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67 of 74 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The cult of personality!, October 17, 2003
Charles Manson. The name says it all. You drop the name on anyone, and the reactions will all be the same for the most part. In addition to the notorious stories recalling the events of 1969 - I always think of Axl Rose wearing the KILL YOUR IDOLS shirt with the famous image of the wild-eyed cult leader. Charles Manson? His life is somewhat documented - born to a prostitute and living amongst the shadows of humanity in the streets. I don't know for sure if he was a genius, more like a very particular breed of person. Maybe for lack of understanding, he is called a "genius" in the same breath as a "monster". The fascination with him probably runs along the same lines as the likes of Ed Gein, Jack the Ripper and Ted Bundy. There is something about these people that operate on very primal levels, parts of the psyche best left buried far beneath culture and civilization?I bought this CD out of curiosity. I wanted to know what a guy with this kind of mind writes songs about. What I found was very unexpected to say the least - a voice full of expression, and lyrics that were as spare and direct as the music itself. A folk-singer from the darkest corners of the American experience, these recordings were completed prior to the events that would make him an icon of sorts. Just looking over the song titles, you start to see the fragments of a mystery. I remember hearing an interview with CM, where he states he has been in prison all his life. And he sings about just that. I've had a few friends of mine listen to the CD without letting them in on who the artist was. I heard some interesting guesses: Willie Nelson, Hank Williams, James Taylor and even John Phillips. They all confessed to actually liking what they heard, and then expressed guilt for actually liking it! I like it. I think there's much added to it by the notoriety of the artist - but all in all, not bad music. There's certainly a rock-gut sincerity here that elevates it above the normal love, tongue-in-cheek, beatnik styles of folk music popular at the time - providing a counter-point to popular styles, even. I wonder what direction his career would have taken if he was actually signed to a label and promoted: would he have gone all that far anyway? He doesn't seem like the type of guy that would really bend to the wills of record executives and marketing agents. Maybe we would have had "punk" a little sooner than later? Maybe he would have fizzled around 1972, and then get arrested for shoplifting dresses in Florida a few years later? Lots of maybes. This music is mostly for the curious, I guess - and you actually might be pleasantly surprised by what you find...
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~ Manson Family
DVD ~ Maureen Allisse
by Vincent Bugliosi J.D.
DVD ~ Zeena LaVey
by Ed Sanders
by Charles Manson 
