One question: Masses are included so why not Close My Eyes? (And RnR Music, but who cares)

So - I heard the vinyl tracklist + demos and yes, I think it was worth doing. Some Solidarity songs sound far better than on KYE (IA, FTS, TC, MG)

I am gonna give it a serious try in the next days. The song combination is new and I'm curious how quick I can adapt to it. But I would say the two albums concept suit the songs definitely better. Although I understand they found it too risky. The decline from "probably the greatest british stars at Glasto 99" (sic) to a band clearly behind the zenith is somehow masked a bit in the original Know Your Enemy through all the sudden changes and overproduction.

The best track is Masses demo!!

There are some weird things included though:
- Wattsville Blues demo is beyond me; Is it there to show, that even such thing is possible to produce by a professional musician?
- SWSS demo and FOSWMMC demos are no demos by exports in the middle of recording; Freedom of Speech contains even the final vocal track (at least most of it)
- there are some strange changes on DTTR album
- added delays and reverbs to JAK and DTTR and some others
- I don't like Robeson and I don't like Let Robeson Sing, but still I wouldn't turn the out of tune backing vocals so loud, that's really weird :-D
- the "new" songs are really really really weak - one hopes for Soul to Squeeze when Rosebud starts and instead one becomes such an overcomplex garbage; it is clear why the songs didn't even make it on b-sides originally; Rosebud sounds like the things they have been doing in the last 12 years :-)
- I was hoping they would remove the horrible vocal reverb from Burgeois, but...ok, that's a personal taste only

And the lyrics have stayed the same. Unfortunately. KYE contains the most stupid lyrics by any good band ever. This + Stalin/rabbits thing + the Castro gig itself is the most embarrassing thing in the history of music, really. It was only 6 years after THB, that's crazy.

I guess with everything going on this week, both sales and streaming will take a hit

Still no knock. Didn't mind the lyrics but they've improved. Did listen to bits of stuff on YouTube.
Found it impossible to listen to the demos for half a minute!

Stuffed through letterbox! T-shirt! CD! Signed insert when opened it.
Oh CD IS 10 tracks. Wow. Ok sorry! My apologies!
The Year of Purification sounds good. Still got the singles somewhere hahaha

The year of purification sounds incredible.

I would have been more than happy with Door To The River album in 2001!
Epicentre rocks!!! Who knew or thought possible?!

Finished both. Really should have got the Door To The River t-shirt instead!
Two new old albums. But now ripping to PS3 because I'm sure the acoustic on Wattsville Blues (multi rear surround setting) shouldn't be that quiet!
At minute getting more fuzzy thinking of Door To The River.
And that reference DID make it in! Hahaha!
Happy Manics Release Cycle!

yes, I forgot about that - for the first time in my life I enjoyed the song! :-)

I like the genuinely different songs, extra bits and so on. Probably their best tart-up yet, comparable to the American Holy Bible, better in fact.

Still not received it, it'll be Monday now (if I'm lucky):mad:

Only listened to each album once but an enjoyable listen trying to pick out what additional bits are in or highlighted in the mixes. Has Masses had extra guitar lines put in that James normally performs live? Although after the first listen the new Baby Elian doesn't work for me.

Just got to decide whether to go for the old or new version of Miss Europa Disco Dancer in the unlikely event I ever get married...

Wattsville Blues is a lot 'kinder' in the outro now :lol: demo is rough as the bottom of a budgie's cage, though

Miss Europa - the synth end is better, IMO, than the guitar

This really sucks. It clearly was not listed that way???

So is it only the 3CD book that has ALL of the extra tracks?

The blurb for the 2CD on the website doesn’t say it contains the extra tracks, but the track listing underneath shows them. Looks like there’s been a copy & paste job of the track listing & they’ve forgot to delete the extra track lines 🤦🏻*♂️
Saying that, the standard CD releases have always been just the main album songs…