Friday, March 26, 2004
March 25: Manic Street Preachers - Forever Delayed: The Greatest Hits
Home country: Wales
I think an honest case could be made that Manic Street Preachers are the biggest band never to have even registered a blip in the U.S. Even such UK bigwigs as Robbie Williams or the Beautiful South have had a top 40 single on a radio format, or hit the bottom part of the Billboard 200. The Manics have had nothing.
Part of that could be that they're the unluckiest band of the '90s. The other part could be that the band are more left-wing than the Clash, and their guitarist Richey Edwards once carved "4 REAL" into his arm with a pocket knife when an interviewer suggested their songs were too hair metal in the early '90s. But consider this:
1) In '95, the Manics are set for their first big tour of the U.S. for their third album, The Holy Bible. They've got the lead single on the Judge Dredd soundtrack, called "Judge Y'rself." Then Edwards, who was pretty unstable, disappears. (Nine years later, there are occasional sightings of him in India, but most people consider him to be dead). The tour is cancelled, the single pulled from the soundtrack.
2) The band regroups as a three-piece, makes an album called Everything Must Go that turns them into superstars in the UK, Australia, and Europe. They get a slot opening for Oasis on their U.S. tour in '96. The Gallagher brothers have a fight, Liam goes back to Manchester, the tour is cancelled.
3) They come back in '98 with This is My Truth, Tell Me Yours (this is the album that got me into the Manics). The first single is called "If You Tolerate This, Your Children Will Be Next" and is about the Spanish Civil War. It goes No. 1 in Britain. Radio programmers in the U.S. say the song title is too long and won't play it. (OK, that one is partially their fault).
Anyway, this is their greatest hits. It's really good, and captures the transition from Guns 'N Roses wanna-bes to mature, orchestral-rock superstars. Everywhere but America.
I think an honest case could be made that Manic Street Preachers are the biggest band never to have even registered a blip in the U.S. Even such UK bigwigs as Robbie Williams or the Beautiful South have had a top 40 single on a radio format, or hit the bottom part of the Billboard 200. The Manics have had nothing.
Part of that could be that they're the unluckiest band of the '90s. The other part could be that the band are more left-wing than the Clash, and their guitarist Richey Edwards once carved "4 REAL" into his arm with a pocket knife when an interviewer suggested their songs were too hair metal in the early '90s. But consider this:
1) In '95, the Manics are set for their first big tour of the U.S. for their third album, The Holy Bible. They've got the lead single on the Judge Dredd soundtrack, called "Judge Y'rself." Then Edwards, who was pretty unstable, disappears. (Nine years later, there are occasional sightings of him in India, but most people consider him to be dead). The tour is cancelled, the single pulled from the soundtrack.
2) The band regroups as a three-piece, makes an album called Everything Must Go that turns them into superstars in the UK, Australia, and Europe. They get a slot opening for Oasis on their U.S. tour in '96. The Gallagher brothers have a fight, Liam goes back to Manchester, the tour is cancelled.
3) They come back in '98 with This is My Truth, Tell Me Yours (this is the album that got me into the Manics). The first single is called "If You Tolerate This, Your Children Will Be Next" and is about the Spanish Civil War. It goes No. 1 in Britain. Radio programmers in the U.S. say the song title is too long and won't play it. (OK, that one is partially their fault).
Anyway, this is their greatest hits. It's really good, and captures the transition from Guns 'N Roses wanna-bes to mature, orchestral-rock superstars. Everywhere but America.
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