Manic Street Preachers play Havana tonight - "It'll be like Wham! in China." Following in the footsteps of agit-prop songster Billy Joel, the Boys from Blackwood take Sony-branded anti-capitalism to the last place "that really fights against the Americanisation of the world."
posted by ceiriog on Feb 17, 2001 - 9 comments

I'm interested in folks opinions on what they find to be the most thought provokoing album from a lyrical perspective.

For me, it has to be The Holy Bible by the Welsh band, the Manic Street Preachers. Written from a socialist / communist angle, the lyrics are quite explicit (see the first track "Yes"), and used intentionally to shock people, but the way the album is written is brilliant. The use of samples is very good, again with "Yes" and used with particularly disturbing effect (IMHO) on the 12th track "The Intense Humming Evil", where the sample is a piece about the Nuremburg War Trials where the commentator talks of Holocaust victims taking revenge on their murderers.

Topics are wide ranging, and all focusing on negative aspects on humanity. I'd be interesting in seeing what Americans here think of the second track "ifamericatoldthetruthforonedayitsworldwouldfallapart"

All in all, very bleak, quite disturbing, and quite brilliant. An interesting glimpse into the mind of Richey Edwards, the former lead guitarist and lyricist ( and manic depressive among other things) who disappeared in 1995.

Take a look at their last two albums also - nowhere near as bleak as this one, they are still excellent.

If you want a listen and can't get the album, I'll do an MP3 of a couple of tracks for you - as long as you get rid of it soon after :-)
posted by tomcosgrave on Jan 21, 2000 - 2 comments