Customer Reviews

This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours

5 star:		(67)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I have put off writing a review on this album simply because I don't think anything I could write would do it justice. This is one of the greatest releases of the 90s, and were it not for a couple of so-so tracks, I would put on the 'All-Time" list. Perhaps on the strength of the other songs this *is* and "All-Time greatest" album. No matter, though, because the Manics really outdid themselves on this one.

This was the first album by the Manics I ever purchased. Living in the States, I was not at all familiar with their music, and had only read a couple of (positive) reviews about them. The moment I heard the stirring strings and emotional chorus of opening track "The Everlasting", I was hooked.

"Everlasting", penned by bassist Nick Wire (as would all tracks on this album), is an autobiographical look of sorts at the history of the band. However, as it is written in the similar style to most Manics songs (metaphorically and full of grandiose statements), it can be viewed by the listener as look back at life, to see where we came from, and how we got here. Though the band now slag the song off and are hesitant to play it live, one gets the feeling that it is because the song hits a little too close to home, and exposes a bit more than they'd like. It certainly ha snothing to do with the quality of the song itself.

Moving on, the album only picks up steam with the next few tracks. "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" is a rousing anthem akin to "Design for Life", the standout track from the Manics previous (and equally stunning) album. A song (strangely) about the Spanish Civil War, "If you..." features an impassioned performance, musically and lyrically, by the band, culminating in the line in the bridge when vocalist james Dean Bradfield sings "And on the streets tonight an old man plays with newspaper cuttings fo his glory days".

Other standouts on the album include the rocking "You Stole the Sun From My Heart", the string-laden ballad "Black Dog On My Shoulder", the rousing "tsunami", with its sitar (!) and washes of keyboards, and the soaring "Nobody loved You", an emotional tribute to missing lyricist/guitarist Richey Edwards.

Musically, the production runs from the grandiose and luxurious (Everlasting, If You Tolerate...etc.) to the quiet and reflective (Born a Girl, My Little Empire, etc.) Guitarist and principal songwriter James Bradfield, along with drummer Sean Moore, create a vast canvas of music that runs the gamut of styles. Always intriguing, never boring, the duo (and Bradfield, in particular), show that they are among the greatest arrangers of their generation.

Speaking of Bradfield, his vocals on this album are nothing short of spectacular. I'm not sure which album the Amazon.com reviewer was listening to for the above review, but contrary to what he wrote, Bradfield's range seems only to improve with age, and his performance on songs such as The Everlasting and If You Tolerate This...really showcase his natural singing ability. Even on the earlier, louder, Manics albums, Bradfield always "sung" more than "screamed", but it has only been recently that his true talent in that area really shines through. Everyone already knew he was an excellent guitarist (his work here does nothing to dispel that notion).

Lyrically, Nicky Wire has produced another interesting, thought-provoking, occasionally-annoying series of songs for Bradfield to croon. As with any Wire product, some lines are simply brilliant ("No vendettas, just a cherry blossom tree") to annoying ("But it's really not the kind of thing that people want to hear us sing") to the downright bad ("Delirium on helium"--ouch). Still, it is obvious Nicky writes form his heart, and the honesty comes across clearly in the context of the music.

one more beef to point out: the Manics have this habit of hanging on for a song or two too long on albums, and "This IS My truth" is no exception. "I'm not working" plods on for over 6 minutes and really doesn't do much, whilst "SYMM", though captivating musically, suffers from a very substandard lyrical composition from Wire.

Beyond those minor greivances, though, lies a tremendous album. I have owned the album for over five years now, and each time I listen to it it sounds as fresh an invigorating as the first time I put it in. This certainly ranks up there with "Everything Must Go" among the best of the Manics' very fine career.

Although this is not your usual Manic Street Preachers album, it is still as honest and thought-provocking as any of their others, apart from maybe The Holy Bible. On this album the Manics are on top anthemic form with songs like 'The Everlasting', 'Ready For Drowning' and 'Nobody Loved You'. The only low point of this album that I can think of is the controvercial 'South Yorkshire Mass Murder' which is maybe a slight let-down musically, but not lyrically. This is an album that you really should own, and is also an album that puts all the Amercan acts such as Korn, Limp Bizkit, Slipknot and Blink 182 into shameful perspective.

I already gave out a review on the import but I think you all deserve to read it on the real thing. I won't copy here my original one because I feel different about the album now. First I thought it's great, now I think it's EXCELLENT. It's amazing how songs like "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" or "You Stole The Sun From My Heart" feels like it was written about me while they were written about things that happened even before my parents were born. And on other tracks, like "You're Tender And You're Tired", "Nobody Loved You" and also "The Everlasting" before radio killed it I feel like I simply want to cry for the honest misery that comes out of those songs. Not a track here is dissapointing and it's a shame that America gets it only now when it actually came out eight months ago. I'm a musician myself and I can honestly say that the Manics inspires me in an unbelieveable way. Almost everytime after I hear one of their albums I feel like I want to write a new song. "Everything Must Go" is also good, even better ("Small Black Flowers That Grow In The Sky" is the most beautiful song EVER written) so maybe you should start with it before this one, but overall "This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours" is highly recommended. The Manics' music touches me in a way no other band had.

The single "If You Tolerate This" was my introduction to this amazing band, and it floored me the second it entered my speakers. Really, it's impossible not to like. It soars. Bradfield's voice is spectacular. The "and on the streets tonight an old man plays with newspaper cuttings of his glory days" line is just genius, and the outro is pretty groovy too. It's great. So I bought the album. And after a listen, I was unimpressed with the majority of it. Had I not also purchased Everything Must Go and The Holy Bible (yes, I bought three albums on the strength of one song, it's that good) at the time, I would have dismissed the Manics as one-hit wonders that couldn't make an album with more than one good song on it. And that would have been unforgivably stupid of me, as repeated listens showed me that this is certainly at least tied for first for best Manics album, and indisputably the album of the year.

We start with "The Everlasting." This is impossible not to like - Bradfield's voice has a beautiful melancholy quality to it, the strings are great, and the lyrics are pure genius. Some may say Nicky Wire's lyrics don't match those of Richey James - I'd say otherwise, even if the Wire does write utterly daft things once in a while. But here there's nothing to criticize - "The world is full of refugees" is a great line that for some reason reminds me of Hemingway. Okay. After that gorgeous song, we hit "If You Tolerate," a song about the Spanish civil war (thus also reminding me of Hemingway), which I already mentioned rules. From here we go through 11 more tracks. Some of these are great, some merely good, and a couple not too impressive, but almost all of them are bursting with emotion and sheer musicality. Bradfield and Moore show immense musical inventiveness here - witness the smashing organ line in "Ready for Drowning," the predatory drums of "SYMM," the lovely violins of "Black Dog" or the piano work in "You're Tender And You're Tired." Bradfield shows himself to be one of rock's best singers, and Wire's lyrics range from asinine ("Delirium on helium") to breathtakingly great ("No vendettas, just a cherry blossom tree"). The thing is, these songs take time to grow on you. Give it a chance. With repeated listens, the sonic details come out, the lyrics catch hold, and we see that every song leads perfectly into the next. The only song on the album that really doesn't work is the overly long, aptly named "I'm Not Working," but all the others have at least something going for them.

Another reason why this album takes time to appreciate fully is that its emotional territory isn't as immediate as on other Manics albums. The Holy Bible gripped you by the throat; This Is My Truth does not. But over repeated listens, you see that there is just as much emotion here as before; it's just subtle, and expressed differently. Wire deals with personal, down-to-earth issues - "Black Dog" is, in his own words, an attempt to write about depression in an unglamorous light. This at first makes the song seem irrelevant, but eventually it comes to be extremely resonant because Wire succeeds in making it realistic - most people aren't theatrical and rock-star-like about their depression. The same feeling of dreary melancholy permeates "My Little Empire," and also works very well. Many other emotions, however, are evoked by other songs, such as the exultant "Tsunami," the eerie, ominous "SYMM," or the uplifting "You're Tender." But "Ready for Drowning" and "If You Tolerate" show that the Manics haven't abandoned their social commentary - it's just that they no longer feel it necessary to scream it in our ears, and that in this album it's secondary to more personal issues. Illustrating this, "You Stole the Sun" masks very naked loneliness beneath very sunny hooks (so sunny that the lyrics hit even harder when you do realize what they mean), and "Born A Girl" is a painful, aching gem of a song with a beautifully understated vocal from Bradfield. And _then_ there's "Nobody Loved You," Wire's best lyric to date. It's a song about the missing Richey James but it will resonate with anyone who has ever lost someone. Great music, great performance, great lyrics with absolutely unforgettable imagery. Utterly beautiful.

After the all-out rawk of Everything Must Go, it took guts to make this album. But they did it, and it worked. They slagged it off now in interviews for some reason. That's too bad because it's great. The Holy Bible and Everything Must Go are indispensable, don't get me wrong - in fact, almost all Manics records are - but this is a very, very good album indeed, and does not deserve the flak it has received. Thumbs up.

Every song is compelling. The tracks are chock full of good melodies, harmonic richness and intrigue, some good hooks, a bit of politics and a bit of lyrical weirdness, punk attitude, melancholy, love, anger, and overall musical lushness. This is one of the best largely unheralded bands (they come from Wales and came to prominence in the 1990's with some alternative radio airplay); they would appeal to a much wider audience if given the chance. This particular recording is their best one overall, in my opinion, and certainly their most accessible. The earlier albums are even more political, edgy, raw, punky, and gritty but still just
as oddly compelling and melodically and harmonically rich.

Well considering most of the old faithful have slagged this off something rotten, i might be a bit unfashionable to the hardcore when i say that i genuinally love this album. It has helped me through many happy/sad times and continues to fill me with joy/melancholy depending on which track you listen to. The thing that separates this from the other albums (it is by no means the best mind you) is the way that it deals with ordinary people working through ordinary lives not the rock star depression highlighted in the brilliant but harrowing "Die In The Summertime", but with everyday people and it is completely stripped of all bluster (bar Be Natural) and is just pure and sonically beautiful. Indeed, Black Dog On My Shoulder is the antithesis of DITS in that it doesn't make you feel worse but BETTER whereas DITS makes you feel lower than a snake's belly. The Everlasting, Ready For Drowning and Nobody Loved You are some of the most moving songs i've ever heard. If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next is NOT pretentious but a subtle rallying cry for a few morals, principles and dignity in modern life. You Stole The Sun From My Heart is a great way to exorsise your demons by jumping around your room and singing at the top of your voice. Tsunami is delicate but strong at the same time and My Little Empire is genuinally disturbing but not in a "Holy Bible" way, just very personal and honest. Ditto I'm Not Working. You're Tender And You're Tired never really appealed to me but on closer inspection the lyrics are very good. Born A Girl was inquisitive, thoughful and probing, sort of a little afterthought from Nicky, which was in the middle of the album (a little disconcerting to say the least!). Contrary to popular belief it wasn't a grass is greener assumption but an exploration of an idea that had intrigued Sir Wire for ages. The less said about Be Natural the better in my opinion, it was a nothing song without an emotion. Finally S.Y.M.M, a terrible lyric that Nicky really didn't do enough justice and a forgettable piece of music to go with it. An unfitting end to an album brimming with life and personality but one that shouldn't discredit one's opinion of it. Don't listen to the arguments that the Manics have turned into middle-aged bores. They are still raging only in a more mature and personal manner. Buy this.

Most guitar driven "rock" often fails because when you delve beyond the distortion and energy, you rarely come across a half decent tune. Luckily for the Manic's, they know a thing or two about basic song structure and anthem inspiring melodies. There are no less than 13 finely crafted tracks on this album. The power and intelligence of previous albums is still in evidence on this release, but here it combines with some thoughtful orchestral arrangements, providing the tracks with a more varied feel to them. Some die-hard fans have dismissed Truth which catches the Manic's in a more thoughtful mode, but this is the album that propelled the Welsh Wonders into music's Premier League. Truth doesn't quite embrace the "horror" of commercial meltdown as many have suggested. It simply lacks the pointless guitar thrashing that some fans expect from this particular genre of music. The good news is that the Manic's have matured. Whilst this album is more melody centred than your average guitar band offering, Truth still manages to retain a dark theme of deep meloncholy that is irresistible. Four memorable singles are on offer here, including the superb Tsunami. Most of the album tracks would have performed well as single releases. You're Tender and You're Tired is one of the best tracks that the Manic's have ever recorded, easily beating the best of Welsh competitors Stereophonics. This is My Truth...will be a tough album to follow.

Three boys from the valley's are in a band. This band is the best act to ever come out of Wales ever.

They consististantly produce some of the best brit music, and there is no song to which you can fault on this CD.

Tune wise, from the wistful emotion of "The Everlasting" to the moshing qualities of "Nobody loves you".

Just purchase this album for "Be Natural"

It not only is one of the most beautiful ballads, ever, but it's also a brilliant piece of music.

As a reluctant fan, having heard the name Manic Streets Preachers thrown about for years before actually hearing them, I guess I am not exactly qualified to review them based on what they have become. I don't know what they used to be or sound like. I only know that when I heard this album, I felt inspired. It struck me as something different from what I had been hearing. There is very little cynicism here and a lot of informed hope. Yes, there are hints of a social conscience, and while many artists write to causes, the Manics are not overt, are not condescending. They just play music. I can say that this album inspired me through many long days of work... in which I put on headphones to block out all the rest of my co-workers. This album has all the elements you look for: great lyrics, meaningful, rich music, very satisfying overall. Height of brilliance in the songs. This is a must-have.

this was my first experience with the manic street preachers' music, and i am pleased. this band is unfortunately hard to find in bloomington, and i had to go to an indie record store to find it. but i am lucky that i did get it. "if you tolerate this..."is probably my favorite song of all time. the social conscience message hidden in the song can make any one care. "the everlasting" is a wonderful ballad and the strings in the song are beautiful. the main critera for a good album in my opinion is a good balance of instruments, lyrics, and melody. this album has it all. since this cd has a social message that can be interpreted in different ways, it can be enjoyed by many different types of people. i hope everyone likes this cd as much as i do, if not more. i believe it is an instant classic. this may have been my first manic street preachers album but it won't be my last!!