Marilyn Manson - Lest WeForget

Fri 17th Dec, 2004 in Music Reviews

Love him or hate him, Marilyn Manson ’s shock-rock tactics worked a treat for them in the ‘90s and this collection of greatest hits entitled Lest We Forget serves as a definitive illustration of Brian Warner and friends’ nightmarish vision of life, religion and everything in between.

Since the release of debut album Portrait of an American Family in 1994, Marilyn Manson has managed to cause a stir through image, ethics and song content. Enduring many a venomous attack from religious groups and angry parents, it seemed Manson was the perfect scapegoat for conservative hysteria. There hasn’t been much hype surrounding the band of late – indeed it seems that the shock factor has largely worn off – but they will be remembered for the controversy and their industrial goth-rock tunes.

Three covers can be found on this best of, including Depeche Mode’s Personal Jesus. It’s not a bad cover at all, taking things down a notch and utilising a slower pace. But Manson’s cover of Tainted Love (Soft Cell)is not as entertaining. The arrangement is interesting, but Manson’s warble becomes droll and doesn’t do the song much justice. Manson’s most famous cover, Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), which first appeared on 1995’s Smells Like Children, features a little later on in the album, and it still has the ability to send chills down the spine. A rousing, tortured rendition of the original Eurythmics classic, it is downright creepy both in its initial restraint and its subsequent screaming.

All the big hits are here. The Fight Song, Disposable Teens, The Dope Show, The Beautiful People. However, the standout tracks are mOBSCENE, with its blasting guitars and cheerleader backing vocals, Tourniquet, which sees Manson alternate gravelly bellows with a tortured smooth countenance, and The Long Hard Road Out of Hell, with its roared choruses and industrial feel. The Nobodies is another great track, due to its accessibility through sing-along choruses, semblance of melody and lyrics (“yesterday I was dirty/wanted to be pretty/I know now that I’m forever dirt”).

There are weaker moments on this compilation, like Get Your Gunn, This is the New Shit, and (s)AINT. When compared to the raw power of the other tracks, they don’t really cut it and leave the impression that perhaps this best of could have been whittled down to 14 songs, rather than 18.

That being said, it is one hell of an entertaining listen. A montage of pictures of Manson grace the sleeve (with a couple each of bandmates Tim Skold, Madonna Wayne Gacy and Ginger Fish, and a special thanks is given to former bandmates Twiggy Ramirez and John 5 ) and show the man’s various, yet always slightly disturbing, image changes over the years. This is for the most part a very enjoyable record, even if you aren’t a huge Manson fan.