The Lifeblood Discussion Thread

[Dancing Kirby]

I don't know why my opinion goes against the vast majority of other fans, but Emily and Always/Never are two of my favourite songs on the album.

Empty Souls, on the other hand, is one of those lazy by-the-numbers songs that threatened the arrival of the SATT era.

[RoseTintedSpecs]

The first time I listened to it I thought it was a bit bland and couldn't really remember what any of the songs sounded like, but to be fair I wasn't really concentrating on it at the time. The second time I gave it my full attention, and came to the conclusion that it's a very good album.

It's not my favourite Manics album, but it comes somewhere comfortably in the middle. Highlights for me have to be Empty Souls, I Live to Fall Asleep and To Repel Ghosts. I don't particularly like Emily or The Love of Richard Nixon though.

[The Gutless Wonder]

Aaaaaw no! Can't say that about Empty Souls! (re: Kirbs post!) You like Emily and Always/Never then Kirb? I never knew that before!

[Dancing Kirby]

Originally Posted by The Gutless Wonder

Aaaaaw no! Can't say that about Empty Souls! (re: Kirbs post!) You like Emily and Always/Never then Kirb? I never knew that before!

Oh yeah, back in the Lifeblood days and up to I Killed The Zeitgeist, I was one of the 'if you don't like them anymore, why don't you get lost and listen to something else?' brigade. True story.

I'm nothing if not a hypocrite.

[3MACE3]

i think its great i like the cold feeling about it not too keen on fragments though or nixon prefer to have the soulmates and antarctic tbh

[The Gutless Wonder]

Originally Posted by Dancing Kirby

Oh yeah, back in the Lifeblood days and up to I Killed The Zeitgeist, I was one of the 'if you don't like them anymore, why don't you get lost and listen to something else?' brigade. True story.

I'm nothing if not a hypocrite.

I'm one of those I just don't come out and say it. Whoops!

[pingu]

I can't stand it - honestly can't stand it. least favourite album by quite a way.

Always/Never is a lazy, lazy lyric and the Twin Towers line in Empty Souls has to be one of the cringiest lines I've ever heard in a song, too :/

[Littlesue]

Always/Never is about the tune not the lyrics, its nothing like any other Manic's track, if you played it to a casual fan I bet they would never guess it was the Manic's

[River Boy]

Originally Posted by pingu

I can't stand it - honestly can't stand it. least favourite album by quite a way.

Always/Never is a lazy, lazy lyric and the Twin Towers line in Empty Souls has to be one of the cringiest lines I've ever heard in a song, too :/

Editing that line for the single release was probably the most pointless instance of censorship our 'free society' has ever seen.

Always/Never has a great chorus though!

[The Gutless Wonder]

I like the lyrics of the edited version of Empty Souls. Wasn't it just CD1 that was edited and CD2 had the original lyric? Can't remember!

[Masochist Revol]

I like the majority of the songs on it, and appreciate that as a band they were spreading their artistic wings. On a personal level I prefer THB style of music to that of lifeblood, so I don't enjoy listening to it as much as their other albums.

[Elizabeth M]

Originally Posted by Elizabeth M

When have the Manics ever said that they hate this album?

Originally Posted by harrijack

They pretty much declared it every night they played Empty Souls this tour before dropping it. First it was just general apologies for Lifeblood, and then moving onto telling people to go to the bar...

It was quite embarrassing actually. It pissed me off.

Wow, that is really bad form. It would have pissed me off, too.

[Beat Poet]

Originally Posted by The Gutless Wonder

Well the crowd should get into it then! What's wrong with ya's?

Well casual fans (who make up the majority of live audiences) don't know it, pure and simple.

[Symmanine]

Very very beautiful album. I love it. I think it's disastrously underrated.
I adore the whole feeling of it - the melodies and lyrics which are best Nicky Wire has ever written.

[orkitecht85]

It is a good record. Out of sync with the rest of Manics' material, but, despite even the band disowning it, some decent lyrics, interesting sound. The singles weren't the best tracks lifted from it, but even then they nearly scored a couple of no 1 hits (admittedly through Manics fans buying 3 copies at a time...).
Best tracks - "To Repel Ghosts", "Always/Never", "Cardiff Afterlife."