Everything Must Go?

[cameron33]

Wondering the reasons why the album is not near the very top of many of the Manics best album lists posted here of late. I don't listen to it often these days - It's been played to death, but the reason why I consider it as the second best Manics album ever are as follows:
Great energy - comparable to THB
Written (both music lyrics) and played from the heart - as above
Fantastic songs/no filler (in fact the first half of the album and the last track are contenders for the best 20 Manics songs ever)

Surely only the Holy Bible is in the same league (possibly one better), with perhaps JFPL as a respectable but distant third in terms of the quality and potential longetivity of the music. So the question to those who don't rate it in their top 3 is - in your opinion where does it lack in comparison with the other albums? (not including THB/JFPL)

[Frozendiva]

I rated it in my top 3. Although my ranking for my Manics collection isn't set in stone. Depends on my mood, time of year, what I'm listening to, what's going on in my life. And I go through phases where'll I play something 'to death' and then take a break for a while. Did that with 'The Holy Bible' too.

[Littlesue]

Its my second behind Lifeblood

[Mr Richey]

It's my 2nd behind THB, with JFPL taking 3rd place.

[Flint]

It's great but not as great as the ones that go before it in my lists. I'd rank it as #5 (and only THB is above it out of the two highly arguable 'surefire' choices you presented, at #4) and the best reason is just that the others before it hit my tastebuds stronger. If you honestly, genuinely want me to ramble my brains off on my preferences then sure, but really it just all boils down to individual taste. It's a bit daft to assume that some albums are objectively better than others because of one's own preference to them or their status in the band's history.

[Tom]

I think it's their saddest album in many ways. Alot of the songs sound nostalgic anyway and listening to the album makes me feel nostalgic. So I don't listen to it.

[Jools Joyce]

I don't like this album very much. I just can't think of it as an album, it is more like a collection of songs, collection of singles, I can't feel any concept there. I feel like those tracks were artificially glued together. There are great songs out there, some of them are really mindblowing, but they don't go together well as an album. At least for me.
Also this record contains 2 of 3 songs of the Manics catalogue that I don't like at all and 2 songs that are just mediocre.

[Jayseph]

It's not only my favourite album of theirs, it's my favourite album by anyone. Been that way 14 years now.

[sonicshake]

Totally agree. 'The Holy Bible' (the only completely untouchable album they've ever made IMO) will never be beaten and is as near to a work of art as an album has any right to be, closely followed by 'Everything Must Go' (simply fantastic songwriting and production) then 'Journal For Plague Lovers' (a true return to form and an incredible achievement for a band's 9th album). This is my Holy Trinity of Manics albums.

[Mr Richey]

Originally Posted by sonicshake

Totally agree. 'The Holy Bible' (the only completely untouchable album they've ever made IMO) will never be beaten and is as near to a work of art as an album has any right to be, closely followed by 'Everything Must Go' (simply fantastic songwriting and production) then 'Journal For Plague Lovers' (a true return to form and an incredible achievement for a band's 9th album). This is my Holy Trinity of Manics albums.

Same as me. Let's be friends.

[Porco]

It's still my favourite album by anyone, and likely to remain so.

[Mark]

Not a big fan of TGWWTBG or EMG, and Enola/Alone is decent. The rest is perfect.

[Kieslowski]

It's my least liked Manics album. If I never hear Australia ever again in my life, I'll still have heard it 100 times more than I would have wished to. Further Away was the first time they wrote a song that just sounds like a throwaway pop song. I also can't be arsed with Enola/Alone, and TGWWTBG is alright. The other ones, although I like them, are suffering from over-exposure for me. I just don't like the overall tone of the album, mainly because I despised Shitpop and, for me, it is tainted by association.

On top of all that, for me it signifies the point where the Manics started going wrong. The point where twats started liking them. I have no problem with a band I like becoming popular - I'm not one of these people that gets precious about "their" band suddenly being discovered by others - but I do have a problem with a band then shunning their ideals and their genuine fans in order to try to appeal to the tastes of morons, leading them to write "terrace anthem" shite like YSTSFMH and Tsunami.

So yeah, my tenth favourite Manics album.

[PCCCP]

Everything Must Go is along with "Journal..." my third favorite MSP album.
The energy is there, the melodies are there (perhaps more than the songwriting), and some of both Richey's and Nick's best lyrics are there as well.
Basically I prefer The Holy Bible and Generation Terrorists to Everything Must Go because of the music (and most of the lyrical content). I truly love the Manics when they just rock out. Blasting off great overblown guitar solos and heavy riffage, and when they incorporate Sean's drumming the way they do on The Holy Bible (and to some extent on "Journal..."). The drums on The Holy Bible is by far my absolutely favorite of all time, even beyond the mighty John Bonham of Led Zeppelin!
Everything Must Go is great as an album, the way it plays (Elvis Impersonator into Design, Enola/Alone and the title track into Small Black Flowers etc).
I wish some of the songs were longer. I think for instance Design, The Girl Who Wanted To Be God and No Surface All Feeling would have all benefited from being a bit longer.
It's a great album though.
9 out of 10.

[Jackie Collins]

I could never rate them in order. I change my mind depending on time.mood, etc or hearing a track that I had forgotten how good it was so it leads me to stick the album on!

I'm in a serious minority as I have TIMT at the top. Lifeblood and KYE sit firmly at the bottom. The others - I love them all!