If Music Could Talk

My person top 5 of the 90s era:
1. The Holy Bible
Perfect nihilistic masterpiece. Not much more can be said about this record that hasn’t already. I really haven’t found another record that has such a perfect mix of post punk weirdness, heavy metal riffing, yet combined with highly anthemic choruses. Who would’ve thought that “We are all Walking Abortions!!” Could sound so triumphant. I personally think Richey Edwards was a piece of shit in retrospect, despite how much I loved him as a teenager. Alas, his fucked up persona formed the basis for one of rock musics’ all time great records. The circumstances surrounding this record really lend it an extra level of gravatas elevating it to almost mythic status.
2. Generation Terrorists
I know I’ll get a ton of shit for putting this above Everything Must Go, but for fucks sake this album is so damn fun. A double album clusterfuck that plays like Axl Rose ramrodding the Clash up the ass with a drum machine released during the height of grunge music and the beginning of Brit pop... it really fit in nowhere in the current zeitgeist of music but this album has a ton of classics. Slash N burn, Motorcycle Emptiness, Little Baby Nothing, You Love us, Stay Beautiful... the political sloganeering really is grade school but it really doesn’t matter. The riffs on this thing holy shit.
3. Everything Must Go
Triumphant Comeback yada yada yada. I know this album often gets lumped in with the whole Brit pop thing but it’s actually very unique. It’s almost like a punk meets Phil Spector vibe. This kind of set the template for where the band went moving forward but IMO they’ve never come close to replicating the sound of this album again. The huge washes of synth strings work so well on this album because of the weight of richey’s disappearance. Current day manics just sound like boring Dad Rock with incredibly tedious pseudo intellectual lyrics. It’s no wonder Journal For Plague lovers was their best album in a decade, and it’s only been more downhill from there.
4. Gold Against the Soul
MORE COCK ROCK
...
...
Love this album
5. This is My Truth Tell me Yours
I’m so grateful the Manics invented Coldplay!!!

I’m not sure how I would rank them but I played the Gold Against The Soul reissue the other day. Did they brickwall the sound? My head still hurts!

My favourite partial album of those five are the first few tracks on This Is My Truth ... , probably what would have been side 1 on vinyl.

Favourite song in the Laxman house is probably Show Me the Wonder from Rewind the Film (I appreciate that’s not the 90s).

Probably Holy Bible > Everything Must Go > Gold Against the Soul/TISMTTMY > Generation Terrorists for me.

Love the Manics but only the first two strike me as particularly strong all the way through. Gold/TISMTTMY are still great but more because of the highs.

Not to be that sort of fan, but a lot of the greatness of the Manics in the 90s is lost without factoring in the non-album tracks. For me, the Gold through Holy Bible stuff in particular (Hiberation, Us Against You, Are Mothers Saints, Comfort Comes, Donkeys) is right up there with their very best stuff.

Holy Bible > Gold Against > all the others on any given day.

I'd say I've listened to GATS more than the rest put together and THB twice as many times as GATS

drowninghere wrote: ↑

18 Mar 2021, 3:17pm

Probably Holy Bible > Everything Must Go > Gold Against the Soul/TISMTTMY > Generation Terrorists for me.

Love the Manics but only the first two strike me as particularly strong all the way through. Gold/TISMTTMY are still great but more because of the highs.

Not to be that sort of fan, but a lot of the greatness of the Manics in the 90s is lost without factoring in the non-album tracks. For me, the Gold through Holy Bible stuff in particular (Hiberation, Us Against You, Are Mothers Saints, Comfort Comes, Donkeys) is right up there with their very best stuff.

Well that plus the mythos of the band really elevates them. This is my favorite non album b side, should have been on the album proper. TIMT simply didn’t rock hard enough for a manics record:

RockNRollWhore wrote: ↑

18 Mar 2021, 5:13pm

drowninghere wrote: ↑

18 Mar 2021, 3:17pm

Probably Holy Bible > Everything Must Go > Gold Against the Soul/TISMTTMY > Generation Terrorists for me.

Love the Manics but only the first two strike me as particularly strong all the way through. Gold/TISMTTMY are still great but more because of the highs.

Not to be that sort of fan, but a lot of the greatness of the Manics in the 90s is lost without factoring in the non-album tracks. For me, the Gold through Holy Bible stuff in particular (Hiberation, Us Against You, Are Mothers Saints, Comfort Comes, Donkeys) is right up there with their very best stuff.

Well that plus the mythos of the band really elevates them. This is my favorite non album b side, should have been on the album proper. TIMT simply didn’t rock hard enough for a manics record:

They obviously agreed with you, because they added it into the re-release version.

1. Holy Bible - and it’s not even close.
2. Generation Terrorists - I’m not ashamed to rank this higher than Everything Must Go. In fact...
3. Gold Against the Soul - I’ve heard the criticisms and I absolutely do not care. All for it.
4. Everything Must Go - Don’t let 4th place fool you. It’s still great.
5. This Is My Truth - Ugh. Mostly boring. Maybe 3.5 good songs. And 2.5 are singles.

I saw the Manics 5 times before they released Generation Terrorists. I loved all their early songs most have been released on the deluxe editions.

I've met Richie and James and they were great. Richie may have been a very troubled soul around the time of their 3rd album but he wasn't a piece of shit as someone further up described him.

Suicide Alley and the New Art Riot ep are fantastic. All the early B-sides like We Her Majesty's Prisoners are great.

1. Generation Terrorists
2. The Holy Bible
3. Gold Against the Soul
4. Everything Must Go
5. Futurology

I don't think they've made a bad record. Lifeblood is not the best but it's still decent. They still remain as relevant as ever and are without doubt under valued.

laxman wrote: ↑

17 Mar 2021, 2:58am

I’m not sure how I would rank them but I played the Gold Against The Soul reissue the other day. Did they brickwall the sound? My head still hurts!

My favourite partial album of those five are the first few tracks on This Is My Truth ... , probably what would have been side 1 on vinyl.

Favourite song in the Laxman house is probably Show Me the Wonder from Rewind the Film (I appreciate that’s not the 90s).

That's a brilliant track.

Marky Dread wrote: ↑

18 Mar 2021, 6:30pm

I saw the Manics 5 times before they released Generation Terrorists. I loved all their early songs most have been released on the deluxe editions.

I've met Richie and James and they were great. Richie may have been a very troubled soul around the time of their 3rd album but he wasn't a piece of shit as someone further up described him.

Suicide Alley and the New Art Riot ep are fantastic. All the early B-sides like We Her Majesty's Prisoners are great.

1. Generation Terrorists
2. The Holy Bible
3. Gold Against the Soul
4. Everything Must Go
5. Futurology

I don't think they've made a bad record. Lifeblood is not the best but it's still decent. They still remain as relevant as ever and are without doubt under valued.

Lifeblood is better than This Is My Truth. There. I said it.

I didn’t include Plague Lovers or Futurology on my Top 5 because the thread specifically asked only for the top 5, but I think both are excellent and legit contenders on that list. I still think the Manics are a surprisingly vital band 30+ years on.

Marky Dread wrote: ↑

18 Mar 2021, 6:30pm

I saw the Manics 5 times before they released Generation Terrorists. I loved all their early songs most have been released on the deluxe editions.

I've met Richie and James and they were great. Richie may have been a very troubled soul around the time of their 3rd album but he wasn't a piece of shit as someone further up described him.

Suicide Alley and the New Art Riot ep are fantastic. All the early B-sides like We Her Majesty's Prisoners are great.

1. Generation Terrorists
2. The Holy Bible
3. Gold Against the Soul
4. Everything Must Go
5. Futurology

I don't think they've made a bad record. Lifeblood is not the best but it's still decent. They still remain as relevant as ever and are without doubt under valued.

Idk I’m split on my opinion on him. I literally idolized him as a teenager keep in mind. That Withdrawn Traces book was pretty eye opening however...

RockNRollWhore wrote: ↑

18 Mar 2021, 7:15pm

Marky Dread wrote: ↑

18 Mar 2021, 6:30pm

I saw the Manics 5 times before they released Generation Terrorists. I loved all their early songs most have been released on the deluxe editions.

I've met Richie and James and they were great. Richie may have been a very troubled soul around the time of their 3rd album but he wasn't a piece of shit as someone further up described him.

Suicide Alley and the New Art Riot ep are fantastic. All the early B-sides like We Her Majesty's Prisoners are great.

1. Generation Terrorists
2. The Holy Bible
3. Gold Against the Soul
4. Everything Must Go
5. Futurology

I don't think they've made a bad record. Lifeblood is not the best but it's still decent. They still remain as relevant as ever and are without doubt under valued.

Idk I’m split on my opinion on him. I literally idolized him as a teenager keep in mind. That Withdrawn Traces book was pretty eye opening however...

I wouldn't take that book as gospel. It tries much too hard to get inside Richie's mind set by looking at what books etc he was reading at the time. The book offered no new facts on his disappearance just how poor the Police handled the case. Some small input from his sister Rachael was nice but overall that book was a huge failure for me.

One of my favorite latter day manics B sides:


Lifeblood is actually right up there with JFPL as being my favorite manics record of the new millennium. I find a lot of their other stuff to be bland dad rock these days but really love when they branch out. Rewind the film is also pretty good and affecting. Futurology is total garbage though IMO. It’s a cheesy simple minds rip off.

RockNRollWhore wrote: ↑

19 Mar 2021, 8:30am

One of my favorite latter day manics B sides:


Lifeblood is actually right up there with JFPL as being my favorite manics record of the new millennium. I find a lot of their other stuff to be bland dad rock these days but really love when they branch out. Rewind the film is also pretty good and affecting. Futurology is total garbage though IMO. It’s a cheesy simple minds rip off.

I don't agree about Futurology being a Simple Minds rip off. That's a very lazy statement my friend. It's got a lot of post punk credentials.

Marky Dread wrote: ↑

19 Mar 2021, 8:37am

RockNRollWhore wrote: ↑

19 Mar 2021, 8:30am

One of my favorite latter day manics B sides:


Lifeblood is actually right up there with JFPL as being my favorite manics record of the new millennium. I find a lot of their other stuff to be bland dad rock these days but really love when they branch out. Rewind the film is also pretty good and affecting. Futurology is total garbage though IMO. It’s a cheesy simple minds rip off.

I don't agree about Futurology being a Simple Minds rip off. That's a very lazy statement my friend. It's got a lot of post punk credentials.

Yeah. That’s crazy talk.