Product Description

Track listing 1. Yes 2. Ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayitsworldwouldfallapart 3. Of Walking Abortion 4. She Is Suffering 5. Archives Of Pain 6. Revol 7. 4st 7lb 8. Mausoleum 9. Faster 10. This Is Yesterday 11. Die In The Summertime 12. Intense Humming Of Evil 13. PCP

Track Listing

1. Yes
2. Ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayitsworldwouldfallapart
3. Of Walking Abortion
4. She Is Suffering
5. Archives Of Pain
6. Revol
7. 4st 7lb
8. Mausoleum
9. Faster
10. This Is Yesterday
11. Die In The Summertime
12. Intense Humming Of Evil
13. PCP

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6643 in Music
• Released on: 2002-11-04
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Holy Bible is the sound of a band plunging into chaos, taking in such joyous subjects as the holocaust ("The Intense Humming Of Evil"), prostitution ("Yes"), anorexia ("4st 7lb") and general despair (everything else). Needless to say, the majority of it was written by guitarist Richey Edwards, just before he was hospitalised for depression. It's not the easiest album in the world to listen to, with James Bradfield often having to cram all the words together to fit them all in, but it's worth the perseverance. The dark, gothic (but never Goth) guitars compliment the black mood of "Yes" and the alternately narcissistic and disgusted "Faster" (which samples the film version of Orwell's masterpiece, 1984), while the gentle, acoustic "This Is Yesterday" often sounds close to breaking. Suffice to say, this is not a party record, but for pure, intelligent hatred, of the self and of others, it is fascinating, and still one of the Manics greatest moments. -- Emma Johnston

CD Description
The tragic and unresolved disappearance of Richey Edwards looms larger than life every time this album is played. Just as they were being hailed as the potential "next big thing",the band was thrown into disarray, and as a result, this credible album was somewhat overlooked while the world searched for Richey. Now that the dust has settled and people have accepted his likely demise, this album can at last be appreciated. Even though the spoken introduction "Of Walking Abortion" is spookily prophetic, the understated quality of all the songs puts this album much closer to the gigantic EVERYTHING MUST GO than its success would indicate.

Customer Reviews

A classic of British rock
I listened to this album recently with a sense of trepidation. I hadn’t really listened to it for a long time. Would it sound dated? Would the words sound ridiculous, would it be embarrassing? As soon as I put in on my doubts fell away, and I could feel the power of the songs, and the energy and inventiveness in the music.

The Manics have been criticised for the subject matter of this album, in which the songwriter alternately identifies himself with prostitutes, anorexics, and disturbingly demonstrates his empathy with victims of the holocaust and the atom bomb. They have been accused of posturing, of taking tragic, horrific events and using them to define their own image as a band. I myself think that there was no such cynical reason behind the Manics’ treatment of such subject matter on this album. They always have been an honest band, to the point of making themselves look ridiculous, and I think that when they made this album, they were genuinely preoccupied with the horrors of the world, and they genuinely wanted to portray their reaction to that horror, however misguided an ambition that may be for a rock band.

To put this album into its real context, look at death metal bands and American artists such as Marilyn Manson, and the way they fetishise death and violence for entertainment, and then compare that with the Manics, wearing their hearts on their sleeves, trying to get all their jumbled thoughts out into their songs, not thinking enough about the possible consequences. Later in their career the Manics would look ridiculous when they wrote a song about the Hillsborough disaster. If anything, it showed a sense of arrogance, a misguided assurance that they were somehow qualified to be the spokesmen for victims of tragedy. With “The Intense Humming of Evil”, the Manics obviously saw themselves in the worthy tradition of the Spielbergs of this world, rather than in the exploitative tradition of something like “the Night Porter”. Whether it works out that way is up to the listener to decide.

“The Holy Bible” is definitely a powerful, well-made album, and it deserves recognition as a real classic of British rock music. For the first time in their career, the Manics’ music matched the manic, jumbled intensity of the lyrics. The line “so damn easy to cave in, man kills everything” is matched on “Faster” by crunching, discordant powerchords and crashing drums. Disturbing lines such as “I want to walk in the snow and not leave a footprint” are echoed in “4st 7lbs” with a track of tinny, skeletal beauty. Elsewhere we have the mournful, repetitive refrain of the strangely muted guitar on “Yes” and the powerful industrial metal of “Archives of Pain”. “This is Yesterday” is one of my favourite Manics songs, with its understated lyrics and excellent guitar work. Never before, and not since, have the Manics produced an album of such consistent musical excellence and power.

The lyrics are a mixed bag. They are consistently good and paint vivid pictures of the big themes the band decided to tackle. Lines such as “these sunless afternoons I can’t find myself” on “Yes”, and “see myself without ruining lines, whole days throwing sticks into streams” on the paean to lost youth “Die in the Summertime” rank among the most beautiful lyrics the Manics have produced. However, as I referred to before, some of the subject matter may be too disturbing for comfort for some people. “Archives of Pain” is a bleak call for capital punishment that may cause woolly liberals some discomfort. “The Intense Humming of Evil” and “Mausoleum” will make most listeners uncomfortable.

Ultimately, I feel that this is a great album that has dated well, and ranks as one of the classics of the 80s and 90s. It’s unquestionably a dark album, but it has a power and energy about it that makes it stand out as the best work the Manics have done.

The Sacred & Profane
Quite truly one of the marvels of British and Welsh music at the end of the twentieth century, The Holy Bible is both harrowing and addictive yet has placed the Manic Street Preachers in a awkward situation; never again would their music and lyrics fuse together into a cohesive fireball of nilhism, rage, and beauty.

The roots of this album start with the over-produced "Gold Against The Soul" and the backlash that befell the band that wanted to be bigger than Guns N' Roses. While the effort was more streamlined than the debut, the result was a Manic Street Preachers album that was too polished, very photogenic, and even polite enough to merge with MOR stadium rock in an effort to gain a larger audience. The acoustic trend in music was acknowledged with hefty doses of fingerpicked intros and hushed Hammond organs while grunge was highlighted with wah-wah pedals and stacatto riffs. They supported this album by playing with Bon Jovi.

Then, things started to happen. Richey Edwards continued his slide into self-hurt, depression, alcoholism, and drug abuse. Musical tastes were changing as bands jumped on the BritPop bandwagon. Pop music was on the way up as moody, introspective rock was on the way out. Their manager, Philip Hall, had passed away from cancer. Kurt Cobain committed suicide. All of these factors combined with an Manic Street Preachers habit of changing gears to keep their musical approach fresh. Hammonds and acoustics were stripped off the songs. Fuzz guitars and bass were added along with flanger and phase effects. The band that had a soundbite for each track on their debut album started defining each track with an opening excerpt from film, text, and music. As the Manic Street Preachers were born from punk rock, so they fully embraced their roots, and made an album of sheer vitrol and noise.

Richey's illness had sidelined him from recording, yet as he never plugged in that wouldn't be a problem. Instead, his focus was on an over-all image. Combat fatigues and dog tags told you that the band was ready to fight. Images of distorted flesh and crosses dictated a lyrical focus on the body and the soul.

Released in late summer of 1994, The Holy Bible was a stark change from the eyeliner and glitter of the first two albums. As the band had matured, so had their audience and while not everyone was comfortable with the subject matter, it was generally agreed that the Manic Street Preachers had reached the highest artistic level of their career.

The songs span several topics and spare no-one in their intensity. Yet while almost everyone who has posted a review on this album comment on the dark tone, they all admit that they cannot go for long without listening to it. While unrelentingly bleak this album is the strongest the band have ever been. Had things been different, and a few more years passed, this album may have broken free from the British Isles and been a worldwide smash with the teenagers and youths who grew up in the shadow of grunge.

Their masterpiece, hands down.

A Masterpiece
The front cover says a lot about the intense darkness and pain laid bare in the creation of this masterpiece. It is not an album that will fly off the shelf on looks alone, and that is most probably the point!

'Yes' is the opening song. and it certainly kicks the album off in style with an outburst of words that don't fit conventional songwriting. The best of the Manics work has always been that which breaks away from 'normalcy', and this is undoubtedly one of their best. Despite the cruelty and questioning throughout, it is a song accessible by all.

'Of Walking Abortion' is a song to hit your guilt wires, forcing you not to turn away and ignore the suffering in the world. With lyrics such as, "The massacred innocent blood stains us all", you cannot help but feel the Manics want people to take responsibility for not only their actions, but even more for their inactions.

'She is Suffering', 'Archives Of Pain' and 'Revol' are less ferocious in delivery. And Revol even adds a touch of humour to the album. This gives a little breather before the true prize of the album is revealed. But I use this word carefully, for it is a twisted song that follows, with words that most would not have the courage to air in front of a therapist, let alone the whole world. '4st 7lbs' is worth the album price alone. It is like holding a mirror to the living embodiment of anorexia. Richey wrote of himself, and the intro captures it all, "I eat too much to die, and not enough to stay alive, I'm sitting in the middle waiting" Possibly even more heartwrending to hear than the tracks tackling murder, holocaust, and all things horrific in this world. This song is one that stays with you. And it hurts.

The other songs, 'Faster', 'Mausoleum', 'If White America Told The Truth' - they all have an important place on this album. They all have strong truths to tell.

Then the album softens a little. 'This Is Yesterday' is like a blind acceptance of what is happening, of that glance people throw at another before moving swiftly onwards and blanking the pain they see.

'Die In The Summertime' and 'The Intense Humming Of Evil' pull you back into the horror of the world. With an enduring metallic buzz that you seriously begin to feel is the evil humming away in the background. "6million screaming souls"... well that says a lot about the suffering being portrayed in this work.

'PCP' is a deliberate stab at political correctness, well summed up with, "when I was young PC meant police constable" The Manics write what they see. And I for one admire them for this.

The Holy Bible is not an easy listen. But it is a very important album. It is unique and in many respects wholly unattractive, and yet is absolutely addictive. It challenges the listener, never letting them sit comfortably. It sits even less comfortably knowing that Richey Edwards stunning talent was cut so short. His pain and suffering are over, but his words are still here to haunt us.

Seriously, this is an album worthy of your time.