I can see it. They seem to be a band that managed to be mainstream and cult at the same time. Just one of the many contradictions at the heart of MSP

I’m not sure I see it myself, I think “cult” is a frequently misapplied term. To me cult bands/artists are those working outside the mainstream for whatever reason (circumstance or the selective appeal of the music they create) and making music with little to no thought of wider recognition. They may at some point have mainstream success, but it’s unlikely to be extensive or sustained. Half Japanese or The Shaggs are cult bands, I don’t really see the Manics as being in the same category (by my definition).

The Holy Bible might be an album with cult appeal and I guess you could say they have something approaching cult following (in terms of the dedication, fanzines, art and stuff that the fanbase produce), but I don’t think they’re a cult band.

They're certainly a contradictory band though, (well mainly Nicky Wire) no argument there!

They're rewriting history and being polite about the band's current lowly position in the market...

http://youtu.be/D7hIkYgmW6U

The way to see it is that sometimes having a very lovely bunch of mostly hardcore fans is better than having tonnes of shit fans.

The boys are still selling tickets and records, so... :whistle:

Yeah I suppose I'd agree - I guess I meant they managed to have both a cult following and (at least in the past) a mainstream following.

I suppose a band that aimed to sell 16 million on their first album cannot be accused of shying away from popularity! :lol:

:D
Yeah, I'm Mr. Hanks aka Beast's assistant. ;)

Well, it's linguistics. Morphology is the study of word formation.
I thought it would be obvious since I said it was about affixation (prefix, suffix, infix etc.) and that words appeared as examples. :p

Guess I should have written "English morphology classes". :rolleyes:

I don't know the etiquette concerning starting new threads, so I'll put these thoughts here and see how it goes. I haven't seen a discussion on this theme so far.

For a very long time, I've been fascinated by the role of individual tracks that provide a musical or thematic 'missing link' between one Manics album or era and the next, staking out the way forward.

The most frequently named example is of course Comfort Comes (on which see below), which is widely recognised to act as the 'bridge' between GATS and THB. Most often the 'missing link' track is a b-side, but not always.

If you go through each era, there are numerous candidates:

GT > GATS
Hard to say due to the distinctively tinny Guns N Roses GT-style production on the GT-era b-sides, but very possibly Dead Yankee Drawl or Democracy Coma? Even Starlover, as early as it was, has traces of GATS in it - at least in my opinion.

GATS > THB
Us Against You
Donkeys
Patrick Bateman
(see below)

THB > EMG
I actually think the songs on EMG that were co-written by Richey provide the link between THB and EMG, rather than anything on THB itself (or its b-sides).

EMG > TIMTTMY
Too difficult to say. No Surface All Feeling? Musically Small Black Flowers provides a link to TIMTTMY but Richey's role in the song rules it out.

TIMTTMY > KYE
Prologue To History, Montana/Autumn/78

KYE > Lifeblood
Door To The River, which in itself segues to There By The Grace Of God and its b-sides, and 4 Ever Delayed.

Lifeblood > SATT
Leviathan

SATT > JFPL
The Vorticists
I also think the cover of Red Sleeping Beauty has a JFPL intensity to it.

JFPL > PFAYM
The Primitive Painters cover, although JFPL is obviously very much the odd one out as it is so self-consciously self-contained.

PFAYM > RTF/Futurology
Ostpolitik and Engage With Your Shadow (!) hint at the Krautrock of Futurology, but obviously that tendency is there as far back as Nicky's solo stuff.

Now for the controversy: I actually feel that traces of THB can be identified in Us Against You, Donkeys and Patrick Bateman, and that these, rather than Comfort Comes, are the real bridge between GATS and THB, falling in between both musically and thematically. Comfort Comes actually is far more of a THB track than a GATS one.

What does everyone else think? Feel free to rip my suppositions to shreds!

yea i see the cult label as a reference to a bunch of very loyal fans.. possessive fanbase even. DON'T MESS WITH MANICS FANZ :p

We're all brutal!!! :lol: :lol:

some of us were in the 90s :joey: The papers won't have forgotten.. cult of richey an all that...

I've always thought Democracy Coma was a bit GATS as well.

I would say This is yesturday, no one knows what its like to be me, black garden and first republic provide the link from EMG and THB quite nicely.

GT = GATS for me. I love them equally. I usually listen to full GT + GATS non-stop

Did people really send letters to music papers written in blood? Or is that just a CoR myth?

hope not :lol: