Customer Reviews

Sings

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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).

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.

Although Manson displays some talent as a song writer or lyracist , only in his own mind , or the minds of those who would sensationalize him can any vocal talent or talent with an instrument be found .
His lack of vocal phrasing is a comment on his mediocrity as an artist , but even more so , his lack of ability to make his instrument an extension of one who is artisticly talented is glaringly obvious . His guitar playing is reminicent of the anger in his soul and shows little respect for the instrument in his hands .
" Charlie " shows no more talent than some one who has owned a guitar for a week or two and knows three or four chords and how to play those chords erratically .
Vocally , he is a dog's breakfast .
Musically , his real ability was in writing the lyrics , not in composing music and performing it . No wonder , Terry Melcher declined to record him .
Some may compare him to folk musicians of the forties and fifties such as Woody Guthrie , however these artists commented on issues that affected generations of their peers and were able to(instramentally ) keep an order to their comment . These artists affected others such as Dylan , and were instramental in forming the shape of music today .
Oh well , at least " Charlie " was famous for something , or should I say infamous ?

I bought this one in 1971 (sold it on Ebay for 100 years ago) and I'm glad to see it reissued with bonus tracks. The amazing thing is his CHARM, which of course is how he got people to do stuff they wouldn't have done. I've found that murderers usually do not sound as creepy as you think they would. They sure don't sound like "Marilyn Manson". Only the people who would never actually kill sound like they want to...real murderers are way cleverer than that. This album is a good example. It's sort of perverse to get, I know, and when I first bought it (which was back when some of the money went to his defense fund) the clerk gave me a real dirty look. But this guy did have a musical sense. Too bad he had none of the other type. If you read about his life, you can see why. A real curio, this one.

The world of Charles Manson is an interesting place. If you dare to take a walk through it, buy the album.

This is truly a talented and unique songwriter/musician/performer. This songs are ALL one of a kind! Enjoy!

yes I admit to being hooked on bad things like wild sex and other evil things for those who wanna learn evil cop this while tripping on drugs plus I dare you seek out the hidden messages in the music also listen to the beatles, hendrix, sun ra, and p funk and see if you won't discover other worlds free your mind or do as thou wilt whatever turns you on but please don't kill nobody. manson was psycho and served his master well.