The Send Away The Tigers Discussion Thread - Forever Delayed

y2kyle16 · #1 05-11-2010, 10:08

This is possibly one of my least favourite albums

My favourites are: Your Love Alone, Send Away The Tigers and Rendition

Cant Stand: Patsy, WinterLovers and Indian Summer

Not Their worst album but nowhere near their best

your thoughts?

beautifuldistortion · #2 05-11-2010, 10:21

Good Album - too short!
agree that Indian summer isn't very good.
The rest of the album is nice and 'rocky' :0)

Imperial bodybags is a personal favourite!

Napoleon Bonaparte · #3 05-11-2010, 10:36

With songs like Rendition, Patsy & Bodybags it ignited off Wire's ironic streak. Carried on into songs like Billion Balconies, Entertainment & Don't Be Evil.
I like that element very very much, I personally get something out of it.

BrianPowell · #4 05-11-2010, 10:44

Beautiful Album.
I LOVE all tracks from Send Away The Tigers.
I have to admit though I wish there were 2 extra tracks on the album.

Flint · #5 05-11-2010, 10:51

Can I tl;dr again? For fun?

On the Lifeblood thread I mentioned how when I first heard 1985, I was jumping all over the room in a fit of joy. After I had finished my first listen of Send Away the Tigers, I just sat on the bed and felt nothing.

If we allow a little hyperbole, Tigers killed the obsessed Manics fanboy in me. Before it I was close to Gutless Wonder-esque love and dedication towards the band's music, but Tigers turned me off from the band for a good year or so. It wasn't just the music - to be honest I could've easily done with a great Manics rock album after their 'experimental period' and even if the result was less than that, well, sometimes bad albums happen, fact of life. It was the whole ethos behind the era. Turning their back on everything they had done since 1998, slagging it all off and then stating that this is what the real Manics were. Autopilot rock tunes. The whole "this is the REAL MANICS everything else before was SHIT" hype-up genuinely pissed me off; I don't mind artists being critical of their own works but the way they completely disowned all the things they had felt was the right thing to do for almost an entire decade was cringy, plus it didn't help that the albums they were busy slagging off were the ones I got into the band from. And, y'know, the album was devoid of pretty much any really enjoyable content which was a punch in the gut after the previous one was the greatest thing they had done and they were on a massive golden streak before it too. It took a good year for me to properly get into the band again, by popping on Leaving the 20th Century one night and going through all the memories associated with it and the songs in it.

I've kissed and made up with Tigers now but it's still the weakest of the Manics bunch to me. It sounds like a Manics cover band attempting their first original material. It sounds like it's on autopilot. The band stated they felt refreshed and rejuvenated - I thought they sounded like they had given up and were content with churning out clichéd attempts of revisiting past glories. The lyrics for the most part are terrible as well. The whole thing, bar one exception, is devoid of any life and real inspiration.

But like said, I've made my peace with it and to be honest I can somewhat enjoy it in individual slices. Going through the whole album causes me to feel disappointed all over again but when the occasional song pops up on shuffle, I do find myself being able to find some good in them. My contrarian ways even pop up in the fact that I can stomach Underdogs (that ending is musically brilliant and I'm willing to forgive even the horrid edit for that) and Autumnsong (it's the only song on the album that actually acknowledges it's corny cheese and that lack of seriousface makes it work). Pretty much the only things that cause me to sigh in a very disappointed way still are Rendition, YLAINE (when I first heard it I was joyous about it. It really didn't last repeat listens) and Working Class Hero (which was a cringeworthily shit song to begin with, the cover doesn't make it any better). It still doesn't work as an album and I never have the desire to listen to it, but there's something swell in it too - even if it's a bit b-sidey and throwaway compared to all the other albums they've done. And speaking of the b-sides, even most of those are fairly throwaway which is quite a bit from what I think is the best b-sides band I know.

Plus there's Winterlovers. Winterlovers is pretty much the only spot on the album that feels genuine to me. It sounds like it has heart and soul, there's warmth to it that's completely lacking from the rest of the album. The lyrics are actually great, and I do admit I've made a rather personal connection to them. That instrumental part where everyone gets their own solo spot is inspired and generally musically it's a Manics-rocker that sounds bloody good. If the whole album had carried on that vein, I'd probably be praising SATT's merits here. But instead it's a great song trapped on a very average, run-of-the-mill album. If there's one thing that still ticks me off majorly in SATT, it's that Winterlovers has to be chained to it. But then again, it does give me an excuse to give the album a listen once every blue moon...

Long story short: it's got Winterlovers and in the right state of mind I can enjoy parts of it but it's still a terribly average and plasticy album from a band who had had a brilliant career with plenty of heart put into everything before that. The only genuine disappointment I've ever had with this band.

Noisy Cat · #6 05-11-2010, 10:55

I absolutely adore Winterlovers.

In fact I like every song on the album - except for I'm Just A Patsy, which does nothing for me.

Oh yeah, and the Working Class Hero cover was utterly pointless.

Napoleon Bonaparte · #7 05-11-2010, 11:02

Isn't it funny how opinions can differ?

I feel that Lifeblood is forced, trying to shoehorn themselves into being band they never were. It's at times (& only at times) on SATT that they seem to be themselves to me. I wish they had thrown caution to the wind & been even less self-conscious, the same with PFYAM in a way.

Perhaps with the next album...

centralscrutiniser · #8 05-11-2010, 11:03

I like the album, but I agree with Flint - I really hate the constant slagging off of previous albums and particularly disowning Lifeblood as they seem to do. It seems like a bit of a kick in the teeth and almost calling fans shmucks for enjoying the album, going to the tour etc.

SATT overall is an ok album, with a few decent tunes on it. It's no lyrical masterpiece but how important is that really? It's worth it for the solo in Imperial Bodybags alone.

starstruck · #9 05-11-2010, 11:03

hmn....

when i think about it the initial thought is that i don't like it. then when i go and play it, surprise surprise, it really is rather good.

Autumnsong remains one of the worst things they've done, and YLAINE just gets very irritating with repeat plays. i wonder if they learnt the trick of releasing the weaker stuff as singles from Morrissey? he notoriously released the weakest track as the first single for his last few solo albums.

it gets a bit of a knock from some corners, but i really like Underdogs. Imperial Bodybags is one of the better songs the band has ever done, the remainder (bar the two singles mentioned) fall in the above average category.

still unsure exactly what it is they are trying to say or represent with the cover?

the album "makes sense" in the light of the fact that Lifeblood didn't perform quite how they expected it to, for it is not an all that bad balance between the reason why a loyal fan base fell in love with them in the first place, backed with a sound that echoes their commercial heights.

the important thing about SATT is that it was a commercial success - even if it "only" scraped into the Top Ten albums, it still sold very well. if it has sold at an equal to or even less than Lifeblood, that probably would have been that for the band.

Napoleon Bonaparte · #10 05-11-2010, 11:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by leericketts

hmn....

when i think about it the initial thought is that i don't like it. then when i go and play it, surprise surprise, it really is rather good.

That's exactly how I feel about Lifeblood, like the Godfather 3, I never can never escape.

centralscrutiniser · #11 05-11-2010, 11:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Napoleon Bonaparte

Isn't it funny how opinions can differ?

I feel that Lifeblood is forced, trying to shoehorn themselves into being band they never were. It's at times (& only at times) on SATT that they seem to be themselves to me. I wish they had thrown caution to the wind & been even less self-conscious, the same with PFYAM in a way.

Perhaps with the next album...

Do you feel they did that with JFPL? In theory they should have been completely free with that album but in a way I think they were more constrained than ever by living up to the 'legacy' and making what appears to be a concerted effort to do THB II.

For instance, I couldn't see James ever fitting the lyrics to She Bathed Herself In A Bath Of Bleach to the music for Postcards. Does this mean they were as constrained making JFLP by the tone as they were making PFAYM by their determination for commercial success?

starstruck · #12 05-11-2010, 11:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by centralscrutiniser

For instance, I couldn't see James ever fitting the lyrics to She Bathed Herself In A Bath Of Bleach to the music for Postcards. Does this mean they were as constrained making JFLP by the tone as they were making PFAYM by their determination for commercial success?

don't wish to digress to much from SATT, but with JFPL, i am sure there was some sort of honest, lamenting comment from Nicky about the fact that he "just couldn't inspire James" to write music to his lyrics the same way James was inspired by Richey's.

i don't think JFPL was so much a "forced" THB 2 as it was James writing music as he usually would to Richey's lyrics. yes, i appreciate that's two sides of the same coin, but i would suggest it was more of a natural thing than a deliberate forced sound?

everlasting · #13 05-11-2010, 11:22

Loved it when it came out, played it endlessly all the time. I like it a lot and live the songs really worked well. My fav 3 off the album, possibly are: YLAINE, Bodybags and maybe Patsy or Autumnsong (lyrics aren't great, we all know this, but I love the music and solo).
Still a good album, not their very best, not their worst.

SeveredJoke · #14 05-11-2010, 11:26

Poor unloved SATT. I like 'Indian Summer' and its upside down 'Design for Life'ness.

I don't look at that album as a 'going through the motions' but the sound of a band having fun. They sound like they had fun making it rather than it being a torturous experience and to me that comes across in the songs.

There's a sense of humour in tracks like 'Rendition', 'Patsy' and 'Underdogs' and of course 'Autumn Song' that seemed to be a response to all the tired accusations of the band being too earnest and po-faced.

After the atmospherics of Lifeblood you really get the impression that JDB is having letting rip once more and not having to be apologetic for his rawk side.

YLAINENENE is still a track I like. Amongst the repetition there are some great lines and is a rare example of a Manics collaboration that works. On PFAYM I don't think that the much heralded additions of John Cale, Bunnyman or Duff really add anything to the tracks.

I will concede that lyrically much of SATT is not up to the usual quality but for me the album is more about the music (man).

centralscrutiniser · #15 05-11-2010, 11:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by leericketts

don't wish to digress to much from SATT, but with JFPL, i am sure there was some sort of honest, lamenting comment from Nicky about the fact that he "just couldn't inspire James" to write music to his lyrics the same way James was inspired by Richey's.

i don't think JFPL was so much a "forced" THB 2 as it was James writing music as he usually would to Richey's lyrics. yes, i appreciate that's two sides of the same coin, but i would suggest it was more of a natural thing than a deliberate forced sound?

Maybe forced isn't the right word, and I think you're right - it does appear that James was compelled to write a certain kind of music to accompany Richey's lyrics. I suppose what I mean is, did that compulsion/habit/whatever you want to call it have the same constrictive effect, however inadvertant, as the deliberately commercial writing for PFAYM?