Tired cliches and stale lyrics set to a grating electronic noise that claims to be music. Isn't this idiot's 15 minutes of fame over yet?

The Manson Family is:

Marilyn Manson- Vocals
Gidget Gein- Bass
Daisy Berkowitz- Guitar
Madonna Wayne Gacy- Keyboards
Sara Lee Lucas- Drums

Portrait of an American Family:

1. Prelude (The Family Trip)
2. Cake and Sodomy
3. Lunchbox
4. Organ Grinder
5. Cyclops
6. Dope Hat
7. Get Your Gunn
8. Wrapped In Plastic
9. Dogma
10. Sweet Tooth
11. Snake Eyes and Sissies
12. My Monkey
13. Misery Machine

Marilyn Manson's 1994 debut titled "Portrait of an American Family" was the first album to be released on Trent Reznor's record label "Nothing Records" and it introduced the world to the All-American Antichrist and his band of heavy metal freaks. "Portrait of an American Family" is my second most favorite Manson album (Antichrist Superstar is the best). The songs on this album are great, I can't find one song that sounds like a sell-out on this album. But it is pretty obvious when you listen to the songs that Sara Lee Lucas is not much of a drummer but somehow his drumming didn't affect the album at all. "Lunchbox" and "My Monkey" will always be a Marilyn Manson classic. Out of all the songs on this album "Wrapped in Plastic" will always be my personal favorite track on the album and it never gets old to me.

When asked about the pupose of the album Manson quoted: "I want to adress the hipocrisy of talk show America, how morals are worn as a badge to make you look good and how it's much easier to talk about your beliefs than to live up to them."

Thats some powerful words coming from Marilyn Manson and even more powerful songs to go with it.

Manson fans won't be dissapointed... It's worth every penny!!

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.

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!

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!