Album of the Week #11: "The Holy Bible" by Manic Street Preachers

John

A few people have being baying for this album in the suggestions thread so I'm hoping there'll be a good bit of discussion. Personally this album does nothing for me. I could never see what all the fuss was about. As such I haven't listened to it in years. Maybe my mind will be changed by this thread. Maybe not. Certainly, I love the sleeve.

Doctor J

This is definitley a great album. Their first two albums annoyed me, this one blew me away. I had no real interest in it when it came out but a mate made me sit down and listen to it. It's genuinely dark and positively disturbing at times. All the hype and bull**** had been stripped away, there isn't any production glossing over anything, the stark lyrics have an entirely uncomfortable authenticity, it's a document of the frame of mind of Richie Edwards at the time, especially given the events which would follow it's release. After the bloated stadium rock of the first two albums this was just stunning when it came out, it still is. To me, it sounds like a band who finally stopped trying to be something they weren't and just opened up and told the truth. It's not easy listening, it's raw and bleak both lyrically and musically. It's been out over 10 years now and it still shuts me up for the duration every time I listen to it. I'm not a big fan of this band but I'm a huge fan of this album.

smackbunnybaby

i like to have a top ten albums and i would rank this at number 2.
it meant so much at the time to me and still does.i think i know every inch of this record and have gone through 3 copies of it on cd and one on tape.
what i liked about this album was all the songs had meaning and thought about them.there were no throwaway songs about "i loved this girl and now she is gone" rubbish (a one time manics song writing rule, now since broken).

"Yes", ranks as one of the best opening tracks on an album in my opinion.manics fans often border on the extreme with regards to hanging on richeys ever word and action, but this album did help people contront their self mutilation and anorexia problems.

Id be interested to see what others think - for me it is a masterpiece
good choice john2

dream brother

Definitely one of the darkest but intelligent lyrics ever on an album, and without a doubt, its the manic's finest monent! The combination of the lyrics and James's guitar playing make for a great listen.

dimerocks

Its is in my opinion one of the greatest albums ever created. From the music to the lyrics. The way the Manics have wrote songs has always been bizarre with the lyrics coming first but James' ability to turn Richey's lyrics into music was brilliant. Every track stands out on this album for me but none more so than the Intense Humming of Evil. It is so eerie and dark. This was the first album that made me realise heavy music doesn't need to be metal. Pure class!!

Garret

A superb album both lyrically and musically. My 2nd favourite of all time. The Canadian/US mix is even better on some tracks (Yes for example).

Anything more i had to say has already been said in one way or another.

But I must say that contrary to the previous poster's opinion I find Humming to be the weakest track. I love the long speech at the begining but as a song i find that it never really goes anywhere

Doctor J

Got to say I didn't like the US mix at all, way too much reverb. Too big sounding. A lot of the charm of the album, for me, is the directness of the mix, it suits the mood to a tee, the rawness of the sound adds to the beauty of the album. I mean, that fat Ric bass tone on Archives Of Pain is just... well... it's damn perfect, it's too loud and kind of distorts the sound if the whole song... that just sounds ****ing fantastic in context. The slightly harsh sound of 4st 7lb balances the content of the song. That radio friendly sound the US mix was striving for just doesn't go with one of the most radio-unfriendly releases of the last 20 years.

RE*AC*TOR

I hate this album, and the MSPs in general. Banal, boring, shouty, generic.

Better forgotten.

John

smackbunnybaby wrote:

good choice john2

Don't thank me, thank the good people of the suggestions thread.

blastman

Most things I think about this album have been said already. Just wanted to add that if you are going to buy it, the 10th anniversary set is the way to go. The original album, the North American remix version and a DVD version of various performances of the songs. Great stuff.

dimerocks

Oh yeah, the anniversary edition was fantastic I thought. The live recordings and the demos on the cds are really interesting too. I love their perormance at Reading(?) where Richey wasn't there so James stole his guitar.

Jonny Arson

Absolutely amazing amazing amazing album. A true classic.

I'm not a major fan of the Manics. Everything Must Go would be the only other album of theirs' I'd rate but The Holy Bible is beyond anything else they've ever done. Raw, brutal, dark, disturbing and honest would be the words I'd use to sum up the motive behind album and that's not even getting into the superb songwriting and musicianship of the album.

By listening to this album you're listening to a man on the edge. Obviously going by the tone of the lyrics throughout the album Richey Edwards was a man struggling to cope with depression and anorexia. For a man suffering from so many personal difficulties it is absolutely incredible that he has created a lyrical masterpice in The Holy Bible. Without a doubt the best lyrical album I've listened to, no lyrics have ever taken my breath away as much as they did on The Holy Bible and this coupled with 13 solid tracks (not one duff one) makes it one of the great albums in my eyes. The Political references in the lyrics are another joy to behold.

The Holy Bible is the definition of one of those records you must own.

Garret

Better than the book

Nay Connor

I always liked this album... 'She Is Suffering' grabs me in a soft place....

dimerocks

Did anybody out here listen to Lifeblood because I thought that was ace. "1985" was simply impressive. Not HB impressive. I think some of the fascination with the Holy Bible stems to Richeys disapearance. Its almost become a cult thing with fans.

Nay Connor

I dunno... I really like the album but was never a big Manics fan. My ex dropped a copy off and said "LISTEN TO THIS". He was pretty dug into RJ but listening without the fanatic view, I still think it's rated.

dimerocks

Oh i'm not saying that its only rated because of Richey. Its a class piece of music like.

Garret

dimerocks wrote:

Did anybody out here listen to Lifeblood because I thought that was ace. "1985" was simply impressive. Not HB impressive. I think some of the fascination with the Holy Bible stems to Richeys disapearance. Its almost become a cult thing with fans.

I love lifeblood. For me its their 3rd best album after the bible and everything must go. Extremely under-rated by the majority of critics and fans

dimerocks

same here for me it goes,
1: Holy Bible
2: Everything Must Go
3: Lifeblood
I also have a secret shame in that i love Know YOur Enemy.

Tusky

Absolutely fantastic album.

dimerocks

i just heard james' new solo track and it is very good too.

Garret

Its nothing special to be honest, but it is better than Nicky's track.

If anyone wants to hear it go to
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2

Go to listen again and tune in Janice Long's thursday show, its about 28 minutes in.

EDIT: actually iv listened to JDB's song a bit more and its grown on me i must say.

dimerocks

i really liked it. Much better than the Zeitgeist. Though i did actually like that too.

TommyGrav

I know I'm late on this, but this is an insanely good album, and it was positively cruel of Richey to feck off just after showing he could write these kinds of lyrics. Never heard ANYTHING like this. The chorus of Mausoleum is just intense, 4st 7lb is the best account of the anorexic mindset ever put to record, Faster is 4 adrenaline fuelled minutes of rage, fuelled with coherence, meaning and intelligence few other bands can come close to. Yes is bloody wow!
I'm a huge Manics fan, they're a bit inconsistent alright, but they've written about 10 masterpieces by my reckoning, and no other group has ever mattered as much to me. Lifeblood was excellent, but it was the final proof they'll never be anywhere near as vital as they were with the Bible again. JDb's solo stuff is a bit of fun, and good luck to them, but The Holy bible will always freeze the Manics in time, this album is what they are.
And "Who's responsible? YOU F*CKING ARE!" Is the best thing to stick on an item of clothing ever.

AOR

"you can buy her, you can buy her, this ones here, this ones here, this ones here and this ones here. everythings for sale."

The Hustler

GENIUS

qwertplaywert

I've always prefered Generation Terrorists , but Holy Bible is still an ace album[their 2nd best imo] . Unfortunately , after This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours , the next 2[Lifeblood, Know Your Enemy] were pretty bad. The last one [Send Away the Tigers] was one of the best albums of last year though, and prop my favourite post Ricky Edwards one.

nyarlothothep

never got into it but then I never liked MSP

gustavo

Fantastic album that I can listen to right through , except for Intense Humming Of Evil

lyrics are sublime and I love the little audio clips that are scattered throughout

Tommy the Cat

Bloody brill album.

Placid_Casual

Wow, where did this thread get dug up from?

Got into this album when I was 16/17 and it absolutely blew me away, after first discovering the Manics through Everything Must Go.
I was listening to Oasis and other Britpop crap at the time, so this was an absolute revelation. Not one weak track, apart from maybe Revol, and even that grew on me. The lyrics intrigued me, even though a lot of the references went over my head and in some cases it took me years to figure out what the song was actually about. The sheer rawness of the music fitted the darkness of the words perfectly

I listened to it constantly up to my early twenties, sitting at the back of lecture halls in college, scrawling things like "I am an architect, they call me a butcher" and "Who's responsible? You ****ing are!" on the desks, thinking I was oh-so-clever.

I don't listen to it as much any more, in fact its probably over a year since I listened to it the whole way through. I guess I kind of grew out of it. Its kind of like a relic from a period of my life that i've (gladly) moved on from. But I think I can definitely say that no one album had as big an effect on me.

It'll be getting a play later today.

The Hustler

Placid_Casual wrote: »

Wow, where did this thread get dug up from?

Got into this album when I was 16/17 and it absolutely blew me away, after first discovering the Manics through Everything Must Go.
I was listening to Oasis and other Britpop crap at the time, so this was an absolute revelation. Not one weak track, apart from maybe Revol, and even that grew on me. The lyrics intrigued me, even though a lot of the references went over my head and in some cases it took me years to figure out what the song was actually about. The sheer rawness of the music fitted the darkness of the words perfectly

I listened to it constantly up to my early twenties, sitting at the back of lecture halls in college, scrawling things like "I am an architect, they call me a butcher" and "Who's responsible? You ****ing are!" on the desks, thinking I was oh-so-clever.

I don't listen to it as much any more, in fact its probably over a year since I listened to it the whole way through. I guess I kind of grew out of it. Its kind of like a relic from a period of my life that i've (gladly) moved on from. But I think I can definitely say that no one album had as big an effect on me.

It'll be getting a play later today.

Well said, very similar to my own discovery of it, must give it a play later on aswell!

homerun_homer

I found the album in the same way. Got into the Manics with Everything Must Go, when I was 16. I saw them at the Trip to Tipp and knew the older singles and went back and started getting the albums in sequence - knew the Holy Bible was supposed to be great but it really did blow me away.

It's the best depressing album ever, I can listen to it in good and bad moods. The lyrics are something else - James Dean Bradfield had some challenge in making them fit into a song. His guitar work of course is some of his best work.
Can't wait to hear the new Record which they are dubbing the Holy Bible part 2, 100% Richie's words as lyrics. Should be a good start to 2009.