Everything Must Go

Jesus this list is like all shitty Brit pop.

wasnt expecting this to be the first manic street preachers album i listened to but thats just how it is with this bitch of a site . its pretty good. not planning on doing much music writing today so ill keep it short. i cant make out what the fuck theyre saying so maybe the lyrics are exclusively about how much they hate me, personally, but the guitars are pretty warm and enveloping and its a nice time. its catchy. u know how it is 9/10

I'm pretty sure this is playing on a loop in purgatory. Offensively Inoffensive.

Anthemic and grand without dropping into being too cheesy. I was worried how this would be after a sound change and the mysterious disappearance of their guitarist after the last album, but man this absolutely delivered.

HOW HAVE I NEVER LISTENED TO THIS BAND?? I loved every minute of this album. Another band I had heard of but hadn't heard. This 1001 albums thing is so great for finding music that I haven't listened to but should have. As I listened to the songs and read the lyrics (including looking into the background of a lot of the lyrics) I kept coming back to the phrase "depressing lyrics/soaring songs." It's an unusual juxtaposition that really works. The album background is difficult - their first album after guitarist and songwriter Richey James disappeared without a trace (he was declared dead many years later but never found). I really liked the songwriting and in particular the guitar sound. I kept wondering if guitarist James Dean Bradfield was influenced by Alex Lifeson because he uses a lot of unusual chord voicings similar to Alex...later found an article where the Manics interviewed Rush. Apparently they're huge fans. Makes sense given the guitar sound (but not their songwriting - that's very different). Looking forward to digging into their catalog - I see The Holy Bible is also in the 1001 album list and I'm sure I'll be listening to that soon.

Quintessential Brit-rock mediocrity featuring cut-&-paste 90's guitar-led indie music with few distinguishing features. Lump it all in with Primal Scream, Sterophonics, Ash, Flaming Lips etc. and let the 'cult followers', who deride you for not worshiping it, tattoo the lyrics on their arms and buy tickets to Reading&Leeds festivals to see them headlining as ‘legends’ - playing to the same people as they were 25 years earlier. If you miss them headlining, fret not, just tune into RadioX and a 50 year old DJ will be playing the same turgid shit whilst pronouncing 'they don't make them like this anymore!'.

This album is so caught up in the times. It made sense in the mid-90's, but not so much now. You forget how much of a mainstream breakthrough it was for the Manics. At the time they were the support act for The Stone Roses at Wembley Arena. No one outside of the music inches had really paid much attention to them. Design for Life remains an anthem, although not one that I would want to keep on singing 25 years later. It's such an anti-ladism song, yet at the time it got swallowed up by the Britpop masses with takes of only wanting to get drunk. It's a decent album, but very, very dated.

New album to me and truly nothing grabbed me. Bad version of standard 90s pop rock IMO

I'll stick with Radiohead, thanks.

It's no "The Holy Bible", but then again.. nothing is. You can't really follow up the greatest album of all time. It's hard to put into words how much that album and Richey Edwards' story speak to me, so I'm not going to. Maybe once the generator spits out The Holy Bible. God damn it, this is a pretty heavy one. You can tell the studio was haunted by the ghost of Richey Edwards. It's like the music is trying its hardest to be triumphant, but the melancholy and bittersweetness keeps seeping in. And despite that, it's not a challenging listen. You could give this to a random guy on the street and he would be like "Huh this is a pretty good britpop album". I'm gonna give this a 5/5, but if we expanded the scale, then this is like an 8.5/10 and the Holy Bible is a 10/10.

I was obsessed with the Manics. This was the album that alerted me to them, but because I was a skint pre teen, I could afford Generation Terrorists and The Holy Bible. This is a far gentler, poppier and more beautiful album, and an amazing reaction to the tragedy of losing Richie. I don't know that if be the same person today were it not for the Manics.

where did they lost Richey?? like in a shop or something??

My dad's favourite album 1996-2001

Feels like a greatest hits album! This is the manics as their absolute best.

This is NOT Brit Pop. Repeat - this is not Brit Pop. It's Brit Bolton. Yes, Michael Bolton invaded 90's music via the Manics. How else do you explain the vocals here - especially on Further Away. I lived in London in the 90s and couldn't ever understand the love the UK music press had for the Manic Street Preachers ( and Menswear). This is a band who would have thrived as a power ballad poodle rock band but were born in the wrong decade. Design for Life is the only thing raising this from 1 star.

If you need an explanation...

IT WAS NO SURFACE AND ALL FEELING

This is what I'm doing this for, man! A fantastic album that is extremely My Shit, but I would have never thought to listen to it on my own. This is the kind of big, loud pop rock that I am a sucker for. I'm gonna be listening to this all day. Favorite track: Enola/Alone

alt-pop-rock-something with an epic nostalgic cinematic feel. most songs could be an anime OP/ED. 4.5/5

Shit man, this was really great. Reminds me of the best aspects of Radiohead around The Bends and Ok Computer, just awesome instrumentation and sound. I'll have to relisten, but what a treat that will be.

Tempting to give it a 1 star review just to piss Scott off.

Despite the supposed lethality of the rock 'n' roll lifestyle, the memorial album isn't really that common. Or rather, the great memorial album isn't really that common. Everyone can name the most obvious choice: AC/DC's Back in Black, the band's immensely raucous farewell to their lead singer and buddy Bon Scott. But apart from that, very few albums satisfy both qualities. Perhaps the only other major example is this, the indie Back in Black, the Manic Street Preachers' Everything Must Go. Richey Edwards was, along with the bassist Nicky Wire, the Manics' main lyricist; he was also credited as their rhythm guitarist, but his musical skills were rudimentary at best, his guitar left unplugged during most live shows. Richey was also a very troubled young man, prone to depression, self-harm, anorexia and alcoholism. With their previous album The Holy Bible, Richey unleashed his despondent vision, with themes of the Holocaust, murder, consumerism, radical left-wing politics and despair. The band, friends and family had already become seriously concerned with his behaviour when he disappeared on the 1st of February 1995. His car was found near the River Severn Bridge two weks later. It is not known what exactly happened to Richey Edwards; though several sightings have been reported since, none have been confirmed, and the most common assumption is that he jumped from the bridge. He would have been aged 27. He was officially presumed dead on the 23rd of November, 2008. The centrepiece of Everything Must Go is the title track, not A Design for Life, the Manics' most popular song. Everything Must Go is one of the two songs that directly addresses how the remaining Manics sought to cope with the loss of their friend and in-house ideologue. Whereas AC/DC salutes Bon Scott martially with Have a Drink on Me, Everything Must Go is an apologia to Richey, an admittance that the band can't retain his outlook with his departure, and instead has to explore whatever path emerges for them. The chorus is heartbreaking when you realise they're asking their friend to forgive them for no longer being the band he wanted them to be. As anyone who's lost someone will tell you, the guilt you feel for moving on is palpable. But the Manics choose not a sombre tone: they start with the Be My Baby drumbeat. Their commemoration of Richey celebrates his life, expressing their fear of the future, but realising that they have no choice but to keep on walking forward. The memory of Richey appears often throughout the album. Five of the 12 songs were co-written by him. The opener, Elvs Impersonator: Blackpool Pier (one of Richey's creations), mocks cheap, tawdry and pathetic nostalgia; in retrospect, this rejection of the past achieves a greater poignancy. More grimly, Kevin Carter, based on a South African photographer of the Rwandan genocide, concerns a figure who took his own life, and Small Black Flowers that Grow in the Sky explicitly references self-harm (Richey had penned both). But the tracks written after Richey's disappearance reveal a band handling their grief, not wallowing in it. A Design for Life stems far more from Nicky Wire's politics than Richey's: George Orwell and the welfare state rather than Herbert Marcuse and the Weathermen. The sound of the album exhibits a walloping shift from their previous album: string-laden and often bombastic, with little of The Holy Bible's post-punk abrasiveness. The final track, No Surface All Feeling, contains perhaps the album's ultimate message: What's the point in always looking back When all you see is more and more junk? I don't believe the question is wholly rhetorical. Rather, it's a band of friends sincerely asking themselves if reminiscence is worthwhile, given it can engender bitterness as much as consolation. For all their reputation as agit-prop sloganeers, Everything Must Go shows the Manics embracing nuance, of accepting that some of the most important questions might not even have answers. Although not strictly speaking a Britpop album (you'd never see the Manics parading a Union Jack), Everything Must Go is one of the most rewarding albums of British indie in the 90s. The critical consensus regarding the period of The Holy Bible and Everything Must Go is that the Manics never reached such heights again. With the most generous will in the world, one is forced to agree. Sure, you can find the occasional corker in the subsequent decades, but it's those two albums upon which the Manics' legacy stands.

Great Album - captured the moment perfectly in 1996

I really thoroughly enjoyed this album. I liked the vocals, I like the instrumentals, it makes me want to check out more from this band. I was sad to read about the disappearance of the main lyricist before this album though. My favorite tracks were A Design for Life, Enola/Alone, Small Black Flowers The Grow In The Sky, The Girl Who Wanted to Be God, Interiors, Further Away, and No Surface All Feeling. I gave it the big like on Spotify. Overall very solid, liked it a lot!

Good blend of raw and polished with a superb vocal delivery. The thing that elevates this album for me is the sonic diversity though, staying well within the niche while exploring the space fully.

Banger

A really pleasant surprise. A great album.

We don’t talk about love We only want to get drunk - A design for life

I can't believe I have never listened to Manic Street Preachers before!!! The first song had me hooked. The strings throughout are so good

a very consistent album, strong guitar songs that are still immediately recognizable: 4.5 again.

Elvis impersonator: amazing A design for life: amazing Kevin Carter: very good Enola/alone: excellent Everything must go: very good Small black flowers: excellent The girl who wanted to be god: very good Removables: good Australia: excellent Interiors: very good Further away: good No surface all feeling:

Major Queen vibes. I’ve never heard of this band. I love the use of strings. Feels like some ELO influence as well

Solid production and string writing. Loved this album and will definitely be listening to more by the band. A very cool blend of styles.

Quite a lot of these songs sound the same. Didn’t hate it didn’t love it

This is like a crappy version of a 90s movie soundtrack. It's nothing. Actually nothing.

Love love love, still have the CD in my car. Great tunes and uplifting

This is the best album I've had so far from this project that was never on my radar before. Never heard of the band or any of its members, didn't know anything about them, none of the songs were familiar to me at all. And I loved it. Singer reminded me of Jim Ward of Sparta. Songs took interesting detours. Just great.

Haven't listened to a manics album all the way through since the holy bible,boy have I missed out ,this is a stone cold classic,don't know what he's singing about half the time but whatever it is it sounds good, loved every bit of this record.

Harp

I love their sound. Great singer. Catchy melodies. Great guitar sound. I don't think I've ever heard a bad song by Manic Street Preachers. I should buy more of their albums, including this one.

I'm genuinely bewildered how I've lived most of my life with alternative/indie rock as my self-proclaimed favorite genre and never encountered these guys on the radio, Spotify, YouTube, etc. The algorithm let me down.

I liked this when it came out, and it still sounds good. Excellent return after the loss of Richie. 3 well-known songs, and the rest do not disappoint.

If a comeback from adversity has ever been as epic and successful as this, I'm unaware of it. The record that catapulted the Manics into a Brit Award winning, platinum selling, mainstream band and established the sound that they are best known for and have returned to intermittently ever since. Most of this album comprises huge anthems characterised by sweeping strings, soaring choruses and concise, personal, sad lyrics written by Nicky Wire. Notably it includes themes of moving on, getting away from things and apologising for letting go of previous ideals ('Everything Must Go' and 'Australia'). However, there is also a part of the album that shares DNA with the Holy Bible. 'Removables' in particular wouldn't be out of place on the previous record ("Killed God blood soiled unclean again, Killed God blood soiled skin dead again"), 'Kevin Carter' and 'Interiors' are jagged edged numbers and 'Small Black Flowers that Grow in the Sky' could be read as a song about the Holocaust. It's no surprise that these are lyrics written by Richey Edwards. Both sides of the album deliver the Manics' favourite trick of disguising smart, sad, politically and socially conscious lyrics in an anthemic, accessible package. For example its singles crashed the top 10 with songs about the misperception of working class characteristics, and the dilemma of being a journalist observing a disaster area. The combination of sad lyrics as soaring anthems and the underrated amount of variety and weirdness are a big part of what makes the MSP my favourite band. Long live the Manics. Rating: 5/5 Playlist track: A Design for Life Date listened: 04/07/24

Revelatory. Their previous album ("The Holy Bible") was a mix of good and ... not good ... but this blew me away - the music is so vastly different from their previous release - obvious reason being a tribute to their bandmate who tragically went missing. Massively anthemic yet subtly complex - I always see it classified as Britpop but it's more than a little wrong to lump this in with Pulp/Oasis/Blur - no offence whatsoever - this is rock with grandiosity yet lacking any cliche. The musical head-turns on this album - e.g. in the chorus of "Kevin Carter" that 3rd guitar chord is just so goddamn cool and unexpected - are what propels it throughout. The vocals were much more palatable this time around, and I weirdly hear echoes of Jellyfish in some of the higher-register vocals of James Dean Bradfield. I love the guitar work with the aforementioned unexpected and/or unusual chords, the strings add a ton to these soaring songs that upon closer listen (i'm not that observant apparently) are way more dark than they sound. Love that dichotomy. There are distant echoes of The Bends - maybe that's a simple reach being a pair of UK bands - I'm a big Radiohead fan but this is the better album. A band I'm sorry I missed the first time around and no idea how I did - I've been wavering between 4 and 5 on this but the perfect runtime, virtually every song of quality (might except "Removables" here - everyone's allowed a slight hiccup), and the story behind the tragic creation of this album easily push it to the top for me. 9/10 5 stars.

Brilliant. Everything Must Go will always have a special place in my heart as it reminds me of a childhood friend that died too young. It is perhaps the only song that I will make me stop whatever I am doing and listen to it in full. If anything interrupts me while listening, I will immediately restart from the beginning. It might be silly, but it's my way of honouring and remembering my friend, Dave "Beans" Jackson. RIP

Fantastic Album !!

give me a string of songs that are better than the first 5 on this album. this one is an absolute beast. top two in the book, easy.

More of this, please. This is a group I have never heard of from an era that is not represented much in this list that had me engaged the whole time. These are thoughtful songs that have unique instrumentations and poetic lyrics. My favorite here has to be A Design for Life, though Small Black Flowers That Grow In The Sky isn't far behind. I was thinking about this album a couple days after my first listening, which is impressive given the nature of this 1001 album task.

Never heard of these guys. Really enjoyed

classic

Definite 5 before I even hear a note - possibly the best and most consistent album by one of my all time favourite bands. After listening - six stars! I absolutely love this album, there's barely a note out of place, and it comes as close as anything to having no songs I would ever consider skipping. Flawless. could only have been better if richey had been around to see the success they had with (partly) his lyrics

One of the greatest albums from one of the greatest bands ever!

Excelente

Great pop rock album!

W̶a̶s̶h̶e̶d̶ ̶u̶p̶ ̶W̶e̶e̶z̶e̶r̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶a̶ ̶p̶a̶r̶a̶l̶l̶e̶l̶ ̶d̶i̶m̶e̶n̶s̶i̶o̶n̶.̶ Warm and pleasurable, joke aside. "Everything Must Go" is pretentious but not overly bearing. Great string arrangements too. I especially adore "A Design For Life" and "Everything Must Go." I'll probably return to the Maniac Street Preachers in the future.

Hidden Star Attack- Tolles Brit-pop Album mit tollen Klängen der 90er. Es mach Spaß es zu hören und ist angenehme Mischung aus Petshop Boy, the Cure und REM. Kaum Schwachstellen aber dafür einige Highlights. “Design for Life”, “Australia” und mein Favorit “Small Black Flowers That Grow in The Sky” 😊

Maybe nostalgia talking but this is One of my all time favourites. This was my first MSP album and I've played it to death. Hearing it again reminds me just how great it was. Perfect mix of melody, atmosphere and aggression across the whole album. I could never click with the holy bible and I feel like they went a bit soft after TIMTTMY, so this for me is peak manics and a SUPERB album

A perfect way to triumph after tragedy

very good album, brings back memories of being 19 and chatting with a MSP obsessive, but slightly disturbed young lady from the isle of wight on MSN who used to send me completely unsolicited pictures of her in her knickers, was all fun and games until she sent me a picture of ENOLA scrawled on one arm and ALONE on the other bare disguising the cut marks on her arms from self harm. five stars

Highlights - a design for life is so good, Enola alone, the orchestration of everything must go is great. Further away. Honestly there isn’t a song on this album I don’t like, it was all amazing, Didn’t like - nothing not to like, loved it all. Overall - I hadn’t heard much msp apart from the singles, I really like this album and absolutely will listen again. I like his voice. Sad I didn’t know about this album as a teenager because I was super into stereophonics and the influence is clear.

Long time favourite

LOVED revisiting this!!

REALLY GOOD???

My second favorite MSP album after The Holy Bible. The backstory is that their guitarist had disappeared during the lead-up to this album, so the rest of the band was dealing with the loss behind his likely death. The album has a lot of pretty melodies and thoughtful lyrics. I never get tired of listening to this album.

This really was one of my favourite albums of its time so have listened to this a lot in my life. So the 5 rating was a pretty impulsive response to seeing it appear on this list today. With the gift of time to be able to listen again properly, it was great to revisit it and see whether I had my nostalgic head on when throwing out a 5. But it still sounds great! As well as the big anthems such as Design for Life, it has some really enjoyable quirky and non conventional little tracks like Kevin Carter and some lovely little bop along pop songs too. Much more commercially accessible than their previous more punky offerings and some wonderful melancholy obviously shaped by the tragedy they had to go through. Great song writing and musical compositions. Everything delivered with emotion. Still a 5 rated album all day long.

I haven't listened to the Manics for a while....shame on me! I loved this, thank you for giving me the nudge to listen again.

Love the manics and one of their best albums.

Besides maybe when I got dummy, I don’t think I’ve ever been as drawn in by a vocalist as I have by this guy on this list. He struck the perfect balance between yelling and emotion and range and it’s great. The first half of this album is excellent, especially Enola/alone, and I enjoyed the second half too. Overall, non British UK music delivers another a banger of an album that I hadn’t ever heard of before.

Great album, I knew them from one song before but this record is an amazing listen, good for walks in nature, working on code, or vibing. Very energetic.

This is the Manic's I know and love, beautiful sad rock music.

I like the sound of this album a lot and want to listen again soon!

This was really good. Erica liked it a lot. This was super solid and I'll add it to my playlists.

One of my favourite albums, and probably most listened to! I'm not even a big Manics fan, just something about this album got me and stuck with me throughout my late teens all the way up to now.

Excellent! I've never even HEARD of these guys, and they rock. Very Supergrass sounding (that's a compliment).

love it

I didn’t really click with the first three tracks, but from Enola / Alone i onwards I was sooo into this. A lot of the time with this list I can appreciate good music as good music, rather something high and then never return to it, but I would definitely return to this/add to playlists. Favourites: Interiors, Everything Must GO, Enola / Alone (SUCH A GOOD TRACK).

Four years ago, I did a trial run on YouTube of reviewing music that was just turning 20 years old. The very first album I reviewed This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours by the Manic Street Preachers. That’s not today’s album of course, it’s just a fun little nugget of information. Songs I already knew: A Design For Life, Everything Must Go, Australia Favourites: Australia, All Surface No Feeling, A Design For Life I can honestly say that there are no bad songs at all on this album. Before listening, the only track title that I recognised was A Design For Life, but I found that some others songs were familiar because they still get frequent radio play, which shows a lot for the quality of the music. The vocals are excellent throughout, with a sparse use of any distorted shouting which makes it all the more effective when he does shout, and you feel really feel the emotion coming through. The guitar licks are catchy throughout, and the tones when the heavier distortion kicks in are exquisite. Overall, there is nothing at all that I can fault about this album. I love it.

I'm not at all familiar with this band and even after listening to Everything Must Go, from what I read about them, I still don't know much. This record plays like a concept album or a rock opera à la Green Day's American Idiot but I guess it's not? Almost every song feels epic. I loved many and disliked none. Very glad to have made its acquaintance today.

I’ve heard of this group but couldn’t name any of their songs. I enjoyed this album a lot, especially on the second listen! The songs are often epic with great swells or strings and synths that really appeals to me. I couldn’t catch all the lyrics as I wasn’t listening in a place conducive to that, but the ones I did were intelligent and interesting and makes me want to investigate them further. A great album, one I’m glad to have in my library.

Wonderful, right up my alley

Maybe I’m being too generous as this album does have some filler but it’s a 5; all of the singles are amazing and the last three tracks (all not singles) are a treat. You’ve also gotta appreciate how they went from an album so grim (but still amazing) holy bible to something this polished after the disappearance of a member which I would’ve thought would’ve made the music more harsh but this more mainstream direction is great. Oh yeah also the top review for this album (the “britpop is shit one”) is just stupid.

Their commercial peak, so really great songs. I'm tempted to remove a star for Australia, but the rest is just so good.

REALLY CATCHY ALBUM! I LOVED THE WHOLE ALBUM! I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT IT! ONE OF MY FAVORITES NOW!

Love this album. I always felt that the Manics flew under the radar for most people, but this and The Holy Bible are peak Manic Street Preachers. Cannot fault a single track.

Great album

Still rules. The band keeps getting better even after tragically losing Richie. Banger after banger.

Amazing start, amazing to the end.

Really liked this one! Definitely going back to it!

Fantastic. I loved the guitars, the creativity in the compositions, the conviction, the vibe - this is a classic album

I had never heard of these guys before and I am now a huge fan. Can't believe I've never come across these guys before. Excellent brit-power-pop that combines great songwriting and interesting song structures with a little 90s punk edge.

Hope they fired their marketing and release team in the 90s

Really nice surprise. Perfect album.

This album deftly oscillates between post-punk, Britpop, British alternative, and even grunge. The Manic Street Preacher’s command of song structure shines through on this album, the first following the disappearance of Richey Edwards. The result is a punchy engaging coherent album that reflects the best of what was happening musically in the rock scene. The lyrics are intelligent and the anthemic quality gives this album a sense of triumph and grandiosity.

Would definitely listen again

Excellent.

Pretty chill music. Loved Small Black Flowers. It has a nice melody and stands out on the album which is predominately alt rock.

Brilliant

9/10. Wow, I gave this band's other album an 8/10 and forgot about it entirely. But I'm going to have to go back and listen to more of there stuff, because this was swell.

Hay que checar las letras de todas las rolas, muy brutal.

Clever lyrics, beautiful melodies and such a great recording. I loved this album from start to finish, a classic