Charles Manson discography


Several recordings by Charles Manson and members of his "Family" have been released since Manson was indicted in late 1969 for the murders of Tate and LaBianca.

Manson and the Beach Boys (uncredited)

Charles Manson was the author of Cease to Exist, a song released by the Beach Boys in 1968 under the title Never Learn Not to Love.
This was the result of Manson meeting Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys. To Manson's displeasure, the title and some of the lyrics were changed. Changes were made to the music too, including adding another bridge. Manson received no credit for the song, as he traded it for a sum of cash and a BSA motorcycle.
Manson cannot be heard in any of the published Beach Boys' recordings of the song, as he was only the author.
However, in the summer of 1968, Manson himself actually recorded some tracks at Brian Wilson's home studio; they were co-produced by Brian and Carl Wilson. Much of the recordings were not demos, but rather polished studio productions of songs. These recordings remain unheard to the public; music historian Andrew Doe stated that the tapes exist, but that they have "not a hope in hell" of being released.

''Lie: The Love and Terror Cult''

In 1968, Phil Kaufman, who had met Manson in prison, moved in briefly with Manson and his "Family". Kaufman continually urged Manson to record some of his songs.
While Manson was being held on the Tate-LaBianca charges, he told Kaufman "please put out my music." According to Kaufman, Manson phoned him five days a week, even though he was allowed only three phone calls per day. Manson was "very anxious for his music to be heard."
After established record companies declined to become involved, Kaufman raised $3000 and pressed 2000 copies of an album entitled . Consisting of recordings made from 1967 to 1969, the album contained thirteen songs. These included "Cease to Exist", a song the Beach Boys had recorded in modified form as "Never Learn Not to Love". Each of the original 2000 copies came with a poster that was put out by "A Joint Venture" and that bore signatures of many prisoners and inmates, all supporting Manson and the Family.
The album was released March 6, 1970. It was distributed on the West Coast, by the same people who did the first underground album, Great White Wonder, a collection of pirated Bob Dylan tapes. Over the next couple of months, only about three hundred copies were sold. Having supposedly failed to recover his investment, Kaufman signed an agreement with New-York-based ESP-Disk to distribute the album nationally.

Other recordings

In 1970, the Manson family recorded an album, titled The Family Jams, of songs written by Manson, although he did not appear on the album.
In the 1980s, Manson made many recordings via tape recorders in prison. These were given to associates on the outside. It is not known exactly how many were made, however, over a dozen unique tapes have surfaced. These recordings were the source for several CDs such as Commemoration, Live at San Quentin and The Way of the Wolf. A short piece of spoken words by him also appears on a Greek private CD release by Anger Department. An album of acoustic songs titled Completion was recorded in the 1980s by Henry Rollins of Black Flag fame. The record was supposed to be released by SST Records, but the project was later canceled due to the label receiving death threats. Only five test pressings of Completion were made, two of which remain in Rollins' possession.
Scheduled for release by Lupo Records on May 7, 2007, was the Charles Manson album The Summer of Hate – the '67 Sessions. It was the first release of the complete recordings that were made in a rehearsal studio on September 11, 1967, that went on to be used as demos in an effort to secure a recording deal.
A former Manson family member, Bobby Beausoleil, who appeared as lead guitarist on several tracks from the Lie album, has released several recordings since being in prison. Another former Manson family member, Steve "Clem" Grogan, was actively involved in music. An unofficial CD of a prison concert from the 1970s is available in collectors' circles and since being paroled several years ago, "Clem" has been a member of several local bands in California.
An additional, limited edition two-CD set, entitled The Wit and Wisdom of Charles Manson, has been sold on some sites. The release contains spoken word, interviews and unreleased music, only available on CD-R with a cover and artwork.

Discography

Albums