Customer Reviews

Generation Terrorists

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Spring is finally upon us, it would seem - after winter's last gasp, it's finally warm, dazzlingly sunny, the sweaters and coats and various other garments have been shed, and the intoxicating springtime scent is in the air. It is the time of youth - narcissistic, confused, invulnerable youth, of the sort that Yukio Mishima was hopelessly obsessed with. Doubtless, there is no album that reflects this better than the Manic Street Preachers' loud, angry, ridiculous and brilliant 1992 debut. These were the days when the boys strutted around dressed in boas, eyeliner and shirts bearing incomprehensible slogans, roared as if possessed from miniscule stages, threatened to record one multiplatinum album and split up, announced their plans to light themselves on fire live on television, and in the case of Richey James Edwards, engraved "4 REAL" into their arms. Truly, this is the way youth was meant to be lived, this is what the concept of youth is all about - fighting like furies, sloganeering with glorious eloquence, laughing in the face of one's own ridiculousness, caring nothing for money but dead-set on victory, preening, crashing and burning with a most manly energy yet possessed of a certain feminine elegance in the meantime. Is there anything more beautiful and haunting in the middle of a smouldering summer night or a clear spring day than James Dean Bradfield's mournful yet aggressive wail, evocative of gorgeous flowers growing on a desolate highway underneath a dirty billboard, of such timeless lines as "H-bomb the only thing that will bring a freedom to life," "You are pure, you are snow, we are the useless sluts that they mould," "Rock and roll is our epiphany, culture, alienation, boredom and despair," "Daylight bores the sunshine out of me, I need to be alone amongst the weeds," "Love's sweet exile," "Repeat after me - imitation demigods" and "All we want from you are the kicks you've given us"? The answer: no. It is an unfortunate fact that too many people waste their youth on meaningless pursuits, too much in a hurry to become old, not realizing that they'll never have another chance. Others take the course of fashionable decadence without getting to the essence of it. But thankfully, they have all now been redeemed, since the Manic Street Preachers have lived their youth for them the way they themselves should have lived it. Generation Terrorists isn't the best album ever made, but as a record of this redemption, it is absolutely timeless, even if the boys themselves eventually grew up and things turned much darker just a little bit down the road. And hey, "Motorcycle Emptiness" and "Little Baby Nothing" must surely rank among the ten best rock anthems of all time. This is most certainly required listening.

In the early 90's came from Wales one of the decade's finest rock outfits in the form of the Manic Street Preachers.

Welding together the Clash's political agenda and the Guns&Roses' rambunctiousness they were notorious even before releasing a note of music for taking their opinions to extremes that even the aforementioned influences would hesitate in following.

Among several interviews in which they alternatively proclaimed their political beliefs or lambasted the music business(and its members) came the infamous carving of 4Real in the arm by Richey James which made them the talk of the town.

When it came to recording their debut they promised to part ways after its release but while the failed to disband they did offer us some of last decade's best rock&roll.

Due to their inexperience the álbum is less musically complex than later offerings(especially than their masterpiece"The Holy Bible") but hás enough high energy rockers(with"You love us"and"Slash&Burn" at the top of the heap)to put to shame all competition.

Moreover it features one of the 90's defining songs-"Motorcycle Emptiness".

Fans of any kind of rock should find much to please them here.

I first heard the Manics on the radio, at the time "This Is My Truth Tell me Yours" had been released and the charts had "If You Tolerate This..." but it was a wee bit earlier in 1996 that "A Design For Life" made the top five, would have made the top slot too.

"Motorcycle Emptiness" I first heard on a tape done by my girlfriend last year, and following this I bought "Generation Terrorists". Most of the songs, if not all are pretty amazing - consider Clash mixed with Pistols mixed with Guns & Roses. Some of the riffs are very similar.

Listen to the drums on "Motorcycle Emptiness", listen to the way the Bass throbs behind the attack and swoop of JDB.

Consider that the single is about [$$$] and that the album is around the same price and then go buy it. If you only like "Motorcycle Emptiness" you will NOT have wasted your money.

The Manic Street Preachers are a motorway pile-up of Guns n Roses, the Clash, Joy Division, snotty punk arrogance hiding a tender soul and a load of mascara. Despite being their debut, this is not the best introduction to the Manics, especially if you've only heard them on the radio. The sound is best described as tinny. For a comparison,The Clash by the Clash sounds similar. It's raw and takes a while to get used to. But you will. The album is a deliberately excessive double album. If they'd cut some of the tracks it would have been lauded as one of the best debuts in history. As it is it's one of the best debuts in history with added bits that stick two fingers up at those who say if they'd cut some of the tracks it would have been one of the best debuts in history. It snarls, it grunts, it groans, it screams. And then it does it a bit more. Lyrics rage about English banks (NatWest - Barclays - Midlands - Lloyds with a brilliant chorus that just shouldn't work), anarchy (Repeat) and other cool stuff that you need a diploma in history to properly understand what the Manics are on about (see the Holy Bible). The best way to describe Richey and Nicky, the lyricists, is fiercly intelligent. Motorcycle Emptiness stands out as a beautiful shrug of a song that is the Manics at their best. The key moment of the album for me is delivered within this song. Well it's not really key. Just James Dean Bradfield singing "happiness corrupt political [crap]" like his Grandma is in the room, distorting and twisting his own voice so the word is virtually indistinguishable. Genius. Tracks to play over and over: the first 6, Another Invented Disease, Repeat (Stars and Stripes)(a tribute to Public Enemy on a British rock album???) and to skip for a while at least: Tennesse, Damn Dog. Perservere with this album, and you will be rewarded.
It's got the lyrics, it's got the choruses. More importantly, it's got guts and heart. It's got everything. And then it's got Damn Dog as well. And then they went and made 5 more albums, an amazing 5 of which are pretty much equally as good. What would we do without the Manics?

One of the best debut albums I have ever heard. Its a thrilling slice of pure punk rock, including Motorcycle Emptiness one of my all time favourite songs, and Little Baby Nothing which features Traci Lords. Well worth your hard earned money.

'Generation Terrorists' is filled with jingoism, anachism, and nihilism, and Richey Edwards' unique lyrics are full of his hot youth. James Dean Bretfield's voice and guitar liffs are similar to LA Metal, but more energetic and more frank. Manics' 'Generation Terrorists' is a true Neo-Punk Album and a second 'Never Mind The Bollocks' or 'London Calling'. It's the best Manics Album Ever Bought!

Real men hate sexism, and respect and understand women. And while their anti-sexism is only one of a million reasons to love this band (other reasons: Richey's brilliance and sadness, Nicky's glamour and outspokenness, James' lovely voice, Sean's steadiness--my bands go through like five drummers a year so this is no small feat), just listen to the lyrics to "Little Baby Nothing" and you see how the Manics are a band like NONE OTHER. Of course, they bested themselves in this area with "The Holy Bible"'s "Of Walking Abortion" and, much later,long after Richey's disappearance (too sad), with "Born A Girl" from "This Is My Truth...", where Nicky Wire sings he wished he was born a girl (wanna trade, Nicky? I always wanted to be a glamorous boy myself). But I won't digress too much further with the Manics' loaded history and enlightened views on gender relations...let me just say that this album is where it all began. 'Generation Terrorists' was a rally cry against pathetic acid house emotionless guitarless music (de rigeur at the time in the UK), against the belief that rock has to be stupid, that the working class aren't intellectuals, against macho bloke bands like oasis and the stone roses who looked and acted more like simians than like human beings capable of emotion and higher brain capacity. Apparently, it was also a reaction against wimpy orange juice influenced brit indie bands AND snotty sonic youth influenced american indie bands. the manics on this album were a whole lot more influenced by sweet child o' mine by guns 'n' roses than sunday morning by the velvet underground. BUT, the often times metallic sheen that CERTAINLY dissipated by the comparably joy division/gang of four influenced holy bible (and even by gold against the soul, their next album, although some may beg to differ) is complemented surprisingly by some of the most brilliant lyrics around, criticizing all that is irksome in society. "motorcycle emptiness" for instance is the most catchy song i've ever heard, but the lyrics critique vapid lives so skeweringly that it belies the song's approachability. THIS combination of brilliant situationist lyrics and catchy accessible rock is what makes this album work so well. It is a great introduction to the Manics. ... There are loads other great songs and, yes, a few throwaways (compared to, say, The Holy Bible, of which every track is intense and perfect), but I think that there is a newness and euphoria in this album that NO OTHER Manics album approaches. I know Richey was probably going through his hell by now, but at least on CD it sounds like this is a band who live and breathe their music, who need it to survive, and who get a lot of joy from it. Listening to Generation Terrorists makes me jealous. Great album, and a truly meaningful band. the Manics rule.

Until the 1990's Tom Jones was the only famous artist to come out of Wales, the unfairly less noticed country in the UK. However it all changed in 1991, the year when a novel, ambitious Welsh rock band named the Manic Street Preachers released their first EP, which was followed by their debut album Generation Terrorists in 1992. Very few bands before & after the Manics have managed to release debuts as raw & promising as this album. With a very few exceptions Generation Terrorists is a pure punk rock album. Second only to the third Manics album The Holy Bible when it comes to antagonizing, Generation Terrorists showcases Nicky Wire's, but primarily Richey James' competence when it comes to write nearly sacrilegious, yet always intense lyrics (As opposed to the The Holy Bible lyrics the lyrics here are much more cosmopolitan so in my opinion many people can relate to them, & not in the populist way). Those lyrics are fortified by James Dean Bradfield's guitarplaying aptitude that really shines thru here- Not only when he's playing crunchy, hostile punkish riffs but also when he's playing masterful solos - A Manics element unfairly diluted in the last two Manics albums (This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours was a beautiful album on its own merits, but that's a nonsequitur here right?). His voice is also much more raw here, although it takes repeated listens for the hymnal melodies to be utterly appreciated- Richey's lyrics are so forceful they appear to distract you from them customarily. One caution though- The album is really dense soundwise so you might find it difficult to listen to @ first, but please don't give it up & return to it in the future as it's really worth it. "Motorcycle Emptiness" is evidently the climax here but really, almost every other track here is worth listening to.

Generation Terrorists in the greatest debut album that I have ever heard in my life. This album was way ahead of its time and caused changes in what we know as rock today. Richey and Nicky's lyrics have once again, come together to create an very very impressive album.

Slash 'N' Burn, Natwest-Barclay-Midlands-Lloyds, Motercycle Emptiness, You Love Us, Love's Sweet Exile, Stay Beautiful, Repeat, Cricifix Kiss all songs to look forward to. The political filled, youth rock 'n' roll, anarchy chopped lyrics serve the band well. With the glam-rock, Sex Pistols, Clash influences, it all binds to make one heck of an album.

Sixth form poetry and trashy guitars flower briefly into rock'n'roll genius with Motorcycle Emptiness. They should have left this track off (a) till their fans were ready for it and (b) because it makes the rest of the album sound terrible.