Journal For Plague Lovers - Retrospective

[the_soft_machine]

Originally Posted by Corpse In The Bathtub

All is Vanity (crap/silly lyrics).

wah--?????
It was one of the lyrics Nicky was able to explain quite fully in that NME interview thingy. Not silly at all.

Unlike that one in the first song about the dwarf and his cockerel....!

[S.D.]

Piece plus Master.

[Bathtub]

Originally Posted by the_soft_machine

wah--?????
It was one of the lyrics Nicky was able to explain quite fully in that NME interview thingy. Not silly at all.

Unlike that one in the first song about the dwarf and his cockerel....!

I can't remember the NME interview too well. I find All is Vanity's lyrics a bit childish and immature to be honest. To me it's Richey's "purity" obsession to the fore and it's all very dull.All the stuff about no choice, no freedom.His opinions and beliefs obviously, but they're ones that I just find very silly.

Being able to deal with uncertainty and choice is part of being an adult, and that song seems to emphasise how childish Richey could be.Maybe I like to see him in a better light, I don't know.

I must be alone though as nobody else I know who has the album has anything but positive stuff to say about All is Vanity, so it literally is just me!

[everlasting]

Love it, listen to at least one song pretty much every day from it.

[Slideling]

I've pretty much stopped.

[Lone Architect]

I still like it a lot. It's not my favourite album of the year but according to lastfm it appears to be the second most listened to album in the last six months which was released this year (fourth overall). And I have left it on my mp3 player a lot longer than other albums. And I listen to it at the gym a lot.

I think I've failed to notice until recently how much I appreciate it and how often I've played it which is interesting. I never realised I could underrate an album by my favourite band!

[LoveMeToDeath]

still love it and still listen to it a lot. One thing I have found myself doing though is normally i listen to the manics in shuffle on my ipod but i still have to listen to JFPL as whole

[Bryter Layter]

Originally Posted by Dancing Kirby

Did anyone ever find out why in Peeled Apples Nicky took Richey's 'window dummy' and replaced it by a phrase that previously never existed? Is there any meaning whatsoever to 'shop work dummy'? It's the new Underdogs edit for me. That and the rendering of JCEQT's second verse as nonsense. Don't ever touch Richey's lyrics again, Nicky.

Yeah, initially when I saw the unedited lyrics, I was a bit peeved as I thought they (probably mostly Nicky, but I'm sure James had a hand in it too) left out some really key bits of the lyrics...JCEQT and WLW are two key examples. However, I've since come to realize that they must have had their reasons for using the verses they did - probably had a lot to do with fitting the words into the song as well as what worked for James when it came to singing the tunes. It also stands to reason that they both typically edited his lyrics down pre-95 anyway so it's not like he could have expected them to keep all the lyrics for a song such as WLW in it's entirety. Still, WLW remains, IMO, the worst edit on the album. But, as I said, Wire probably had his reasons for using those lines so who am I to question that?
As for the album as a whole, I still really love it! Not sure at this stage if it's one of their best, but I'm fairly confident that I will look back and judge it as such.
No it doesn't break any new musical ground, but it does do a hell of a great job in exploring a retro low-fi sound yet still remains loud and abrasive and honestly believe them when they say that's the kind of thing Richey would have wanted for those lyrics.
Personally, I prefer the Manics when they play aggressive, harder sounding music with the occassional lapse into an accoustic softer sound so for me, JFPL represents a good piece of work from them.

[gladstone]

I still love it although I must say I did over play it and Im having a little break for it at the moment. On saying that its still in my car radio. Must get round to removing it for a bit

[the_soft_machine]

Originally Posted by Corpse In The Bathtub

I find All is Vanity's lyrics a bit childish and immature to be honest. To me it's Richey's "purity" obsession to the fore and it's all very dull.All the stuff about no choice, no freedom.His opinions and beliefs obviously, but they're ones that I just find very silly.

Being able to deal with uncertainty and choice is part of being an adult, and that song seems to emphasise how childish Richey could be.Maybe I like to see him in a better light, I don't know.

fair enough - i can understand that

[Little Girl Lost]

I still love JFPL, I can't listen to JCEQT enough! I cut it up into bits and put the "Oh mummy what's a Sex Pistol" bit on my phone as a message alert tone lol. I just love it!

The poll is closed and I couldn't vote...

I still love it as much as I did originally... my choice.

[corporatetom]

Originally Posted by TheGreatPretender

I prefer the Manics when they play aggressive, harder sounding music with the occassional lapse into an accoustic softer sound so for me, JFPL represents a good piece of work from them.

I have recently identified aggression as one of the key things that makes me like the Manics more than anyone else. Music should have some bite to it, and it's amazing when you think about it how few bands do!

[Mr.Selfdestruct]

Initially I though people in these parts got a little bit over excited about the greatness of this album. I still think that a little. But I do think it's is a brilliant and far superior than anything they have put out in years. Not listened to it in a couple of months. Still sounds just as good

[The Gutless Wonder]

I've been listening to it in my car today!

[BrianPowell]

Such a memorable album, it's not that often these days that after a year and a half after the release I can still love the album just as much as the period it was first out. It all sounds so fresh. It's sad that this may have been the last album with that type of sound from the Manic Street Preachers.