Twice in the same river? PFAYM and Lifeblood

[Porco]

To save time with your response to this thread, simply copy and paste the following, deleting as applicable.

I _can_ / _cannot_ see similarities between the two.

_Both_ / _Except_ _Lifeblood_ / _ PFAYM_ _are_/_is_ _great_ / _rubbish_

_and_ / _but_

_Lifeblood_ / _ PFAYM_'s singles were _great_ / _rubbish_ _hence_ / _despite_ their chart _success_ / _failure_.

[The Gutless Wonder]

Postcards has done better than Lifeblood chartwise so they're not really similar in that regard. And can people stop being rude about Ian? He does not sound like a foghorn!

[JimmiB]

Originally Posted by The Gutless Wonder

Postcards has done better than Lifeblood chartwise so they're not really similar in that regard. And can people stop being rude about Ian? He does not sound like a foghorn!

You're right...he isn't loud enough in the mix to be a foghorn but if he was louder then he would definitely be a foghorn.

That has to be one of my greatest and most irrelevant sentences ever.

[Napoleon Bonaparte]

Comparatively PFAYM has been a success, it certainly hasn't been underpromoted & certainly was a critical success. The tour was a success, quite a lot of people saying they were playing the best they have ever played. Singles really aren't selling anyway, proved by more than just the failure of It's Not War, & yes the videos are both shit.

PFAYM isn't going to inspire the confidence crisis that Lifeblood did, neither should it. Unless you were crazy enough to think PFAYM was going to sell 16 million I can't see how you could be disappointed with how it has performed.

A billion balconies facing the sun etc.

[hummingbird]

PFAYM - majority positive reviews ...number 3 album first week...number 1 up to the friday....radio A listing the War single and playing the album tracks...tv documentary...gazillion interviews ...sold out tour..

Lifeblood- now bare with me as i wasnt following them as closely then but i don't remember anything much at all on the radio...mediocre reviews....empty souls and nixon reaching number 2 on lowest figures ever...album reached number 13 then plummeted .... tour didnt sell very well? I remember someone saying the floor area in some places seemed much smaller...

soooo ...i don't see the similarity meself

[Jins]

Originally Posted by Porco

To save time with your response to this thread, simply copy and paste the following, deleting as applicable.

I _can_ / _cannot_ see similarities between the two.

_Both_ / _Except_ _Lifeblood_ / _ PFAYM_ _are_/_is_ _great_ / _rubbish_

_and_ / _but_

_Lifeblood_ / _ PFAYM_'s singles were _great_ / _rubbish_ _hence_ / _despite_ their chart _success_ / _failure_.

Yay multiple choice!

I can see similarities between the two, but not musically. PFAYM won't be remebered by the manics as a failure.

Both are good but PFAYM is slightly better and Lifeblood's single success comparatively to PFAYM was for two reasons. Number One: 2004/2005 were good years commercially for rock, with Green Day, The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, The Libertines etc. whereas now there are few bands like the Manics making music like they do. Number Two: The Lifeblood singles got alot of sales due to getting a deal for buying all three Discs, and now no-one buys CD singles except us crazy dedicated fans.

[lauren--c]

Haha I think they sound kind of similar! But I like Lifeblood so it's all good

[The Gutless Wonder]

Lifeblood and Postcards. Both blimmin' ace!

[wireobsessed]

I don't agree at all with the idea that they are the same (or have/will have the same long term results)

Don't get me wrong I actually love Lifeblood and think it is very reminiscent of where the Manics were at that time. I heard a lot of the tracks from Lifeblood live and think it's a real shame they don't get played more BUT historically it has had a bad press.

Postcards surprised me after Journal even though I should have known what to expect with the info coming from the band about being more like EMG/SATT's. I got some of the tracks straight away and thought the overall tone of the album was great for what they set out to do, produce something that was the direct opposite of JFPL.

Spending the vast majority of the first week at No 1 and still staying around in most charts to this time really shows that Postcards has been much more successful than Lifeblood. I think SKON will do ok as a single and although some people don't like it I love it. The tour (which sold out), the press, publicity, tv and magazing coverage, Channel 4 programme, competition gigs etc have all supported the album and the fact they are now off to Oz and Japan show how serious they are about this album. Critically the Manics are and have received some excellent press and comments and this certainly was not the case with Lifeblood and the band were bloody miserable at the time, looking back its obvious to see.

I think a great third single will help (for me from the last section of the album) and some more well placed UK gigs next spring will keep the momentum going. I'd love to see slightly bigger venues and a tour in the style of EMG with the big screens and really well coordinated video footage to support the live show.

The biggest diference for me is the obvious positivity the band have at the moment and as long as that continues I think Postcards will do well and won't suffer from the same fate as Lifeblood did with the band.

[Invader Zim]

I don't think the comparison is fair, Lifeblood was and remains a really good album that the public foolishly ignored. PFAYM... not so much.