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Underground > Radio & Music >

Manic Street Preachers- Holy Bible 10th Anniversary Edition

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STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

18:08 / 06.12.04

The 10th Anniversary edition of The Holy Bible's out- it's got the album (plus live tracks), an alternate US mix of the album and a DVD (which I haven't watched yet cos my DVD drive's borked).

Has anyone else heard this yet? I just listened to the US mix of the album (which apparently the band prefer- not sure when they decided it was better, whether it was back then or now, which is obviously important).

Personally, I wasn't blown away. It's got a lot more space to it, and as a result sounds a lot more like a conventional rock album. Sure, it's still great, and the songs are obviously still as brutally beautiful as ever, but I much prefer the original, uglier and dirtier mix. I think it's just that the new mix doesn't sound as claustrophobic as it used to- there was a real lo-fi, "all the instruments are fighting each other" vibe to the original which gelled perfectly with the lyrics and gave the whole thing a much more malevolent, fucked-up feel.

Not sure if this is just an attempt to make up for diappointing sales of the "not bad but really not great, despite being their best in a while" Bloodlines, but to me it serves to point out just how much better they were back then. To be fair, they were also obviously having a LOT less fun back then, and I wouldn't wish that kind of shit on anyone, but... they produced such a fucking classic album out of it (to my mind, it's up there with Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures, which is high praise indeed coming from me).

The package itself is well worth getting (and not just cos I couldn't find my copy- my second or third copy, actually; I seem to get through quite a lot of them- of the original). There's 4 live tracks, 2 demos and a Radio 1 session, and the DVD looks like it might be pretty cool, with various TV and festival appearances.

I'll have to give it a few more spins, but I'm listening to the original mix again now, and it sounds MUCH better. Not sure how much of that's to do with familiarity, though...

Regrettable Juvenilia

20:38 / 06.12.04

If the US mix is more conventional, that may explain some difficulty I had trying to convince an American member of the board about this album's quality - then again, in the age of downloading and shit, who knows.

I don't really need to hear another version: perfection is perfection. I'm always trying to explain to people why I love this record and hate so much other stuff that tries to do similar things... I think it's because Holy Bible is an album that hates itself for hating itself - "self-digust is self-obsession honey" - and so there's no space for wallowing there at all. It's all just cold, precise, relentless brutality (I was gonna say nihilism, but there are some strong believes in there: belief that the corruption of the world is total and omnipresent, belief in not allowing oneself comforting illusions, belief in unflinching retribution and punishing the wicked which includes oneself, that kind of thing - fun fun fun).

As time goes by, I find (as a former devotee) that the band's output both before and after Holy Bible starts to fade in comparison. Because it really is one of the best albums ever made by anyone, ever.

If you stand up like a nail, then you will get KNOCKDOWN.

Regrettable Juvenilia

20:40 / 06.12.04

"Strong believes"?

ARGH my intellect is WEAK I must go and DISCIPLINE myself for my failings!

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

21:00 / 06.12.04

Ooh... I forgot to mention... this is funny.

Either the Mail or the Express this weekend began their review of this with "nobody's ever going to seriously argue that The Holy Bible was the MSPs' best album..." (at which I was apoplectic, as you can imagine)...
...guess what ALL the other papers described it as in their reviews? ON THE SAME DAY???

Honestly. God really fucked up when he was handing out ears.

Haus of Mystery

21:06 / 06.12.04

I don't care for 'deluxe' remastered multi-media re-issues in the slightest. I like an album to be pure. No bonus tracks. It's how they were intended to be listened to goldarnit! Never really listened to The Holy Bible, but Gambit reassures me it's their best. I'm still a sucker for their stadium-scrap first album. They're a pretty depressing prospect nowadays...

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

22:09 / 06.12.04

Well yeah. (Although the live tracks and stuff do defintely come AFTER the album proper- it's still there, in all its glory, all in the right order the way it was meant to be heard). I agree- as I say, I don't think the other mix is something I'll be listening to that often. The original is one of my all-time favourite albums, and in its original form still is. Curio value for the new one, maybe. I have to admit, it was a strange listening experience. All my favourite songs, but they sounded "wrong" somehow.

I'm still looking forward to the DVD, though.

05:15 / 07.12.04

I'm downloading the US mix as we speak. I'll probably still get this special edition though, mainly for the DVD.

It's still what I'd term the greatest punk album. Period. Dazzling piece of work, and you can't blame them for not equalling it before or since. Because no-one else has. Ten years and they still hold the title.

08:28 / 07.12.04

i made the mistake of giving this (the original, not convinced by this reissue cos don't like the idea of a cleaner version - but stoat, is the dvd of richie-era performances? so close you cans see the cig-scars on his arms!?) the first listen for a good few years while driving alone across the country a few weeks ago.

big mistake. nearly crashed (missed by inches), got lost THREE times adding some sixty miles to the journey (one i've done many times in the past), burst into tears a couple of times, lost my voice from screamsinging along, nearly collapsed when i got in through the front door of my destination. it's still the biggest, hardest record i've ever heard, has an irresistible effect upon my thought processes, forces an overwhelming invasion of association that only proper big literature (or comics) can normally manage on me. i love it, would not be the same human if i didn't know all these words and tunes, and it's the only record in the world that i'm almost physically wary of.

lonely as a cloud...

08:32 / 07.12.04

My favourite album EVER. London Calling's the only thing that comes close (and that was also re-released with deluxe packaging recently...coincidence, or sinister conspiracy...?). Haven't heard the U.S. mix, but I'm definitely going to pick it up, if only for the DVD and extra photos of James in the adorable sailor suit he wore at the time. I remember a while ago, when they were compiling the greatest hits CD, James did an interview with Mojo, and spoke about his love for the U.S. mix of Revol. I was very disappointed that it wasn't included...
BTW, Stoatie - their newie is called Lifeblood, and I dunno how you can claim that dirgesome pile of wank as their "best in a while" - Know Your Enemy was tremendous fun, IMHO, especially after This Is My Truth...

Regrettable Juvenilia

11:21 / 07.12.04

Let's not talk about any of their later albums, there are other threads for that. Let us keep this thread PURE like a sharp bright burning fire.

Listened to it again last night and this morning due to this thread: still totally enraptures me. I second what Gambit says about not being the same person if I didn't know all the words (and the precise Bradfield diction) to 'Yes' and 'Faster' etc.

It is indeed the only album that replicates the experience of reading a bunch of difficult and mildly alarming philosophy. Whilst locked in small white room. With no food. Only vodka. And some pointy things. FOR A YEAR.

Such a great turn of phrase...

"Power produces desire: the weak have none."

"Holding you but I only miss these things when they leave."

"A morality obedient only to the cleansed repented."

15:16 / 07.12.04

...and:

"I know I believe in nothing but it is my nothing"

"He's a boy
You want a girl so tear off his cock
Tie his hair in bunches, fuck him
Call him Rita if you want
If you want..."

"I've finally come to understand life through staring blankly at my navel"

"I am stronger than Mensa, Miller and Mailer, I spat out Plath and Pinter"

With that last lyric being one of the greatest I've ever encountered, on one of the greatest songs I've ever heard, on one of the greatest albums, by a band who were at that point in their history the greatest ever.

Brilliance, brilliance, brilliance. Just listened to the US mix of Revol and have to agree that it's better than the original. The only one on the US version that is, by the way.

God, this record is timeless and terrifying.

Regrettable Juvenilia

15:22 / 07.12.04

Implacable.

Our Lady Has Left the Building

20:23 / 07.12.04

God, '4st 7lb' really freaked me out the first time I heard it, I felt genuinely unclean for days.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

21:34 / 07.12.04

Someone somewhere soon will take care of you
I repent, I'm sorry, everything is falling apart

It's one of the few albums I own and love that I NEVER, EVER listen to at work. Because it ALWAYS (and I mean ALWAYS, every time) makes me cry. And that would send the wrong message to the minions, doncha know.

08:23 / 08.12.04

Maybe they just prefer space in the American mix because it doesn't sound like Ritchie cut hand-shaped holes in their anuses and made them into bleeding meat puppets of his own melodrama?

Which is why I love the album. And it's an album, in ways other albums aren't. This is not some kind of diss on singles, but it really is so good that it's better then most at simply being a whole.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

08:58 / 08.12.04

stoat, is the dvd of richie-era performances? so close you cans see the cig-scars on his arms!?

As I say, I've not watched it yet, but yeah, as far as I can tell it's TV/festival appearances from '94, plus a 30-minute interview (not sure when that's from).

09:02 / 08.12.04

i saw the first gig they ever did as a three piece, t i the park, i guess in 94. bit odd, where is he? no-one said anything, but nicky was rather sweary. he came back a few weeks later, did i think maybe four more gigs with them, then away he went. they were fucking belting though, i heard songs that day that possibly haven't been played live since.

17:56 / 08.12.04

Its still and will always be a pure masterpiece. One thing of interest for me was from the alternative version of Yes where the original line was:

tie his hair in bunches
suck him
call him Rita...

Why the change i wonder... hmmmm

--

02:42 / 09.12.04

Didn't eeven know this one was rereleased (or should I say remixed?) Will have to check it out very soon.

A British friend recommended it to me, saying it would be right up my alley. He linked me to a pic of Richey James with his arm sliced open and I was sold. Saw it in a CD store, checked out the "Torture Garden" quote on back and the grotesque Jenny Saville artwork on the front, and i was hooked. On the ride back home I read all the lyrics and thought to myself "Dear god, these could be some of the best lyrics I've ever seen on a CD." Then I got home, put it in, and fell in love. It didn't take me long to memorize every song. It also didn't take very long for me to put this album in my top ten favorite records ever.

If I ever kill myself, this would definetly be the album I'd play during the act, for sure. When I was younger, the suicide album was "The Wall". tastes change overtime.

So many good lyrics and well-placed samples. I don't even know where to begin.

08:55 / 10.12.04

Heh. Type "Holy Bible" into Amazon's search engine and the album appears higher up the page than the book. I know it positions music higher as standard, but I still kinda liked the effect.

My mini-review is now up on their site. Next to a guy who didn't know that Richey called himself Richey James. Jesus, is it easy to make youself look silly...

20:53 / 10.12.04

"Scratch my leg with a rusty nail, sadly it heals..." + "puking sinking, shaking, I still stand for old ladies" Vs "If god main man they say, sam colt made hime equal" = why talent at bottom of the severn > hooverer who wished stipe dead of aids.

Soundtrack to eighteen, echo statement of fella above -- perfection.

although according to mm at the time shite for aerobics...

Brigade du jour

00:13 / 11.12.04

At Wembley Arena last night the Manics played Faster, Yes, Die In The Summertime and This Is Yesterday.

With the re-release so recent I half-expected it, but still I nearly came in my pants.

12:43 / 12.12.04

I don't really need to hear another version: perfection is perfection.

I'm not sure whether the US mix will ever get an airing here; slightly watered down, commercialised version or not, listening to the majority of the album at very least isn't something that can be done casually.

However, perfection as the original may seem to be, it is, shockingly, bettered: anyone who can get their hands on a copy (I originally downloaded it from somewhere off the 'net, but I assume the P2P applications should yield it up) should listen to the Canadian version. Some tracks are more noticeably different to the original than others, but particularly worth a mention are the more urgent and visceral mix of She is Suffering and the remix of The Intense Humming of Evil. With sinister whispering voices and 50% more evil.

lonely as a cloud...

07:42 / 13.12.04

Picked it up at the weekend. Beautiful. The US mix is cool from a purely anorak perspective - noting the different fade-out to Yes, different fade-in to She Is Suffering, etc...heh. DVD is fun, but I was disappointed with the interview. It's the three lads talking now about THB. They're fine about mentioning Richey, but some interviews from 10 years ago would've been nice. IMHO, it's a very nicely put together package.

04:53 / 17.12.04

Totally second Brigade's comments: I was at the Wembley gig too and totally fucking amazed that they played that many tracks off 'Holy Bible' (best album ever, fact, no discussion necessary)...

And then the gig gets a kicking in the Independent... Go figure...

Our Lady Has Left the Building

07:33 / 17.12.04

Hmmm, did Simon Price write the review?

Brigade du jour

22:07 / 17.12.04

Not sure who it was. Don't think it was him, though, because I probably would have remembered.

Was an awesome gig though. Fifth and by some way the best I've seen them play.

22:31 / 18.12.04

SP wrote the album review there.

Best Album Ever, basically, he said.

Brigade du jour

22:50 / 18.12.04

I confess I'm hard-pressed to disagree with him.

19:06 / 06.01.05

You know... Glasnost off their new album is really quite wonderful.

Brigade du jour

19:47 / 06.01.05

I'm going to gingerly pop my head above the parapet and back Seth up on this. In fact, I'm going to say I quite like the whole album. I'm also going to run away and hide for a few years while you all laught at me. Boo hoo waaaah ...

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

06:43 / 07.01.05

As an album it's all a bit underwhelming. It does have some lovely songs on it, but they seem to all be buried under some rather mundane scarf-waving music. I like it, but it doesn't really hang around in the brain or get particularly close to my heart.

lonely as a cloud...

11:33 / 07.01.05

After a coupla listens, I agree with Stoatie - there's good stuff there, but it's buried under mounds of blandness.
What I think is interesting - and stop me if someone else said it in another thread - is how they're slating KYE now. When promoting KYE, James was slating This Is My Truth, saying that they mellowed the songs out too much, slowed them down to let them "breath"; and as a reaction, they recorded all of KYE with a maximum of 5 takes per song. Now, giving big ups to Lifeblood, he's criticising the way they recorded the last album, saying this time around they took their time, slowed the songs down and let them "breathe". Sorry I can't quote sources or links or whatever, but if this pattern continues, I may buy every second Manics album from now on...

lonely as a cloud...

11:34 / 07.01.05

Oh, and who else thinks Patrick Jones' video for Yes on the Holy Bible DVD was pants...?

11:38 / 07.01.05

a video for 'yes'? blimey, bet that's a giggle. the film for which 'yes' is the soundtrack is bebe kidron's 'pimps, hookers, johns and their wives' or whatever it was called.

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