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Manic Street Preachers - Journal for Plague Lovers-Deluxe Audio CD

A fair review of the Manic Street Preachers "Journal for Plague Lovers-Deluxe" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Manic Street Preachers reviews here, or go back to the Manic Street Preachers tabs.

Manic Street Preachers Band: Manic Street Preachers
Title: Journal for Plague Lovers-Deluxe
Rating:
Release Date: 2009-05-19
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Peeled Apples 2: Jackie Collins Existential Question Time 3: Me And Stephen Hawking 4: This Joke Sport Severed 5: Journal For Plague Lovers 6: She Bathed Herself In A Bath Of Bleach 7: Facing Page: Top Left 8: Marlon J.D. 9: Doors Closing Slowly 10: All Is Vanity 11: Pretension / Repulsion 12: Virginia State Epileptic Colony 13: William's Last Words 14: Peeled Apples (Demo) 15: Jackie Collins Existential Question Time (Demo) 16: Me And Stephen Hawking (Demo) 17: This Joke Sport Severed (Demo) 18: Journal For Plague Lovers (Demo) 19: . She Bathed Herself In A Bath Of Bleach (Demo) 20: Facing Page: Top Left (Demo) 21: Marlon J.D. (Demo) 22: . Doors Closing Slowly (Demo) 23: All Is Vanity (Demo) 24: Pretension / Repulsion (Demo) 25: Virginia State Epileptic Colony (Demo) 26: William's Last Words (Demo)

Excellent
The songs are short. Using the lyrics that Richey Edwards wrote before his disappearance, this CD sounds more like the Manics of "The Holy Bible". The final song on the CD is a little creepy -- it sounds like it could've been Richey's suicide note. .


Great Manics Album
(Okay, here's my big chance to be a pretentious music critic. I am a longtime Manics fan - like a lot of fans the Holy Bible (THB) is my favorite. . . ) Journal for Plague Lovers (JFPL) is as close as the Manics have come to the Holy Bible but it is still very different - Richey's lyrics are fragmented/unfinished (think of his songs on Everything Must Go) and the music is less agressive (but not too much!). Fans of THB don't fret - these are both dark rock albums - THB seemed to be more about the outside world (though that was often a foil for Richey) and bombastic, while JFPL is clearly much more introverted, and the songs are more melodic/beautiful. JFPL has some catchy songs, and even if the lyrics are abstract, their elusiveness harkens back to the Richey-era Manics and they sound like they make sense when sung by James. The last track "William's Last Words" is sung by Nicky - but he does a decent job, and it really is one of the most touching, sad songs I've ever heard. A great Manics album - non-fans might not fully appreciate the history behind it, so it may only be a 3. 5-4 star album for them. The songs are short, polished, cohesive, and I can't stop listening them.

This version is worth it for fans because the sweet journal-like book with artwork by Richey. It is a hardcover book a little longer than a normal CD case, and contains about 30 pages - typed lyrics that don't always match the songs, and about a dozen drawings by Richey. The book is a little morbid as you might expect - like going into a dead person's home.

The demos on the 2nd CD though are a let down, and really aren't that much different than the LP tracks, other than having Nicky half-heartedly sing the title track and "Marlon JD". I wish they had James sing "Williams Last Words" on the demos. While the demos for the Holy Bible were cool to hear because the album is a classic, these don't do much for me a week after the album is released - I'd rather just listen to the album.


You can see a complete list of all Manic Street Preachers discography, or go back to the Manic Street Preachers tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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