Released:  July 19th, 1994

Recorded:  August – December 1993

Genre:  Industrial Rock/Metal, Alternative Rock/Metal

Record Label:  Nothing / Interscope

Duration:  61:05

Producers:  Trent Reznor, Marilyn Manson

Personnel

Track Listing

Singles

Why Portrait of an American Family is One of My Favorites

Here we are at the very first album from future shock-rockers Marilyn Manson, and these are humble beginnings to be sure.  I’ve got so much information rattling around in my head about the band’s demos and all the history behind Portrait of an American Family and I’m trying my best to temper it to discuss more of the music and less of the history.

Portrait of an American Family sounds fairly similar to the band’s early demos.  They have a corrupted, childlike quality to them, a sort of twisted, drugged up, and perverted version of childhood.  My description of Smells Like Children still holds up well here – it’s like a kid’s album that isn’t made for kids.  This album would also be the beginning of the guys in Manson inheriting some of the Nine Inch Nails family, with behind the scenes guys like Moulder, Beavan, Clouser, and Reznor all pitching all, which is of course what kept the sound of Manson and NIN so close there for a couple of years.

Manson’s debut is nearly universally classified as a form of industrial rock/metal and/or alternative rock/metal, and while I certain agree, there’s an undeniable punk influence there, especially when it comes to the aggressive, confrontational, and shouted vocals.  Manson’s vocals would be more processed on later albums, but on Portrait they are very punchy and upfront.  There’s also an urgency and immediacy to the vocals, not to mention all the social commentary.  And of course there’s the rebellious attitude.

What really pushes these guys into industrial is the liberal use of samples, loops, and all manner of distortion on the music.  Portrait is much more stripped down and much less electronic than later albums, but it’s still there.  The instrumentation isn’t too complex, and it’s really the bizarre samples and sound effects that gives the album the vibe of a playground from hell.  The raw sound is something to get used to; I’m not really sure how long it took me to get into Portrait, and while it may not be anything groundbreaking, it’s just strange enough to sound like nothing I’ve ever heard.

Songs are distinguishable from each other, though they do share a basic sound.  The guitars are scratchy and buzzing, foreshadowing the booming quality they’d take on in a couple of years.  There’s still a good bit of lead guitar work in here; simple overlays in the higher registers can be found in almost every song while others contain mini-solos (“Lunchbox” for example/

“Cake and Sodomy” is one of the most memorable tracks, if nothing else because of its opening line “I am the God of Fuck.”  Here’s one of many examples of the punk-like delivery as Manson lampoons not only “white trash” but the laziness and hypocrisy of Americans in general.  He delivers some great lines here, proving that the band really did have something to say in their early days.

“Lunchbox” is the “punkiest” cut and addresses teenage violence.  Even the lyrics are punky – “I wanna grow up / I wanna be / So no one fucks with me.”  “Get Your Gunn” is similar in style and again attacks American culture, especially the right wing.  Here’s another song where the guys actually have a lot to say: “Pseudo morals work real well on the talk shows for the weak / selective judgement and good-guy badges don’t mean a fuck to me.”

“Dope Hat” is straight out of a hellish carnival.  The playful baseline and goofy sound effects underscore themes of addiction and control.  “But we all know the hat is wearing me” is a clear reference to the power of addiction and dependence, despite the bouncy nature of the song.  “Snake Eyes and Sissies” is one of the catchiest cuts, with more of the soft-loud dynamic that pervades much of the album.  I always though “middle finger technology” was a particularly clever lyric.

“My Monkey” is a creepy little number owing to Manson’s namesake; it also most fully embodies the perverse notion of childhood that defines the album.  The chorus is taken directly from a Charles Manson song called “Mechanical Man,” and Manson (Marilyn, that is) uses a bizarre sound effect to make him sound like something akin to a deranged chipmunk.  He’s even joined by the 6 year old from “Lunchbox” for part of the song, making for a truly bizarre sound.  This isn’t the most coherent song on the album, but it is easily the weirdest and perhaps most unnerving.  Between the blaring game show-like brass section, samples of Charles Manson speaking about murder, Marilyn Manson’s hellish vocal effects, and the 6 year old saying stuff like “big dicks,” it’s one of the most disturbing bits of music ever conceived by the band.

This is just a smattering of what to expect, and really, all of the songs are great.  There are a few that took longer to grow on me than others, but in time I came to see the merit in all of them.  Superficially, Portrait might seem a little disjointed, over the top, and even chaotic, but I think it’s a very tight album, especially when compared to the inconsistency of their demo material which they were recording right up until recording for Portrait began.  I’m not sure if I would’ve wanted Manson to put out another album like this, though there’s a certain degree of rawness and a genuineness that gets lost on future albums as the band refines their image and stage antics.  Don’t get me wrong, Antichrist Superstar is still my favorite because of how it sounds and the manic energy level, but I also think it tends to overshadow the greatness of Portrait of an American Family.  

The lyrics reflect a very observant iteration of the band (and likely the contributions of Berkowitz) as they comment on culture rather than driving towards the most offensive material possible to elicit reactions.  On their first major release, the guys are content to ridicule the slovenly and excessive nature of Americans, and especially the inherent hypocrisy at the core of several social beliefs and conventions.  Musically we’re left with a decently heavy sound alongside upbeat rhythms to keep the tracks accessible (or at least somewhat so).  I find it to be a clever and down to earth body of work, especially after some of the glitz and glitter of shock rock has lost its effect.

Written by The Cubist

Other albums from Marilyn Manson in this series:

• 1995 – Smells Like Children – Issue #61
• 1996 – Antichist Superstar – Issue #3
• 1998 – Mechanical Animals – Issue #78

Back to The Cubist’s 90’s Albums