Forever Delayed

The album itself for me, as a Manic's fan, represents a good starting block for anyone who wants to get into them but isn't sure what they prefer-the six albums comprise of early glam punk, slick rock, despair, regeneration, mainstream lighter waving emotion and a nostaligic return to punk. It is worth listening to the songs and deciding which era you prefer.

Whatever era you listen too, the Manic's never fail to hit you lyrically and this is expressed in the songs on here. No matter what your background, lifestyle or age, there is one song or lyric for everyone. 'A Design For Life' is majestic, a sweeping tirade of life for the working classes with a brilliant video. 'Motorcycle Emptiness' is probably the best teen theme since 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' only far bleaker and intelligent and 'Tolerate' is the best song ever written about the Spanish Civil War (other candidates on a postcard please). 'La Tristessa' is weak musically in my book, but lyrically quite hot. 'Grace Of God' is sombre, brooding and elegant and a return to form for the Manics who should have never tried to grasp hold of their past again, and the same can be said for 'Door To The River' and 'The Everlasting'. 'Faster' is furious, self pitying and a peep through the keyhole into Richey's mentality and the bands early sentiments are rammed into the doubters faces with the storming 'You Love Us'. Elsewhere, 'Tsunami' and 'Stole The Sun' are stadium rock with anthemic choruses; "I love you all the same" is often bellowed by crowds at their live shows, and 'Little Baby Nothing' is bizarre glam acoustic feminism with Traci Lords. This leaves the intimate letter to the fan 'Everything Must Go', the angry and loud 'Motown Junk', the tribute to the late-photographer 'Kevin Carter', the Clash-combat rock 'Suicide Is Painless', the Beach Boys-esque 'So Why So Sad' and the strange hybrid of 'A Design For Life' and a nasty version of 'Everything Must Go' called 'Masses Against The Classes', complete with James scream. The remixes are nothing to shout about frankly and a collection of live songs would have been much better.

'Forever Delayed' is often hypocritical. It is a 'Best Of' but 'Let Robeson Sing', 'Found That Soul' and 'Ocean Spray' all charted higher than 'Motown Junk', but it is the bands digression as to which songs appear. As it happens, the inclusion of them would have probably made the album a tad top heavy towards the mainstream, so leaving them out created a balance. But in creating this balance it does create this effective timeline of their albums and styles. It also offers five songs that aren't on any album which is handy for Manics fans wanting to complete their collections. So go out, buy, listen and make your own mind up. You won't be disappointed.

Generation Terrorists: You Love Us, Little Baby Nothing, Motorcycle Emptiness
Gold Against The Soul: La Tristessa, From Despair To Where
The Holy Bible: Faster
Everything Must Go: A Design For Life, Kevin Carter, Everything Must Go
This Is My Truth: Tolerate, Tsunami, Everlasting
Know Your Enemy: So Why So Sad
One off singles/songs: Grace Of God (02), Door To The River (02), Masses (99), Suicide Is Painless (93), Motown Junk (91)