Smells Like Children

Smells Like Children
EP by Marilyn Manson
Released	October 24, 1995 (1995-10-24)
Recorded	Nothing Studios, New Orleans
Genre	Industrial metal, alternative metal
Length	54:43
Label	Nothing, Interscope, Atlantic
Producer	Marilyn Manson Charlie Clouser Trent Reznor Dave Ogilvie
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Entertainment Weekly D link Robert Christgau (D+) link
Marilyn Manson chronology
Portrait of an American Family (1994) Smells Like Children (1995) Antichrist Superstar (1996)

Smells Like Children is a 1995 Remix album by band Marilyn Manson. Various contributions by engineer and Skinny Puppy producer Dave Ogilvie, Nine Inch Nails keyboardist Charlie Clouser and new material by the band resulted in an eclectic and unusual combination of material. The album was produced by Trent Reznor and Marilyn Manson and represents an era of the band full of drugs, abuses, tours, sound experimentations and is also a reference to the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang movie. All the ideas and tracks for this EP were created and composed during the Portrait of an American Family tour and is also the first Marilyn Manson work that features Ginger Fish on drums. Marilyn Manson referred to this album as "An album that looks like an album for children that is not for children". On the bottom edge of the disc you can see the words "Keep this and all drugs away from small children"

A number of covers are included on the album, most famous of which is the band's cover of Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)", which helped to skyrocket the band into the mainstream. The other covers on the album are the Patti Smith song "Rock N Roll Nigger" and Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell on You". Manson's recording of "I Put a Spell on You" was also featured on the soundtrack for the David Lynch film Lost Highway.

The original version of Smells Like Children as produced by the band featured unauthorized samples from the films Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. In addition the tracks "Abuse, Part 1" and "Abuse, Part 2" included recordings of fans made backstage during the band's tour with Danzig. Interscope Records was not interested in buying licenses to use the film samples and demanded written affidavits from the participants in the "Abuse" tracks, certifying their consent to be recorded. Accordingly the album was re-edited prior to its release, but a master of the original version was mistakenly used to press a limited number of promotional discs. In his autobiography Manson says of the unedited tracks, "Now, they are available to anyone who wants to hear them on the Internet. Though someone at the label actually accused me of plotting it, I wish I was that resourceful. God, however irrelevant he may be to me, works in mysterious ways." ^[1]

Two songs from the album were completely replaced: "Abuse, Part 1 (Confession)" and "Abuse, Part 2 (There is Pain Involved)". "Abuse, Part 1" features Manson and Danzig/Pantera tour driver Tony F. Wiggins speaking to a masochistic girl, attempting to calm her down when things get really out of hand. "Abuse, Part 2", features an interview with a teenage girl who confesses to molesting her 7-year-old male cousin. ^[2]

"May Cause Discoloration Of The Urine Or Feces" is sometimes included on bootlegs of the uncensored EP under the title "Procardia", in a heavily modified version which is a fan made track, and not an actual track from either pressing. The version contains the original track in the left channel, and an extract from Raggedy Ann in the right. The Smells Like Children version was previously featured as part of the sound scape "Revelation #9", released on the single for "Get Your Gunn".

The album alludes to famous occult author Aleister Crowley, particularly in the track titled of "Diary of a Dope Fiend" after the Crowley novel Diary of a Drug Fiend.

The "Frankie" referred to in "Fuck Frankie" is Frankie Proia, Manson's tour manager at the time who embezzled $20,000 from the band during their tour for their previous release, Portrait of an American Family.

The "One Legged" referenced in "Dancing with the One Legged" was "a battered doll of Huggy Bear, the pimp from Starsky and Hutch, which was missing a leg". Manson explains, "Inside that empty plastic socket was where we hid our drugs throughout the Tony Wiggins tour. Whenever we ingested the contents of that extra orifice, we referred to it in code as 'dancing with the one-legged pimp'". ^[2]

The tracks "Sympathy for the Parents" and "Dancing with the One-Legged..." are distorted sound clips taken from an appearance ^[3] by Marilyn Manson, Twiggy Ramirez and Madonna Wayne Gacy on the The Phil Donahue Show. The episode discussed the dangers of moshing at concerts. While responding to a question about the appearance of the band from an audience member, Twiggy pulls out a tape recording and begins playing the track "Scabs, Guns and Peanut Butter".

The untitled 16th track contains a slower, more ominous remix of "Shitty Chicken Gang Bang" and, approximately 6 minutes in, an unusual audio experiment sometimes referred to as "Poop Games". The album has sold over 4 million copies worldwide.

Track listing

Original Version

Credits

• Marilyn Manson
  • Marilyn Manson — concept, vocals, producer, art direction
  • Twiggy Ramirez — bass, tape manipulation
  • Daisy Berkowitz — guitars and concept
  • Madonna Wayne Gacy — keyboards, synthesizers, loops, programming
  • Ginger Fish — drums, percussion
• Tony F. Wiggins — vocals, acoustic guitar
• Trent Reznor — executive producer
• Chris Vrenna — programming, digital editing
• Sean Beavan — engineer, mixing
• Charlie Clouser — remixing
• Dave "Rave" Ogilvie — remixing
• Joseph Bishara — remixing
• Anthony Valcic — remixing
• Jim Janick — assistant
• Joseph Cultice — photography
• Gary Talpas — art direction, package design, logo
• Dean Karr — video director for Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)

Charting positions

Album

Singles

Footnotes