Journal For Plague Lovers - Retrospective

[centralscrutiniser]

Still does it for me. After the first listen I declared (to a largely uninterested living room) that it was their greatest album and I stand by that now.

[UEF]

If you held a gun to my head and asked me to pick between JFPL and PFAYM, I'd pick JFPL. Equally, for JFPL and SATT, I'd go for JFPL without a moments hesitation.

[Bathtub]

I still love it a lot. To be making that kind of nosie on your 9th record is worthy of high praise indeed.

What's great is that it could have been awful and embarrasing and a terrible folly, but instead it was incredible, visceral, had a twisted sense humour and rocked hard when necessary.

That they followed it with the MOR bore-fest that is PFYAM makes me sad.

[Ken Korda]

Strangely enough, I've also been listening to JFPL today after a while. Absolute blinder of an album, just brilliant.

[franny]

Ah it's just bloody amazing, I've relegated it to second after The Holy Bible but it's a very worthy second, it's a rare perfect album, I'd change nothing.

[mafiamonroe]

I prefer it to THB as i just can't into the frame of mind to listen to that sort of album now. My angst days are long gone thankfully!

[srhgrg]

i still think it's fantastic. i don't listen to it much now though, although that's probably because i did so much when it came out.

[Bathtub]

They missed a really good opportunity to make a great live album cherry picking tracks from the 3 nights at the Roundhouse to have the album played live on one CD and then the hits on the second. I would've gone mental for something like that.

[counterlanguage]

A couple of tracks don't really work for me, but it's still my second favourite album and I still listen to it a lot, more than any other Manics album.

At times I think it's my favourite - THB just beats it because of the combination of music and lyrics, but JFPL is the better in terms of music, performance and production.

It'd probably be my favourite MSP album, but I just can't connect with most of the lyrics.

Agreed on the live album too.

[Phil C]

I can never judge Manics albums properly while they're still the latest one, so this is a well-timed thread for me.

I still like the album a lot. It's a slightly strange beast - the couple of string-heavy tracks and the more glossy rock moments can sometimes distract from how heavy the album is at times, and as with most rock'n'roll it's at its best when it's rough and dirty.

For me then, the highlights are 'Peeled Apples', 'Journal', 'Marlon J.D.', 'All Is Vanity', 'Pretention/Repulsion' and 'Virginia State Epileptic Colony'. 'Jackie Collins' I find easy to listen to but don't understand why it's quite so popular. 'This Joke Sport Severed' is nice but the string section feels out of place (although it is a guilty pleasure). 'She Bathed...' has the right sound production-wise but slightly lacks the tune to go with it.

The weaker moments are the ok-but-shallow 'Me and Stephen Hawking', 'he dull 'Facing Page' and the dirge-y 'Doors Closing Slowly' (which is the one lyric to be really badly edited - one of the missed out verses is much better than one they used). 'William's Last Words' is good but the album version is the weakest of the three - both the demo and remix are better.

For ages I've been meaning to find the time to do a proper retrospective on the album, reviewing it track-by-track and including the demos, remixes and how the song worked live. No-one else is probably that interested though!

Overall I'd probably place it third in my list of Manics albums behind 'The Holy Bible' and 'Know Your Enemy' (the variety of which just bumps it in front) and in front of either 'Truth' or 'Postcards'.

[Siouxsie Sway]

still as much love <3

[Dean V]

The only album with consistently good Richey lyrics.

Also one of the best albums of the last 10 years in all forms.

The only bad tracks I can think of is Bath of Bleach (dull as feck, Nicky's demo was much better) and Peeled Apples (sounds like a stripped back NIN demo, James vocals are good on it but weak musically). To be fair they are more average than bad though so not a big issue.

[Manicben]

Anyone who saw my earlier post which has now been deleted. Ignore it, I had a lapse of concentration and thought I had seen Postcards.

[Blue Cat]

I love it so much. I can't listen to it enough, it never gets boring. And if I don't listen to it for a while, and then remember its on my iPod, I get a huge rush of love all over again. The slower songs are heartbreaking, the faster songs are pounding. It's consistent. It actually gives off raw emotions left right and centre. There is nothing tacky, overdone, or underdone. It's my second favourite manics album; second to THB. but to be honest The Holy Bible is only in number 1 position due to nostalgia and memories of that part of my fandom rather than love of the album itself.

[Futurologist]

When I first listened to it, the first time I heard the tracks, I was like: 'This is my favourite song on the album'. The only one I haven't even listened to yet is Williams Last Words. Not because of the Wire vocal, just the sentiment. I skip it always. Don't know if I'll will ever get around to listening to it.

Might not be popular, but I love Peeled Apples. Especially for James' little throat clearing two thirds of the way in. Always gets me fired up for the walk home.

Love JPFL more than PFAYM.

Personally I feel JPFL sounds like a better album than THB: the band are a better band now, James and Sean are more accomplished and practiced musicians and composers and Nicky has developed considerably as both a lyricist and a bassist. This is musically better than THB (controversial and I expect to be flamed for it), while I think THB and JPFL are on a par, THB pips JPFL just marginally.

Love JPFL, but I'm glad the band did something lighter for their next album, doing two dark albums might have damaged them.