Manic Street Preachers continue

[purlieu]

'International Blue' is a belter, but yes, the first half is basically Postcards From a Young Man part 2.

[Custard]

I'd replace The Left Behind with the other Nicky sung (bonus) tune, Concrete Fields, which is oddly quite moving. Especially when it breaks into Seasons In The Sun at the end

Agreed that Mirror Gaze should've been on the record, too. So I'd lob that on there in place of Vivian. And take off Liverpool Revisited, obviously

I am thinking this is easily their weakest album, mind. Postcards was a belter compared to this

[PaulTMA]

Dunno, Send Away The Tigers is my worst-est.  The bad songs on that are truly abysmal and even the good-ok ones don't save it from feel utterly contrived and forced.  Postcards really should have just been called Some Kind Of Nothingness, sums up the album very well.  It's like the McDonalds marketing department decided to secretly fund a Manics album.  Rewind The Film is sort of pleasant yet utterly dreary and quite boring.  Lyrics on 30 Year War are toe-curlingly bad, like Royal Correspondent-bad or those worst songs on Send Away The Tigers-bad.  Futurology is an improvement on all of these but still overrated by fans, I'd say.  The chorus of Misguided Missile is so lame it manages to flush all the promise offered by the introduction and verse quite cleanly down the bog.

At the very least, side two of the new album goes some distance to genuinely capture a good measure of the feeling I got from their pre-TIMTTMY albums, so have to give props to that.

And of course, Lifeblood and Journal For Plague Lovers are great all the way through anyway, but thankfully everyone unanimously agrees about all of their output, don't dey?

[Dr Syntax Head]

Your love alone is proper wonderful though

[Dr Syntax Head]

And of course, Lifeblood and Journal For Plague Lovers are great all the way through anyway, but thankfully everyone unanimously agrees about all of their output, don't dey?

We should all agree Gen Terrorists and Gold are amazing but Holy Bible is a true masterpiece. As is Everything must go.

[purlieu]

The incredible thing about the Manics is they continually change their sound, quite dramatically at times, and manage to have people who passionately defend pretty much every album they've made, which is quite a feat.

[Dr Syntax Head]

Radiohead have done the same. It's why I defend both bands quite passionately

[Spiteface]

Dunno, Send Away The Tigers is my worst-est.  The bad songs on that are truly abysmal and even the good-ok ones don't save it from feel utterly contrived and forced.

I said it before, the B-sides disc on the recent reissue makes for a better album. That's where the real good shit from that era is.

[Dr Syntax Head]

The thing about the Manics is it's all about James. He can make a pedestrian boring piece of song sound like it's the last thing you want to hear. He is incredible. As a Guitar player and a vocalist.

[Spiteface]

The thing about the Manics is it's all about James. He can make a pedestrian boring piece of song sound like it's the last thing you want to hear. He is incredible. As a Guitar player and a vocalist.

Indeed. Everyone talks about Richey in the context of the Holy Bible, but James turned that stuff into actual songs.

[Dr Syntax Head]

Indeed. Everyone talks about Richey in the context of the Holy Bible, but James turned that stuff into actual songs.

James turned their entire career into songs. What a guy. I want to kiss his face so much.

[garbed_attic]

The thing about the Manics is it's all about James. He can make a pedestrian boring piece of song sound like it's the last thing you want to hear. He is incredible. As a Guitar player and a vocalist.

IMHO he immediately improves this Therapy! track and could likely do so for all of their songs!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK12zShwfqU

(I'm pretty fond of Suicide Pact - but at heart I feel they're a decent, albeit troubled pub band)

[purlieu]

Therapy!

That would be a great name for a Therapy? tribute act.

(I'm pretty fond of Suicide Pact - but at heart I feel they're a decent, albeit troubled pub band)

Have you heard Crooked Timber and A Brief Crack of Light? Both are startlingly odd records, which is always the side of the band I felt they should be more often. Their poppier stuff, Troublegum aside, is usually really run of the mill.

[Dr Syntax Head]

IMHO he immediately improves this Therapy! track and could likely do so for all of their songs!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK12zShwfqU

(I'm pretty fond of Suicide Pact - but at heart I feel they're a decent, albeit troubled pub band)

I thought Therapy? were brilliant. I was a troubled teen Nine Inch Nails fan when I was listening to them though.

[Dr Syntax Head]

The elephant in the room.

All is vanity

"IT'S A FACT OF LIFE SUNSHINE"

Oh my fucking god does James make you want to just go out there, and be a better person. It's objectively a perfect song. "IT'S NOT WRONG IT'S WHAT'S RIGHT"

Damn fucking straight.

[PaulTMA]

Virginia State Epileptic Colony is an almighty tune.  Went on a Manics forum and it appears to be one all the 'proper' fans think is a weak link.  Dunno what the fuck's going on sometimes with this band.

I don't think it sounds like The Almighty btw

[Dr Syntax Head]

The Almighty were brilliant first 3 albums

[PaulTMA]

Any thoughts on Steven Wilson's song 'Hand Cannot Erase', it's about the most JDB thing ever (sans solo)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A64J8mo8oZE

[Shaky]

I thought Therapy? were brilliant. I was a troubled teen Nine Inch Nails fan when I was listening to them though.

Andy Cairns is a very underrated songwriter and I'd wager Therapy? were a great band up to and including Semi-Detached but after that their output is rather spotty. Still some cracking stuff, though, and Crooked Timber was an interesting detour.

I used to encounter Michael McKeegan talking bass with the guy who worked in my local newsagents. Seemed like a decent guy but never had the courage to really speak to him.

[Custard]

Hold Me Like A Heaven is a little cracker. Probably my current favourite.

This is a much stronger record without Vivien and Liverpool Revisited

[Spiteface]

That one sounded really good in Cardiff last night. As did Motown Junk making a return to the set after several years.

Then there was also this:Nicky Wire pretending to be Johnny Rotten and JAmes Dean Bradfield being Steve Jones for a cover of No Feelings

No Anchoress, meaning Wayne Murray (their live guitarist) took her part on Dylan and Caitlin.

ANd James can even do the Faster solo on acoustic. Show off!

[Dr Syntax Head]

Then there was also this:Nicky Wire pretending to be Johnny Rotten and JAmes Dean Bradfield being Steve Jones for a cover of No Feelings

Aaaaand he's doing the spinning around on one leg thing. I could watch that guy all day.

[garbed_attic]

That would be a great name for a Therapy? tribute act.Have you heard Crooked Timber and A Brief Crack of Light? Both are startlingly odd records, which is always the side of the band I felt they should be more often. Their poppier stuff, Troublegum aside, is usually really run of the mill.

Actually - yes and I liked them both rather a lot! Thanks for reminding me!

As said, I think Suicide Pact is pretty great - I agree that they are/were best at indulging their stranger impulses.

[non capisco]

'Jackie Collins Existential Question Time' just came up on shuffle. I'm normally pretty lukewarm on post 'Everything Must Go' Manics but I fucking love that song. JDB giving it some full on vocal helmet at the end, there.

[Desirable Industrial Unit]

Fucking hell, watch that Wireless Big Weekend performance on iPlayer.  Or don't, because it's the saddest thing you'll ever see.

You lucked out with 'If you tolerate this', nobody actually likes it.

[Brundle-Fly]

Fucking hell, watch that Wireless Big Weekend performance on iPlayer.  Or don't, because it's the saddest thing you'll ever see.

You lucked out with 'If you tolerate this', nobody actually likes it.

I'm no fan, but I thought they did a great turn.

[Spiteface]

It was alright considering Nicky Wire had to pull out last minute, but I've seen better. And the THIRD guitarist is unnecessary.

Also, whoever is doing the sound mixing for the BBC wants shooting, between that and the Manics on Jools.

[purlieu]

You lucked out with 'If you tolerate this', nobody actually likes it.

Eh? It's a really popular song.

[Shaky]

I'm going to be CONTROVERSIAL and say the Manics are often a bit swamped by these stadium-type gigs. Give me the 3-piece playing in a club any day.

[Spiteface]

I'm going to be CONTROVERSIAL and say the Manics are often a bit swamped by these stadium-type gigs. Give me the 3-piece playing in a club any day.

The two best gigs I've seen them do, were the Swansea date of the PPF tour in 2005 and The Holy Bible 20th Anniversary in Manchester - the latter was just the three of them for the album half and they sounded fantastic. They can pull it off as a trio, yet they don't want to.

I kinda feel like going outside of Wales to see them next time, even though Cardiff/Newport is easier. Big stadium shit like Cardiff Castle or Everything Must Go at Swansea Liberty Stadium just attracts fuckers who really should be going to Stereophonics gigs instead.