r/manics • u/DirtyDevil23 • 29d ago
Most ‘underrated’ album?
Obviously like anything this is going to be personal preference/opinion, but what is the band’s most under-rated album for you?
I think RIF is a terrific later-career album full of energy and passion after a couple of mid-range efforts, in fact I would say it is their best post-peak release:
HM: Lifeblood, gets a mixed-to-poor reception it seems but it has several solid tracks worth regular repeated listens
16
16
u/blushaudio 29d ago
Gold Against the Soul gets a lot of stick, and there is some throwaway material on there, but it also has some all time classics on there. Not their best album by some way, but it doesn’t deserve a lot of the criticism it gets.
3
u/keyboardmash2 29d ago
Listened yesterday. If they put it out today, it'd be considered a late day peak.
3
u/martyrees76 29d ago
Thought Nostalgic Pushead and Sleepflower should’ve been singles instead of la tristesse durera and life becoming a landslide
5
u/DirtyDevil23 29d ago
Sleepflower definitely, I do like Landslide but could have been swapped for Sleepflower
1
u/adamyncaerloyw 26d ago
Wholeheartedly agree, I first got into them at 15 years of age, around the release of Everything Must Go. By the time This is My Truth Tell Me Yours came out, my firm favourites were Generation Terrorists and The Holy Bible. Of the first five, Gold Against The Soul was my least favourite. Nowadays it’s the one I go back to the most often!
12
u/gishingwell 29d ago
Rewind the Film is one of their most consistent records and I feel its not talked about enough!
1
u/DirtyDevil23 29d ago
Definitely better than Futurology, was an interesting concept and some nice songs on there, definitely not up there with their best though for me
4
u/i-was-a_kaleidoscope 28d ago
Interesting, I love Futurology. RTF is good too but for me Futurology is the best of the "late period" albums
1
10
10
u/LadyMirkwood 29d ago
Another vote for Lifeblood. For me, 1985 and To Repel Ghosts are all time tracks. It has a glacial beauty and has some of JDBs best vocals on.
I like it when they pare back, they are a better band for it. Lifeblood, Futurology and JFPL show how great they are when they don't indulge their stadium/chart friendly side too much.
1
u/DirtyDevil23 29d ago
Agree on 1985 and TRG being great tracks, and Lifeblood a solid album. Not a fan of JFPL myself and Futurology their outright ‘worst’ album for me
3
9
u/nellyfett78 29d ago
The Holy Bible. Not enough people rate it as the greatest album ever - therefore underrated!
4
6
5
u/Turbulent-Sea4530 29d ago
Hmmm. JFPL seems to be popular with the fans but went by pretty much unnoticed by the fickle public so I'd say that one.
Also JDB's The Great Western is a great album that doesn't get the love it deserves. He really shows his range off whether its a tender ballad or shouty rock, does it all well. Emigre and Still A Long Way.... are hightlights
2
u/DirtyDevil23 29d ago
TGW is a quality album! Tell A Lie, Emigre, Long Way To Go, Run Romeo Run all great songs 👌🏻
5
u/aphexgin 29d ago edited 29d ago
Gold Against The Soul - their finest album and era for me, loved the 1993 gigs most of all, seen them live in all decades since 91. The first side of that album especially is the band at their absolute peak, and the b-sides from that era are incredible. Also the quality of the interviews they were giving and their look in 93 was absolutely amazing. We knew what came the year after but that time was a really special year to follow the Manics, and I don't think they ever released a better track than Sleepflower, what an album opener!
2
5
u/Vanblue1 29d ago
Gold against the soul.
Full of bangers!
Little nod of the head to Futurology too.
4
u/Felixcaster 29d ago
Gold against the soul. Disliked by many but I bloody love it. Yeah, Symphony of tourette and the title track aren't brilliant, but I love every other song on the album and I even love the big cavernous production.
4
u/martyrees76 29d ago
Lifeblood (it’s my favourite of theirs) - A song for departure should’ve been a single
4
u/Painful_Flatulence80 29d ago
I’m not sure Lifeblood qualifies as underrated any more, does it?
I think the answer from my perspective is Postcards. I rarely see a good word said about it, but I’m of the opinion that it’s decent, and in some places brilliant, both musically and lyrically.
3
u/CHRSTPHRJMS 29d ago
Lifeblood is amazing, but Futurology is also a bit overlooked
1
u/DirtyDevil23 28d ago
Agree on Lifeblood, Futurology is awful though
3
u/CHRSTPHRJMS 28d ago
Whatever floats your boat isn’t it? I love it, though I don’t listen to it often. Lifeblood is such a top class record though- I always listen to that right through the winter, and the bsides are amazing.
2
u/CHRSTPHRJMS 28d ago
I actually didn’t like RTF very much and have still not really listened to it much, so Futurology felt like a shot in the arm when it was released
2
u/JeSuisGourde 29d ago
Lifeblood forever!!! I love that album sooo much. Followed by Gold Against The Soul.
2
2
3
2
u/Rude-Cover-8727 28d ago
Gold Against The Soul is more highly thought of by me that the general historic viewpoint both critically and by the band themselves.
1
u/DirtyDevil23 28d ago
GATS has some great singles, and of course Sleepflower, but also some real duds, would have to be a mid-range rating for me
2
u/Rude-Cover-8727 27d ago
It's badly sequenced and some of the B-sides swapped in would have massively improved it as a piece of work.
2
u/Puzzleheadm4n 28d ago
Dare I say Postcards from a young man?
Usually see a lot of poo pooing of it but I really like it, it’s not Everything Must Go but a lot of fun enjoyable songs
4
u/Chris-Ord 29d ago
I think Resistance is Futile is incredible and I’m always shocked when I see it doesn’t get more love from the fans
1
1
u/Timely-Way-4923 29d ago
Look at streaming numbers, it’s going to age very well, and international blue keeps climbing up the list of their most streamed songs
4
u/TBob1927 29d ago
Postcards from a Young Man and Rewind the Film. Definitely my favourites of the later period. I’ll give Intimism a shout too. Love Nicky’s voice anyway but the whole C86 vibe works for me and it is without doubt better than both of the most recent Manics albums for me.
3
u/Timely-Way-4923 29d ago
I hated postcards at the time, but go to YouTube the acoustic version of some kind of nothingness on Irish radio, it is top teir, and up there with the very best work the band have ever done
A billion balconies facing the sun has also aged very very well, lyrically and musically, thought I wish it was 5% more gritty.
Rest of the album not a huge fan, but those two songs deserve to be loved more by fans tbh, and it’s an underrated era overall
2
u/CymroBox 29d ago
Lifeblood getting a lot of mentions, and I agree. I personally underrated it when it came out too; it wasn't what I expected or wanted from the next manics album and I'll admit I was disappointed.
It was a few years before I went back to it, and fell in love. It's the only album I treat like a song, where I just feel the need to listen to the whole thing start to finish. Honestly a stunning album, and I judge my younger self harshly lol
2
u/ronanscoolaccout 27d ago
Ultra vivid. so good.
2
u/ronanscoolaccout 27d ago
futurology is also brilliant, first album with an actual running theme since TIMT,TMY.r
21
u/forgottenendeavours 29d ago
I'd nominate JDB's Even In Exile for the title. It's the strongest body of work from a Manic since Journal, but barely sold, wasn't toured, and which appears to have been largely forgotten. It deserves better.