KYE revisited

[Librarian On Fire]

Although short, the guitar solo on "My Guernica" is blistering! Up there in the top five guitar solos from James.

[UEF]

Originally Posted by gallafield

I always felt the live version of MEDD from Cardiff coal exchange was so much better than the recorded version. The album version was a bit of a let down after hearing Nicky shouting "BRAINDEAD MOTHER FUCKERS" really loudly.

"AND I DON'T KNOW THE FUCKING WORRRDDSS.... Somessedup!"

[tzb]

Found That Soul, Intravenous Agnostic, The Convalescent, My Guernica, Dead Martyrs... there's a gem of a rock record in there somewhere. Add Bangkok Novotel, Groundhog Days, maybe even Masses... what a "statement" that could've been.

But instead we got SWSS, Robeson, Royal Correspondent, Wattsville and MEDD. A swing and a miss.

[Suicide Aldi]

10 reasons why Miss Europa Disco Dancer rocks.

1. An all out camp 70s disco track in the middle of ( an admittedly slightly odd ) indie rock record is just ludicrous.
2. That bassline is just so damn sexy!
3. Those sweepy whooshy sounds in the background in the verses.
4. The beautiful lush sounding harps in the chorus.
5. The mental image i have of Nicky falling out of bed when I hear the line "wake up drunk and then fall over" is priceless.
6. That outragously funky guitar throughout.
8. The synth line that comes in during the fade out.
9. Sean's incredable drumming.
10. BRAINDEAD MOTHERFUCKERS BRAINDEAD MOTHERFUCKERS BRAINDEAD MOTHERFUCKERS BRAINDEAD MOTHERFUCKERS add infinitum.

[Suicide Aldi]

Oh i forgot number 7

The multi layered harmonies of Nicky and James on the "miss europa disco dancer" bits works really well!

[1986_and_all_that]

Originally Posted by Porco

Anyone else remember the cool preview/animation clip featuring (what we later discovered was) Intravenous Agnostic to doom-laden clouds and lightning on the official website before KYE's release?

That was awesome. Or at least I remember it as being at the time.

I remember this. Would love to see that again.

[The Holy Bum-Bum]

Originally Posted by Porco

Anyone else remember the cool preview/animation clip featuring (what we later discovered was) Intravenous Agnostic to doom-laden clouds and lightning on the official website before KYE's release?

That was awesome. Or at least I remember it as being at the time.

I loved that. It got me so, so excited for what the album was sounding like. I was hoping for them to go all out and make a heavy album. Not going to happen, sadly, which is a shame as I think they are still more than capable of it.

[Europa Gluten Free]

Originally Posted by Porco

Anyone else remember the cool preview/animation clip featuring (what we later discovered was) Intravenous Agnostic to doom-laden clouds and lightning on the official website before KYE's release?

That was awesome. Or at least I remember it as being at the time.

This makes me incredibly nostalgic.

Wish I was 18 again! haha.

[Radiomanic]

Remember the official website clip very well. It was out of the blue, as before they had a background based on the Manic Millennium DVD cover. I remember hearing that clip and breathing a sigh of relief as the NME a few weeks earlier had reported that the Manics had 'Gone Disco'! Not that Miss Europa isn't ace, but a whole album would've been strange!

[tomd2103]

Originally Posted by Suicide Aldi

SWSS isnt that un manics like if you strip away the beach boys production. But yes, id kind of forgotten about MEDD.

Someone has had a bash at an acoustic version on Youtube. Stripped back like that, it really is quite a beautiful song.

[Jon Stick]

Hi, I'm a long time visitor to the forum, but I've only now signed up and this is my first post (apologies, it's a long one).

I love all the Manics albums, but with KYE I often ponder over how it could have been different, and it is the only album that I've felt the need to edit and make my own version of. I actually like all of the songs to some degree, but I find it seems to be less than the sum of its parts due to it's length and track order.

I've enjoyed seeing the suggestions for alternative (shorter) track-listings, however, for me the mistake is that it isn't long enough.

I think that with the range of songs it has the potential to be a proper 'sprawling mess' of a double album, a Melon Collie / Sandinista type of album in terms of length, across 2 CDs / Multiple vinyl. I imagine that could have been released as two separate records, such as Use your Illusion I & II or RTF/Futurology, but I prefer the idea that that it is one long record, with a different focus on each half of the record.

CD 1 [Focusing on the heavier rock tracks]

1. Found that Soul
2. The Ballard of the Bangkok Novotel
3. Intravenous Agnostic
4. My Guernica
5. Dead Martyrs
6. The Convalescent
7. Ocean Spray
8. Locust Valley
9. Pedestal
10. Just a Kid
11. Wattsville Blues
12. Freedom of Speech Won't Feed My Children
13. We Are All Bourgeois Now

CD 2 [A mix of the more unusual, slower, soulful and jangly guitar tracks]

14. Miss Europa Disco Dancer
15. So Why So Sad (Sean Penn Mix)
16. Let Robeson Sing
17. The Year of Purification
18. His Last Painting
19. Door to the River
20. Groundhog Days
21. Masking Tape
22. Royal Correspondent
23. Epicentre
24. Baby Elian
25. Midnight Sun
26. Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel

I believe that this is similar to the original concept the band had for the album(s) as I think I can remember talk of them looking to produce two disparate sounds (I think they used something like 'Detroit rock and west coast soul' as reference points). I think it would be cool if the band released a new version of the record, showing their original intention. I think that they might have even talked about doing it at some point, although I don't imagine it will actually happen as I don't think it would have enough commercial appeal unfortunately.

[gallafield]

Swap Groundhog Days and Masking Tape from the second disk for Ocean Spray and Wattesville Blues and I reckon you're onto a winner.

[Bobafettish]

I met someone in a pub the other day who claimed his favourite manics track is My Guernica, so there you go.

[Librarian On Fire]

Originally Posted by Bobafettish

I met someone in a pun the other day who claimed his favourite manics track is My Guernica, so there you go.

That's no joke.

[Elizabeth M]

Originally Posted by Librarian On Fire

That's no joke.