Customer Reviews

Smells Like Children

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(28)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I am so sick of everybody talking trash on Manson. I don't really even go for his type of music (I'm more Pearl Jam type). But I'm sick of everyone bashing him and making him out the be the Devil. He's not a diety. He's a guy who found a nook in the music industry to take over and he's making a ton of money at it and not to mention he's having tons of fun. He is not a horrible person like a lot of people think, he is VEY smart, calm, collected, giving (did you know he gives to charity?), thoughtfull. He makes his music because its fun and it sells. He's not making his music to incite little children to go out and start killing people or small animals. Its just the the people who kill the small animals are attracted to his music. So stop it with the bashing and just buy the CD. Its a classic Manson release. All in all I gave it 4 stars. But heonly lost the last star because he is not my favorite singer because of the type of music he sings. But that didn't stop me from loving this CD.

THERE ARE ALOT OF DIFFERENT STYLES OF MUSIC ON THIS CD.THIS CD IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT THAN ALL HIS OTHER CDS-BUT IT'S ALL GOOD.YOU HAVE TO BUY THIS CD TO SEE WHAT I MEAN.IF YOU'RE A MANSON FAN-YOU SHOULD BUY THIS CD ANYWAY!CHECK OUT SONGS:8,10,AND 13.THEY'RE REALLY SOMETHING!MANSON'S CAPABLE OF ANYTHING!MANSON'S THE BEST!

If you aren't a really big Marilyn Manson fan- don't get this. Its just mainly a bunch of remixes, covers, and some audio. I, myself quite enjoy this... Some musts of this Album are "Sweet Dreams" and "rock and roll nigger", the audio is quite interesting and funny... especially "F*** Frankie". (some might find it apalling, I find it kind of kinky in a way... XD) The remix of Cake and Sodomy by T. Higgins is hilarious, but not quite to the flavor of Manson's stuff. If you're deciding between this CD and another you really want- get the other one, but if you just want to spend some money or is looking for a good laugh, Smells Like Children won't hurt. ;)

This is probably the strangest of all MM's cds.In short it's remixes of Portrait of an American Family, but it's hard to notice. This was my first MM cd, and the first time I listened to it I wasn't sure what to think, but I have to admit the little bugger has grown on me.

1. The Hands of Small Children: It's spooky, it's kooky, it's Marilyn Manson! The introduction, and a great lead in to Diary of a Dope Fiend.
2. Diary of a Dope Fiend: One of my favorite remixes on this cd. It's slow, moody, brooding and just plain good.
3. Sh*ty Chicken Gang Bang: Srange, it's basically honted house music courtisy of Pogo.
4. Kiddie Grinder: A harder and more industrial version of Organ Grinder. A good remix.
5. Sympathy for the Parents: Part of an interview played very distorted.
6. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This): The song that put him on the map. It's just so d*mn catchy you can't help but like it. Even my mother's a fan of this cover. Good if you don't hate it from the overplay it gets.
7. Everlasting C*cksucker: A good remix of Cake and Sodomy. Heavier and more industrial (like Kiddie Grinder) but still good, fun to sing along with when you have your headphones on and get looks.
8. F*ck Frankie: What can I say about this song. I think the best way to put it is "Interesting". I remeber reading that it was an insult to their producer who made them change the album. Then again I may be wrong.
9. I Put a Spell on You: The second of three covers, it's one of my favorite MM songs period. It's catchy, and very bass and drums driven. The emotion he put's into this song is amazing.
10. May Cause Discoleration . . . : Long track, with two people talking about medications. It's funny for the first couple time you hear it, but I skip it because it's a little longer than I would like. I also remeber reading it is MM's mother and another family member that accidentely got recorded, but as before, I may be wrong.
11. Scabs, Guns, and Peanut Butter: I love this track, and I don't know why. It's just funky and strange. I believe someone once refered to it as "A bajo and a gerbil", that describes it well.
12. Dance of the Dope Hats: An ok remix, I think it's too simmilar to the original (Dope Hat) but that was a good song and so is this.
13. White Trash: Another favorite. The redneck version of Cake and Sodomy, it's just really cool. Also fun to sing and get stares.
14. Dancing with the One Legged: Hmm, another (I'm guessing) interview clip, though I'm not sure if it's different peoeple or the band really distorted.
15. Rock and Roll N*gger: The final cover, and track also. It's a really good song through and through. Watch the Dead to the World video and get an interesting story about it.
16: Untitled: the secret track has three parts, keyboard, screams, voices. All strange, I usually don't listen to them/it.

Anyway, I really like this cd, it's dark and creepy, and funny and hard all at the same time. Like sitting in the mind of a lunatic while he goes through a day, hearing songs on the radio. Fans either love it or hate it, and I love it. See for yourself.

even after a long time of being into all sorts of rock/metal it wasn't until I really sat down and listened to this that I broke my preconceptions of Marilyn Manson. I don't agree with what Marilyn Manson has to say, but this world does have a dark nasty streak and hiding and pretending it isn't there doesn't help so I feel Marilyn Manson say what they want to say well. Music is dangerous but banning it can be even more dangerous.

Although this album is a bit lacking in content I only paid budget for it, so in that respect it was worth it. More recent albums are better value for money but this album has a rough dark and nasty aspect to it which I didn't feel existed so much in the more recent titles. And `Sweet Dreams' is fantastic.

This album, in my personal, humble little opinion, is so much fun. I love listening to it because it sounds like Manson & Co. had fun recording it. Sure, lots of the songs are remixes of Portrait's super tunes, but I love them anyway. The reworking of "Organ Grinder" ("Kiddie Grinder") is one of my faves. "F*** Frankie" is hysterical if you know the joke behind it. "Sweet Dreams" certainly merits mentioning...it's a brilliant reworking. "I Put A Spell On You" bears all of the psychopathic obsession of Portrait's "Sweet Tooth". In short, lots of fun and wonderfully pointless, Smells Like Children is just pure insanity at Manson's best. I give the five stars this Superstar deserves.

I have talked to a number of people whose first and only exposure to the band Marilyn Manson was this CD. Unfortunately, they came to the conclusion that the band has no talent based on the merits of perhaps their worst recording. If you want to treat this album as full length studio album, prepare to be disappointed. Manson, however, has maintained that this album is an EP album or remixes primarily, so I shall treat it that way.

If you are a first time Manson buyer or a casual fan, I'd shy away from this recording and opt for "Antichrist Superstar," "Mechanical Animals," or "Holy Wood." Essentially, the album contains five remixes of songs from their debut album "Portrait of an American Family," three cover songs (Sweet Dreams, Rock 'N' Roll Nigger, I Put a Spell on You), and a number of short musical anomalies and skits. This is all well and good, however some of the short musical pieces and skits serve as nothing more than a distraction from the recording. In a number of places, I felt the momentum of the record would have been better maintained if some of the oddball tracks had not been included. The oddball tracks are humorous for a few listenings, but in my mind, they don't hold up to repeated scrutiny.

If there's one thing that makes this album worth buying, it's the cover of the song Sweet Dreams. This album (particularly that song) helped launch Marilyn Manson into the spotlight. I find it ironic that the band's weakest recording served as their launching ground into stardom. Ever present is that demented juvenile feel that was prevalent on the debut album (hence the title of this album). The remixes are surprisingly good, not reconstructed as well as Nine Inch Nails remixes, but they are good nonetheless (especially the Dope Hat remixes). The remaining cover songs are also worth your while, but in the long run, this fifteen track album will boil down to a matter of seven or eight tracks of actual substance.

Only get this if you are a serious fan and enjoy the Portrait era. (I do) Do not get this if you are just looking for a CD that has Sweet Dreams on it. While it may appear to have 16 songs on it, in reality it is only 7. All the other songs are just little skits that were thrown on with it. Some are good and entertaining (F*** Frankie), others are just worthless (The untitled Track). The actual songs are as follows.

2. Diary of a Dope Fiend (remix) 7/10 A weird/slow remix of Dope Hat, Manson sings very differently, it's entirely reworked.
4. Kiddie Grinder (Remix) 8/10 A very Fun Remix of Organ grinder
6. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) 10/10 Classic outdoes the original. Put Manson on the Spot.
7. Everlasting C***Sucker (Remix) 5/10 I could care less about this remix of Cake and Sodomy.
9. I put a Spell on You 10/10 Awesome Cover; I wish they played this Live more often.
Original by Screamin' Jay Hawkins.
12. Dance of the Dope Hats 7/10(Remix) Faster Remix that come across as unnecessary.
15. Rock N' Roll Nigger 9/10 Another awesome Cover, but the production seems to have faded here or something. Original by Patti Smith.

So there you have it, that's Smells like Children. There are a few things missing though. I feel they should have added the Mother Inferior Got her Gunn (remix) 9/10 which was wasted on the Get you Gunn single. Also a few of the skits were kind of Inside jokes (F*** Frankie) and to understand them I recommend to read Marilyn Manson's autobiography the Long hard Road Out of Hell. Also I would like to point out that, as another reviewer said, that it would be wise to try and get this for less then $10. I got this as a birthday present (*chuckles*) and I can easily see why some people are put off Manson because of this. I got almost all his other stuff before this, so I enjoy it as it is an EP, but it is lacking. I hope this helped.

while this certainly isn't Manson's best, its still quite decent. any Manson fan will at least like this album, but people new to his music may not be that amazed.

also, i had quite an amusing time reading the "kid's reviews" that were obviously posted just to lower the album's rating. oh man you guys are good, you really hit Manson were it hurts! the amazon review section! ouch. go back to your church you closed minded bigots.

Here are my ratings for the songs:

The Hands of Small Children: Smells Like Children kicks off with this creepy 1st track. It hasn't really much musical value, but it really sets the whole atmosphere for this CD. And it isn't welcoming. This isn't a song, I can't rate it on lyrics or music, but I'm definitely rating it due to its scene-setting. 4/10

Diary of A Dope Fiend: Many of you reading this now will have heard Portrait of An American Family's 'Dope Hat' (the original version of this). You all loved the humour and those fun sound effects. Now get ready for it all to be reversed. Diary of A Dope Fiend isn't funny, but nevertheless, it is a very good track. It takes a while for it to get going, but it really fills you with feeling, it's slow and somewhat depressing, it's brilliant. I'm rating this on the lyrics, atmosphere and musical value. 8/10

S***** Chicken Gang Bang: More like Ghost Train ride music at a carnival rather than a song... hehe. I obviously can't rate this on lyrics, since there are none, ahem, but I will rate this on atmosphere and musical value. 4/10

Kiddie Grinder: Kiddie Grinder can't match up to the original, in some ways, but in others, it is better. It's got more energy in it. Actually, I love this song, at first it is a mass of exciting beats and then that excellent chorus ices it off. 8&1/2/10

Sympathy For The Parents: In this someone asks Marilyn if the music is satanic and stuff and then he comes up with an answer for them. Not much of a song, not much of a track either. 2/10

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This): Wow. The first Marilyn Manson song I ever heard. And you know what? I still love it as much as the first time I heard it. It's a fantastic cover of original, you don't have to be a fan to appreciate this song. With its nice vocals, exciting guitar parts and great build-up, this song will probably be the most played-out one on this CD. 10/10

Everlasting C***sucker: Mmm, Track No.7... a very sexy remix of Cake and Sodomy (Portrait of An American Family). The drumbeats are smooth and cool in this. And Marilyn whispering "I am the God of F***" to you is bliss for me. I love this song. It's a very good remix of the original, but with a whole different approach. 9/10

F*** Frankie: Ah, yes. This. Well, I'm not going to rate this track, because it entirely depends on your state of mind whether you'll appreciate it or not. It will either disgust you or make you giggle (for me it was both). I'm not sure if Marilyn made this one keeping a straight face ;). ?/10

I Put A Spell On You: Although quite short, this song is lovely, I love the way Marilyn sings on this, I admire the music to it. Overall, a very good song. 7/10

May Cause Discoloration of Urine or Feces: On this you here some guy on the phone to a lady, talking about his headache and these pills he needs to take. No musical value here, but you may want to listen to it once or twice to hear the story. 5/10

Scabs, Guns and Peanut Butter: This song was written and composed by Twiggy. It's crazy, just like him :)! No, the song isn't that crazy, it's like hearing music out of Speedy Gonzalli or something. And, no, Twiggy isn't crazy either, he's lovely... 3/10

Dance of the Dope Hats: You heard Dope Hat. Then you heard Diary of a Dope Fiend. Now you're back to the fast-paced action with another remix of the original. It's a good remix, not really as powerful as Diary of a Dope Fiend, but good all the same. Not much of a metal music track, but its still fun. Great! 7/10

White Trash: Another remix of Cake and Sodomy. This time some guy who isn't in Marilyn Manson sings it. It's an acoustic version of it, you might like this, I'm not big on it, but it's okay. 5/10

Dancing With the One Legged: I've listened to this track the least. It's not a song, I don't feel as if it has much of a point on the CD, but I'm sure the band has some reason behind it. And is that Pogo speaking on it? 1/10

Rock'n'Roll Nigger: A nice ending to the CD. It's a fast, fun song. You don't have to be a fan to like this. And don't get the wrong idea, it isn't a racist song, please don't be put off by that idea. 8/10

Bonus Track: Marilyn must like putting ending tracks to a CD and not mentioning it. Yay! Surprises! On Smells Like Children there's the bonus track at the end. This is a cool track. You get about 2 minutes of music near the start, then a lot of silence, and then towards the end some weird kiddies (more like monsters) screaming. Then rrright at the end you hear the guys talking and laughing (is that Pogo again??). 6/10

TO CONCLUDE: Smells Like Children is the perfect CD for a Halloween party. It's got some great tracks to listen to... some of great musical value, others to simply set that spooky scene. Play this all the way through, with perhaps the small exception of Track No.8!! :P ;)

Enjoy!