See buying choices for this item to see if it's one of the millions that are eligible for Amazon Prime.

11 used & new from £13.99
See All Buying Options
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Everything (A Book about Manic Street Preachers)
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

Everything (A Book about Manic Street Preachers) (Paperback)

by Simon Price (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (41 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


2 new from £77.41 9 used from £13.99
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Paperback Order it used

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Manic Street Preachers - Louder Than War [DVD] [2001]

Manic Street Preachers - Louder Than War [DVD] [2001]

DVD ~ Manic Street Preachers
4.1 out of 5 stars (7)  £5.78
Manic Street Preachers - Leaving The 20th Century - Cardiff Millennium Stadium 1999/2000 [DVD]

Manic Street Preachers - Leaving The 20th Century - Cardiff Millennium Stadium 1999/2000 [DVD]

DVD ~ Manic Street Preachers
4.6 out of 5 stars (12)  £5.78
Manic Street Preachers: Forever Delayed [DVD] [2002]

Manic Street Preachers: Forever Delayed [DVD] [2002]

DVD ~ Manic Street Preachers
5.0 out of 5 stars (13)  £6.48
The Holy Bible 10th Anniversary Edition [2CD + DVD]

The Holy Bible 10th Anniversary Edition [2CD + DVD]

~ Manic Street Preachers
4.8 out of 5 stars (16)  £7.98
Lipstick Traces - A Secret History

Lipstick Traces - A Secret History

~ Manic Street Preachers
4.3 out of 5 stars (24)  £6.98
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 283 pages
  • Publisher: Virgin Books (20 May 1999)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0753501392
  • ISBN-13: 978-0753501399
  • Product Dimensions: 23.2 x 15.2 x 2.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 205,219 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
Aside from the non-eponymous title (the band's name is relegated between parentheses), the striking thing about Everything is the cover, which strangely lacks a photograph of its subject, almost unheard of in the field of popular music biography. Instead displayed are four shirts, which although they personify the Manic Street Preachers' early punk philosophy and ferocious energy, the image is perhaps ironic for a group that has been anything but faceless or nameless throughout its history. Simon Price's debut biography is a well-researched, detailed chronicle of the Manics' smalltown Welsh roots and their rise to fame and easily excels the glossy biography-by-photograph books previously published on the group. Price, a music journalist and self-confessed nail-painter, follows the Manics' early career at the turn of the decade through to the release of their fifth album This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours at the end of the 90s. Vividly portraying their struggle for success on their own terms, he takes us through the downbeat period of The Holy Bible (an album featuring such cheery themes as prostitution, self-mutilation and Holocaust death camps) and goes some way to clarifying the mystery surrounding the sudden disappearance of band member Richey Edwards in 1995. He then describes the Manics' difficult decision to continue life as a three-piece and highlights their magnificent 1996 Everything Must Go revival which saw them take their rightful and of course contradictory place among the rock establishment, typified by the acceptance of two Brit Awards in 1997. Written with a perfect blend of fan enthusiasm and journalistic objectivity, Price eloquently explains the Manics' appeal but is also quick to point out the band's faults and hypocrisies such as deriding "corporate rock" while at times wholeheartedly embracing it (albeit with Nicky Wire's audacious disclaimer "we reserve the right to contradict ourselves"). The biography also contains 10 analytical essays, a comprehensive discography, a list of fan Web sites and some classic photos (including the infamous shot of Richey's mutilated arm). The Manic Street Preachers may not be the spark that ignites the revolution but compared to the mediocre debris that fills much of the pop world, they blaze with dignity. Everything is a very real account of their life and achievements. --Robert Brookes

Product Description
The history of the Welsh four-piece band Manic Street Preachers. The author recounts their story, featuring anecdotes from the band and their close friends, colleagues and fans. It includes details of everything, from the disappearance of guitarist Richey Edwards to the awards won by the band.

See all Product Description

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Everything (A Book about Manic Street Preachers)
63% buy the item featured on this page:
Everything (A Book about Manic Street Preachers) 4.6 out of 5 stars (41)
A Version of Reason: The Search for Richey Edwards of the "Manic Street Preachers"
13% buy
A Version of Reason: The Search for Richey Edwards of the "Manic Street Preachers"
£12.99
Manic Street Preachers - Louder Than War [DVD] [2001]
10% buy
Manic Street Preachers - Louder Than War [DVD] [2001] 4.1 out of 5 stars (7)
£5.78
Manic Street Preachers - Leaving The 20th Century - Cardiff Millennium Stadium 1999/2000 [DVD]
7% buy
Manic Street Preachers - Leaving The 20th Century - Cardiff Millennium Stadium 1999/2000 [DVD] 4.6 out of 5 stars (12)
£5.78
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

41 Reviews
5 star:
 (31)
4 star:
 (7)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (41 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Their truth..., 13 Feb 2003
By Rebeca Thorvund (San Jose, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
My dear friend Fiona from Newcastle turned me on to the Manics in 1992 and their first San Francisco show that year (in the wake of the L.A. riots) remains one of the most powerful I've seen. How fitting, then, that Fiona should send me this book in my Christmas package. Simon Price makes a compelling story even more so with his riveting writing style, lust for detail, insightful analysis, and insider's view. He whisks the reader from Blackwood bedrooms to the world stage and misses nothing along the way, thank God. Who better to even attempt to take on such a task than Price, a gifted writer whose love for the band imbues the story but who can also provide objectivity and constructive criticism?
Buy this book if you're mad on the Manics and just try to put it down. Buy this book if you're a casual fan or have never heard of them and see what you've been missing.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Like the manics, flawed but essential., 10 Aug 2002
By A Customer
This book does what few other articles, books, interviews or programmes have ever done: look beyond richey. For once we find out what james and nicky are actually like (though we may never know what sean is like). By doing this, the author utterly comprehends the needs of fellow manics fans - to gain further insight into their beloved band. Fact is often mixed with opinion: for example, Price (thankfully) has the guts to lambast wire's 'I love hoovering, me' catchphrase.
We are still offered insight and analysis into richey and his infamous disappearance, though here it is brief and thorough, rather than hyped and melodramatic, as is often the case.
Perhaps the best thing about this book is the speed with which we read about the band's ascent. everything happens quickly. I knew just about everything in the book, but still I read on to find out 'what happened next!' 'Everything' isn't perfect - there are several historical innacuracies and, sorry for sounding uncultured, but the essays are often plain boring, but it remains a fascinating read for old, new, and non fans.
Comment Comment (1) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A slightly objecitve view of a great band, 7 Jul 1999
By A Customer
A great book in itself from a pure history point of view, i have been a fan of the maincs since the holy bible era and have always been keen to pick up info about their early life as a band. Price gives a good account of the early days and betrays - to me at least - a love of those days as opposed to what the band have subsequently become. He appears to gloss over the more recent events of the band which to my mind suggests that he is not as keen on the three piece manics as he was on the full set. This possibly related to his severe crush on richey, who he feels is an extremely beautiful person. This detracts from the book to a certain degree but not so great that it effects it's enjoyment, as long as you take it as the views of someone who was there rather than an objective narrative of the band. the chapters follow well and the insights into the individual memebers of the band are extremely interesting - to me at least more so than the history chapters, as to a certain degree most people are aware of these anyway. Price gives the impression that he is very close to the manics, it would be interesting to see how close to them they thought he was? The irony of the book is that the content suggests that the author could never be as close as he implies because they are a very closed group, however if he was not as close to them as implied how could there be so much insight unless it was invented hmmmm
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars like its title says
If you have to own just one book on MSP, this is the one.
An updated version will be appreciated, but MSP after The Holy Bible are something else, so ... Read more
Published on 11 Mar 2007 by Stefano Galli

1.0 out of 5 stars Good but maybe some censorship would have been wise
As a sometime Manics fan, I do think this book is (as seems to be the consensus among paid & unpaid reviewers) far superior to other rock biographies - even more so because PRice... Read more
Published on 27 Jan 2007 by Ms. Monica Sheaf

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliantly written and hugely interesting!
With all the manics books avaliable to buy, this one has to be the most honestly written and acurate of them all, its the kind of book that once you pick up to read, your hooked... Read more
Published on 2 Oct 2004 by alexsadler

5.0 out of 5 stars THE BEST!!!!!
I love this book,if you wanna know anything about the manics this book more or less tell's you,from where they hung around as kid's 'peny fan pond' to the dissapearence of one of... Read more
Published on 27 Dec 2003 by thurston_whore

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant for people who need to catch up
This book is great! I was too young to be into the manics when they were a 4 piecebut this book makes you wish that you had been there. Very compelling and hard to put down
Published on 27 Nov 2003 by Sally Akeroyd

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book ive ever read.
If you are interested in the Manics this is the only book to by right now.

The Manic Street Preachers were always different. Half Rock band, half cultural essay. Read more

Published on 2 Sep 2003 by Jean Bradbury

2.0 out of 5 stars A mediocre account of Price's history with MSP
It has always been argued that no one can be objective about a subject that interests them in any way. Read more
Published on 15 Jul 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent read for anyone interested in music
Although this book would probably appeal to Manics fans, I have to say I wasn't a fan as such when I first started reading it. Read more
Published on 15 Jun 2003 by Candyflower

5.0 out of 5 stars Great detail and understanding of the manics' history
'Everything' is an excellently worded journey through the complete history of the manics.Almost everything you could dream to know is written here in this book and practically... Read more
Published on 14 Feb 2002

3.0 out of 5 stars It's Just Not All That
A disappointing book. As a recent Manics fan, I'd been told that this book is THE source, the real deal for information about this band. Read more
Published on 8 Dec 2001 by SummerHope

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

Health & Beauty at Amazon.co.uk

Elemis Resurface and Renew Skin Care Gift Set of 4 Products
From soap to shavers, massagers to mascara, stock up on your daily essentials or truly pamper yourself.

›Discover Health & Beauty

  

Beauty without the Beast

Olay Regenerist Daily 3 Point Treatment Cream
From au naturel to party glam, we have all the best names in cosmetics and skincare.

›Discover Beauty at Amazon.co.uk

  

A Close Shave

Philips Nivea Coolskin HS8060 Moisturizing Rotary Shaving System
For all types of hair removal, stay smooth with Amazon.co.uk.

›Discover Shaving & Hair Removal

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
The Girl Who Played with Fire
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
4.5 out of 5 stars (73)£3.86
 Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga) by Stephenie Meyer
4.1 out of 5 stars (462)£6.49
 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
4.1 out of 5 stars (164)£3.99
 The Host
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
4.2 out of 5 stars (80)£3.86

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates