Product Description

At the time of its release in 1998, THIS IS MY TRUTH TELL ME YOURS was the Manics' most commercially successful album to date. It included the singles "Tsunami", the brilliantly unwieldy "If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next", and the soaring "You Stole the Sun From My Heart".
Despite its success, this album remains true to the anarcho-punk socialist ethic, as the song titles "If You Toleratea" and "I'm Not Working" indicate. Combining trademark social critique and despair with an equally typical high quality of songwriting, there is plenty here to occupy the discerning listener, and though "mature" can often denote a kind of mixedpraise, this album could be described as such, in only the most positive way. Songs are more varied and melodic than those of previous albums, making THIS IS MY TRUTH TELL ME YOURS more accessible, but without sacrificing any of the band'ssearing intelligence and passion. One can only be thankful that the Manics did not keep their promise to do just one album and then disappear.

Track Listing

1. Everlasting
2. If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next
3. You Stole The Sun From My Heart
4. Ready For Drowning
5. Tsunami
6. My Little Empire
7. I'm Not Working
8. You're Tender And You're Tired
9. Born A Girl
10. Be Natural
11. Black Dog On My Shoulder
12. Nobody Loved You
13. SYMM

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13993 in Music
• Released on: 1998-09-01
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
The first album the Manics wrote entirely as a three piece was the first to gain a large portion of criticism, both from the press and their own fans, seen by many as veering dangerously towards MOR territory. Certainly, the lyrics "The world is full of refugees / They're just like you and just like me" from "The Everlasting" is a bit Phil Collins, and "S.Y.M.M". (about the Hillsborough disaster), while an important subject, comes across as something Nicky Wire wanted to approach but had no idea how to. Still, "Tsunami" about the two infamous silent Welsh twins locked up for petty crime, is majestic and sweeping, while "Ready For Drowning" takes on Wire's feelings for his birthplace, Wales, and "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next", taking it's cue from Orwell's Homage To Catalonia discusses the Spanish Civil War with beautiful melancholy. It may be the Manics' least brilliant album, but it's still better than most of its contemporaries. -Emma Johnston

Customer Reviews

Some Beautiful Moments
This album, along with 1996's 'Everything Must Go' brought the Manic Street Preachers firmly into the public consciousness, bringing them chart and commerical success, whilst alienating the Manics die-hard early-era fans in the process.

The reason for this is simple: the first three songs on the album are some of the most listener-friendly moments in the Manics incredibly colourful career.

This is not necessarily a bad thing - 'The Everlasting' is an undoubtedly beautiful and poignant slice of reminiscence, albeit far more glossy and highly produced than most of what the Manics have ever done, and a million miles away from anything on 'The Holy Bible'. Likewise, 'If You Tolerate This...' is glossy, complex and technically more advanced than the Manics roots, except that getting a song about the Spanish Civil War to number one in the charts is not only an act of great subversion, but completely in the spirit of punk, spitting in the face of conventionality. Polished it may be, but it is also undeniably thoughtful and intelligent. For this, the Manics should be applauded, regardless of the fact the many of their new 'lad' fans probably don't have the slightest clue what it all means. 'You Stole The Sun From My Heart' is also one of the Manics most recognisable songs, infuriatingly catchy and radio-friendly, but filled with enough gusto to still be worthwhile. The only problem that I can see with any of this is the polished sheen that adorns these songs, and either that is the sound that the Manics were aiming for, or the sound engineers working on this album were at odds with what the Manics always represented.

'Ready For Drowning' though is as beautiful a song as the Manics have ever created, featuring gorgeous church organs and severely vulnerable lyrics, a true fan anthem. The response it always gets at concerts is rapturous and frequently emotional.

'Tsunami', another single from the album is also another one of the Manics more highly produced singles, attracting the kind of fans who turned up to gigs in checked shirts, bottle of beer in hand, so that they could abuse the more dedicated and open-minded of the Manics fanbase and shout abuse at the men who wore eyeliner. I have always thought that the problem with the Manics reaching a wider audience was that they attracted a new and laddish element to their fanbase, in many senses kicking their more authentic fans where it hurts as a result.

Despite that, more beautiful moments ensue on this album, in the shape of classic Manics melancholia, such as the moody 'My Little Empire' and 'I'm Not Working', which sounds oddly distant and detached. There is virtually no trace of the engaging, wonderfully articulated anger which was the Manics guiding light circa 1994.

'You're Tender And You're Tired' is yet another fraught-with-emotion, polished set-piece of a more grown-up angst, but one can't help but think that 'grown-up' doesn't fit well with the Manics. The 'growing old disgracefully' mood of 'Know Your Enemy' and 'Send Away The Tigers' are far more fun and genuine.

'Born A Girl', however, has to rank as one of the most beautifully, poignantly honest lyrics that Nicky Wire has ever written, a stunning and sweet lament over the femininity which has been central to the Manics repertoire since their inception, a femininity which at one point in the Manics career, looked all but lost. This song is vital in understanding Nicky Wire as a person, and the Manics as a band.

'Be Natural', sadly, is as far from vital as I could imagine, and reeks of being pure filler, featuring one of the most middle-of-the-road sounds that the Manics have ever created. The guitars, vocal and lyrics are so yawnsome that I nearly always skip this song when I'm listening to this album. 'Black Dog On My Shoulder' isn't much better, either, containing some truly dull lyrics from a man who is capable of genius. The music is also annoyingly pleasant and mainstream-friendly, and when dealing with the Manics, 'pleasant' is not a word which most of the fans I've ever met would want to associate with them. Aggressive, yes. Brutal, yes. Pleasant? No thanks!

Thankfully, things take a turn for the better on 'Nobody Loved You', one of the many songs which is allegedly about missing Manics lyricist Richey Edwards, featuring beautifully powerful guitar riffs and tragic lyrics which resonate sadness. This kind of emotion is the Manics at their melancholic best, and where they're most at home.

'SYMM' is the epic final track which had to be given a different song title for legal reasons. Inspired by an episode of Jimmy McGovern's 'Cracker', it speculates on the Hillsborough disaster and contains the characteristically risque lyric "South Yorkshire Mass Murderer, how do you sleep at night?" Also featuring a fantastic guitar riff, and a moody, sombre feel to it, it is a satisfying end to a generally great album.

Indeed, this album has many high points, and if only certain filler had been dropped and relegated to B-sides, it would have been an altogether excellent addition to the Manics back catalogue.

Their best album
Was never a great fan of "Everything must go", as I felt it only had 2 or 3 great songs on it, and rest were far from being anything special!

This album on the otherhand, is full of great songs, with probably some of their best work and best hidden gems!

Starts off with the "The Everlasting" with a really nice little accustic intro that builds and builds and builds to give us this great song! Then we get the untimate Manics song "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" which needs no introduction!

"You Stole the Sun from My Heart", "My Little Empire", "Born a Girl" and "Nobody Loved You" are really good songs and "Tsunami" is probably the most striking song from the whole album!

The bar was set with "Everything must go", and with this album they went even further, but unfortuantly they did not follow it up well with the poor effort that is "Know Your Enemy", but seem to have found the right formula again with "Lifeblood"

Stunning songwriting
How beautiful is this album? It absolutely stunning in places. There are some examples of absolutely sublime songwriting in these songs, an example would be the incredible guitar riff just before the chorus of Ready For Drowning.

Compared to Everything Must Go this is very stripped down. Those huge wall of sound chords from that album have been replaced by some simple little riffs, but the quality hasn't dropped. This is a fantastic album.

The highlights would be The Everlasting, If You Tolerate This, Ready For Drowning, Nobody Loves You and the albums only rocker, You Stole The Sun, which wouldn't be out of place on any of their previous albums.

A must have for Manics fans and if you have Lifeblood then think of this as a more anthemic and complex version of that.