Random Manics thoughts...

[The Gutless Wonder]

Originally Posted by gallafield

Nowt wrong with "imperial bodybags", I just prefer "some kind of nothingness" and "it's not war". I think they're better songs, is all.

Fair play to you!

[Ken Korda]

Originally Posted by tzb

PFAYM and the surrounding publicity/attitude/bullshit put me off the band completely, yes. The same is true for a large number of long-time fans, haven't you noticed?

As for harsh.. if you think going off the band who recorded Motown Junk, Motorcycle Emptiness, From Despair To Where, Faster, ADFL, Tolerate, Masses, The Convalescent, 1985, Imperial Bodybags and All Is Vanity because they made a conscious decision write an album of hollow soulless Radio 2 pop songs like It's Not War and Some Kind of Nothingness to play on Strictly is harsh I think you need your head read.

Agreed with that. I'm still a bit put off by The Manics but I'm slowly coming back.

I don't really like The Convalescent but at least it's fucking interesting. The only piece of emotion which is apparent in the whole of PFAYM are the lyrics about Wire's dog passing away. 1 out of 12 songs that actually seems to have some meaning behind them is just not good enough really (and then it has a shit melody making it dislikable anyway, but that's just my opinion. )

I much prefer when Wire writes lyrics about the world around him, not his world. The only apparent extrospective comments were 'I don't like the internet' and 'corporations are bad'. It's just dull and ineloquent.

[Bobafettish]

Originally Posted by //Kelly

I much prefer when Wire writes lyrics about the world around him, not his world. The only apparent extrospective comments were 'I don't like the internet' and 'corporations are bad'. It's just dull and ineloquent.

Wasn't it in a recent interview where James mentions about how Bernie Rhodes told The Clash just to look out the window and write about whatever's going on. They need to focus on that...

[hummingbird]

Originally Posted by Bobafettish

Wasn't it in a recent interview where James mentions about how Bernie Rhodes told The Clash just to look out the window and write about whatever's going on. They need to focus on that...

lets hope nicky doesnt look out his back window into the garden then cos all he's going to see is his kids playing. We're going to get smug aint life grrrreat songs

[Parma Violets]

The lead-off single from the next album: 'Is Next Door's Dog Shitting On My Lawn Again?'

[joanniejones]

Originally Posted by Manualex16

The lyrics(cringeworthy if you ask)... if it were just an instrumental it would be lots of time better. Or if Wire rewrote the lyrics

I agree. I actually have to skip Imperial Bodybags because the "body bags/dribs and drabs/doggy tags" lines are so terrible they actually make me ashamed! They sound like a poem written by a 13-year old for the school magazine. The sentiments aren't much better - Nicky (Politics Degree) Wire says war is horrid shock horror.

[The Gutless Wonder]

Originally Posted by //Kelly

Agreed with that. I'm still a bit put off by The Manics but I'm slowly coming back.

I don't really like The Convalescent but at least it's fucking interesting. The only piece of emotion which is apparent in the whole of PFAYM are the lyrics about Wire's dog passing away.

'I will not give up, I will not give in'

'Where did it all go wrong'

'These things I've seen bring tears to my eyes'

Hmmm. Extreme lacking of emotion there!

[tzb]

Originally Posted by The Gutless Wonder

'I will not give up, I will not give in'

That'd make a good sig for you

Originally Posted by The Gutless Wonder

'Where did it all go wrong'

Originally Posted by The Gutless Wonder

'These things I've seen bring tears to my eyes'

[The Gutless Wonder]

Originally Posted by tzb

That'd make a good sig for you

It's a good job I like you!

[Ken Korda]

Originally Posted by The Gutless Wonder

'I will not give up, I will not give in'

'Where did it all go wrong'

'These things I've seen bring tears to my eyes'

Hmmm. Extreme lacking of emotion there!

Alright, I see your point. I meant Wire's dog was the only subject that seemed to be an emotional thing to write about. I feel that those emotional lines you listed seemed to be shoehorned into boring, shallow songs. Most of the content on PFAYM sounds, to me, as all surface but no feeling.

I'm not a big fan of SATT either but if you look at the lyrics of the title track they actually seem to mean something. Every line in there feels like it belongs and that it's going towards making a song chock-full of feeling. Then if we look at the lyrics to the title track of PFAYM; yes there is some emotion expressed but it's just... lazy. Most of the lyrics are repeated over and over and some of the lines seem to exist purely to make a neat rhyming pattern. My favourite line in the song is:

This life it sucks your principles away

but it's immediately followed up by :

You have to fight against it every single day

I'm sorry, but that second line is just dull. Yes it makes a lovely rhyming couplet but I didn't get into The Manics because I love how a song can rhyme. It seems to me that the lyrics in that song especially, are completely geared around the melody.
The reason I loved The Manics in the first place was because they seemed to understand and value the importance of lyrics and wrote the music around them. PFAYM had none of that.

Then, if we look back at the first lines of SATT:

There's no hope in the colonies
So catch yourself a lifeline
Things have gone wrong too many times
So catch yourself a slow boat to china

To me, that verse is all about the lyrics. There's no constructing words so that they fit into a conventional song format, it's just intent and meaning trying to be squeezed into a song. This is what I miss, what I crave from my favourite band, but it's just not there any more.

Of course, this is all just my opinion though.

[SeveredJoke]

I'm sorry, but that second line is just dull. Yes it makes a lovely rhyming couplet but I didn't get into The Manics because I love how a song can rhyme. It seems to me that the lyrics in that song especially, are completely geared around the melody.
The reason I loved The Manics in the first place was because they seemed to understand and value the importance of lyrics and wrote the music around them. PFAYM had none of that.

I agree. The need to rhyme can sometimes cheapen the song. There's a need to balance the melodic needs of the song with the lyrics. I know that in previous interviews JDB has expressed relief that Nicky produces lyrics that scan better for him as a singer but I do feel that sometimes that has now overidden some of the quality of the lyrics.

[Nature's Discontent]

Originally Posted by joanniejones

I agree. I actually have to skip Imperial Bodybags because the "body bags/dribs and drabs/doggy tags" lines are so terrible they actually make me ashamed! They sound like a poem written by a 13-year old for the school magazine. The sentiments aren't much better - Nicky (Politics Degree) Wire says war is horrid shock horror.

Well, yeah, but most of the lyrics on that album are shite anyway. I just focus on the music really. And the guitar solo is better than any on PFAYM.

[Mr Richey]

Originally Posted by //Kelly

Then, if we look back at the first lines of SATT:

There's no hope in the colonies
So catch yourself a lifeline
Things have gone wrong too many times
So catch yourself a slow boat to china

To me, that verse is all about the lyrics. There's no constructing words so that they fit into a conventional song format, it's just intent and meaning trying to be squeezed into a song. This is what I miss, what I crave from my favourite band, but it's just not there any more.

Of course, this is all just my opinion though.

I totally agree. The one song on SATT that I will defend whole heartedly. Fantastic lyrics, fantastic tune.

I still maintain that Wire's best lyrics can all be found on TIMTTMY. Introspective, heartfelt, interesting. "If You Tolerate This...", "Born A Girl" and "Ready For Drowning" are brilliant lyrics and quite possibly my favourites of his.

[Grant]

I've been getting quite nostalgic recently, as someone informed me that next year will be the 10th anniversary of my first ever Manics gig (Glasgow SECC 2002). I thought it was longer than that, but hey ho. Anyway, I thought I would share my favourite Manics memories (not in any particular order).

- Alex (Alexkid) leaving me a bottle of Babycham in a leopard print bag outside my student halls on my 18th birthday. (Only for some wee twat to steal it! ) Still, was a lovely thought!

- Lipstick Traces signing session at Virgin in Glasgow.
Met so many lovely people that day, and got a lot of Manics stuff signed too. None of this "the band will only be signing the new album" HMV bullshit. I think I also bought Nicky a toothbrush set too, because he had been on Glasto highlights the weekend before, stating he liked brushing his teeth, or something. Maybe

- James calling me "Granty" after his gig at King Tuts.
One of the best moments of my life. ever.

- Turning up for a Barrowlands gig 5 minutes before the door opened and getting in before everyone else, as my girlfriend was on crutches. Got so many daggers that night, but was still quite cool

- The NME mentioning me in a T in the Park review ("Boy with his arms draped over the barrier, white t-shirt and leopard print scarf, with Richey hair.."). Although she did say something like "It appears the church of Divine Brilliance attracts new members" EH NO. I actually emailed a complaint to her, explaining I wasn't a newbie.

- Meeting my ex at Connect Festival.
Things didn't work out for us, but meeting her still has to go down as one of my favourite moments of being a Manics fan. You clearly meet the best girls at the barrier of a Manics gig!

- Drinking with Will in London
LOL at the Security for the Roundhouse saying "have another drink and you won't get in"....as I tried to hide my 90% vodka and 10% coke drink

I'm sure there are more, but I don't want to bore you for too long. Just had to randomly say some of this!

[The Gutless Wonder]

Great memories there Grant!

I'm listening to PFAYM right now. Haters gonna hate!