#31
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It’s a great question.
For me, I have a top 5 which includes the undisputed 2. The other three are Lifeblood, JFPL and Truth. And actually, it’s a really close call for 3rd place because all three are worthy selections. You can’t mention Truth without considering the context it was made in. The most obvious factor in that context is the fact that it’s the first album without Richey. But perhaps more interestingly, it’s the 3rd stage in a musical journey that had seen them move from writing songs like PCP in 1994 to I’m Not Working in under 4 years. That, and given the fervor around the old fans vs new fans argument, you have to say this was a ballsy move to a bunch of fans likely expecting EMG2 or THB2. In many ways, JFPL is that EMG2/THB2 album. But the album suffers these days, just in terms of pure visibility. The band clearly have a difficult time reconciling this album, and so it doesn’t get much airtime. That said, it’s a brilliant blast, and example of the heaviness of MSP’s sound when they want to go full throttle. It’s the best album they’ve done in the last decade, and will probably go down as their last great rock album as time passes. Lifeblood is fascinating, not least because it offers a glimpse at what could have been. MSP could have abandoned all pretences of being a “rock” band, and developed a cold, electronic, detached sound. As we now know, the band now see this as an awkward, false representation of themselves rather than something more positive. But if you take the surrounding material (beginning with Door to the River, and ending with the God Save The Manics EP) as they floated from KYE in 2001 towards SATT in 2007, there is actually about 2 and a half albums-worth of great material that came from the Lifeblood-ish era. Ugh. So picking one is HARD. All three were bold, experimental and different from the “standard” MSP sound which is what makes them so fascinating. I’m tempted to say JFPL, because it’s the album so many of us wanted them to make. But then again, Truth is bigger than the sum of its parts, and it’s nice to see it gain recognition through the re-issue. But I can’t help but think that Lifeblood offers something more as time goes on, even though you can make a strong case that the other two albums are objectively better. In the same way that people enjoy cliffhanger endings, the fact that we never got to hear them develop a sweeping ForeverDelayed style sound to perfection means that Lifeblood interests me the most, despite its imperfections.
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“The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.” L.P. Hartley Last edited by darkanddivine; 21-05-2019 at 13:40. |
#32
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This is my truth
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#33
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#34
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Another vote for Journal. I would have Futurology in fourth and then would be hard pressed to choose between a number of albums for fifth place. This is My Truth and Generation Terrorists would be right up there if some of the weaker songs had been discarded.
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#35
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It isn't one of my favourite Manics albums, but it does irritate me a little when they trash it as there is some good stuff on there (1985, Song for Departure, To Repel Ghosts, Solitude Sometimes is and Cardiff Afterlife are particular highlights and I've always wanted to hear a studio version of the heavier Empty Souls they did live a few times). When you add in the songs mentioned above, it could have been one of their strongest bodies of work. |
#36
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I should have known better when Nicky's "our next album will be even more electronic" quote turned out to be his usual bollocks, but that combined with the actual sound of SATT was such a double blow that I stopped listening to the band for years. It's my third favourite Manics album, but my favourite 'era' of theirs overall, if we include all the Forever Delayed-era tracks too.
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#37
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Stand back, I have political powers! |
#38
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Ah yeah, of course. For an era they don't like much, the band recorded a hell of a lot of material for it.
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#39
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Lifeblood
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If God wanted Football to be played in the air he would have put grass up there |
#40
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Really enjoying Rewind the Film again lately, it might be their most under rated.
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#41
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#42
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Let's not forget about Leviathan either!
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Stand back, I have political powers! |
#43
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Leviathan is proto-SATT for me.
I think if there was a combined version with TBTGOG and Forever Delayed on there, I'd have to have Automatik Teknicolour on it too. That was always a potential single by my book. |
#44
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Askew Road
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#45
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My ideal Lifeblood album would have been something like: Forever Delayed / There By the Grace / 1985 / Empty Souls (heavier live version) / Song For a Departure / The Soulmates / Door to the River / To Repel Ghosts / Glasnost / Fragments / Solitude Sometimes is / Cardiff Afterlife (Always thought Solitude that builds up with a mad, heavy ending would be a great closer though!). Those songs, with the sound captured on Forever Delayed, 1985, The Soulmates (seem to remember early U2 being referenced at the time?) would have been a strong contender for my 3rd spot. |
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