Everything Must Go

"Libraries gave us power Then work came and made us free What price now For a shallow piece of dignity" I mean come on

Another band I've never heard of that would have been in regular rotation had I known about them in the 90's. The fact one of the members disappeared from a hotel room over 30 years ago and was never seen again is crazy.

Lyrically profound, with some interesting guitar riffs. However, the vocals and overall presentation just don't do it for me.

I really want to like Manic Street Preachers. Like the last record I heard from them, Everything Must Go was almost incredible. I like the instrumentation and the passion behind it. But it lacks something…maybe a legitimate hook? I don’t know. I just feel like I’m good hearing this once and not coming back to it. 7/10

I have occasionally listened to Manic Street Preachers, mainly from their album Critical Thinking, released last year. They're a Welsh alternative rock band influenced by punk, post-punk, and glam rock. They were originally a four-piece group. However, after lyricist and rhythm guitarist Richey Edwards disappeared, the group became a trio, with Everything Must Go as their first release as such. Let me make this clear: I haven't listened to anything off The Holy Bible yet. It's gonna be really intriguing when I do, because, from what I gather, Everything Must Go went in a different direction from that record, embracing synths and strings for an anthemic rock style that felt in line with the Britpop movement at the time. Also, because Edwards was no longer with the band, Nicky Wire became the band's de facto lyricist, focusing on historical and political themes throughout. While songs address Edwards's disappearance and its impact on the band, drawing parallels to other artists who have suffered, like South African photojournalist Kevin Carter and Dutch abstract artist Willem de Kooning, this album is also surprisingly optimistic. It comes across as a strident celebration of life and expression to keep the band moving forward, despite the tragedy and unfortunate media coverage, while also pleading for fans to stick with them through this shift on the title track. The album is wonderful in that regard, and it certainly helped that the band took full advantage of the streamlined approach in their music, incorporating sweeping hooks, ornate strings, and a production style that certainly harkened back to the Wall of Sound. Honestly, I couldn't find much to complain about, as Everything Must Go is an amazing record that showcased a band overcoming the empty void left by their long-gone bandmate. I very much look forward to the other Manic Street Preachers record to find out what was left behind.

holds a special place for me as it still reminds me of my first trip to the UK

A really strong record. Especially considering the turmoil around the band at this time with the loss of their primary lyric writer and friend, they put together a really strong batch of songs and played them extremely well. This is one of those records that when people talk about how good it is, I get a little skeptical. But when I listen to it, it reminds me just how good it is.

I'm glad their fans enjoy their music. I don't

What a great album, full of catchy choruses, great hooks and lyrics with a bit of bite to them. It's maybe not the most consistent album, but the majority of it is excellent. You can feel a kind of hangover of Richey Edwards coming into this, especially on songs like Small Black Flowers that Grow in the Sky. Then you have some more bombastic, sing-along tracks on the other side. Both work though. Then you're chucking in some all-timer songs like A Design for Life, and you're set. Very good! 4.5 rounded up.

Not bad, but not great. Very 90's, very British. All the songs kind of sounded the same. I'd heard of the song A Design For Life, but I didn't know any other songs.

Pretty cool album

Some Very tasty Brit pop hooks

Very raw production, not really what I’m into. Otherwise decent and convincing rock.

Quality album not quite as impactful as when I first heard it in 96 but still decent

Feels appropriate to get a Manic Street Preachers album this late in the game. I got their other album in the first week of me doing this project and really liked it. One of my first new-to-me 5-star listens. And here we are many years later listening to another one. Bookends!

Solid, probably a 3.5 on my scale. I preferred the music to the singing, but that’s just my opinion. I thought it was good, a bit inconsistent, but good.

++: Kevin Carter +: The Girl Who Wanted to Be God, Australia +-: Elvis Impersonator: Blackpool Pier, Everything Must Go, Small Black Flowers That Grow in the Sky, Removables, Further Away -: A Design for Life, Enola/Alone, Interiors (Song for Willem de Kooning), No Surface All Feeling 2,8/10

4/10… brit rock / madchester / *1996

No fav song

Thinking maybe a little better than the Beck album so giving the same rating.

Fine? In one ear and out the other.

Better than The Holy Bible, very cool alt rock tastes in here. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Pretty decent

3.5 - Never heard of this band. I liked it a good bit.

Terrible

Yet another boring rock album.

Really cool name for a band…me likey. It kind of started amazing and ended amazing, not too much to say about the middle though

Big, poppy, rock records with dramatic vocals are really not my thing.

I've never been interested by the manics and this is not the album that will change my mind. It's just the standard mid of the 90s rock pop album. Next.

wow c'était cool, je trouvais pas d'identité au début mais en fait c'est pas mid du tout

C'était étonnamment sympa

It feels unfair to give a 3 as I can't articulate why it's not higher. I think it might be that I don't connect to the vocal style enough.

It’s fine

Some massive tunes and no real duds

All of the angriest and spikiest elements of The Holy Bible have been smoothed out for Everything Must Go and what's left is a very fresh, bubbly radio rock album, which could not be more pleasant or listenable. I personally miss that spikiness but I can't honestly say they put a foot wrong. Where the Manics have lost that explorative breadth of musical styles they have gained a confidence and depth in their chosen style of choice.

Manics get a solid 3 for this one, it's good, all of it, but it ain't my thing

4/5

Pretty terrible. Sounds like a soundtrack for a terrible 80's B Romance movie.

⭐⭐ Daterat och blekt. Gengremässigt svårt att placera, det är liksom inte något. Musik för personer som vill ha så lite motstånd som möjligt. Det får bli en 2a. Bäst är Design för life, Removables

After the band lost their guitarist and main lyricist - I mean, they literally lost him and couldn't find him again - they decided to streamline their sound, making it more accessible. And they succeeded, as this and the following album This is My Truth Tell Me Yours are easily my favorites from the band. But don't be mistaken, the lyricism retains the biting left-wing political commentary the band became famous for. Key tracks: A Design for Life Everything Must Go Small Black Flowers That Grow in the Sky Australia

While there's nothing exactly bad about Everything Must Go, it's ultimately a rather forgettable album as far as 90s alternative rock goes. It doesn't do much of anything that other albums haven't also done. It's mostly big anthemic song with a little bit of strings, but outside of some nice melodies it never really finds a lane of its one. Like a lot of rock albums it also has some acoustic tracks as a change of pace, and those tracks - especially "Small Black Flowers" - go nowhere and aren't super interesting. The socially conscious lyrics may be the highlight, though they can be a bit clumsy or on-the-nose, like "we don't talk about love, we only want to get drunk." A well-intentioned album that was clearly a transitional one for the band, but one that doesn't stand out from the pack.

The book misidentifies the final track as 'All Surface No Feeling'. What a delicious Freudian slip.

2/5 A couple good tracks, but his voice started to grate on me a little so not the most enjoyable listen.

90’s synth-rock. Reminded me of a more synth-Goo Goo Dolls…?

I do like this album. The last album with Richey’s lyrics and afterwards they never really sounded as vital again.

An exceptionally mid album. There's nothing outwardly good, or bad about it. Production is slick and the band is tight, there's even some interesting chord changes here and there! But it all adds up to a very unexceptional album. Some cool breakdowns/bridges. Feels like an album I'd have listened to in middle school before I discovered cooler music. Choice Cuts - 'Everything Must Go', 'The Girl Who Wanted to Be God'

This was ok, but not very distinct from other 90s alt rock. It just felt slow and the lyrics were kinda hard to understand. Feels longer than 45 minutes.

kinda feels like a spunky U2. pleasant, occasionally very fun and creative. favorite song is Kevin Carter, also Small Black Flowers That Grow In The Sky was lovely. strong 3

Rating: 7/10 This band's first album after their songwriter/guitarist Richey Edwards' disappearance have them shifting from a punk edge to a power pop rock sound. It's pretty good, above average Britpop with a bit of both quirkiness and darkness. There's really no bad songs to be honest, but it's also not too noteworthy to me. There's some highlights to me that include A Design for Life, title track, Australia, and No Surface All Feeling. Fun

One good song, rest entirely mid

Yeah there is only one alright song on here

Not a bad album!

Very fun, good energy, no standout tracks

Didnt make much of an impression.

This is a band that really deserves to be better known in the US. I am a bit surprised by the two selections on this list. I would at least have put This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours and maybe Generation Terrorists.

I'm not sure how I missed Manic Street Preachers in the 90s, but I'm glad to find them now. I like this kind of alternative rock.

Cool

not bad, gets better as it goes on. great singing voice. reminds me of freddie mercury

I like manic street preachers, but the singles stick out a lot and the album songs don't reach the same heights.

Nothing interesting here. Sounds the same Best track: Elvis Impersonator: Blackpool Pier Rating: 3/10

It wasn't good, but it wasn't bad, it just isn't something I'm interested in exploring further.

Through the first few songs, I wasn't really impressed, but this album grew on me the longer it went. By the second listen, I was a fan. There's not really a single track I can point to and say, "This is a great song," but they're all pretty good. Sometimes that's enough. I would definitely listen to this one again.

This was poppier then I thought it would be. Not a lot so but I thought this would have harder edges for some reason.

Not bad, but feels kind of like a standard Britpop album.

Groans. Welsh band in the '90s? Brit pop? On paper I'd rather not. I'm not exactly happy I listened to this before death, but at least I can understand why it's on the list. It's honestly a well produced piece of work, it'd be a difficult sound to ignore if you DO like Brit pop to begin with. Since I don't, I found it lengthy and a little more commercial than I tend to appreciate. 2.5/5

At times the guitars and the urgency come together and I can imagine playing it again. Then again... 3.5

Yes ANOTHER inoffensive but bland album that should not be on this list, considering all the truly GREAT ones that aren't.

Kind of Queens of the Stone Age, kind of George Michael, but mostly a pleasant racket.

Great big guitar sound. Really catchy melodies too.

I'm not gonna lie I wrote the review for this earlier, but it didn't saved and I'm really mad. It was pretty good but the vocals sounded like a prog rock singer's even worse attempt at alt-rock/britpop. I like the heavier bits and it would've been cool if they leaned into them more. Overall solid, but as usual I felt like it repeated itself too much for no reason.

Did not know them, recognized at least one song. I never felt anything, but also never disliked it. Very generic.

90s britpop, alt rock. Bit heavier than traditional britpop, which I like. Great melodies.

Soooo close to being a 5/5. So many catchy melodies, great energy and performances, and idk what they did to get those guitar tones but they're so so crisp. There's only one song that I felt was a skip but besides that it was great. 4.5/5

Personal enjoyment: 4/5 Relevance to this list: 4/5

I can’t believe there is a second album by this band. Jangly alternative rock with bad song writing, nothing original, and just boring, uninspired songwriting

Really strong album. Emotional, and very melodic without feeling cheesy. A few songs hit much harder than others, but overall this is definitely one I’d come back to. 7/10

A decent mainstream rock album. First I've heard of this band, but not too shabby.

One of their better albums

Really cool album. Never heard of them before, but I really enjoyed listening to this. Definitely has that 90s alternative sound to it, but different at the same time.

Honestly really great. More enjoyable then a lot of the other 90s rock I’ve listened to 4/5 ⭐️ 255/108

Eh, it's fine. Middle of the road 90s Brit-rock, nothing special. Design for Life is burned into my millennial brain, but other than that it's very take it or leave it.

It was pleasant but nothing grabbed me.

The sound of "Kevin Carter" — maybe the trumpet? — is very appealing. It's a good set of songs.

did not finish

I’d come across the Manic Street Preachers every now and then and had generally filed them away as “worth a listen.” Now that I’ve listened to one of their albums in its entirety for the first time, I can confirm that impression. The first song, “Elvis Impersonator,” is still a bit clunky, but after that they mostly strike a pretty good balance between Britpop - which can sometimes be too poppy on its own - and alternative rock - which can sometimes be hard to get into. The result is a somewhat unremarkable but very pleasant-sounding album with a subtle sense of originality in a niche rock genre that sets itself apart just enough from the mainstream. I like it.

This one's getting graded on a curve, which is too bad because it's boring, boring, boring. Every song is repetitive, and not in a "let's develop the theme" kind of way, more in the "we can't write a chorus with anything happening" kind of way. I guess these guys somehow earned a reputation as being the hard-edged boys of britpop because they sometimes had angular, wiry, or rough guitar sounds, but that's mostly not present here and is even softened by the string sections in some of these songs. The only time it got mildly exciting was on the last song and then boom, album over. I get that this is them getting over the death of a friend and it's personal. So was the last one, which I went back to after this even though I didn't love it and that one's so much angrier, harder, better. But they still can't write a fuckin' chorus.

“Wow this didn’t work for me at all. I actually disliked it in fact. And that’s saying a lot cause I am very generous on here from time to time. But this album just didn’t land for me and I didn’t connect with it at all.” Those were my initial thoughts and notes on this album. I do still think the singers voice isn’t really for me, it just doesn’t work for me, and I think they are alittle soft as well. But they have legitimately grown on me since giving them a few more tries. I still think the album as a whole is boring and dry for my tastes. But the songs “a design for life” and “no surface all feeling” are the ones I liked the most and ended up saving. I didn’t save it but I also kinda liked Australia. But as a whole this album wasn’t for me. But who knows, I already like this band more than I did yesterday, so hopefully they will continue to grow on me and I’ll update this review to reflect my feelings on them, but until then, I only truly liked and saved two songs.

Not for me. 1/5

I know two songs by them, but nothing from this album. Overall it was alright but it is another album from the britpop/rock list that this list is overrepresenting

i really enjoyed this experience. i think this album reflects the group as an equal but as different as each member is. and that is beautiful. there are some songs that i liked and some that i didn't. the sounds were modern, full of inspiration and power. i don't focused on lyrics, sorry. i wouldn't play them on pourpose but i think introducing yourself into new music is also amazing

ну не моё конечно, местами прикольненько, но не особо интересно, темы мне не близки и не особо интересны

Ok enough of these Brit rock groups in a row

Sad about Richey. And his sister, gosh I wish I could give her a hug. I read Novel with Cocaine. It was okay, but not really a revelation.

"They dress your cage in its litter / Once you wrought now you just grunt lame / Peace around pathetic pound games" Album #100! This was my introduction to Manic Street Preachers, and I was very pleasantly surprised! The album is full of songs with great choruses, strong melodies, and captivating electric guitar riffs. At times the verses overstay their welcome, but it pays off when you hit the chorus for most songs. Some favorite tracks include: "A Design for Life," "Australia," and "No Surface All Feeling." There are little to no "filler" songs in the album, and the ones that do fit that description, like perhaps, "Further Away," still offer a unique enough sound so as to not bore the listener. The band also experiments with different sounds, such as in "Small Black Flowers..." Which offers a great change of pace in the middle of the album. A great way to cap off the first centum albums 🛐🛐🛐🛐

Day 25 Am I tearing up? A good British album that maintains its solid quality the whole time? Thank you, generator 🥹 Fav track: A Design for Life

Album 60/1001. Listened 9/2/2026. Well, I'm glad that's over with.

This is fun to listen to but I really don't see why this is essential listening. It's fine - I hear a big Nirvana influence.

Decent enough 90’s album that clearly never really took off state side. Kind of gives off U2 or Radiohead vibes at times. Not bad. 2.5⭐️ rounding up because I’m sucker whenever horns turn up even if it’s briefly.

it's just so damn bland....we already had The Holy Bible, and that was just alright....why include this?

mediocre