Manic Street Preachers - where to start

Cacofonix

Never heard "Motorcycle Emptiness" before the Radio 2 riffs thing.

They might be quite good. 

What's a good place to start, bearing in mind, Motorcycle Emptiness is good, a Design for Life isn't as good, and I don't really like the tolerate this song.

Thanks.

DiscoStu

Probably 'Gold Against the Soul' album then.

In between the songs you have mentioned and it has 'La Tristesse Durera' on it which is their best track IMHO.

Cacofonix

That's a good track.

I'll look into that album.

Cheers.

xSkarloey

Boring answer but you might want to try their greatest hits.

I tend to go for their more commercial stuff. I think Everything Must Go is one of the great british albums. The first few tracks heard one after the other are killer.

gusman2x

Holy Bible

Everything Must Go

The new album is probably their best ever in my opinion, but is to as classicly them, if you're looking for something like motorcycle emptiness.

not_the_dj

The first two albums for under £8: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Generation-Terrorists-Gold-Against-Soul/dp/B000WWNOVI/ref=sr_1_24?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1405505082&sr=1-24&keywords=manic+street+preachers

Then get the Holy Bible and you're done ;-)

...or splash out £3 on the Greatest Hits..http://www.amazon.co.uk/Forever-Delayed-Manic-Street-Preachers/dp/B00006JIZ0/ref=ntt_mus_dp_dpt_3

hubobulous

Generation Terrorists is about the only thing of their that I like.

The other stuff is a little bland, repetitive and formulaic for my tastes, but they're successful so good for them.

Bidley

I was going to pipe up and say I like Generation Terrorists the most, and expect to be alone on that front, but @hubobulous beat me to it!

RocknRollDave

I would agree that the Greatest Hits (Forever Delayed) is about the best place for a newbie to start.

The Holy Bible is, in my opinion, one of those "bedroom classics" like The Queen Is Dead...albums that appeal to the lost student in me.. One of my favourite albums, and one that the Manics have never bettered, but probably too dark and claustrophobic for the casual listener.

Alas, in recent years they have really lost me along the way and I now feel they have done more that I don't like than they have that I do...Shame, as at one point they were far and away my favourite band.

stickyfiddle

I'd consider Postcards from a Young Man and Send Away the Tigers as well as the early ones. Holy Bible is excellent but takes some effort to get into. The "blue albums" (EMG and TIMYTMY) are good but a bit mellower and if you don't like that era's singles I'd probably give them a miss.

I'd also go for the 2nd best-of, "National Treasures" rather than Forever Delayed - it has the good stuff from the post-2002 albums on it, which is well worth it imo. It starts with Motown Junk, which is essential and shoved at the back of FD. It also has Revol, which is super awesome

RocknRollDave

Oh yeah, @stickyfiddle, I forgot about National Treasures, my bad.

stickyfiddle

I'd also say Rewind The Film is very good, but nothing like any of the others. Futurology is a bad odd. I haven't listened enough to get into it but I'm not a fan yet.

Most importantly, go see them live - JDB is still a brilliant singer and guitarist and every time I've seen them has been fantastic.

Jalapeno

Always liked This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours

CHRISB50

 

RocknRollDave said:

I would agree that the Greatest Hits (Forever Delayed) is about the best place for a newbie to start.

The Holy Bible is, in my opinion, one of those "bedroom classics" like The Queen Is Dead...albums that appeal to the lost student in me.. One of my favourite albums, and one that the Manics have never bettered, but probably too dark and claustrophobic for the casual listener.

Alas, in recent years they have really lost me along the way and I now feel they have done more that I don't like than they have that I do...Shame, as at one point they were far and away my favourite band.

+1, have a wisdom.

 

Apart from the odd song (Slash and Burn and From Despair to Where spring to mind) from the other earlier albums Holy Bible is the only one I can listen to now. In their day, I loved Generation Terrorists and Gold Against the Soul, but I just can't listen to them now.

 

Anything post Holy Bible has just been bland shite. They kind of became the type of band they hated when they first started off.

gusman2x

Seriously, the new album is AMAZING

RocknRollDave

gusman2x said:

Seriously, the new album is AMAZING

My problem with the new album is that I am very familiar with the Simple Minds material they (openly) used as inspiration, and for me it's just too similar in some cases. It's not just "Oh that sounds like early Simple Minds" it's "That sound is taken from I Travel, that rhythm is Theme For Great Cities, that guitar part is Sweat In Bullet" etc etc..

Some influence is fine, and don't get me wrong, these ARE original songs not outright copies, but still Futurology sails too close to the wind for me.

IanSavage

CHRISB50 said:

 

 

Anything post Holy Bible has just been bland shite. They kind of became the type of band they hated when they first started off.

Can't really argue with this, but I DID give up on them after 'Know Your Enemy' so can't comment on the last decade's stuff. I don't want to deify Richie ('specially as by all accounts he was a bit of a dick), but since he went and Nicky started doing most of the lyrics they've lost an undefinable 'something' to me - the music's gone a bit limp and the lyrics sound like a sixth-form English Lit student trying to write like Richie.

RocknRollDave

^ I think most sixth-form English Lit students could do a better job than Nicky Wire..
His lyrics are a large part of what makes their recent output unlistenable for me.

gusman2x

RocknRollDave said:

gusman2x said:

Seriously, the new album is AMAZING

My problem with the new album is that I am very familiar with the Simple Minds material they (openly) used as inspiration, and for me it's just too similar in some cases. It's not just "Oh that sounds like early Simple Minds" it's "That sound is taken from I Travel, that rhythm is Theme For Great Cities, that guitar part is Sweat In Bullet" etc etc..

Some influence is fine, and don't get me wrong, these ARE original songs not outright copies, but still Futurology sails too close to the wind for me.

Luckily I've avoided Simple Minds my whole life (even though I'm a Scot) for stupid reasons, so I have no issues with Futurology. Maybe I should give Simple Minds a go though...

hubobulous

I agree on the lyrics over the last few years. Just bland, contrived and like a teenager trying to be grown up and edgy, only to find they're safe and conformist like most of their mates.

Danny1969

I love Everything must go, not a dud track on the whole album. I also think Send Away the Tigers is a superb album as well so gonna put it here. Hit play and carry on browsing the forum in a new tab.