Charles Manson - LIE: Love and Terror Cult
(ESP-Disk)

Charles Manson is, above all else, a murderer. Not to mention a thief, charismatic cult leader, master manipulator, habitual line stepper, but he is also an artist. Yes, Charles Manson, thee Charles Manson, whether you like it or not, has been making music for almost as long as he has been synonymous with inherent evil, the dangers of drugs, the lie of the free-lovin'-and-druggin' cultural revolution of the 60's and America's morbid fascination with serial killer culture. But we are not here to talk about his reputation. We are here to talk about his incredible debut studio album LIE: The Love & Terror Cult. Originally released in 1970, but recorded in 1968, it is here again, as a snapshot of a moment in time where the youth of America, and particularly California, felt that the global consciousness was shifting. And here was a man named Charlie who was going to free us of all our hang ups and lead us into a new way of living. Across 14 tracks Charlie sings about letting go of your ego, enjoying the comforts of your home, the cool things you can find in a trash can, how doing illegal things is not that cool, and plenty of other life lessons that could be found on any street corner in 1960's Los Angeles. The kicker is this was coming from a person who believed he was the second coming of Christ. Now I know what you're thinking. You're thinking about those murders but I'm talking about the music! This is the flip side to the California Dream that most of California was dreamin’. This is the false light at the end of the tunnel. This is scraping the bottom of self help spirituality. This is the audible equivalent of the bad trip you've been warned about. This is the essence of burnt out psych rock from people who would eventually prove that they had much more to burn than their brain cells. (Adam)
Check out a track here.