Does anyone still listen to RTF?

[Son of Stopped]

I listened to the tape I made of random selections from the last two albums, and the RTF material made me dig the album out and it's fucking brilliant!
I hope the people who don't recognise it as a Manics album come around to it soon.
I think it should of had three weeks at number one instead of TIMTTMY, but who would have become a fan if SMTW was the big single instead of IFTTYCWBN!

[Son of Stopped]

But now I can listen to RTF as it was intended and seems to suit this weather.
I now like a lot SMTW!
I think it's to some as hated by fans think the band thought of Lifeblood.
I really think I it's overlooked and will have its time in the sun again.

[IntlDebris]

I might have fairly unorthodox taste when it comes to being a Manics fan, but RTF would currently take the number 5 spot in my list. A very beautiful album, the only track I don't like on it is Manorbier.

[AK47]

I gave RTF a whirl a few weeks ago. It's definately an album that warrants a listen as a long play as opposed to "dipping" in for various singles. I prefer it over Futurology for the lyrics alone.

[tomd2103]

I like RTF and go back to it quite often. It was a good fit for the stage of their career they were at. Still not keen on Anthem For a Lost Cause, but it works well with the video.

[IrelandCalling4]

I think RTF is a wonderful album, along with Futurology quite an achievement - 37 songs (both albums and all 12 b sides) with all being worth listening to and a high quotient of great songs. A band 25 years into it at that point and having that kind of quality speaks to how good they are really.

Manorbier is an absolute highlight for me; evocative, melodic and memorable. Some fine lyrics througout the album; as a whole I'd rate it highly.

[sculptureofabloke]

Still love it. Got the promo with the Captain Beefheart sample at the start of As Holy As The Soil before it got cut from the commercial release. Wonder why they did that again after Little Baby Nothing, not hanging back and waiting for authorisation.

[Phil C]

It's my Sunday morning record - spoiled only slightly by Show Me The Wonder being a bit too upbeat.

It's a lovely piece of work. I love brass so having a Manics album so steeped in it completely works for me. The title track is one of the most beautiful things they've done, but As Holy As The Soil, with its mix of gospel piano and mariachi trumpets runs it close. Builder Of Routines in the song that grew on me most - I strongly suspect that they had John Cale's Ship Of Fools in mind when they wrote it. And of course the full-on rage of 30-Year War.

If I was going to be hyper-critical, I'd have liked 'It Will Take More Than A Grave' to have featured, for the 30YW brass middle-eight that was played on the Radio 1 session to have been on the album version, and I think 'Stow Hill' would have fit RTF better than Futurology. But that is being very picky.

Overall I probably prefer Futurology but it's a very close call.

[tomd2103]

Originally Posted by Phil C

It's my Sunday morning record - spoiled only slightly by Show Me The Wonder being a bit too upbeat.

It's a lovely piece of work. I love brass so having a Manics album so steeped in it completely works for me. The title track is one of the most beautiful things they've done, but As Holy As The Soil, with its mix of gospel piano and mariachi trumpets runs it close. Builder Of Routines in the song that grew on me most - I strongly suspect that they had John Cale's Ship Of Fools in mind when they wrote it. And of course the full-on rage of 30-Year War.

If I was going to be hyper-critical, I'd have liked 'It Will Take More Than A Grave' to have featured, for the 30YW brass middle-eight that was played on the Radio 1 session to have been on the album version, and I think 'Stow Hill' would have fit RTF better than Futurology. But that is being very picky.

Overall I probably prefer Futurology but it's a very close call.

I think it would have been the perfect closer to Futurology, as it would have represented a return 'home' after a trip through European themes. Still not sure why they added Myakovsky after it to be honest.

[sculptureofabloke]

Originally Posted by Phil C

It's my Sunday morning record - spoiled only slightly by Show Me The Wonder being a bit too upbeat.

It's a lovely piece of work. I love brass so having a Manics album so steeped in it completely works for me. The title track is one of the most beautiful things they've done, but As Holy As The Soil, with its mix of gospel piano and mariachi trumpets runs it close. Builder Of Routines in the song that grew on me most - I strongly suspect that they had John Cale's Ship Of Fools in mind when they wrote it. And of course the full-on rage of 30-Year War.

If I was going to be hyper-critical, I'd have liked 'It Will Take More Than A Grave' to have featured, for the 30YW brass middle-eight that was played on the Radio 1 session to have been on the album version, and I think 'Stow Hill' would have fit RTF better than Futurology. But that is being very picky.

Overall I probably prefer Futurology but it's a very close call.

I'd love to know a bit more about the process of both albums. Weren't they initially talking about a double album? Wonder what the point was when they realised they were writing two albums, and in what order the songs were written. Only speculating mind, but I bet there's a good few songs on Futurology that are older than some of Rewind The Film.

For once, I think the way the band was talking the album up before it came out was about right. Can't remember if it were James or Nicky, but one of em said about there being a bit of Forever Changes in the title track and can definitely hear that. Yeah, there's the psychedelic jangly bit just before James' vocals kick in, but for all its psychedelic and jangly bits, Forever Change is still a pretty introspective record, the music is much lighter than the lyrics. And I fucking love Love anyway, so that was a good fandom collision for me.

30 Year War, I think is my favourite Manics song of the decade. Read a review of the album before it came out with words to the effect of where the fuck did that come from, it's great. Couldn't wait to hear it, loved it, still do. Ah fuck it, don't care how corny it sounds, but in many ways they're not the same band we all fell in love with, but in others they are.

[usagainstyou]

I love RTF. I lived in the Rhondda Valley when it was released. Whenever I hear a song from this album I think of the wonderful people I met there

[Automatik]

Been a while now. Much prefer Futurology.

[Norwich5]

I've had a break from listening to the Manics for a few years now (somehow I still remembered my silly username and password for this site though!) and barely listened to Futurology when it came out. I wrote a nice review for RTW back when it came out, but didn't listen to it much after that.

Well, now I'm going through another Manics phase, and both RTW and Futurology sound good! They aren't perfect, but solid additions to their discography. And of the two, RTF is my favourite. Not sure where I would place it in their discography (6th or 7th probably). if you haven't listened to it in a while, give it a spin

[rosetree]

It's a really lovely album, though I listen to Futurology too, with Journal and Lifeblood though I tend to listen to different songs than the whole album at once.

[AK47]

I find myself drawn to both RTF and Futurology every few months. However, I am really keen to hear new music now and to get a taste of the direction the band take.