Posted June 10, 201312 yr http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c32/tonyttt31/manicsrate.jpg Thanks to all those who voted. I'll start revealing the results of the not so recent Manic Street Preachers rate tonight. I'll do the albums first.
June 10, 201312 yr Author http://blog.roodo.com/hydeless/a14efb68.jpg 10 LIFEBLOOD 4.83 1 November 2004 #13 Highest - Grebo (7) Lowest - Dandy* (2) Not a huge surprise to see this at the bottom of the pile. It matched their record for lowest charting album in 12 years after it was set by Generation Terrorists when it staggered to number 13 in 2004. I hated it at the time. It has grown on my hugely and I prefer it to anything that came afterwards. Despite culling two Top 2 singles of the album (admittedly with record breakingly low sales) the record company ditched plans to release any more singles after sales of the albums failed to recover after such a poor start. Personal highlight - A Song for Departure. Edited June 10, 201312 yr by AnthonyT
June 10, 201312 yr Author http://www.asiahomecd.com/images/emusic/Manic_Street_Postcard_YoungMan.jpg 09 POSTCARDS FROM A YOUNG MAN 5.50 20 September 2010 #3 Reported to be a return to the radio-friendly peak of Everything Must Go style anthems - they failed to take into account that what worked in 1996 might not work in 2010 and with a lack of urgency about the songs the album comes across as a slightly irrelevant. Their only album that failed to produce a Top 20 single (ignoring Journal for Plaguelovers for obvious reasons) partially because of the shift away from physical singles which had kept them in single sales up to 2007. Disappointing. Highest - Jester (7) Lowest - AnthonyT (4) Personal highlight - Golden Platitudes Edited June 10, 201312 yr by AnthonyT
June 10, 201312 yr Author http://pixhost.me/avaxhome/2007-04-28/Cover_T_front.jpg 08 SEND AWAY THE TIGERS 6.33 7 May 2007 #2 At first I was relieved when I heard this album - guitars, sloganeering, attitude, and dare I say....fun. The critics loved it. It got them back in the Top 2 albums again. It was an all round success. It did give the band a lot of confidence to go forward and they managed another pair of Top 10 singles too. I can't say I care too much for it now. Highest - Jester (7) Lowest - richie, AnthonyT, sinner (5) Personal highlight - Your Love Alone (Is Not Enough) Edited June 10, 201312 yr by AnthonyT
June 10, 201312 yr Author http://cdn.dhstatic.net/images/small_300/journal-for-plague-lovers-158551708251420bcda48454.78566152.jpg 07 JOURNAL FOR PLAGUE LOVERS 6.67 18 May 2009 #3 This time an album that those that gave up when Richie left might be interested in. As was widely reported at the time - the lyrics were wholely from the pen of Richie Edwards. The music was the unfriendliest that they had released since 1994 - something else that the old school fans might appreciate. The critics were hugely impressed. Q awarded them their first 5 start review and called it their masterpiece. With no singles it wasn't long disappearing out of the album charts. Highest - Grebo (9) Lowest - richie (5) Personal highlight - Bag Lady Edited June 10, 201312 yr by AnthonyT
June 10, 201312 yr If The Holy Bible isn't top of the albums than this is a travesty (it'll probably be Everything Must Go tho')
June 10, 201312 yr Author http://www.cluas.com/images/music/album/Manic-Street-Preachers-Know-your-enemy.jpg 06 KNOW YOUR ENEMY 7.00 Released: 19 March 2001 #2 After being one of the biggest bands in Britain they retreated away from the mainstream with this album in 2001 which was often said to be over long and awkward. In comparison to the previous two albums this was certainly true. However, it did contain some wonderful music and showcased James Dean Bradfield's command of disparate styles. They accompanied its release with a trip to Cuba and released two lead singles on the same day. These reflected the variety of the album. Highest - Jester (9) Lowest - Dandy* (5) Personal highlight - Dead Martyrs Edited June 10, 201312 yr by AnthonyT
June 10, 201312 yr Author http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l60qizpVuP1qc0axio1_400.jpg 05 THIS IS MY TRUTH, TELL ME YOURS 7.14 14 September 1998 #1 Their only number album - they must be one of the few rock bands that have had more number 1 singles than number 1 albums. Wisely (commercially speaking) they didn't shake off the hundreds of thousands of fans that had they had found with Everything Must Go by releasing a "Blur" or a "Kid A". After the longest break that had taken up to that point, they released a mature and considered album, heavy with rock ballads and with scant regard for the fire that had made them so interesting in the first place. But they so enjoyed the mainstream that they could never resist having a lap of honour. It bagged them two more BRIT awards after the pair that Everything Must Go had gained them becoming the first band to win Best Album and Best Band with consecutive albums - more to do with avoiding the release schedule of The Verve and Oasis than anything else. It's a patchy affair, in truth and would have been hugely improved by adding the up-beat b-sides of the period Black Holes for the Young and Prologue to History. Highest - Jester (10) Lowest - riche (4) Personal highlight - Be Natural Edited June 10, 201312 yr by AnthonyT
June 10, 201312 yr Author http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YB6eLZyGT7U/R4a0nsLuEaI/AAAAAAAAEss/rP6HRRmrbAo/s400/manicstreetpreachersGeneration_Terrorists.jpg 04 GENERATION TERRORISTS 7.71 10 February 1992 #13 The debut was supposed to sell millions and then they would throw it all away. Looking back at it now its seems like a frightfully ill-timed release in 1992 when shoe-gazing, grunge and the seeds of Brit pop had all been set up against this sort of straight ahead rock and roll. Of course, the lyrics, the guitar playing and the attire would set them above being an ordinary rock band and would earn them a fiercely devoted fan base. It would have been great if it had just been the ten best songs but maybe that would have missed the point. Highest - Grebo (10) Lowest - AnthonyT (6) Personal highlight - Another Invented Disease Edited June 10, 201312 yr by AnthonyT
June 10, 201312 yr Author http://misssskind.no.sapo.pt/dbimg/ManicStreetPreachersJames22484_f.jpg 03 GOLD AGAINST THE SOUL 7.86 21 June 1993 #8 Their shortest album and this works in its favour - only Roses in the Hospital is in any way unwanted by me. The other three singles were great. James' voice was often at its best on this album - depending on taste. The lyrics were a lot more personal than those on GT and the sound is a good deal more muscular than it too. It sounds like their most "American" album - Sleepflower and the title-track would surely have been hits in the US in the hands of one of their own bands. Highest - richie, Severin (9) Lowest - Dandy* (6) Personal highlight - Sleepflower Edited June 10, 201312 yr by AnthonyT
June 10, 201312 yr Author http://www.bandsonly.com/images/manic-street-preachers/albums/everything-must-go.jpg 02 EVERYTHING MUST GO 9.43 20 May 1996 #2 Well, we all know what a comeback this was and one of the most satisfying, surprising and heart warming it was too. For most people, anyway. Since their previous album was released - more about that later - guitar music had come back into the charts and was selling in huge amounts to young people again. Oasis had made it possible for British rock to be salable to a huge amount of people under the age of 21. Of course, you needed the songs and there was no shortage of gripping, exhilarating and affecting anthems to be found on Everything Must Go. Even with their attempts at commercialism in their early career, surely no one outside the band could have foreseen the shift in this direction after what had gone before. The critics went into over-drive with praise. Some said it was out of good will, some said it was out of guilt. In an case there was an almost unlimited amount of support in the music press for Everything Must Go. It brought them hundreds of thousands of fans, many of whom would go on to investigate the bands earlier albums which is not the worst thing that could happen. Many many people see this as their best album and while much of it has faded due to overplaying, I still love many of the tracks on it. Highest - Jester, sinner (11) Lowest - Dandy*, richie (8) Personal highlight - A Design for Life
June 10, 201312 yr Author http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/39677883/The%20Holy%20Bible%20Disc%201%20the_holy_bible.jpg 01 THE HOLY BIBLE 10.29 29 August 1994 #6 And that leaves us with The Holy Bible. And with an average of over 10 out of 10 it is an album so good it can over come the limits of mathematics. :lol: The Holy Bible is a vile, horrible album that is unlike any other I've heard. Much has been made of the lyrics and they are searingly caustic and abrasive. That and the fact that Richie Edwards was going though a very personal hell that ended up in hospitalisation and his eventual disappearance means that a shadow will always accompany this album. It's such a huge change from Gold Against the Soul, too. Gone are the muscular guitar work outs, the American-isms, the funk. In their place was a thoroughly European facade of post-punk, with gothic and industrial shades in the intimidatingly titled The Intense Humming of Evil. Of course it wasn't without headspinning melody in the shape of Faster and PCP - the double A side that would announce this album to an unsuspecting set of fans. 1994 was a staggeringly great year for music and a turning point in British music also. Every month a classic album was released and August of that year was no exception. In that month Oasis' Definitely Maybe, Portishead's Dummy and Jeff Buckley's Grace were all released and all three went on to become hugely influential on popular and alternative music alike. The Holy Bible stands as at least the equal to any of those records in my opinion and is the greatest album I have heard. Highest - AnthonyT, Severin, Grebo (11) Lowest - richie(9) Personal highlight - Die in the Summetime. Edited June 10, 201312 yr by AnthonyT
June 10, 201312 yr The correct winner, the only album of theirs I listen to these days. I have a particular fondness for 4st 7lb but it has many highs. Wasn't expecting Buzzjack to agree with me though! Who actually voted?
June 10, 201312 yr Author Richie Severin Jester AnthonyT Dandy Grebo Sinner ....voted for the albums. gooddelta chez wombat RabbitFurCoat also voted in the singles I just listened to Gold Against the Soul and my God it's wonderful. Really under-rated and very consistent. Edited June 10, 201312 yr by AnthonyT
June 11, 201312 yr Now that is a fantastic result. The Holy Bible is an absolutely unbelievably good album.
June 11, 201312 yr Wow, I gave Holy Bible 9 and that was the lowest it got! Think this is a pretty fair way to score the albums - would have put 'This is my Truth' lower, but that's not really realistic given its popularity... Singles should be interesting - hope the early ones all do well (and I'm sure they will)
June 12, 201312 yr The Holy Bible even after almost 20 years remains unchallenged as my favourite album. For me it is a thing of rare perfection that I can gaze into forever and never want to stop. 'Mankinds greatest acheivement' might be pushing it but sometimes it feels that way.
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