Know Your Enemy

Manic Street Preachers

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 24, 2001)
• Original Release Date: March 19, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Virgin Records Us
• ASIN: B00005AWNW
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #176,880 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Found That Soul

2. Ocean Spray

3. Intravenous Agnostic

4. So Why So Sad

5. Let Robeson Sing

6. The Year Of Purification

7. Wattsville Blues

8. Miss Europa Disco Dancer

9. Dead MArtyrs

10. His Last Painting

11. My Guernica

12. The Convalescent

13. Royal Correspondent

14. Freedom Of Speech Won't Feed My Children

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

So many people seemed upset when the Manic Street Preachers finally softened and went sugary and stadium rock, you'd think it was some sort of surprise. But--ironically, for a Manics album--Know Your Enemy should keep everyone happy. It's as big and lush as their recent records, catchy and stirring, but more musically imaginative than anything since the mangled metal of The Holy Bible. Nicky Wire's lyrical pretensions can niggle (he even takes a slurring, atonal lead vocal on the predictably antagonistic "Wattsville Blues," which sounds like the prepubescent Jesus & Mary Chain till James Dean Bradfield's guitar and harmonies bring a shaft of light), but complaining about being irritated by Nicky Wire is like moaning that your cat won't fetch a stick. For the most part, against this fresh, textured pop, his words--alternately nihilistic and impassioned, self-pitying and perverse--come alive again. The real joy is not just that the Manics now want to spice their chromium rock with raspberry-blowing synths, lush and sunny orchestration, and (on "Miss Europa Disco Dancer") Bee Gees rhythms and electro-funk. It's that they're finally confident and accomplished enough to do it well, and with more verve than they've mustered for half a decade. --Taylor Parkes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars less than I expected, July 25, 2001

By	gaius marius (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

For an ostensibly political band, MSP didn't seem to have much meaningful to say. Their political points seem simplistic and are stated with something less than depth and intelligence. Their views are their views -- this is not a critique of their politics. But I've heard their political points made much more convincingly on other discs. I guess Nicky Wire just isn't the thinker that Richey Edwards was.

As far as the tunes go, I've heard better and worse. Some songs are interestingly crafted and really quite attractive; others shouldn't have been released. I thought the disc quite uneven, sometimes trying.

This set seems a sort of step backwards for an important band. It makes me wonder if they didn't lose something more than a band member when Richey went away -- or at least that MSP might have now put a little too much distance between themselves and that formative time to attempt a "return to their roots", as this album is sometimes billed.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very worthwhile listen! (Altough a notch below the mid 90's heyday), March 27, 2006

By	nephillyjeff "nephillyjeff" (Cherry HIll, NJ) - See all my reviews

The often misunderstood, underappreciated Know Your Enemy...I have to admit that I hesitated to buy it because of the negative press. But now that I have it, I really enjoy it. Maybe it's not in the same league as Everything Must Go or This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours, but it's still a rewarding listen.

I agree with most reviewers that stylistically KYE is all over the place. I don't actually mind that - as long as each song delivers. And I have to say that the first half of the CD is excellent. Even the songs with very split opinions - I found to be very enjoyable. I like the vocoder sound in Wattsville and don't mind Nick's voice. I found Europa to be very catchy and totally get the ciriticism of club culture.

But it's the second half of the CD where things start to fall apart somewhat. Actually it sounds more coherent now, but some of the songs just don't do it for me. His Last Painting is interesting, I like Royal Correspondent, and I really like The Convalescent, but some of the songs on the second half sound pretty flat, especially compared to the wild variety in the first half.

The bottom line is that 65 minutes for this CD is way too long. KYE has about eleven or twelve good to very good songs, but the weaker songs in the second half needed to be cut - 50 minutes for this CD would have been ideal. Mostly because of the filler songs still in place, I do not rate this as a classic. It's not the first place to learn the greatness of MSP - that's for Everything Must Go. But KYE is still one that every MSP fan should have and will appreciate.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Totally under rated LP, March 10, 2006

By	Mark D. Stenner "mdstenner" (Tulsa, OK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Manics have produced many great pieces of music, but only two complete albums - The Holy Bible, and Know Your Enemy. After the majesty and totally devastating Holy Bible, and the subsequent 'loss' of Richie Edwards the Manics went into a serious slump with their next two albums. I've never understood the popularity of 'Everything Must Go', it has some good tracks but is pretty disappointing, and the lacklustre 'Truth' was the band in a serious rut. 'Know Your Enemy' changed all that. Here are the Manics back to their politically challenging and musically diverse best. My only criticism of the album lies in the some of the production techniques, but overall, this a gritty, brilliant album that too many people have missed out on. The stand-out tracks - 'Let Robeson Sing', 'Found That Soul', 'Wattsville Blues', 'Ocean Spray', 'So Why So Sad' - are as good as anything they've ever done, and the seamless nature of the album creates a feeling that the album is greater than the sum of its parts, and that is the sign of a truly fine record.