Album 15

[Porco]

Originally Posted by Son of Stopped

Edit: my sodding fingers have pressed an emoji again

What. Hap-pened. To. Your.
Clinical Typing?!

[Son of Stopped]

Originally Posted by Porco

What. Hap-pened. To. Your.
Clinical Typing?!

Bloody smartphone hahaha. Ok, now try pressing submit reply without touching anything else

Edit: AARGH!

[Manic Steve Preacher]

Originally Posted by FacelessSenseOfVoid

As suspected, album has entered at number 2. I don't think I'll bother spending all that money next time when they clearly have a fanbase that doesn't care any more.

I’m genuinely gutted as it seems the Wire is still very much into chart positions.

Yes, it’s a false economy when the race is simply to ask hardcore fans to buy 10 different versions of the bloody thing! They still have the might of Sony/Columbia which is way more than some similar artists have at their disposal.

The album isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, sure. But it is nice to see the boys carry on and want to release new stuff. 1 week at the top spot would have been nice.

[almostfamous]

End of week 1 details fwiw....

01 34,091 Sabrina Carpenter - Short n' Sweet [7,442 CDs, 6,200 vinyl, 4 cassettes, 195 downloads, 20,250 streaming] [total: 477,986]
02 23,542 Manic Street Preachers - Critical Thinking
03 20,746 PARTYNEXTDOOR & Drake - $ome $exy $ongs 4 U
04 11,587 The Wombats - Oh! The Ocean
05 9,222 Central Cee - CAN'T RUSH GREATNESS

[FacelessSenseOfVoid]

Originally Posted by Porco

I think the vast majority of responses have been very positive, but no album is going to appeal to everyone, and the negative opinions are largely coming from people who wanted to like the album but (so far) are disappointed, which would indicate they do still care, I’d say.

Obviously participating in the multi-version circus is a personal choice for each of us though, one copy ought to be enough, I think any more is like buying a football shirt (or indeed an overpriced T-shirt or Hoodie!) - you (should) know you’re being fleeced and you’re choosing to do it to support your team. For me, the Manics are the only band I’d do it for, and though I’d love for as many people as possible to enjoy the album, the chart position and reaction of other fans (current or erstwhile) doesn’t really sway my decision to buy multiple copies at all.

I really wasn't having a go at people for not buying the multi-format bundle or anything to that effect, it was more aimed at the general fan base. If you look at how many concert tickets they'll have sold, if you converted those concert sales into album sales then they would have probably won hands down. And yes, I wouldn't put this effort into any other band, although I do probably like Queen and The Beatles more overall, but the Manics are *my* band and aside from reissues, those two bands aren't putting anything new out so I will go all out for the boys. I've always seen the Manics as supporting a football team, some seasons it'll be a shit show and you'll lose every game (PFAYM), or some seasons you'll get into Europe or win a cup (TIMT) and some seasons you'll go on a 20 game winning run and win the league (Lifeblood).

Sadly, the casual fans turn up when the going is good. I don't personally care what people think of the album individually, and I know how much it means to the band to get a number 1, and it could easily drive their ambition to record another album or they could just give up and call it a day. I'd rather they kept going, of course.

[FacelessSenseOfVoid]

Originally Posted by Manic Steve Preacher

I’m genuinely gutted as it seems the Wire is still very much into chart positions.

Yes, it’s a false economy when the race is simply to ask hardcore fans to buy 10 different versions of the bloody thing! They still have the might of Sony/Columbia which is way more than some similar artists have at their disposal.

The album isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, sure. But it is nice to see the boys carry on and want to release new stuff. 1 week at the top spot would have been nice.

Yep, totally agree, and just to re-iterate what I said in my previous comment, a number 1 could give them the motivation to do more or be more adventurous (although I doubt that). I am happy for them to exist and carry on being a great live band at the very least, because we still have that. I think I ended up buying 11 copies in the end (most were from the multi-format bundle though).

[UEF]

Originally Posted by almostfamous

End of week 1 details fwiw....

01 34,091 Sabrina Carpenter - Short n' Sweet [7,442 CDs, 6,200 vinyl, 4 cassettes, 195 downloads, 20,250 streaming] [total: 477,986]
02 23,542 Manic Street Preachers - Critical Thinking
03 20,746 PARTYNEXTDOOR & Drake - $ome $exy $ongs 4 U
04 11,587 The Wombats - Oh! The Ocean
05 9,222 Central Cee - CAN'T RUSH GREATNESS

Is there a vinyl count for the manics?

[savemejebus]

Originally Posted by FacelessSenseOfVoid

If you look at how many concert tickets they'll have sold, if you converted those concert sales into album sales then they would have probably won hands down.

If the manics records sounded anywhere near as good as the manics live (even the watered down version we get now) then it would be no problem getting the album sales.

Sadly the rock and roll of the live show is now replaced on the records by tinny, weak gloss flavoured with whatever nostalgic childhood/teenage sound takes their fancy these days.

[deadmartyr]

Originally Posted by almostfamous

End of week 1 details fwiw....

01 34,091 Sabrina Carpenter - Short n' Sweet [7,442 CDs, 6,200 vinyl, 4 cassettes, 195 downloads, 20,250 streaming] [total: 477,986]
02 23,542 Manic Street Preachers - Critical Thinking
03 20,746 PARTYNEXTDOOR & Drake - $ome $exy $ongs 4 U
04 11,587 The Wombats - Oh! The Ocean
05 9,222 Central Cee - CAN'T RUSH GREATNESS

Thank god MSP didn't get bested by an album called $ome $exy $ongs 4 U

[Manic Steve Preacher]

Originally Posted by FacelessSenseOfVoid

I think I ended up buying 11 copies in the end (most were from the multi-format bundle though).

You did well - that’s 10 more than I bought! 😀

[Son of Stopped]

Originally Posted by deadmartyr

Thank god MSP didn't get bested by an album called $ome $exy $ongs 4 U

I've no idea how that Joy Division one got through but they can still fuck off more than anything else in that top 5.

[everlasting]

That's somewhat lower sales than I imagined for the first week. Considering a lot of fans will have bought multiple copies, it kind of shows now how smaller the fan base is, or at least those who are willing to buy the music... or are even aware they have a new album out, a few people I know who like some Manics stuff and general rock music didn't have an idea they had a new album out or heard any of the singles

[TheUglyLie]

Originally Posted by savemejebus

They've fixed this now and can happily say that for me, the piano version, is by a million miles the far superior version of PRP.

Thanks for the heads up. I’m liking the piano versions, & want to make a CD-R with them and the b-sides playing after the full CT_ album

[UEF]

This years vinyl caused me to need another square of Kallax storage… this can’t go on!

[JDMANIC]

Still digging into the tracks as I just got my vinyl copy 2 days ago. So far, I'd say the Nicky sung tunes are my favorites by far. Title track is pretty original and great! I like this album better than the previous one. Next year will be my official 30th year as a Manics fan. Wow, how time flies!