''The Family Jams'' is an
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...
featuring members of the
Manson Family, a cult formed by
Charles Manson. Recorded in or around 1969, the album was released in 1997. Although Charles Manson himself does not appear on any of the
tracks, he is given writing credit for all of the
song
A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetit ...
s. Most of the male vocals are sung by member
Steve "Clem" Grogan
Steven Dennis "Clem" Grogan (born July 13, 1951) is an American convicted murderer and former member of the Manson Family. He was released from prison in 1985, the only person paroled after being convicted of murder in the killings committed by ...
. Other members appearing on the album are
Sandra Good
Sandra Collins Good (born February 20, 1944) is a long-time member of the Manson Family and a close friend of Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme. Good's Manson Family nickname is "Blue", which was given to her by Charles Manson to represent clean air and ...
,
Catherine "Gypsy" Share, Catherine "Cappy" Gillies, Nancy "Brenda" Pitman, and
Ruth Ann "Ouisch" Moorehouse.
In 1997 it was released simultaneously on CD by both Transparency Records and Aoroa Records.
['The Complete Charles Manson Discography' compiled by Arvid Dittmann, featured as pages 935–988, 2011 updated edition, The Manson File: Myth and Reality of an Outlaw Shaman by ]Nikolas Schreck
Nikolas Schreck is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, film-maker and Tantric Buddhist religious teacher based in Berlin, Germany.
Now a solo artist, Schreck founded the musical magical recording and performance collective Radio ...
. The counterfeit releases are all listed in the book.
The first disc is the same music as a previously released
white vinyl record called "Manson Family Sings the Songs of Charles Manson." This version, however, has been re-mastered for superior sound. The second disc contains new material and previously unreleased versions of the songs.
In late 1969, the Manson Family got everyone together, including Bruce Davis (then wanted by the FBI), in the
Spahn Ranch
Spahn Ranch, also known as the Spahn Movie Ranch, was a 55-acre (22.3 ha) movie ranch in Los Angeles, California. For a period it was used as a ranch, dairy farm and later movie set during the era of westerns. After a decline in use for filming b ...
saloon, to record music for Robert Hendrickson's ''Manson'' film. This was the beginning of the Family Jams, but the original audio tapes remain buried in a vault.
The album was recorded as the murder trial was ongoing, with the song "Get on Home" containing the eerie line referring to the killers carving crosses into their foreheads: "When you see the children with x's on their head, if you dare to look at them, soon you will be dead."
Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids has released an unrelated demo with the same title, but this is not to be confused with the Manson Family's album.
The British Doom Metal band
Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats recorded a version of 'Get on Home' to use as a b-side for the single release of the song 'Mind Crawler' from their second album, 'Mind Control'.
Track listing
Disc one
#"Ra-Hide Away!"
#"Love's Death"
#"Die to Be One"
#"No Wrong-Come Along"
#"Get on Home"
#"Is There No One in Your World But You?"
#"First They Made Me Sleep in the Closet/I'm Scratchin' Peace Symbols on Your Tombstone"
#"Give Your Love (To Be Free)"
#"I'll Never Say Never to Always"
#"Look at Your Love"
#"If I Had a Million Dollars"
#"Goin' to the Church House"
Disc two
#"A Gamblin' Man Come From Natchez"
#"Ra-Hide Away"
#"Die to Be One"
#"The Fires Are Burning"
#"Give Your Love (To Be Free)"
#"The Young Will Overcome"
#"Going to the Church House"
#"Love's Death"
#"I'll Never Say Never to Always"
#"Die to Be One"
#"Look at Your Love"
#"I Can't Remember When"
#"Going to the Church House"
#"I Can't Remember When (Alternate)"
#"Give Your Love to Be Free"
#"London Bridge Is Falling Down"
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Family Jams, The
1997 albums
Charles Manson albums