Lifeblood reissue announced

[Bartek Wyre]

On a side note and in retrospect, oh boy, God Save the Manics, what a goofy title! What were they thinking?

[mrdi]

I still maintain that 2002-2004 was one of the most sonically interesting, if not prolific periods in MSP’s career. JDB’s approach to guitar, the introduction of more synths for a more glacial sound - it’s aged remarkably well and the songwriting on some of the b-sides was better than on many subsequent albums.

TBTGOG remains one of my favourite MSP songs and for me, that single was the start of the Lifeblood era. Brilliant b-sides too and that should form part of a Lifeblood repackaging.

I didn’t like Nixon at the time but that’s another song which has fared well with time, musically at least.

The Lifeblood b-sides & rarities also deserve a place in what I hope will be similar to the KYE ‘reimagining’ - there are gems like ‘Quarantine’, ‘The Soulmates’, ‘Litany’, ‘Everyone Knows/Nobody Cares’, ‘Askew Road’, ‘Everything Will Be’ and ‘All Alone Here’ would certainly be elevated by being included on a revised tracklisting.

I’m very excited by this prospect, I just hope it’s done well.

[Son of Stopped]

Originally Posted by mrdi

I didn’t like Nixon at the time but that’s another song which has fared well with time, musically at least.

I remember full on "The hell is THIS?" for days when I got the single. Then the midweeks said it was going to be number one. So I forced myself to listen and listen again until it clicked. Eventually it did. But it was all for naught as another number 2 placing happened.
Women in a gym doing aerobics. If only that was in their video.
Plus at time, coming through the 90's and seeing videos that made even me think "So... We're just going to piss away equality and change just for sweaty Dance videos?".
Ah, 2004. There was that war. And how it seemed how bleak times couldn't be rooted any more.

That said, I'll be getting the three disc version! It said on the KYE website the extra tracks would be included on the 2CD version!

[slop101]

Since they seem to dump a song on some of these album reissues, and replace it with a [superior] B-side, I hope they dump Nixon (the only bad song on the album, IMO), and replace it with pretty much any B-side from the Lifeblood sessions - there were lots...

The Soulmates
Antarctic
Automatik Teknicolour
It's All Gone
Unstoppable Salvation
Happy Ending
Everyone Knows / Nobody Cares
Everything Will Be
Askew Road
Quarantine (In My Place Of)
Voodoo Polaroids
All Alone Here
No Jubilees
Litany
Dying Breeds
Failure Bound

[ron the little seal]

Tiny massive hands, my utter disdain for that lyric has not dimmed

[sitdown1985]

Originally Posted by Son of Stopped

I remember full on "The hell is THIS?" for days when I got the single. Then the midweeks said it was going to be number one. So I forced myself to listen and listen again until it clicked. Eventually it did. But it was all for naught as another number 2 placing happened.
Women in a gym doing aerobics. If only that was in their video.
Plus at time, coming through the 90's and seeing videos that made even me think "So... We're just going to piss away equality and change just for sweaty Dance videos?".
Ah, 2004. There was that war. And how it seemed how bleak times couldn't be rooted any more.

That said, I'll be getting the three disc version! It said on the KYE website the extra tracks would be included on the 2CD version!

I remember sitting at the family computer when my sister called me over because they were playing it on TOTP. Took me a moment to realise it was James singing in a lower register!
IMO their best video though, with all the newspapers flying etc.

[Europa Gluten Free]

Very distinctly reminder the first play by Jo Whiley on Radio 1 and thinking I'm not sure and Jo Whiley not seeming too sure either.

But the Lifeblood era did give us the best radio session the band ever did. One of the best recordings of This is Yesterday.

[theraven1979]

One of their best albums IMO. Pretty sure I got this on a reissue about 10 years ago. Gatefold vinyl

[Suicide Aldi]

If they dump TLORN i will kick off. In my opinion, that song is representative of what Lifeblood SHOULD have been, but the idea seemed to get lost somwhere Along the way.

[tomd2103]

Originally Posted by mrdi

I still maintain that 2002-2004 was one of the most sonically interesting, if not prolific periods in MSP’s career. JDB’s approach to guitar, the introduction of more synths for a more glacial sound - it’s aged remarkably well and the songwriting on some of the b-sides was better than on many subsequent albums.

TBTGOG remains one of my favourite MSP songs and for me, that single was the start of the Lifeblood era. Brilliant b-sides too and that should form part of a Lifeblood repackaging.

I didn’t like Nixon at the time but that’s another song which has fared well with time, musically at least.

The Lifeblood b-sides & rarities also deserve a place in what I hope will be similar to the KYE ‘reimagining’ - there are gems like ‘Quarantine’, ‘The Soulmates’, ‘Litany’, ‘Everyone Knows/Nobody Cares’, ‘Askew Road’, ‘Everything Will Be’ and ‘All Alone Here’ would certainly be elevated by being included on a revised tracklisting.

I’m very excited by this prospect, I just hope it’s done well.

I agree with that. I would include Forever Delayed as TBTGOG as the beginning of that period and there are plenty of songs from that time that I still go back to now.

I suppose the release of two compilation albums before Lifeblood spread the material of that era out a bit, as I've always felt FD and TBTGOG would have sounded great on Lifeblood (along with the Greatest Hits version of Door to the River).

[Europa Gluten Free]

Again - the band would like this 2002-2004 era more if the commercial success and attention they had enjoyed in 1998-2000 had continued on. This was their middle phase when they were between Radio 1 and Radio 2. They finally accepted who they now were in 2007.

I have such great memories of Lifeblood. Probably my fav era as a Manics fan alongside TIMT and JFPL (and TUVL strangely).

[tomd2103]

Originally Posted by Europa Gluten Free

Again - the band would like this 2002-2004 era more if the commercial success and attention they had enjoyed in 1998-2000 had continued on. This was their middle phase when they were between Radio 1 and Radio 2. They finally accepted who they now were in 2007.

I have such great memories of Lifeblood. Probably my fav era as a Manics fan alongside TIMT and JFPL (and TUVL strangely).

That's true about them viewing things through the prism of commercial success. It's a strange one that period. They nailed it with some of the stuff and I still think the likes of 1985 are up there with anything they have done. Where they didn't quite nail it, it just sounds a bit flat, particularly in the middle part of the album (To Repel Ghosts aside).

[someone, somewhere, soon]

I can see TBTGOG making the album tracklist, probably in place of Nixon. Should fit nicely between 1985 and Empty Souls.

[Son of Stopped]

I should stress Nixon has clicked. It's the most alien Manic Street Preachers single ever. More weirder than Gospel of Some Kind Of Nothingness. Because Gospel is associated with Rock.
The Love Of Richard Nixon went further than TBTGOG as that had a reassuring guitar in it's intro.
And yet if 1985 or Always/Never was the lead single, it all could have been a different story!
I've heard 1985 was planned a single but abandoned. Wishlist for Always/Never to be a single.

[Donkey]

To remove Nixon from Lifeblood would be crazy and wrong. It is actually a good song.
In the current live renditions they repeat the 20 year old mistakes: the songs don't work live with the backing tracks. They need rockier approach and faster tempo. Just like Suede with Butler playing Stay Together and other songs live or (one level lower) Queen playing Staying Power or Body Language.

I remember listening to Nixon the first time and awaiting an octave jump in vocals. Probably first chorus. Ok, then second verse. Ok, then second chorus. Ok...then after the solo. Oh shit. I am sure James will sing it one octave higher live. Oh shit. Aaaa "and your country toooooo".

For the reissue
the orginal Visconti mixes
IoW tempo and arrangement demo of Empty Souls
Other early demos and rehearsals
Soundboard recording of SSI@IoW
would be great.

I am surprised to hear people saying Lifeblood b-sides are good. For me, they are at least a few levels lower than GATS or EMG era. But I think I prefer all eras b-sides I know (up to RTF/Futurology) to Lifeblood. The cheap My Sweet Lord rip Quaranteen, the pathetic Askew Road, Nicky's vocals, absolutely unecessary songs like No Jubilees or how is it called, repetitive All Alone Here...give me a break :-) They really made good choice of what should and shouldn't be on the album that time. So, the end of my pathetic litany-y-y.