It's rather ironic that Marilyn Manson, an artist who kept the idea of the concept album alive during the '90s, turns out to have a greater impact as a singles artist, as the 17-track hits compilation Lest We Forget: The Best of Marilyn Manson illustrates. While each of his post-Portrait of an American Family LPs were designed to be heard as a whole, their singles unfailingly distilled the attitude and ideas behind the individual albums to their catchy core. Yes, catchy -- at his best, Marilyn Manson had a knack for a heavy, glammy hook, the kind that's hard to get out of your head, no matter how hard you try. Not every single had a great hook -- "Tourniquet" is a moody dirge, indicative of what awaits a listener on the album tracks -- but the best of them did, whether it was "Lunchbox" from the debut, the delirious "The Beautiful People," the glam-stomp of "The Dope Show," or the Faith No More homage "mOBSCENE." All these are here, but Lest We Forget doesn't have all the hits -- charting singles "I Don't Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me)" and "Rock Is Dead" are conspicuously missing, as are video hits like "Dope Hat," "Man That You Fear," and "Coma White." These omissions are curious, considering that album tracks and covers are used as substitutions. Nevertheless, it has enough of the hits to make this worthwhile for the casual fans, as well as those listeners who never wanted to admit that these late-'90s alt-rock radio staples were guilty pleasures. [Lest We Forget was also released as a limited-edition set, featuring a bonus DVD containing all the music videos Manson released during the '90s.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

There couldn't be a more fitting title for this collection of gruesome grooves by modern rock's most paradoxical artist; it implies the cataclysm of a national tragedy, and still completely understates the impact this band has had in shaping the face of popular music. How could anyone forget the self-proclaimed "Antichrist Superstar" and his macabre circus? Once a Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) protege, the visually intense Marilyn Manson quickly eclipsed his mentor with releases that peered beneath the facade of American life, revealing a seedy, grotesque, and often disturbing reality.

Considering that Marilyn Manson never pandered to the Top 40 set, LEST WE FORGET can't rightfully be dubbed a greatest-hits record; it serves more as a reminder of the man and his group's 10-year blitz of ghoulish, gory, industrial rock. Manson was always a fan of satire, and covers of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" and "Tainted Love" offer sinister results. The 2004 collection also features a spooky new take on Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus," as well as an array of dark favorites culled from each release by the man himself, including "The Dope Show," "Tourniquet," and "The Beautiful People." Take one look at the disc's photos (or the uber-graphic bonus DVD available on some versions) and have Marilyn Manson burned in your mind forever.