manson Family Album
(Unreleased)		 Portrait of an American Family
(1994)

The Manson Family Album is the first studio recording by American rock band Marilyn Manson and a precursor to their debut studio album, 1994's Portrait of an American Family . It was produced by Roli Mosimann and is composed of original takes and mixes of songs which were later found on their debut album. However, the band and its eponymous vocalist were unhappy with Mosimann's production, claiming it to be poorly representative of their established sound and calling it too "smoothed and polished". [1] The majority of songs on The Manson Family Album were later re-recorded or remixed by Nine Inch Nails personnel Trent Reznor, Sean Beaven and Alan Moulder at the Record Plant in Los Angeles. The album's title is a double entendre; it also relates to the commune of cult leader Charles Manson.

Contents

Background

Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids were formed in December 1989 after vocalist Marilyn Manson met guitarist Daisy Berkowitz at the Reunion Room nightclub, [2] in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. [3] The pair, invariably joined by numerous other musicians, recorded several EPs of original demos over the next three years, with Berkowitz composing the majority of the music and Manson writing lyrics. [2] The band's highly visualized live shows – which routinely featured naked women nailed to a crucifix, young children locked in cages, and an assortment of butchered animal remains [1] – quickly earned them a loyal fanbase among the South Florida punk and hardcore music scene. Within six months of forming, the band was playing sold-out shows in 300-capacity nightclubs throughout Florida. [3]

While working as a journalist for 25th Parallel in February 1990, Manson interviewed Nine Inch Nails vocalist Trent Reznor, [3] during that band's stint opening for The Jesus and Mary Chain. The two remained friends, with Manson eventually presenting Reznor with a compilation of demos. [4] Nine Inch Nails keyboardist Chris Vrenna later said: "One day we were driving across Texas, and Texas is a long boring drive of nothing but tumbleweeds for a thousand miles and so Trent was like, 'Let's listen to [Manson's] tape' because we were so bored with all our CDs in the van. He popped it in and we got about two songs in, [and] everybody started looking at each other like, 'This is really good'. And it became our favorite tape. We listened to it all the time." [5]

Impressed by the material, Reznor offered the group a spot opening for Nine Inch Nails and Meat Beat Manifesto at Club Nu in Miami on July 3, 1990. [3] The band, which now included Gidget Gein on bass guitar, Madonna Wayne Gacy on keyboards, and Sara Lee Lucas on drums, continued touring and recording independently for two years, [1] using the proceeds from a record deal signed with Sony in early 1991 to fund the recording of more demo tapes. Berkowitz later recalled that the president of A&R at Sony, Richard Griffin, "personally rejected us within minutes, saying he liked the show and the idea but 'didn't like the singer.'" [6] In November 1992, Manson was invited by Reznor to attend unspecified "strategic talks" in Los Angeles. [3] By the end of the year, Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids became the first act to be signed to Reznor's Nothing Records vanity label, [7] shortening their name to Marilyn Manson by the beginning of 1993. [8]

Recording

Discography
1990The Raw Boned Psalms
The Beaver Meat Cleaver Beat
Big Black Bus
Grist-O-Line
1991Lunchbox
After School Special
1992Live as Hell
The Family Jams
1993The Manson Family Album

Recording sessions for The Manson Family Album began in July 1993 at Criteria Studios in Miami with producer Roli Mosimann, [9] and concluded several months later in the autumn. [10] The record consists of re-recorded versions of numerous songs originally demoed by the band during their formative years. Two songs on the record, "My Monkey" and "Citronella (Dogma)", date back to their first commercially-sold cassette album, 1990's Big Black Bus. [1] Mosimann's production aimed for a "sleazy, groove-laden" sound, [9] and the band made heavy use of tape loops, sound effects, and samples during recording. [1] At this point, "Snake Eyes and Sissies" was on track to become the album's lead single, with Mosimann creating a single edit of the song. [11]

However, the band was unhappy with the results, believing it to be poorly representative of their live performances. [12] Manson also complained that Mosimann's production eventuated in the songs sounding "smoothed and polished, losing [their] bite and edge. I thought, 'This really sucks'. So I played it for Trent, and he thought it sucked." [1] At the beginning of 1994, the band relocated to the Record Plant in Los Angeles, but without bassist Gidget Gein. [9] Gein had been fired from the band a few days before Christmas 1993, due to his ongoing addiction to heroin. Berkowitz later claimed that this was "actually the second or third time he was fired. He was a complete junkie by that point—totally out of it, wouldn't show up, or when he did he was a mess and was playing really horribly live." [3] He was replaced by Jeordie White of Amboog-a-Lard, who was renamed Twiggy Ramirez. [1] Gein later died of a heroin overdose in 2008. [13]

The album was re-recorded over seven weeks at the Record Plant, with Manson saying: "We spent seven weeks redoing, fixing, sometimes starting from scratch. That was our band's first experience in a real studio on a project this big. We didn't know what to expect. It was fifteen-hour days, with a team – Trent, Alan Moulder, Sean Beavan, and me – bringing out the sound." [1] Berkowitz was initially reluctant to re-record the album, saying: "I felt doing this was unnecessary, and worried it would make us look like a Nine Inch Nails/Reznor spin-off. The final result, however, is a very high-quality piece of work." [14] He re-recorded most of his guitar work in LA, while the vast majority of Sara Lee Lucas' live drum work was replaced with drum programming created by Nine Inch Nails members Charlie Clouser and Chris Vrenna. [9] Although he had been fired, Gein's bass work remained on the album. [1] After re-recording, the record was renamed Portrait of an American Family , [9] with Mosimann listed as an engineer, and no mention of his original production role. [15]

Aftermath and release

The Manson Family Album remained unreleased for several years. Following Berkowitz' acrimonious exit from the group in 1996, he initiated a lawsuit against the rest of the band. [3] This was settled in October 1998, with Berkowitz's receiving a six-figure sum, which he described as "an evil number". Furthermore, he obtained the copyrights to the entire Spooky Kids catalogue, [2] which included 21 previously unreleased tracks. [7] Former bassist Gidget Gein also settled his lawsuit against the band that same year, for an amount similar to the one received by Berkowitz: "I'm not allowed to discuss the specifics of the case. But I know [Berkowitz] didn't make much more than I made, because the accountants sent his numbers to my lawyers by accident. You'd think we'd be millionaires off of the records we've sold, but no." [7]

Berkowitz released the first in an intended two-part series of Spooky Kids recordings in 2004. Lunch Boxes & Choklit Cows was released April 20 through Empire MusicWerks. [3] It contained 10 previously unreleased songs recorded by the band between January 1990 and November 1993, [16] as well as a bonus DVD containing three live performances. [3] While promoting this release, Berkowitz was interviewed by a creator of fansite SpookyKids.net, who requested information about The Manson Family Album during an AIM conversation. Berkowitz responded by offering a cassette tape containing the entire album, which was leaked onto the internet in July 2004 via BitTorrent and DC++. [17]

Artwork

Although the record was never released, Manson said in his 1998 autobiography The Long Hard Road Out of Hell that he intended to use a painting by John Wayne Gacy as the album cover. The same painting later appeared as the cover for Acid Bath's 1994 album When the Kite String Pops . Also set to be included as an interior photograph was an image of Manson sitting naked on his living room couch when he was 6 years old. [18] This image was additionally set to feature in the liner artwork for Portrait of an American Family. [7] Though no genitalia is shown, and it was taken by his mother with no vulgar intent, Interscope's parent company Time Warner demanded it be removed. Manson said of the image: "When I was six years old, that was when Burt Reynolds had posed for Playgirl . My mom thought it'd be funny to have me do that pose, lying on a couch. It's only sick if you have a sick mind. It was innocent. But [Time Warner] told me it would qualify as child pornography in twenty states." [1]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Marilyn Manson, [15] except "My Monkey" by Marilyn Manson and Charles Manson (uncredited). [19]

No.TitleMusicLength
1."Snakes Eyes and Sissies"
5:09
2."Lunchbox"
  • Berkowitz
  • Gein
4:26
3."Get Your Gunn"
  • Berkowitz
  • Gein
4:04
4."Cyclops"
  • Berkowitz
  • Gein
  • Gacy
3:41
5."Citronella" (Dogma)Berkowitz3:18
6."Cake and Sodomy"Berkowitz3:52
7."Filth"Berkowitz [20] 4:31
8."Sweet Tooth"
  • Gacy
  • Gein
4:41
9."Organ Grinder"
  • Berkowitz
  • Gein
5:04
10."My Monkey"Berkowitz4:52
11."Misery Machine"
  • Berkowitz
  • Gacy
  • Gein
4:54
12."Dope Hat"
  • Berkowitz
  • Gacy
  • Manson
4:27
13."Snakes Eyes and Sissies" (Single Mix Edit)
  • Berkowitz
  • Gacy
  • Gein
3:57
Total length:56:58

The preceding track listing is derived from the order of the songs as they appeared on the leaked cassette tape. It is unclear if this was intended to be the final track order.

Differences

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Portrait of an American Family. [15]

Musicians

Additional musicians and technical personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marilyn Manson (band)</span> American rock band

Marilyn Manson is an American rock band formed by namesake lead singer Marilyn Manson and guitarist Daisy Berkowitz in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1989. Originally named Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids, they gained a local cult following in South Florida in the early 1990s with their theatrical live performances. In 1993, they were the first act signed to Trent Reznor's Nothing Records label. Until 1996, the name of each member was created by combining the first name of a female sex symbol and the last name of a serial killer‍—‍for example, Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson. Their lineup has changed between many of their album releases; the eponymous lead singer is the only remaining original member.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trent Reznor</span> Musical artist

Michael Trent Reznor is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and composer. He serves as the lead vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and principal songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, which he founded in 1988 and of which he was the sole official member until 2016. The first Nine Inch Nails album, Pretty Hate Machine (1989), was a commercial and critical success. Reznor has since released 11 more Nine Inch Nails studio albums.

Nothing Records was an American record label specializing in industrial rock and electronic music, founded by John Malm Jr. and Trent Reznor in 1992. It is considered an example of a vanity label, where an artist is able to run a label with some small degree of independence within a larger parent company, in this case the larger company being Interscope Records.

<i>Portrait of an American Family</i> 1994 studio album by Marilyn Manson

Portrait of an American Family is the debut studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on July 19, 1994, by Nothing and Interscope Records. The group was formed in 1989 by vocalist Marilyn Manson and guitarist Daisy Berkowitz, whose names were created by combining the given name of a pop culture icon with the surname of a serial killer: a naming convention which all other band members would conform to for the next seven years. The most prominent lineup of musicians during their formative years included keyboardist Madonna Wayne Gacy, bassist Gidget Gein and drummer Sara Lee Lucas.

<i>Antichrist Superstar</i> 1996 studio album by Marilyn Manson

Antichrist Superstar is the second studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on October 8, 1996, by Nothing and Interscope Records. It was recorded at Nothing Studios in New Orleans and produced by the band's eponymous vocalist along with Sean Beavan, former Skinny Puppy producer Dave Ogilvie and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. The recording of the album was marred by excessive drug use, which provoked a high level of antagonism between band members. Consequently, it was their last release to feature contributions from founding guitarist Daisy Berkowitz, who was acrimoniously fired partway through recording.

<i>Smells Like Children</i> 1995 EP by Marilyn Manson

Smells Like Children is the first EP by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on October 24, 1995, by Nothing and Interscope Records. Produced by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, it represents an era of the band full of drugs, abuses, tours, sound experiments, and references to the Child Catcher, a villain from the 1968 musical film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twiggy Ramirez</span> American rock musician

Jeordie Osbourne White, better known Twiggy Ramirez or simply Twiggy, is an American musician, mostly known as the former bassist and guitarist of the rock band Marilyn Manson. Previously, he was the bassist for A Perfect Circle and a touring member of Nine Inch Nails, and is currently the vocalist for Goon Moon. He left Marilyn Manson in 2002, later rejoined the band in 2008, and was dismissed in 2017. He has been a principal songwriter for the band and has also contributed to some of the Desert Sessions recordings. He also hosted the Hour of Goon podcast with fellow musician Fred Sablan, on the Starburns Audio network.

Sean Beavan is a musician, record producer, and audio engineer best known for his work with Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Guns N' Roses, God Lives Underwater, and Slayer. His production style is typically heavy, with heavily saturated guitars, but his work is diverse and wide-ranging as exemplified by bands like No Doubt to System of a Down, to indie bands like Thrice, Envy on the Coast, Hypernova (band), 8mm, and even death metal band Morbid Angel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gidget Gein</span> American musician and artist

Bradley Mark Stewart, known by his stage name Gidget Gein, was an American musician and artist. He was the second bassist and co-founder of the rock band Marilyn Manson. His stage name is a combination of fictional character Gidget and serial killer Ed Gein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starfuckers, Inc.</span> Nine Inch Nails song

"Starfuckers, Inc." is a song by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails from their third studio album The Fragile. Although the song does not have an official halo, an edited single was distributed with exclusive radio edits and a video for the song was produced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sara Lee Lucas</span> American drummer

Frederick Streithorst Jr., better known by his stage name Sara Lee Lucas, is an American musician and the original drummer for Marilyn Manson. He has also performed as "S.L. Lucas" or simply "Lucas". His stage name is derived from serial killer Henry Lee Lucas and baked goods company Sara Lee. After leaving Marilyn Manson in 1995, he performed in many other industrial bands using tribal style of drumming and experimental digital percussion. He also became active with his mastering company, Masterlab.

<i>Lunch Boxes & Choklit Cows</i> 2004 compilation album by Marilyn Manson & The Spooky Kids

Lunch Boxes & Choklit Cows is a compilation album of previously unreleased demo tracks recorded in the early 1990s by American rock band Marilyn Manson. Original guitarist Scott Putesky obtained the rights to these and 11 other recordings in a lawsuit against Brian Warner, and announced that this release is the first in a planned series of Spooky Kids CDs. Some are from demos and others have never been previously released. These are digitally remastered and Putesky says they sound better than the original cassettes because of it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lunchbox (song)</span> 1995 single by Marilyn Manson

"Lunchbox" is a song by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released as the second single from their debut album, Portrait of an American Family (1994). A heavy metal song that features elements of death metal, industrial music and punk rock, "Lunchbox" was written by the band's eponymous vocalist, Daisy Berkowitz, and Gidget Gein, and produced by Manson with Trent Reznor. According to Berkowitz, the track was written as the frontman's plea to be left alone; it was also inspired by a time where Manson defended himself from bullies with a Kiss lunchbox. The track features elements of "Fire" (1968) performed by Arthur Brown, a musician who influenced the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Get Your Gunn</span> 1994 single by Marilyn Manson

"Get Your Gunn" is a song by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on June 9, 1994 as the band's debut single and is from their debut studio album, Portrait of an American Family (1994). The song was written by the band's eponymous vocalist along with original guitarist and bassist Daisy Berkowitz and Gidget Gein, respectively, and was produced by Manson with Trent Reznor. "Get Your Gunn" was inspired by the murder of abortionist David Gunn by an anti-abortion activist, an event which angered Manson. The song also took influence from Manson's lifelong fascination with abortion and an interaction he had with an anti-abortion protester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dope Hat</span> 1995 promotional single by Marilyn Manson

"Dope Hat" is a song by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released as the promotional single from their debut album, Portrait of an American Family. It was first recorded for a demo tape released in 1992, entitled The Family Jams.

<i>Lost & Found</i> (Marilyn Manson EP) 2008 compilation album by Marilyn Manson

Lost & Found is the second compilation album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released in Europe on May 5, 2008 by Polydor Records. It contains four songs from Marilyn Manson's first four studio albums and one from their only live album, The Last Tour on Earth. There are no previously unreleased songs, B-sides or rarities on the album, all tracks can be found on the band's various studio albums preceding it. As of mid-2008, Lost & Found is only available via digital download, an average rate of $2 per track. The only two songs that don't appear on most editions of Lest We Forget: The Best Of are "I Don't Like the Drugs " and "Irresponsible Hate Anthem".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Self Destruct Tour</span> 1994–1996 concert tour by Nine Inch Nails

The Self Destruct Tour was a concert tour in support of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails' album The Downward Spiral, which took place in early 1994, running until mid-1996, and was broken into eight legs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Putesky</span> American musician

Scott Mitchell Putesky, also known as Daisy Berkowitz, was an American musician, songwriter, composer, visual artist, and record producer. He was the co-founder of the rock band Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids , and was the guitarist for the band until 1996. After leaving Marilyn Manson, Putesky was involved in a number of other projects such as Three ton Gate, the Linda Blairs, Jack Off Jill, Stuck on Evil, Kill Miss Pretty, and the Daisy Kids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Off Jill</span> American alternative rock band

Jack Off Jill was an American alternative rock band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, founded in 1992 by vocalist Jessicka, drummer Tenni Ah-Cha-Cha, bassist/keyboardist Agent Moulder, and guitarist Michelle Inhell. Though these four women were the initial founders, nine members rotated through the group in its life-span, including Scott Putesky, guitarist and co-founder of Marilyn Manson. The band lasted nine years, with only Jessicka and Moulder remaining throughout the initial run. The band reunited in 2015 for a number of shows, with Jessicka, Tenni, Inhell, and bassist Helen Storer.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Baker, Greg (July 20, 1994). "Manson Family Values". Miami New Times . Voice Media Group. Archived from the original on May 4, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Tron, Gina (April 10, 2014). "Daisy Berkowitz: Portrait of an American Ex-Marilyn Manson Member". Vice . Archived from the original on April 2, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Stratton, Jeff (April 15, 2004). "Manson Family Feud". New Times Broward-Palm Beach . Voice Media Group. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  4. ↑ Rock Revolt Staff (November 28, 2015). "Interview: SMP – Scott Mitchel Putesky (Daisy Berkowitz)". Rock Revolt Magazine. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
  5. ↑ Wake, Matt (October 23, 2018). "Why is Nine Inch Nails' ex-drummer teaching college in Alabama?". AL.com . Advance Publications . Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  6. ↑ Putesky, Scott (August 9, 2009). "When Marilyn Manson Left His Kids Behind". Sun-Sentinel . Archived from the original on January 22, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Kissell, Ted B. (February 11, 1999). "Manson: The Florida Years". Cleveland Scene . Euclid Media Group. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  8. ↑ Hawk, Mike (January 7, 2013). "Scott Mitchell Putesky (Daisy Berkowitz) Interview (page 2)". Blankman, Inc. Archived from the original on October 30, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Wiederhorn, Jon. "23 Years Ago: Marilyn Manson Issues 'Portrait of an American Family'". Loudwire . Townsquare Media. Archived from the original on May 1, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  10. ↑ Manson & Strauss 1998 , p. 123
  11. ↑ Manson & Strauss 1998 , p. 128
  12. ↑ Manson & Strauss 1998, p. 144.
  13. ↑ Kaufman, Gil (October 13, 2008). "Former Marilyn Manson Bassist Gidget Gein Dead At 39". MTV . Viacom Media Networks. Archived from the original on June 29, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
  14. 1 2 Hawk, Mike (January 7, 2013). "Scott Mitchell Putesky (Daisy Berkowitz) Interview (page 1)". Blankman, Inc. Archived from the original on June 20, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  15. 1 2 3 Portrait of an American Family (CD liner notes). Marilyn Manson. Interscope Records. 1994. INTD-92344.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ↑ Dansby, Andrew (April 13, 2004). "Manson's First Band Exhumed". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on October 1, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  17. ↑ Strange, Jason (February 7, 2012). "A Milk Crate Full of Records: Marilyn Manson – "Portrait Of An American Family" (1994)". Music Feeds . Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  18. ↑ Manson & Strauss 1998 , p. 150
  19. ↑ Manson & Strauss 1998 , p. 87
  20. ↑ "BMI | Repertoire | "Filth"". Broadcast Music, Inc. Archived from the original on April 6, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2017.Note: User must define "Warner Brian Hugh" as Songwriter/Composer, accept the terms and conditions, and find "Filth" in list of work titles.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.