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When SATT came out I was right in the middle of a big new wave and post-punk era in my life, so it was just about the last Manics album I wanted (especially after loving Lifeblood and with Nicky's "the next one will be even more electronic" quote still ricocheting around my head). I was obsessively listening to Wire and Tears for Fears, so songs like 'Your Love Alone' and Guns'n'Roses homages put me off immediately (it took until Futurology to respark my interest in the band).
SATT's biggest fault, opinions on tracks aside, is that it's a bit Manics-by-numbers. For the first time in their career they weren't really trying anything new, but going for a safer option. After three albums that left them disappointed in their own work in one way or another, it kind of makes sense, and it was the start of three albums that tried to recapture elements of the past. For better or worse, they evidently needed that period - and the boost in confidence that came from the critical acclaim all three albums got - because it allowed them to come back and do some much less typically-Manicsy albums afterwards and regain the momentum they were making originally.
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