Your favourite ever Gig

[Shrimper in India]

Quote[/b] (Uxbridge Shrimper @ Jan. 10 2006,15:36)]

Quote[/b] (Shepherd's Bush Shrimper @ Jan. 10 2006,15:27)]The Cliffs Pavilion gig rocked...afterwards they opened up the backstage door and invited all the fans lingering (including me) into the dressing room...

Loved the first two Manics albums, after that it all went downhill...they got fat and boring...

I think you mean after the first three albums - you can't accuse The Holy Bible of being 'fat and boring' like the later ones.

Probably still my favourite album of all time.........( feel another thread coming up! )

I'm afraid I don't, I hated the Holy Bible...[/quote]
You may not have liked it Ed, but it was really visceral. Not the record of a 'fat and bored' band.

They got very 'fat and bored' after the huge commerical success of 'Everything Must Go' though.[/QUOTE]
I realise I'm in a minority of 1 here (my boss has just told me it's one of his favourite albums of all time) but the strange, eerie atmosphere of the Holy Bible really didn't appeal to me.

I accept they were not fat and boring at that stage though.

Gold against the Soul is probs my favourite Manics album.

 

[Leeboy]

Quote[/b] (Shepherd's Bush Shrimper @ Jan. 10 2006,15:44)]Gold against the Soul is probs my favourite Manics album.

aah, the sound of a band who had just supported ( and wanted to become ) Bon Jovi! Stadium rock histrionics, multi-track recordings lasting all day and all night, £50k a day recording studio with it's own swimming pool, private caterers.......that's how to spend Sony's money!


compare that with recording the Holy Bible - £50 a day demo studio in Cardiff's red light district, no more than three takes per song, recorded 'live' with no multi-tracking......back to basics!

 

[Shrimpbizkit]

GATS has 4 good singles but the rest is pompous Guns n Roses mimicking. The Holy Bible is simply a work of genius, both on Richeys part for the lyrics and James and Seans for putting such great tunes to what was very dificult themes and words. Bit unfair to say they got fat and bored after that. Everything Must Go is a fantastic comeback record with not a dull tack on it and "Design for Life" one of the great singles of all time. The next two albums were patchy but I really liked the last album and they are still the best live band around by a mile. I have seen them 7 times and always top form.

 

[hexagon_sun]

If I may be permitted to quote myself and go even further off-topic (only Manics fans still reading so who cares?!), here's a review of The Holy Bible I wrote for the 10 year anniversary reissue...

Quote[/b] ]
In 1994 it seemed like every British guitar band was either hopelessly apeing the "British Invasion" (but minus the Stateside success) or still hungover from grunge. Not the Manics though - 10 years on and their finest hour still sounds as fresh as it did the day it was released.

Following the chart success of the singles from the previous album "Gold Against the Soul", this was the band's chance to really hit the major league so what did they do? They made sure the next album was more lo-fi than even their debut EP by recording it in a demo studio in Cardiff and to make thing's even more frustrating for Epic, the album's best and most commercial track "Yes" was littered with obscenities that at that time, would have made it impossible to release it as a single. Basically, this was commercial suicide for a band at the absolute height of their powers but a wonderful, hyper-literate treat for their fans. At a time when the 'Brit Pop' explosion had all but dumbed music down to gutter level, who else would have tackled such themes as eating disorders, self harm and the holocaust? No f%&ker, that's who. It's not just a lyrical tour de force though - on this album more than any other, Richey James' bleak rhetoric is matched equally by James Dean Bradfield's spikey, angular riffs and soaring lead parts. Musically, it recalls certain aspects of Joy Division (nearly a full decade before the likes of Interpol and Colder) and Wire with a healthy dose of the spirit of '77 as ever (although this time owing more to the anarcho-punk of Crass rather than The Clash or the Sex Pistols). Other than that it doesn't really sound like anything or anybody else.

Surprisingly, the album also contained the single of the year (and possibly the decade) in "Faster" - never again would they sound so desperate, urgent and down right exciting. If this was their only ever album they'd still be the most important British band of the mid-90's.

 

[Ulysses]

I'm stepping on a few toes (always do with Manic's fans) but i've never seen the big thing about them. They made a couple of fantastic songs, but i always thought there albums lacked something for me. I own Gold Against the Soul, Holy Bible and Everything Must Go, but i wouldn't put them in my top 50 of all time.

Hey! listening to Elastica - Elastica at the moment for the first time in a few years, now that was a good album!

P.S - I'm gonna put on Holy Bible next might get a different response as haven't listened to it in 5 years!

 

[Leeboy]

Quote[/b] (Ulysses @ Jan. 11 2006,19:25)]Hey! listening to Elastica - Elastica at the moment for the first time in a few years, now that was a good album!

and in no way did they rip off Wire, no way

Ron Manager, where are you?!

 

[Ulysses]

Quote[/b] (Leeboy @ Jan. 11 2006,19:28)]

Quote[/b] (Ulysses @ Jan. 11 2006,19:25)]Hey! listening to Elastica - Elastica at the moment for the first time in a few years, now that was a good album!

and in no way did they rip off Wire, no way

Ron Manager, where are you?!

People rip off people, just listen to the stuff if you want to!

 

[Ron Manager]

Quote[/b] (Leeboy @ Jan. 11 2006,19:28)]

Quote[/b] (Ulysses @ Jan. 11 2006,19:25)]Hey! listening to Elastica - Elastica at the moment for the first time in a few years, now that was a good album!

and in no way did they rip off Wire, no way

Ron Manager, where are you?!

Still in Australia mate....there's a time difference you know!

Catching up on a few points raised. Never been a huge fan of the Manics apart from the real early stuff (You Love Us etc.). Elastica definitely wore their (ahem) influences on their sleeves but still, that debut album is a thrilling piece of pop and hasn't dated at all. And finally...........Tanya Donelly, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

 

[steveo]

Quote[/b] ]Wish I'd seen some gigs at the Kursaal

Apart from SAHB also saw Status Quo there.
Thats a few years ago now

 

[BrettieAngell]

Quote[/b] (Leeboy @ Jan. 10 2006,15:54)]

Quote[/b] (Shepherd's Bush Shrimper @ Jan. 10 2006,15:44)]Gold against the Soul is probs my favourite Manics album.

aah, the sound of a band who had just supported ( and wanted to become ) Bon Jovi! Stadium rock histrionics, multi-track recordings lasting all day and all night, £50k a day recording studio with it's own swimming pool, private caterers.......that's how to spend Sony's money!


compare that with recording the Holy Bible - £50 a day demo studio in Cardiff's red light district, no more than three takes per song, recorded 'live' with no multi-tracking......back to basics!

Yeah and Holy Bible is better than Gold Against the Soul (which is still a great album)!

 

[TerryintheWest]

Can't make my mind up but some memorable gigs I've been lucky enough to be at -

Eric Clapton in the Dickens

Rory Gallagher in the Kursaal

The Bottles in the Dickens  

Country Joe and the Fish in Walthamstow somewhere

Stone The Crows in the LSE

Led Zeppelin in the Marquee

Fabulous Thunderbirds in the Towngate  

 

 

The Cream farewell gig in the Royal Albert Hall, the first time

and I wish that the Kentucky Headhunters would tour the UK!!