Journal For Plague Lovers - Retrospective

[Phil C]

I do love the way that (as Manics fans tend to do) the people who hate 'Postcards' are talking about it as though they're in the majority. Whatever you think of the album it got great reviews pretty much everywhere (as good as those for 'Journal' in a lot of places), charted in the same place (and would have charted at number 1 if they'd released it a week later) and has seen the band continue on the general up-curve sparked by 'Tigers' in the way in which they're being seen and written about. If you dislike 'Postcards' it is of course absolutely fine, but don't talk as though because you dislike it everyone else does as well (which not everyone is doing, but a few posters have had that tone).

[V.S.E.C]

Originally Posted by Blue Cat

I like you.

I take it you have a similar opinion then!

Don't get me wrong I don't think Postcards is an awful album, I just think with Journal preceding it, it feels like a step backwards. With Journal the band did something they really wanted to do, something which stands alone as incredible piece of art, I personally can't help but feel postcards is just a SATT pt2. Although in fairness it is miles better!

I don't think I would change a thing about the Journal era personally, I think the guys played it right. The tour playing the full album was a great idea, and no huge media PR campaign meant that the album was judged fully on it's own merits. The only downside was the debacle with Bag Lady. Pissess me off that they intentionally missed it off some versions, and then didn't include the demo of it (particularly as it's the song that changed the most from conception to completion!).

[Blue Cat]

Originally Posted by V.S.E.C

I take it you have a similar opinion then!

Don't get me wrong I don't think Postcards is an awful album, I just think with Journal preceding it, it feels like a step backwards. With Journal the band did something they really wanted to do, something which stands alone as incredible piece of art, I personally can't help but feel postcards is just a SATT pt2. Although in fairness it is miles better!

I don't think I would change a thing about the Journal era personally, I think the guys played it right. The tour playing the full album was a great idea, and no huge media PR campaign meant that the album was judged fully on it's own merits. The only downside was the debacle with Bag Lady. Pissess me off that they intentionally missed it off some versions, and then didn't include the demo of it (particularly as it's the song that changed the most from conception to completion!).

I don't like postcards, but it doesn't help at all that journal preceded it. That's not any of the problems that I had with it, but it makes it feel like more of a let down.
Of course, Journal was such a masterpiece that it would be hard for any album following it to be comparable. It's just that postcards in my opinion actually being bad, its a lot more of a let down. Some of the songs on Journal have such clear beauty to them, they show through the genius behind it. Postcards doesn't have anything amazing shining through it to me, it's a bubblegum musical facade.

[three_days]

Originally Posted by Phil C

I do love the way that (as Manics fans tend to do) the people who hate 'Postcards' are talking about it as though they're in the majority. Whatever you think of the album it got great reviews pretty much everywhere (as good as those for 'Journal' in a lot of places), charted in the same place (and would have charted at number 1 if they'd released it a week later) and has seen the band continue on the general up-curve sparked by 'Tigers' in the way in which they're being seen and written about. If you dislike 'Postcards' it is of course absolutely fine, but don't talk as though because you dislike it everyone else does as well (which not everyone is doing, but a few posters have had that tone).

I'd like to clarify that even though I took that tone I enjoy Postcards* and prefer it to SATT (and as entire albums, GT). I just feel the overall tone taken with it is more negative or disappointed (or even defensive). Don't worry though, we'll probably love it in a few years.

*except that Nicky tune. Blah.

[Blue Cat]

I haven't seen anybody take that tone. People who dislike it, talk about how they dislike it. People who like it talk about how they like it. If you dislike the opposite opinion, fair enough, and get annoyed by it, fair enough, but you can't put words into other peoples mouths. And I have time on my hands, and have read most recent posts in this sub forum. Disliking someone's opinion can put silly images of them in your head, ya know.

[MikeS]

Listening to Journal For Plague Lovers now. l believe it's a master piece and it really pisses me off that alot of these songs just won't be played live agian, it's almost fucking criminal.

Makes me think back and really appreciate having been at The Roundhouse on the Friday all those months back, my first live Manics experience.

[the_hound]

Journal from a Plague Lover is a a masterpiece, but its only comparable to the first three Manics album or the Richey written songs on EMG. You can't compare it to either PFAYM or SATT. PFAYM was the follow up to SATT, not JFAPL.

How many of the songs have been played live out of interest?

JCEQT and FPTL would be amazing live IMO.

[jonny69]

Just dug this out after a almost a year , now can't stop listening to it. Great album, a real triumph. Wish I'd gone to see them when they toured it.

[The Gutless Wonder]

Originally Posted by the_hound

Journal from a Plague Lover is a a masterpiece, but its only comparable to the first three Manics album or the Richey written songs on EMG. You can't compare it to either PFAYM or SATT. PFAYM was the follow up to SATT, not JFAPL.

How many of the songs have been played live out of interest?

JCEQT and FPTL would be amazing live IMO.

All of Journal got played live on the tour (except Bag Lady I presume unless it popped up at one point, not sure!)

[The Gutless Wonder]

Originally Posted by jonny69

Just dug this out after a almost a year , now can't stop listening to it. Great album, a real triumph. Wish I'd gone to see them when they toured it.

Was absolutely amazing! I went to Wolves Civic gig and the atmosphere was immense!

[riot_star]

The gigs for that album were amazing! I went to two Roundhouse gigs, absolutely fantastic.

[RoseTintedSpecs]

I love it. I first heard it in September, but it's quickly become the most played album on my iPod.

I really wish I'd been a fan when they toured it! I'd have loved to have heard the whole album played live.

[jonny69]

Originally Posted by The Gutless Wonder

Was absolutely amazing! I went to Wolves Civic gig and the atmosphere was immense!

Oh, that makes me feel much better

I bet it was, doubt if there will be a dvd release, is there a decent bootleg around?

[Phoenix]

It still has one mediocre song (Pretension Repulsion, seemingly based on a shopping list) and William's Last Words now I don't even notice, but actually I prefer it now to when I first bought it and couldn't stop listening to it. I grew bored of the album for a while, where apart from the first few tracks it wasn't doing anything for me. But my ears were just recalibrating. It is better than I first thought it was, though the lyrics obviously aren't up to scratch with The Holy Bible's except in a few songs. Peeled Apples is one of their finest openers, and getting Steve Albini to produce it was a really good idea.

But I have to say this: I'd like Postcards of a Young Man better musically if all the tracks on that album were of equal quality to its highlights. I like Golden Platitudes better than anything on JFPL, but the latter works better for quality control.

[The Gutless Wonder]

Originally Posted by jonny69

Oh, that makes me feel much better

I bet it was, doubt if there will be a dvd release, is there a decent bootleg around?

Sorry Jonny! Didn't mean to sound like I was gloating!