Ultimate Album Collection #8-Marilyn Manson “Antichrist Superstar”

Yes, I'll start with my usual disclaimer, I'm not ranking albums here, I'm just saying your listening experience isn't complete until you've checked out the titles in my list.   Marilyn Manson's "Antichrist Superstar" came along two years after the death of Kurt Cobain and tied up all the broken dreams, frustration and aggression into one tiny little knot. With a semi-pornographic cover and a Christian baiting album title, the packaging was not welcome at my house.  The c.d., however, was more than welcome.  More after the jump.

The albums arrival was led by the monster single "The Beautiful People" which is still a modern day classic.  Fleshing out the tracks were "Tourniquet", "Irresponsible Hate Anthem", and "Man That You Fear". These are but four of the 17 tracks on the album (16 tracks plus a bonus track on the 99th cut on the c.d.).  As with most of the albums on my list, this album was more about the whole than any individual cuts. Coming out at the beginning of October it was the soundtrack for a hundred thousand Halloween parties and the newest thing seemingly invented for the sole purpose of pissing off parents.

So while "Lest We Forget (Greatest Hits)" is probably a better sampling of what Manson meant to music in general, "Anti-Christ Superstar" is one of those albums that will not only take you on a journey, it will take you back to a place and time where nightmares were born (and sometime it's just fun being scared).