Marilyn Manson - Portrait of an American Family

Every parent's nightmare and every teenager's dream band, Marilyn Manson take no prisoners on their blistering and brutal Trent Reznor-produced debut. Aiming to shock and rock simultaneously, Portrait scores high marks in both arenas. Manson and his grand grimoire take Alice Cooper's tongue-in-cheek mix of glam and death rock to the nth degree with their vision of youth gone wild, personified on cuts like "Cake and Sodomy" and "Lunchbox," a schoolyard revenge fantasy gone horribly awry. One of the most original, hardest rocking albums recorded in the '90s, Portrait of an American Family is a hallmark of the industrial/metal genre, but not for those who are easily offended. --Gail Worley Amazon.com

The Real Marilyn Manson Roots

POAAF is the most real album Manson has to offer. I mean I love Antichrist Superstar, Mechanical Animals, and Holy Wood more than this album but they're all much too built up on storylines and his appearances. Portrait Of An American Family is without a doubt the real Manson, Brian Warner or whatever you want to call him. The album is the fruition of his first thoughts and questions on American life and it's warped daily routines. To me this is the first record that a musician has ever attacked what was never questioned before. Most notably Religion. A perfect example of this would be the dark, grinding song known as "Cake and Sodomy". A song in which Manson attacks the stereotypical religious southern, TV watching Christian; the lyrics richly inspired by Pat Robertson of the 700 Club (if you read his book you would know what I mean). While "Lunchbox" offers a more comical side of Marilyn as he takes the role of a frustrated and bullied school child who wishes to be a huge rock star, a song loosely based upon himself. "Get Your Gunn" (the first single) seems to be the most outstanding track for Portrait due ot it's well-written lyrics and imagery. None of the other songs stray away from the seeminglessly harmless childlike themes gone horribly awry ALA "Organ Grinder", "Dope Hat", "Wrapped In Plastic", "Sweet Tooth" and "My Monkey". Comical horror and sound distortions are huge components in this album. POAAF delves into the warped mind of an aspiring rock star (as of Manson's stance in the Music world in 1994) who took on the topics never once opposed and pushed them to the limits of Society's buttons. Portrait is an early deep and brooding industrial gem. Remember without this early 90's classic, Manson and his future work would cease to exist.
June 6, 2007

I NEED YOU MANSON!STICK AROUND AWHILE!

MANSON'S DEFINITELY THE MAN!THIS CD IS PERFECTION-JUST LIKE ALL HIS OTHER CDS!HIS VOICE IS PERFECT.HIS MUSIC IS PERFECT.HIS LYRICS ARE PERFECT.HE'S WHAT WE NEED!HE'S WHAT THE MUSIC INDUSRTY NEEDS!HE'S MY IDOL-AND I KNOW HE ALWAYS WILL BE!MANSON'S EXCELLENT! May 12, 2007

THANK YOU MANSON!YOU GAVE ME LIFE!

THIS IS MANSONS FIRST CD.REAL AND TRUE MUSIC HAS ARRIVED!HIS VOICE IS SO DIMENSIONAL.HIS LUNGS ARE SO POWERFUL.HIS MUSIC AND LYRICS ARE GREAT!YOU CAN TELL HE PUTS HIS HEART AND SOUL IN ALL HIS SONGS ON ALL HIS CDS.HIS VOICE,THE LYRICS,AND THE MUSIC GO PERFECTLY TOGETHER!HE TOUCHES MY HEART AND SOUL!HE'S MY IDOL!I ONLY LISTEN TO HIS MUSIC.HE MOVES ME.HE MAKES ME FEEL.HE TRULY IS A MAN WHO IS ABOVE AND BEYOND!HE'S EXTREMELY TALENTED AND GIFTED!OF COURSE I RECOMMEND THIS CD,AND ALL HIS OTHER CDS TO EVERYBODY TO LISTEN TO!YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE-BUT SO MUCH TO GAIN!THIS CD IS EXCELLENT!THANK YOU MANSON-YOU GAVE ME LIFE! March 26, 2007

Everything you could want...from a debut

Upon first listen I thought this would be a great album to put on at Halloween night. From audio of Bud Dwyer's suicide to Marilyn's haunting rendition of the infamous Willy Wonka nightmare boat speech it's sure to make you atleast a little uneasy. As I began to listen to it more I started to notice what a great record this is. Great hooks and riffs from the great Daisy Berkowits, Marilyn's iconic voice, and enough political commentary to make Neil Young feel inadequate, this album has everything you could want...from a debut. If you're looking for Marilyn Manson's more industrial sound this is not the place to find it. If you're looking for a band with a raw sound and great energy then this is the album for you. Some highlights include "Cake and Sodomy" which is the ultimate example of Manson's power, "Lunchbox" is a Manson classic and I wouldn't be surprised if you felt like beating someone after giving this song a listen, "Get Your Gunn" is one that always has creeped me out, mostly because of the audio clips of Bud Dwyer's suicide which have never failed at making me feel like a frightened turtle. All in all this is mpre a piece of art than simply an album. Highly recommended. February 15, 2007

Here's where it all began...definitely a solid album

This used to be my least favorite release due to its lackluster production quality in comparison to releases like Antichrist and Mechanical. But you've got to consider the time, 1994. Grunge was dead and something dark and more innovative in music was starting to form. Portrait was the beginning of this change. Its a great album, not to be taken too seriously. It shows Mansons roots, his youthful rage, not yet completely clouded by his own nihilism.
Its punky metal with industrial fuzz all around the edges. From start to finish its a solid album, catchy, enjoyable with enough hooks to keep your average listener interested. Compared to a lot of other bands & albums that came out around that time, Portrait sets the standard. Quality songwriting, overall structure and a valid message delivered with a candy coated fist to the face.
Just the beginning of Mansons legendary career, and definitly worth purchasing. November 30, 2006

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