šŸŽµ How Good Are They Really šŸŽµ Manic Street Preachers

Good b-sides subthread

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This Is The Truth.

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I think The Holy Bible is an average album. Not in my top 5 Manics albums.

Great B-sides band sub thread!

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Iā€™d have squeezed this onto the This Is My Truthā€¦ reissues over Prologue To History.

I caught them at those Astoria Shows (having also seen them Richey-less at Reading that summer) - I voted it my favourite ever gig apparently:

But yes, agree - at the time they felt like such an important band. These days, no way am I listening to themā€¦

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B-side that eventually made it onto an album proper

Was quite funny when they wouldnā€™t let Billy Bragg use their toilet

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Itā€™s an ā€œimportantā€ album far more than itā€™s a good one.

Iā€™ve gone 4/5 at certain points in my life theyā€™ve probably been my favourite band, but are nowhere near that level now. Apart from last album which Iā€™ve never got on with Iā€™ve generally enjoyed most of their others despite some obvious flaws, as others have mentioned journal for plague lovers is great from their post peak offerings.

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5/5 for the Richey era, 2/5 for most of what followed, went with 4/5 because The Holy Bible is fucking great and GATS has some wonderfully overwrought self involved lyrics.

Nothing really makes me happy,
Heroin is just too trendy!

4/5

Have a lot of time for them. They may not be everyoneā€™s cuppa, but they do everything well. Think some of the newer stuff is a little underrated tbh. NW is a total plank mind.

Nicky Wire talked about this on Adam Buxtonā€™s podcast. Very interesting hearing him reflect, as a relaxed and balanced middle-aged man, on what the band were getting up to in the 90s.

5/5 for being a huge part of my formative (musical taste) years. Can forgive some of the shit (and thereā€™s a fair amount of it) for all of the gems, and JDB is one of the most underrated guitarists and vocalists and should be revered as an icon.

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Be Natural is quality, isnā€™t it? Probably the best song on TIMTTMY.

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Should have gotten onto Generation Terrorists.

His GBOL % should also cancel out any resentment towards the band as a result of Nicky Wire being in it.

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Whatā€™s with all the Nicky Wire hate? Heā€™s said some dumb things and some hilarious things. Also he wears a T-shirt with ā€˜I :heart: hooveringā€™ stencilled on it.

Heā€™s a rock star. Heā€™s supposed to be a bit of a knob.

Do we want every rock star to be as bland as the singer from Keane?

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But then there was the Michael Stipe remark :grimacing:

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No hate from me - just acknowledging that heā€™s a bit divisive, especially around these parts.

I know a couple of people whoā€™ve met him irl on more than one occasion and apparently heā€™s a total sweetheart.