Manic Street Preachers - The Holy Bible

Aussie version of the UK act's critically acclaimed third album, originally released in 1994. 'Holy Bible' is their last album featuring iconic guitarist Richey James. 13 tracks including the harrowing anorexia diary '4st 7lb'. 1994 release. Standard jewel case. Album Description

Amazing.

I've heard this album over 50 times now, after hearing it for the first time a few months ago. The album is dissonant and violent while at the same time being well-written and completely sincere, with the band's main lyricist at the time, Richey James, actually living what he wrote about. I wasn't really a fan of MSP until hearing this album, but after that it seemed like everything else made since. December 29, 2007

I don't understand why people rave over this

There are some creative things on here, granted. But I've listened to the album many times now and I just don't get it. It really doesn't deserve all the fanfare, because so many other rock / punk bands do it much better. The album doesn't really blend well either, the songs are really disjointed like its a mix of two or three different bands. I was not impressed, would rather listen to Stone Roses, Blur or another band with some real skill or creativity. November 17, 2007

Pretentious Punk For the Irreversibly Doomed

I got this album two years ago on the reccommendation of way too many people I didn't know. After multiple, multiple listens, I can finally say that the music on this album is lacking in something... let's call it listenability. Yes, it's dark, yes, they're good musicians, yes, they're very passionate. But it's British punk music with the trappings of early 90s alt-rock, not-so-glorious guitar riffs included. It's not that I dislike this music- but I don't like it, either. Where the songs should lift my spirits, they distance me, where they should burst out with blazing glory, they mumble and drift off into people's navels. They lyrics, really, aren't all that great-- they read like the diary entries of a depressed, angsty pretentious schizophrenic. Just read the excerpt from "The Torture Garden." It's a feat to work them into the music, but even there they don't satisfy. It's a turn-off. I can't relate to any of the emotions expressed in here, not anymore. I grew up. Perhaps this was something new at the time, but the music is dated, overdone, and predictable. It doesn't stand the test of time. April 8, 2007

Deserving of all the hype

I'm one of those people who is very turned off by hype. Usually I read about a band or album being "the greatest" this or that, and when I finally hear it I'm horribly let down.

The first Manics album I ever bought was their debut, Generation Terrorists. I liked it, but I couldn't quite understand how they had gotten so much respect and such great reviews. A few years later I tracked down a copy of This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours and I couldn't believe I was listening to the same band. I set out on a mission to get everything else by them in hopes of understanding the huge transformation that seemed to have taken place in a few short years. I held off on buying this album until last because of all the hype. With so many fans and critics alike calling this their masterpiece and with it being named to so many best of lists, I thought there was no way it could possibly live up to all of that and I didn't want to waste my money.

Wow was I wrong. I've had this album for a few months and I still listen to it all the time. From start to finish it's perfect. The music is unlike anything else they've done - darker, heavier, yet at the same time so catchy and melodic, even, dare I say it, fun! The lyrics and music are pretty brutal, I don't recommend this for anyone with a weak stomach. The guitar riffs are heavy and creepy enough to send chills down your spine. There's a ton of explicit language and a lot of gruesome subject matter going on here too, so this might not be a good CD to buy for a younger listener. But who can help but sing along with "Yes", as perverse and twisted though it may be? Who can help but be moved by "4st 7lb", one of the most chilling rock songs of the past 20 years? Every note of every song, every twisted lyric, every bizarre audio sample, all perfectly placed for maximum effect.

If you're new to the Manics, starting here is akin to jumping into the deep end blindfolded, but if this album doesn't make you a fan than nothing will. If you're already a fan and don't yet have this one, do yourself a favor and pick it up. By the end of the first listen you WILL be rearranging your list of favorite MSP songs, I promise you. January 17, 2007

Pretentious title - lives up to its bold claim

This is the Manics' signature album and one of the most underrated masterpieces in the wider pop music world.

The presumptuous title is more than backed up by the content.
The existential lyrics are just as powerful and evocative as the music itself.

Insightful, profound.

The pick of the bunch for me are - 'Yes', '4st 7lb', 'Mausoleum', 'Faster' and 'PCP' although all the songs are top notch.

The only Manics album that definitely contains no radio-friendly tunes yet their best.

"In these plagued streets of pity you can buy anything"

October 10, 2005

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