Postcards from a Young Man

[wasted]

Wow, as a long time Manics fan I didn't know they had it in them. What a record. I guess it's another one of their glam records, the flip side to their purgatory franchise. It's like they finally said fuck it and did a sort of Some Girls meets Leonard Cohen type record but captured the zeitgeist, this moment right now. The economy collapses and it's like spiritual liberation for them! The whole thing just makes me laff.

[Snake Eyes]

Aye it's a great one. Though Nickys been a bit of a bitter older man in interviews lately.

[wasted]

And I can see they are channeling Wham! on Hazelton avenue. The Wire was born to moan like fuck. Golden Platitudes is good solid moan, hey let's put some steel drums on this one! The production is outrageous I got the book version with demos be interesting to see what the fuck happened. The future has been here forever is like a Keef solo song. It does make somekind of crazy sense.

[JAC185]

I think Golden Platitudes is bloody lovely. Postcards is itself a good track. I Think I Found It is bloody terrible and I can never stand any track with Nicky singing on. I do really like it overall though. Its sort of got the positivity of SATT without the mindlessness. Like if This Is My Truth had been written by Nicky Wire in a more upbeat but equally moany mood.

[wasted]

SATT? Sorry my brain isn't working.

I see it as everything must go meets Lifeblood. Elegiac pop is something Wire talks about but actually in the book they say supremes meet Queen, van halen playing abba. I think I've found it sounds like pueblo Nutini lol some of punky ones are like funnier songs off know your enemy which was meant to be a double of pop and rock.

Postcards is them throwing off the shackles of plague lovers. This album is loud I listen on 10 instead of 30.

All we make is entertainment is Wire moaning again. Balconies is like a Ballard novel. This is their last album for Sony so have to see what happens.

The disc of demos is good like nirvanas Live in New York.

[wasted]

"‘A Billion Balconies Facing The Sun' - on which the band are joined by long-time hero Duff McKagan - has all the exuberance and acceleration of a drag race down Sunset Boulevard." - dot music.

wtf - better check the album credits.

[Shuffle]

One of their weakest albums. I love the Manics but most of the songs on this one aren't particularly good, and it mostly gets by on sound alone - and James Dean Bradfield being one of the best singers and guitarists out there. Plus Nicky Wire's lyrics ain't always what they used to be... I'd pick this one over Lifeblood and probably This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours too (but that's mainly because that one is such a long-winded bore...most of the songs are good but when you put them after each other they put me to sleep). Really hope they get back towards the Journal For Plague Lovers style again (not lyrically because that'd just be idiotic, having Wire trying to write Richey-esque lyrics) but more of a rock 'n' roll album and less mainstream-friendly pop songs just for the sake of it... although that was the entire point of this album, "one last shot at mass communication", eh.

[wasted]

It's not the work of art of Plague lovers/holy bible but I enjoyed it more.

The first three songs is as strong as anything they've done. Descent is filler.

Golden platitudes is classic manics sandwiched between 2 throwaway songs. The Cale one is interesting the Nutini / faces one I've grown to love lol

All we make is entertainment and Future here 4ever are great. Don't be evil is filler.

It's a lighter album, kind of lovable.

I predict Generation Terrorists 2 next.

So it's a lighter album but it's likable enough.

Balconies is like Everything must go era.

It's the Manics sample cd. I think at this point they done so many different albums and each one is different so it's hard to really knock them

[AndyM]

Not their best - but a nice happy CD!!

[GivenToFly]

I've been meaning to try this band out.

What albums would you recommend for a beginner, Wasted?

[Shuffle]

I'm not wasted but I'd recommend you to start with either Everything Must Go or Generation Terrorists, or maybe even Journal For Plague Lovers. The Holy Bible is imo their best album, but it's a bit heavy to start with and it's not really a good representation of their sound. Everything Must Go is a great poppy rock album, and Generation Terrorists is their punk-meets-Guns N' Roses album in a way...it's a bit uneven and overlong but it remains one of my favourites of theirs. Journal For Plague Lovers is the one closest in sound to The Holy Bible, but it's an easier listen while showcasing all the strengths of the band. For some reason I'm guessing wasted will have a different answer the main thing about the Manics is that they're usually a very frustrating band, since they often tend to do everything wrong in some ways. An example is Gold Against the Soul which would be a great starting point if it wasn't for the fact that about half of it isn't that great, but the other half is an excellent representation of the band (probably the best imo) and among their absolute best stuff.

Edited October 20, 2010 by Shuffle

[wasted]

I agree Everything Must Go is there most accessible rock record. But maybe the Greatest Hits album is good place to start but it might misrepresent them as first 3 records are pretty rock n roll.

The Manics are a British enigma. They are at odds with themselves. It's like they want to have mass appeal but the themes of the songs are very dark or political.

They don't really write love songs.

That's why I like the new record, they've almost gone beyond their idiosyncrasies. Ok they use the word derelict again but in general there less overtly political agit pop lyrics. Apart the theme of the new economy conspiracy.

They are a bit like Pearl Jam, a rock band with a conscious. But on Holy Bible, Everything, Plague it's more personal down spiral type thing.

Everything must go is the Manics In Utero.

[Shuffle]

I'd say the holy bible is their in utero but whatevs.

come to think about it the best way to get into the manics would just be to have someone who knows their stuff pull together a mixtape for you, since (like wasted said) the greatest hits isn't really a fair representation of them. told you they were a frustrating band.

[wasted]

It's just songs like Small black flowers, Kevin Carter, Elvis impersonator, removables make me think of In utero cos there's clues there. Where Holy Bible is a mission statement.

Send Away the Tigers also quite a good intro for GNR bcos Bradfield was told to let his inner Slash out. Gold Against the Soul is also good.

To me they are an album band the singles are mainly ballads.

[Pico]

generation terrorists is only record you need when you're 16

[wasted]

Stay Beautiful.

[JAC185]

Just realised I am seeing them next week. Saw them at Reading a few years back and saw the JFPL tour so in a way this will be my first full Manics gig. Will be hard to top the Plague Lovers show though as I love that record and I will probably never get to see an album I enjoy that much played front to back again.

[Shuffle]

It's just songs like Small black flowers, Kevin Carter, Elvis impersonator, removables make me think of In utero cos there's clues there. Where Holy Bible is a mission statement.

wouldn't disagree about that.

and yeah, if you're into hard rock/GN'R (not indie rock) send away the tigers would be a good intro (that's what did it for me in '07). generation terrorists would work too.

[wasted]

It's funny bcos the last three records critics have said manics return to form.

Send away the tigers

Plague Lovers

Postcards

And I thought Know Your Enemy was like UYI in a way lots of different songs. I think any rock fan would enjoy it.

And Lifeblood was like a popper more mature Holy Bible. The songs are immediate whereas with HB you have get the dictionary out and read books about Auswitz.

I think You Love Us is a good introduction. If you don't like it maybe they not for you.

I saw them on Greatest hits tour it was much like GNR show lights and confetti.

Little Baby Nothing is a cool song. It has Traci Lords the porn star singing on it lol

Lipstick Traces is b sides but it's good stuff I think Patrick Bateman is on it. And they had epic remixes from Chemical brothers and David Holmes for Everything Must Go album. They really are worth checking out.

If you don't like the gloss of GT most of the singles came out on vinyl with Heavenly and they are more punk.

I saw them before GT when they come out all wearing leopard fur coats and sun glasses. Nicky would have a poster of Marilyn Monroe.

When they went to Cuba was a pretty funny rockumentary as well.

We haven't really talked about Richey lol

[Marky]

Saw them on Wednesday night at my local venue, top night out. Great backing musicians which really help propel them forward. James said a few touching things about Richey, and how they only thought they would carry on without him when they had some brilliant songs, as there was no point just hashing out any old rubbish, and one of these songs was course 'A Design For Life'.

Also, a very funny bit when Nicky recalled the last time they played Southend, he said he went into the local Dorothy Perkins shop and bought a very lovely floral dress, and caught JDB looking at his arse until he realised who it was

Great band, top night out, and the new material is really standing up.

[American Psycho]

Only know this, would love to hear a full album! recommend?

[wasted]

I'm pretty sure Patrick Bateman was on the cd single of Roses in the Hospital single.

The Gold against the Soul album is the one for you. It's a solid hard rock album.

[wasted]

That song sort of links to Archives of Pain on the Holy Bible which is the darker stuff. Bible is more punk, Gold is more rock.

[wasted]

I always thought that song shows why Richey might have some difficulties, in that he understood the book as a satire but was also attracted to the glamor of Bateman. And at some point he was willing to cross the line. Like how he empathized with anorexics but also thought supermodels were beautiful. To then become anorexic out of some pursuit of beauty or purity is kind of cool idea but completely insane as well. Like how he had the same model camera as Hopper in Apocalypse Now.