Product Description

This tenth anniversary re-issue of The Holy Bible, Richey James' last album with the band, features: the original album re-mastered; an alternate U.S. mix of the album; 4 live tracks from the Holy Bible tour; 2 demos; extended sleeve notes and and an 80 minute DVD packed with live footage and interviews.

Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Yes
2. Ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayit'sworldwouldfallapart
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. The Intense Humming Of Evil
13. P.C.P.
14. The Intense Humming Of Evil - Live
15. 4st 7lb - Live
16. Yes - Live
17. Of Walking Abortion - Live

Disc 2:

1. Yes
2. Ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayit'sworldwouldfallapart
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. The Intense Humming Of Evil
13. P.C.P.
14. Die In The Summertime - Demo
15. Mausoleum - Demo
16. Of Walking Abortion - Radio 1 Evening Session
17. She Is Suffering - Radio 1 Evening Session
18. Yes - Radio 1 Evening Session

Disc 3:

1. Faster - Top Of The Pops
2. Faster - Butt Naked
3. P.C.P. - Butt Naked
4. She Is Suffering - Butt Naked
5. 4st 7lb - Mtv Most Wanted
6. She Is Suffering - Mtv Most Wanted
7. Faster - Glastonbury '94
8. P.C.P. - Glastonbury '94
9. Yes - Glastonbury '94
10. Revol - Reading '94
11. Faster - Us Video
12. Judge Yr'self - Video
13. Yes - New Film
14. Band Interview (30 Mins)
15. Faster (Hidden Video Extra)
16. Revol (Hidden Video Extra)
17. She Is Suffering (Hidden Video Extra)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17817 in Music
• Released on: 2004-12-06
• Number of discs: 3
• Format: Explicit Lyrics

Customer Reviews

Classic.
The Holy Bible,originally released in 1994,was the Manic's third album,and remains their one genuine claim to greatness.In fact it now stands as one of the very best albums of the 90s,standing with the likes of My Bloody Valentine's Loveless or Spiritualized's Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space.This tenth anniversary reissue contains demos,radio sessions and a US mix of the album along with a demo with videos,live performances and a sadly brief (30 minutes or so)interview with the band.Contrary to what one of the previous reviewers says,the differences in sound between the original and US mixes of the album are considerable,with some of the more scratchy post-punk-y sounding tracks made to sound more stadium-friendly.Revol and Yes in particular benefit from the mix by Tom Hidalge.The DVD contains some excellent performances that prove the Manics were at the top of their game in live terms as well as in the studio.Listening back to this album now,it becomes clear that it is in fact near flawless-the weaker tracks (She Is Suffering,Revol)sound very good now,particularly when compared to some of the songs on Lifeblood or Know Your Enemy (and I like those albums,actually).Plus few other rock albums can compare lyrically.all together now:Mussolini hangs from a butcher's hook...

Some sort of power
This album is fantastic.
As for the re-released 10 year addition, i think it is a very well put together package. Aesthetically the 10 year anniversary album is impressive. The liner notes, with a small essay written on the historical aspect of the album, is interesting, and leaves one with a sense of the power that the album has. The notes also pointed me in the direction of Pinter's "No man's land", which was nice!
I was excited by the extras that came with this edition. I found the live tracks to be just awesome; a real insight the band's power as a live act at the time.
It has been noted that this album was released close to "lifeblood", the bands latest studio album, and so making the band painfully susceptible to comparisons with their selves today, and their past glory. All i can say is, the band burned bright here, they were awesome in their attitude, their presentation and their music- no band could ever sustain this sort of form for any period of time. It must have taken sheer nerve to carry this album off, and the reissue of it demonstrates just how much gusto the band did have.
Of course they changed, and arguably never reproduced the what they did here, but their brilliance is preserved in an excellent cd package, and all the little extras like the DVD footage makes for an inspiring look at a band who gave pretty much all they had, and did suffer for it.

An utterly pointless release
I should point out now that the original release of The Holy Bible was possibly the best album of the last decade, and is still as great now as it ever was. For those who haven't heard it, assume a 5-star rating and go buy that. For those who already own it, this 10th Anniversary Edition is no more than a commercial scam, courtesy of the Manic Street Businessmen.

So what have we got here?

DISC 1 - The Holy Bible (Digitally Remastered) + Live Tracks
For "digitally remastered", read "louder" and you've got the idea. The four live tracks lack energy and enthusiasm. Some could argue that this adds to the songs, given their content. I'd argue that it sounds like James Dean Bradfield is either half-asleep or just couldn't be bothered. Of Walking Abortion is particularly disappointing because I've heard it performed so much better on the Leaving The 20th Century DVD.

DISC 2 - The Holy Bible (US Mix) + Demos & Radio 1 Sessions
The US Mix contains few noticeable changes, mostly to track openings and endings, which don't really affect the songs at all. Don't get me wrong, the whole album DOES sound different, but the same effect can be achieved by listening to the first disc and adjusting the equalizer. As for the demos, they're interesting to hear... once. But skip back a few tracks and you have better versions of the same songs. Same goes for the Radio 1 sessions - interesting, just not worth a second listen.

DISC 3 - The Holy Bible DVD
There are videos here of Faster, Judge Yr'self and Yes. Judge Yr'self was the last song recorded before Richey's "death", and while that might make it a significant point on the Manics timeline, it doesn't make it any good. Faster was never a great video, the highlight being spelled-out words appearing in time with lyrics. Ooh. Yes is apparently a new film, but who cares?
As for the live clips - I've said this before - interesting, but nothing special. The band interview is painful to watch, as three tired men struggle to string together answers to questions that nobody ever asked.

Overall, this is a disappointing box-set that just screams "rushed commercial scam". There's nothing to suggest that any thought went into the selection or order of the bonus features. Still, this 10th Anniversary Edition pretty much sums up the business-orientated direction of the Manics these days. And the booklet art isn't bad...