Portrait of an American Family (Pre-Reznor Mix)

The Manson Family Album was intended to be Marilyn Manson's first studio album and is a precursor to Portrait of an American Family. It is comprised of the original takes and alternate mixes of songs that would later be found on the band's debut and due to the many differences between it and its final form, it can be considered an album unto itself. History Initially, Manson sought out Roli Mosimann to produce the album and with him the band recorded an album's worth of material. At the time, "Snake Eyes & Sissies" was on track to be the band's first single, with a single edit having been made. However the band was simply not satisfied with the output of these recording sessions and shelved the album for a short time. Within a few months, the band would convince rising star Trent Reznor to produce the album instead. With the help of Reznor and his band, Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson re-recorded and reworked their old material until they were satisfied and released it under the name Portrait of an American Family. "Snake Eyes & Sissies" would never see a single release and in Portrait's credits Mosimann is credited as an engineer with no mention of his production work. Years later, former guitarist Scott Putesky was asked about these original recordings in an interview and gave the interviewer a tape featuring the unused recordings. The interviewer then released them to the internet where they are now widely available, usually labeled as "Portrait of an American Family Pre-Reznor Mix" or "Portrait of an American Family Demos". Differences with Portrait of an American Family There are many minor and major differences between The Manson Family Album and its successor, Portrait of an American Family: ■ "Prelude (The Family Trip)": This track is not present on The Manson Family Album and was recorded solely for Portrait of an American Family. ■ "Snake Eyes & Sissies": This version of the song is 62 seconds longer than the version that was released and featured alternate lyrics. It was also considered as a single and a radio edit was prepared for it that was never released. ■ "Lunchbox": This version lacks the opening sample of a child saying "Next motherf**ker's gonna get my metal" and the opening "bionic guitar" contributed by Trent Reznor, but is otherwise the same. ■ "Get Your Gunn": This version repeats the chorus and bridge more than the released version and runs 50 seconds longer because of it. ■ "Citronella": "Citronella" was later renamed to "Dogma" for its official release, though the two versions are close to the same. ■ "Filth": This track is exclusive to The Manson Family Album and was scrapped when the band changed producer. ■ "Wrapped in Plastic": This track was not initially planned to be released and was recorded exclusively for Portrait of an American Family. ■ "Sweet Tooth": This version lacks the 59 seconds of intro noise found on the final mix. ■ "My Monkey": This version has several more Charles Manson samples than the released mix (many from the demo versions) and some different horn sections in the background. Robert Pierce's singing is much clearer and placed higher in the mix on this version as well. This version lacks a chorus and uses Charlie Manson samples where the chorus would later go. ■ Different Mix: Aside from the major differences listed above, most songs presented on the two albums are essentially the same yet mixed differently. Because of this, different instruments are moved to the front or back of the mix creating a different mood while leaving the composition the same. Trivia ■ The title is a reference to serial killer Charles Manson's band, "The Manson Family". ■ Though "Snake Eyes & Sissies" was once considered important enough to be a single, it was never given a release and has not been played by the band since the Smells Like Children tour in 1995/1996. ■ The bottom left picture of John Wayne Gacy was used as album art by the band Acid Bath for the album When the Kite String Pops in 1994. Personnel ■ Marilyn Manson – vocals, producer ■ Daisy Berkowitz – guitars ■ Madonna Wayne Gacy – Keys, loops and samples ■ Gidget Gein – bass ■ Sara Lee Lucas – drums, sound effects ■ Robert Pierce - vocals on "My Monkey" ■ Roli Mosimann - producer (The Marilyn Manson Wiki)