Know Your Enemy 20 scheduled for 2021 release

[centralscrutiniser]

Originally Posted by Routine Builder

You do know you're blurring the context right? Castro literally walked into their dressing room uninvited with the press. WTF were the band supposed to do? Lock the doors to the man who led a guerilla overthrow of the previous regime? Give the finger to the face of a man who is allegedly responsible for the deaths of thousands of people, and also an emblem to quite a lot of the people in that crowd that night? Watch the footage and the body language, the band are clearly shitting bricks during the encounter and I'd hardly call it fawning (if you want to see fawning, watch the doc where James just sits and watches a Cuban guitar player for 10 minutes). When the band were invited to a personal audience with Castro at the presidential palace, Nick had a panic attack and the band went home early. That tells you more about what they genuinely feel about Castro than a forced press opportunity.

Sure - and you've just described neatly why some people don't think it was a terribly good idea to associate themselves with him and his regime.

If they really didn't like it, and didn't want tye association - why put it on the DVD and name the whole thing after his comment?

[Routine Builder]

Originally Posted by centralscrutiniser

If they really didn't like it, and didn't want tye association - why put it on the DVD and name the whole thing after his comment?

Because documentaries are a record of what happened. Do you expect Castro to be edited out as if he was was a Stalinist general being airbrushed out of communist propaganda?

[centralscrutiniser]

Revisionism doesn't seem to be a problem for the manics. Anyway, I'm.not even arguing they shouldn't have done it. What I'm saying is the sixth form politics student viewpoint if 'Cuba good, America the devil's playground' is naive. If they're going to associate themselves with a dictator, yo whatever extent, there are going to be people who raise an eyebrow.

[Son of Stopped]

And naturally the media and reports about such questions of Cuba are nowhere to be found but on FD.
Although there we go. When the Manics are completely out of their control, instead of burning down the Palace they just grin idiotically and be dumbstruck!
These questions might explain why we haven't had another VHS recorded film compilations like Pieces Of Sleep for this album.

[Porco]

Originally Posted by Son of Stopped

And naturally the media and reports about such questions of Cuba are nowhere to be found but on FD.

Sorry, the media is busily concerned with entirely different unelected leaders right now!

[Marat Sar]

I'm surprised I'm not hearing more praise for the new Wattsville Blues. It's gone from curio to classic. I love how ugly Nicky's vocals are, especially the second verse. Makes me wish he sang them even worse. Then that glorious chorus comes along, the soundstage widens. Amazing guitar and bass. And the way James' and Nicky's voices are mixed is just great, you can listen to the two of them at once. One angelic and uniform, the other mocking and chaotic. And the whole thing is just dancey and even a bit sexy dare I say. The bass solo is amazing too. All throughout this song and the following MEDD, Nicky's laying down some absolutely amazing basslines.

It's also a pretty original song, musically. Lo fi electronic home recording meets super slick studio funk, existing almost on two separate layers. The songs around WB also support it perfectly. Tha Dead Martyrs -- Wattville Blues -- Miss Europa Disco Dancer ending is sooo strong.

And don't even get me started on Miss Europa. That's one of the few Manics songs that's just sexy. Everything about it fucks. The Manics aren't a band that push that button purposefully, it's more like they sometime stumble on it. Unintentionally, but with excellent results. Miss Europa's descriptions of a fading star are so well done. Nowhere does it state directly that the main character is a woman, other than the title. That would make it cheaper, taking it to Pulp territory. The femininity is implied in the title and the gorgeous disco instrumentation. And what a beautifully empathetic vocal take. The way James says "It's agony, sheer agony" is perhaps his sexiest take ever.

I like both this and the old mix and find no fault with either one. The new one's perhaps a bit shinier due to the amazing bass line being more prominent, and the celestial space of the breakdown. There's a downward bent guitar line right before that final double chorus that reaches deep into something very large and sad. This song also has one of the best song structures I've ever heard. The Chorus A - Chorus B - Chorus A+B structure never gets old. And then Nicky just kills it with his "brain dead motherfuckers" coda. I'm always amazed to see people here diss that moment. Outside this forum I haven't met a single person who isn't instantly swept away by the gorgeous, gut felt combination of disdain and beauty. It's one of my case-in-point Manics moments that's sure to impress anyone.

The ending trio of Solidarity changes styles so fast and in such an accomplished manner that it even reminds me of Kid A. JDB said in a recent interview that it was their creative peak and he might be right.

As an ending note, the other sexy Manics songs are:
Wattsville Blues -- the masculine/feminine tension/release dichotomy of verse and chorus, plus Nicky's Sid Vicious vocals
The Love of Richard Nixon -- JDB singing an octave lower to deliver some deep freudian dives with "the love of your mother" and "the need it still grows stronger", TLORN is the weirdest sexy thing ever, let's sex up Richard Nixon with some deep electrobeats
Everyone Knows No One Cares -- same as TLORN, the cold synths and the slight sparkle of "hope has a home", far away echoes of Miss Europa here even
Dying Breeds -- Nicky has a sexy punk baritone and knows how to deliver a dedicational lyric with the kind of sadness that works

[Son of Stopped]

Is there anyone here who hates or disappointed with this?
Buyer's remorse not touched yet. I'm getting a lot out of this. Solidarity growing.
But if you think it's shit. I was going to make a "Disappointed In KYE20" thread.
But here goes. Anyone hear who hates it?
It's a forum you're safe. Statistically there's more than a couple. The thread is open to you.

EDIT: And fantastic closing statement Marat!

[counterlanguage]

Originally Posted by Son of Stopped

But if you think it's shit. I was going to make a "Disappointed In KYE20" thread.
But here goes. Anyone hear who hates it?

I'm not disappointed by it, but once you've read the book the physical release serves no major purpose. You have to rearrange the tracks, which the band must've known. But then they have to cover the cost of the remixes, remasters etc. Not enough money from a Spotify version you can re-jig.

Otherwise the only moan is the lack of a remastered Door To The River - Forever Delayed Version.

[Tim]

Originally Posted by Marat Sar

And don't even get me started on Miss Europa.

The new outro to this is stupendous, by far superior to the original in my opinion. At the time though nicky couldn't play those basslines, james had to do it. They even swapped guitars when they played it at the cuba gig.

Very disappointed they cut out nicky's rant at the end of wattsville blues though, i'd like to know the thinking behind that.

[counterlanguage]

Originally Posted by Tim

Very disappointed they cut out nicky's rant at the end of wattsville blues though, i'd like to know the thinking behind that.

True. The original ending was obviously influenced by the intrusion of tabloids and others (Don't want useless fuckers knocking at my door..) when he lived in Wattsville. Presumably he's mellowed about that kind of stuff over the years and didn't feel the need for it to be there anymore.

[Tim]

Originally Posted by counterlanguage

True. The original ending was obviously influenced by the intrusion of tabloids and others (Don't want useless fuckers knocking at my door..) when he lived in Wattsville. Presumably he's mellowed about that kind of stuff over the years and didn't feel the need for it to be there anymore.

This is the kind of revisionism i mentioned elsewhere that i'm usually dead against because he may not feel that now but it is authentic to when he wrote it. Though maybe they get a pass because the two albums are now their own thing.

[theplague]

I’m surprised that people praise Nicky for great bass lines etc, I’ve seen it through posts about this release and earlier, isn’t it obvious it’s James that does most(all?) such things? I’ve always almost take it for granted it’s him. They’ve talked about this on occasions through all years, and again it’s pretty obvious seeing it from how skilled musicians they are.
Do people out the really see it as it’s Nicky?

[Son of Stopped]

Originally Posted by theplague

I’m surprised that people praise Nicky for great bass lines etc, I’ve seen it through posts about this release and earlier, isn’t it obvious it’s James that does most(all?) such things? I’ve always almost take it for granted it’s him. They’ve talked about this on occasions through all years, and again it’s pretty obvious seeing it from how skilled musicians they are.
Do people out the really see it as it’s Nicky?

I think there's some great playing in Epicentre which we can finally hear. I think Nicky might be a better Bass player.
Wasn't there an interview where Nicky said someone from Sony at the start said the way he played the bass was all wrong? So over the 90's Nicky adapted. Light hidden under Know Your Enemy bushel.
But James might have played bass somewhere. I like to think Nicky was better musician than it was cool to let on in 2001.

[qster]

Originally Posted by Routine Builder

It's funny that no one every complains that when MSP play the US, they legitimise the US government and all the horrible things that it has done over the years.

Absofuckinlutely

[theplague]

Originally Posted by Son of Stopped

I think there's some great playing in Epicentre which we can finally hear. I think Nicky might be a better Bass player.
Wasn't there an interview where Nicky said someone from Sony at the start said the way he played the bass was all wrong? So over the 90's Nicky adapted. Light hidden under Know Your Enemy bushel.
But James might have played bass somewhere. I like to think Nicky was better musician than it was cool to let on in 2001.

What I meant was, when people praise Nicky they should really praise James as he’s the one who’s actually playing/doing these things.
I believe James is a much better bass player than Nicky and therefore do a lot of the tracking of the bass.
For instance in Epicentre.

Not because Nicky is very bad or anything, James is just a lot better and more skilled coming up with those things.

So, when people refer to “a great bass line/piece” it’s most likely James, not Nicky.