Sings [Original recording remastered]

Charles Manson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 24, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Esp Disk Ltd.
• ASIN: B000CNF4G0
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #69,145 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Creepy but surprisingly good, March 16, 2007

By 

Zoltan Carnovasch (Bavaria) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sings (Audio CD)

This are recordings Manson made before the notorious Tate-LaBianca murders. He actually wanted to become a folk singer but couldn't attract the interest of any record company. This is surprising since he had a pleasant voice and a knack for songwriting. The first song - Look at Your Game, Girl - is surprisingly good, and all the other songs feature nice hippie lyrics and 60s folk melodies. Sound is mono and rather low-fi, but fine overall. The booklet contains a Manson interview and some comments on the recordings and their relevance. If you are into freak folk, this CD is a must-have!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Strange stuff, but there is some talent here..., October 19, 2011

By 

Dr. Dongle - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sings (Audio CD)

Generally speaking, a weird group of songs written by a homicidal maniac. Got interested in this material after hearing the Guns N' Roses take on "Look at Your Game, Girl". Feels odd to admit it, but it is a very good song. "Arkansas" is pretty good too. Manson appears to actually have had some songwriting talent, and a pleasant voice. Some other songs are pretty good, some not too good at all. One track appears to be accapella singing/chanting by female members of the "family", and is exceedingly creepy. Made DAMN SURE that my money DIDNT go to Manson before I bought it. The royalties go to a fund for the family of one of the male victims in the Tate murders (Frykowski); so no harm done there. An interesting buy; some musical talent here, but I place it next to other "oddities" on my shelf such as Wild Man Fischer, etc. (Of course, he never killed anybody, but the point is this CD is sort of a kitsch item).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good addition to psychological study, August 23, 2011

By 

J. Youngblood (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sings (Audio CD)

I never would have believed I'd be writing a review of a CD by one of the most famed killers in history. Such infamous characters usually fade into obscurity but there was something a bit different about this. It's like a macabre Edgar Allan Poe tale that came to life and grew into an inexplicable phenomenon at a time when an entire generation was an inexplicable phenomenon. And what makes this CD so unusual is it's a time capsule. These songs came about when Charley was riding high on a groovy (if inadvertent) commune with dedicated hipsters who saw him as a wizened guru. From the Ken Kesey mold of mystic profundity he had answers to everything, and all the 'family' strongly tuned into his anti-Establishment vibe. Then suddenly Manson was in the company of major music names like Dennis Wilson and Gregg Jakobson. They too had been captivated by this enigmatic, Elf-like creature, enough that Wilson spent considerable time recording Charley's interesting creations at his home studio, Charley lapping up the bravado like a fish in the sea.

Essentially it's just a rough demo tape transferred to digital for posterity's sake. Nobody knows how much was originally recorded, but this disc has 26 tracks, including a brief interview, and a few songs that were incomplete. After hearing a few of these folkie-style songs it's clear that Charley was an inexperienced amateur. He wasn't bad at singing, a few songs had potential, but only one that was actually good. It was clear that Charley was just another of thousands of wanna-be 'stars' who had no idea what the music business was all about. Since Terry Melcher was a staff producer with Columbia Records, a top notch professional, he was probably very embarrassed when he heard this, especially coming from experienced pro's like Wilson and Jakobson. It's no wonder that Charley never heard from Melcher again. But it didn't stop Wilson from including "Never Learn Not To Love" on the Beach Boys "20/20" album that was actually a re-work of Charley's "Cease To Exist". It was copyrighted, licensed, and credited to the Beach Boys, done without Charley's permission, which for musicians who have more ego than talent was obviously what lit the fuse.

The only real interest in this CD is it being Charles Manson. It's almost a psychological study. Song titles, lyrics, and incidental studio chat are indeed flecked with chilling hints of the horrors to come, not very entertaining, not something you'll listen to very much. It's morbid curiosity at its fullest. It's a glimpse into the mind of a psychopath soon to lose control.