Friday 27 March 2015

Manics Top 50s - 27th March 2015

After a short break without chart activity (presumably you're all beavering away like me!), the top 50s return today with a new contributor.  Another victory for our winning song last time around, but will it fight off all rivals for its crown this time?

I'm especially pleased to see one song pick up its first vote, which was one of the biggest surprises to me so far, and when I say it picked up its first vote I mean in the singular so you'll know which one I mean (hmm I Wonder...)!!  We're almost into April now, but that still means two whole months to register your vote....for some of us it may take that long to decide!


Lee Morgan @LeeM_007
1. Faster
2. Yes
3. A Design For Life
4. Peeled Apples
5. Mausoleum
6. Revol
7. Life Becoming a Landslide
8. Comfort Comes
9. She is Suffering
10. Empty Souls
11. Marlon JD
12. Europa Geht Durch Mich
13. La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)
14. PCP
15. 4st 7lb
16. Motorcycle Emptiness
17. If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next
18. Sculpture of Man
19. Prologue to History
20. From Despair to Where
21. Everything Must Go
22. Too Cold Here
23. Sleepflower
24. Patrick Bateman
25. Us Against You
26. Drug Drug Druggy
27. Mr Carbohydrate
28. Dead Passive
29. Dead Trees and Traffic Islands
30. Intravenous Agnostic
31. Little Baby Nothing
32. Condemned to Rock n Roll
33. Methadone Pretty
34. Stay Beautiful
35. Dead Yankee Drawl
36. Crucifix Kiss
37. No Surface All Feeling
38. Elvis Impersonator: Blackpool Pier
39. Ready For Drowning
40. Found That Soul
41. Dead Martyrs
42. Freedom of Speech Won't Feed My Children
43. Jackie Collins Existential Question Time
44. Your Love Alone is Not Enough
45. Underdogs
46. Bag Lady
47. Rendition
48. Walk Me to the Bridge
49. (It's Not War) Just the End of Love
50. Show Me the Wonder

By Era
Generation Terrorists 7
Gold Against the Soul 8
The Holy Bible 9
Everything Must Go 7
This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours 3
Know Your Enemy 4
Lifeblood 1
Send Away the Tigers 3
Journal for Plague Lovers 4
Postcards From a Young Man 1
Rewind the Film 1
Futurology 2
Others 0

Saturday 21 March 2015

Manics Top 50s - 21st March 2015

Today's chart has a very classic look to it in the top placings, featuring some of the songs that did so well last time around, but is also notable for containing quite a large contingent from 'This is my Truth...' comparatively speaking.  The last three albums fare less well, without a single entry between them.

A little update on my own progress in my marathon run through ordering the whole 307-strong catalogue of eligible songs.  All albums have now been ordered as well as each set of B-sides corresponding to each album.  Now the simple task of playing them off against each other, my least favourites first, to work out the overall running order.  Watch this space!

Carl Hershberger (via email)
1. Faster
2. Motorcycle Emptiness
3. Yes
4. A Design for Life
5. 4st 7lb
6. Little Baby Nothing
7. You're Tender and You're Tired
8. Small Black Flowers That Grow in the Sky
9. Marlon JD
10. If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next
11. Archives of Pain
12. La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)
13. Stay Beautiful
14. This is Yesterday
15. Your Love Alone is Not Enough
16. Jackie Collins Existential Question Time
17. Enola/Alone
18. I'm Not Working
19. Sleepflower
20. You Love Us
21. The Masses Against the Classes
22. Roses in the Hospital
23. ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayitsworldwouldfallapart
24. Journal for Plague Lovers
25. From Despair to Where
26. Of Walking Abortion
27. The Everlasting
28. She Bathed Herself in a Bath of Bleach
29. Mausoleum 
30. 1985
31. Ready For Drowning
32. Judge Yr'self
33. The Girl Who Wanted to be God
34. Virginia State Epileptic Colony 
35. PCP
36. To Repel Ghosts
37. Methadone Pretty
38. Life Becoming a Landslide
39. Suicide is Painless (Theme from MASH)
40. Motown Junk
41. Slash N' Burn
42. Black Dog on My Shoulder
43. Be Natural 
44. William's Last Words
45. Donkeys
46. Prologue to History
47. Found That Soul
48. Born to End
49. The Intense Humming of Evil
50. Nobody Loved You

By Era
Generation Terrorists 9
Gold Against the Soul 6
The Holy Bible 11
Everything Must Go 4
This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours 9
Know Your Enemy 1
Lifeblood 2
Send Away the Tigers 1
Journal for Plague Lovers 6
Postcards From a Young Man 0
Rewind the Film 0
Futurology 0
Others 1

Friday 20 March 2015

Manics Top 50s - 20th March 2015

A returning contributor from last time today and since then his top two have switched places to give us another new name on top spot.  And I have to admit a bit of an underdog, if you'll excuse the pun.

As I score the charts I make sure I don't total them up until the very end but I am noticing some patterns in the early charts which suggest some changes in the pecking order.  And while there are very few no vote songs left in the album tracks there is one particularly high profile song that has appeared in none of the 15 charts so far (I suspect I may change that though when it's my turn).

We've nearly been going a month now, so 15 charts is a decent return but with lots of previous participants to come hopefully we'll pick up the pace and start bearing down on the last total of 62 charts.  Spread the word!

John O'Callaghan @OCJonnyoc
1. Removables
2. Faster
3. Small Black Flowers That Grow In The Sky
4. Me and Stephen Hawking
5. Comfort Comes
6. PCP
7. This Is Yesterday
8. Stay Beautiful
9. Little Baby Nothing
10. Motown Junk
11. La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)
12. Virginia State Epileptic Colony
13. Sculpture Of Man
14. Die In The Summertime
15. Sepia
16. Mr Carbohydrate
17. Roses In The Hospital
18. Dead Trees and Traffic Islands
19. Between The Clock And The Bed
20. Further Away
21. The Second Great Depression
22. Kevin Carter
23. Repeat
24. Empty Souls
25. Your Love Alone Is Not Enough
26. ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayitsworldwouldfallapart
27. Anthem For a Lost Cause
28. Archives Of Pain
29. Valley Boy
30. Sleepflower
31. Motorcycle Emptiness
32. You Love Us
33. Black Dog On My Shoulder
34. Baby Elian
35. Donkeys
36. Prologue To History
37. Imperial Bodybags
38. Emily
39. Send Away The Tigers
40. Theme From MASH (Suicide Is Painless)
41. This Joke Sport Severed
42. All We Make Is Entertainment
43. The Next Jet To Leave Moscow
44. Condemned To Rock n Roll
45. Tsunami
46. Slash N' Burn
47. Symphony Of Tourette
48. Peeled Apples
49. A Billion Balconies Facing The Sun
50. (I Miss the) Tokyo Skyline

By Era
Generation Terrorists 9
Gold Against the Soul 6
The Holy Bible 7
Everything Must Go 7
This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours 4
Know Your Enemy 1
Lifeblood 2
Send Away the Tigers 4
Journal for Plague Lovers 4
Postcards From a Young Man 2
Rewind the Film 2
Futurology 2
Others 0

Saturday 14 March 2015

Manics Top 50s - 14th March 2015

While writing up today's chart and comparing with yesterday's it struck me that both are quite different in their favourites and that's the beauty of the Manics back catalogue.  With yesterday's chart having a large contingent from the Holy Bible and Journal for Plague Lovers, it leaned towards the more lo-fi elements of their history in places.

Today, in the upper echelons at least, we have a selection from some of their, shall we say, shinier, more melodic songs.  Having said that it's another chart that is quite evenly split across the eras and sees another song get its first number one placing.  I forgot to mention yesterday that we now have 5 albums that have at least one vote for all of their songs, others are very close to completing the full set.  With a fair way to go we've definitely had some diverse charts so far, so keep them coming!!

George @EuropeanMe
1. Door To The River
2. A Song For Departure
3. The Everlasting
4. Motorcycle Emptiness
5. Your Love Alone Is Not Enough
6. Donkeys
7. Dreaming A City (Hughesovka)
8. This Joke Sport Severed
9. A Design For Life
10. Black Dog On My Shoulder
11. 1985
12. Tsunami
13. Some Kind Of Nothingness
14. La Tristesse Durera (Scream To A Sigh)
15. Black Square
16. The Love Of Richard Nixon
17. Little Baby Nothing
18. To Repel Ghosts
19. A Secret Society
20. 30-Year War
21. Futurology
22. 4 Ever Delayed
23. If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next
24. Solitude Sometimes Is
25. This Is Yesterday
26. Rewind The Film
27. Imperial Bodybags
28. Bag Lady
29. Methadone Pretty
30. Revol
31. Fearless Punk Ballad
32. Walk Me To The Bridge
33. Misguided Missile
34. The Girl Who Wanted To Be God
35. I Think I Found It
36. Running Out Of Fantasy
37. Let's Go To War
38. Hazelton Avenue
39. Born To End
40. Of Walking Abortion
41. 3 Ways To See Despair
42. No Surface All Feeling
43. Spectators Of Suicide
44. Yourself
45. Peeled Apples
46. Archives Of Pain
47. Life Becoming A Landslide
48. 4st 7lb
49. Crucifix Kiss
50. Freedom Of Speech Won't Feed My Children

By Era
Generation Terrorists 6
Gold Against the Soul 4
The Holy Bible 5
Everything Must Go 3
This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours 4
Know Your Enemy 1
Lifeblood 5
Send Away the Tigers 3
Journal for Plague Lovers 3
Postcards From a Young Man 3
Rewind the Film 4
Futurology 6
Others 3

Friday 13 March 2015

Manics Top 50s - 12th March 2015

Today's chart is another of the more artistic contributions and very very Manics, with a clear emphasis on a few favourite albums, so I'll just pass the blog over to Richard to say his piece.  The only thing I will say is that for the more eagle-eyed reader Go Buzz Baby Go's votes count towards Motorcycle Emptiness in the final chart.

Richard En @at_hq_with

"I'm Richard En, and I'm a music writer for Space Ship News, themusic.com.au, and GodIsInTheTVZine.co.uk specialising in local reviews, interviews, punk, garage, off-centre and queer, as well as a musician c.o. The Heavenly Creatures and local artist, and poet, and photographer, and fiction writer, and etc etc etc, based in Perth, Western Australia.  This is my fourth year as a Manics obsessive and collector - I came to it pretty late in life at 21yo.  My favourite records should be more than bloody evident.

Be pure, be vigilant, behave. R. x"


Richard En Top 50


By Era
Generation Terrorists 12
Gold Against the Soul 2
The Holy Bible 14
Everything Must Go 3
This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours 2
Know Your Enemy 4
Lifeblood 0
Send Away the Tigers 0
Journal for Plague Lovers 11
Postcards From a Young Man 0
Rewind the Film 1
Futurology 0
Others 1

Sunday 8 March 2015

Manics Top 50s - 8th March 2015

Today's chart comes from, well, my mother.  What can I say, I'm a bad influence.  She also insisted her chart was in purple.  That perennial low-scorer in the 'By Era' charts, Lifeblood, gets its day in the sun here with seven songs making the cut.  If you're also a Lifeblood fan and want to see it get a bit more recognition here, what are you waiting for?!  It managed to get one song into the final 50 last time, will it go one better or disappear without a trace?  There are still weeks ahead of us to determine which way it will go......

Jennifer - Mother of @Pyfbrown

"My favourite track of all time for the Manics is Motorcycle Emptiness and I would always vote for this as my 1st track in any chart for the Manics. I voted for my 50 favourite tracks last time, and this time have changed it somewhat. I've listened to recent albums of the Manics, owned by @Pyf brown, and have liked some of these tracks, and therefore entered them in my top 50 favourites. Though my favourite album has got to be Gold Against The Soul."

Jennifer Top 50

1. Motorcycle Emptiness
2. La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)
3. Your Love Alone Is Not Enough
4. 1985
5. Gold Against the Soul
6. The Girl Who Wanted to be God
7. Faster
8. Enola/Alone
9. From Despair to Where
10. Suicide is Painless (Theme From MASH)
11. Sleepflower
12. (It's Not War) Just the End of Love
13. Postcards From a Young Man
14. Tsunami
15. The Everlasting
16. If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next
17. Small Black Flowers That Grow in the Sky
18. Little Baby Nothing
19. Nat West - Barclays - Midlands - Lloyds
20. Dead Trees and Traffic Islands
21. Empty Souls
22. Kevin Carter
23. Black Dog on my Shoulder
24. The Love of Richard Nixon
25. A Design For Life
26. Life Becoming a Landslide
27. Drug Drug Druggy
28. There By the Grace of God
29. The Second Great Depression
30. Yourself
31. Be Natural
32. Australia
33. Autumnsong
34. Always - Never
35. A Song For Departure
36. Glasnost
37. Hibernation
38. You Stole the Sun From my Heart
39. 4 Ever Delayed
40. Send Away the Tigers
41. I Live to Fall Asleep
42. Firefight
43. She is Suffering
44. Anthem For a Lost Cause
45. Dreaming a City (Hughesovka)
46. Interiors (Song for Willem de Kooning)
47. Nostalgic Pushead
48. Between the Clock and the Bed
49. Walk Me to the Bridge
50. So Why So Sad

By Era
Generation Terrorists 4
Gold Against the Soul 9
The Holy Bible 2
Everything Must Go 8
This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours 6
Know Your Enemy 1
Lifeblood 7
Send Away the Tigers 4
Journal for Plague Lovers 0
Postcards From a Young Man 2
Rewind the Film 1
Futurology 3
Others 3

Saturday 7 March 2015

Manics Top 50s - 6th March 2015

It seems unlikely that we'll get one of the Manics to submit a chart, although we do live in hope.  So how about the next best thing?  A Manics tribute band of course!!  From South Wales, you can find out more information about A Design For Live at http://www.adesignforlive.com/ or their Twitter page below and they're currently gigging so go and see them if you're anywhere near, it's probably the best chance you'll get to hear these songs played up close and personal!!

A DESIGN FOR LIVE @adesignforlive

"I’m Jarrad Owens, and I take to the stage as Richey with ‘A Design for Live’. I’ve been a Manics fan since I was very young, without wanting to sound too clichéd the band are the soundtrack to my life as they were the first band I really took ownership. They’ve had a constant presence on my stereo, walkman and ipod over the years and I’ve listened to them on everything from vinyl to mp3. The top 50 was a difficult task to undertake; the band have an incredibly diverse and strong back catalogue, there are so many b-sides that are single quality and so many amazing obscurities. Naturally there are a few easy choices; favourites that have memories attached and songs that I remember having an incredibly influential effect on me - but to quote Nicky “it’ll probably change in an hours time, but this is where we are now”. So here is my Manics top 50 of the moment!"

A DESIGN FOR LIVE Top 50
1. Condemned to Rock 'N' Roll
2. Motorcycle Emptiness
3. Motown Junk
4. Suicide Alley
5. Faster
6. The Masses Against the Classes
7. A Design for Life
8. If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next
9. Slash N' Burn
10. Stay Beautiful
11. Roses in the Hospital
12. Revol
13. This Is Yesterday
14. Let Robeson Sing
15. PCP
16. Small Black Flowers That Grow in the Sky
17. No Surface All Feeling
18. La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)
19. Australia
20. Ocean Spray
21. My Little Empire
22. Enola/Alone
23. Me And Stephen Hawking
24. Sleepflower
25. Kevin Carter
26. Your Love Alone Is Not Enough
27. Judge Y’rself
28. Drug Drug Druggy
29. Underdogs
30. Jackie Collins Existential Question Time
31. Imperial Bodybags
32. Peeled Apples
33. Found That Soul
34. Life Becoming a Landslide
35. She Bathed Herself in a Bath of Bleach
36. Patrick Bateman
37. Starlover
38. Comfort Comes
39. Bored Out of My Mind
40. Democracy Coma
41. Mr Carbohydrate
42. Sculpture of Man
43. We Her Majesty's Prisoners
44. I’m Just A Patsy
45. Valley Boy
46. Donkeys
47. Hanging On
48. Sepia
49. Socialist Serenade
50. Picturesque

By Era
Generation Terrorists 10
Gold Against the Soul 8
The Holy Bible 6
Everything Must Go 9
This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours 4
Know Your Enemy 3
Lifeblood 0
Send Away the Tigers 4
Journal for Plague Lovers 4
Postcards From a Young Man 0
Rewind the Film 0
Futurology 0
Others 2

Friday 6 March 2015

Manics Top 50s - 5th March 2015

A solitary chart today which was revealed yesterday and it's from someone who missed out last time but has often expressed an interest in taking part when we go again......and here we are!!!  I must say I was surprised at her namesake song only making number 32, but like many of the entries so far it is spread quite evenly across the albums, with a song from every era making an appearance.

While we only have one chart today we did manage to get a top 1 from a musician in the shape of Martin Carr from the Boo Radleys no less!!!  He wasn't able to compile a full chart but did tell our Manics blog buddy JamGaw that Motorcycle Emptiness would always be his number 1.  Thanks to JamGaw for this and for his continuous support in trying to find new participants.

In our hunt for where the votes are going, a couple of albums are now only one song away from joining the four that already have at least one vote for all of their songs.  With the weekend now upon us we may get another flurry of charts, as with last week, maybe one of these albums will step up to the elite group.....over to you.

Nostalgic Pushead @NostalgicPus


By Era
Generation Terrorists 5
Gold Against the Soul 8
The Holy Bible 4
Everything Must Go 3
This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours 5
Know Your Enemy 5
Lifeblood 2
Send Away the Tigers 4
Journal for Plague Lovers 4
Postcards From a Young Man 1
Rewind the Film 3
Futurology 4
Others 2

Tuesday 3 March 2015

Manics Top 50s - 3rd March 2015

Today's chart is another from the Forever Delayed community, last time round I only actually posted there after the voting was over so it's great to see some fresh entries to hopefully increase the overall numbers.  And (spoiler alert!!) this chart strikes me as having a top 10 that probably won't be a million miles away from a rearranged version of my own!!  It doesn't spoil that much though, all of the charts from last time are still easily viewable through the index, so whether it's the 2013 or 2015 edition you can comb through and find someone that's pretty close to your own choices (or a long way away!).

As with last time I'm stopping myself from checking along the way which songs are out in front, so even though everyone can get some insight into which songs keep turning up over and over I'll only know the final chart when voting closes.

Geranium Terrorists (user of Forever Delayed forum)
1. Motorcycle Emptiness
2. Motown Junk
3. You Love Us
4. Faster
5. La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)
6. A Design For Life
7. This Is Yesterday
8. Of Walking Abortion
9. Stay Beautiful
10. From Despair To Where
11. Intravenous Agnostic
12. PCP
13. New Art Riot
14. 1985
15. If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next
16. Spectators of Suicide
17. We Her Majesty’s Prisoners
18. William’s Last Words
19. The Masses Against The Classes
20. Small Black Flowers That Grow In The Sky
21. Revol
22. Builder Of Routines
23. To Repel Ghosts
24. Dead Martyrs
25. Patrick Bateman
26. Tsunami
27. Dreaming A City (Hughesovka)
28. Roses In The Hospital
29. Found That Soul
30. Bag Lady
31. Condemned To Rock ‘n’ Roll
32. Australia
33. This Sullen Welsh Heart
34. The Convalescent
35. ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayitsworldwouldfallapart
36. Prologue To History
37. Cardiff Afterlife
38. No Surface All Feeling
39. The Everlasting
40. Red Rubber
41. Ready For Drowning
42. The Girl Who Wanted To Be God
43. Crucifix Kiss
44. Sleepflower
45. Misguided Missile
46. The Next Jet To Leave Moscow
47. Donkeys
48. You’re Tender And You’re Tired
49. Dead Yankee Drawl
50. A Song For Departure

By Era
Generation Terrorists 10
Gold Against the Soul 6
The Holy Bible 6
Everything Must Go 5
This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours 6
Know Your Enemy 4
Lifeblood 4
Send Away the Tigers 0
Journal for Plague Lovers 2
Postcards From a Young Man 1
Rewind the Film 2
Futurology 3
Others 1

Monday 2 March 2015

Manics Top 50s - 2nd March 2015

Today's charts are actually from yesterday but with the entries coming thick and fast I thought I'd spread them out so people's entries don't get lost.  As I type this I already have one waiting in the wings for tomorrow!!

Our first chart is our first artistic entry, very Manics - handwritten with a backdrop of leopard print!!  Your entry can be submitted in whichever way you choose so hopefully we'll get a few more creative charts along the way!!

Our second entry is another of those that comes across pretty evenly across the eras, only a couple of albums being slightly less favoured but still getting at least one vote.  As the time progresses I'll throw a few random facts out and today's is that even after only 8 charts, four of the albums have at least one vote for every single song so far.  I'll be keeping a close eye on the others to see if we can tick any more off along the way!!!

Molly @4ever_delayed


By Era
Generation Terrorists 9
Gold Against the Soul 8
The Holy Bible 6
Everything Must Go 3
This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours 5
Know Your Enemy 0
Lifeblood 3
Send Away the Tigers 2
Journal for Plague Lovers 3
Postcards From a Young Man 4
Rewind the Film 2
Futurology 3
Others 2

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Jason Coulter @AnOilyStage (aka MoMoney MoJunk on Forever Delayed)
1. Found That Soul
2. A Design For Life
3. Faster
4. This is Yesterday
5. Roses in the Hospital
6. Yes
7. 1985
8. Postcards From a Young Man
9. If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next
10. Stay Beautiful
11. Marlon JD
12. PCP
13. Motorcycle Emptiness
14. Life Becoming a Landslide
15. Peeled Apples
16. Doors Closing Slowly
17. No Surface All Feeling
18. Europa Geht Durch Mich
19. Motown Junk
20. Black Square
21. Let Robeson Sing
22. 30 Year War
23. Condemned to Rock n Roll
24. Running out of Fantasy
25. Send Away The Tigers
26. Door to the River
27. Solitude Sometimes Is
28. ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayitsworldwouldfallapart
29. Primitive Painters
30. Little Baby Nothing
31. Rewind the Film
32. Donkeys
33. Interiors (Song for Willem de Kooning)
34. Welcome to the Dead Zone
35. Your Love Alone is Not Enough
36. The Convalescent
37. Revol
38. Everything Must Go
39. As Holy As The Soil (That Buries Your Skin)
40. La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)
41. The Masses Against The Classes
42. Enola/Alone
43. Of Walking Abortion
44. Futurology
45. Freedom Of Speech Won't Feed My Children
46. This Sullen Welsh Heart
47. Masking Tape
48. A Song for Departure
49. Antarctic
50. This is The Day

By Era
Generation Terrorists 5
Gold Against the Soul 4
The Holy Bible 7
Everything Must Go 5
This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours 1
Know Your Enemy 5
Lifeblood 4
Send Away the Tigers 3
Journal for Plague Lovers 4
Postcards From a Young Man 1
Rewind the Film 5
Futurology 3
Others 3

Sunday 1 March 2015

Manics Top 50s - 1st March 2015

Today, a week after the first announcement, we have the first multi-chart day.  In fact our first contributor here was the first to submit a chart, like most Manics fans the chance to write about your favourite band proved too good a chance to pass up and so here we have in full the chart with intro.

After the initial charts leaned more towards the earlier albums, today we see some later selections pushing their way in, no doubt there will be much jostling for position over the coming weeks as champions for every one of the albums have their say.  Don't see your favourite here?  You know what to do!


Matthew Smith @MatthewLALH

"I've been aware of the Manics for ages, ever since hearing Design For Life on the radio for the first time. Even for a young lad, it's hard not to be affected by that song. When I started to delve a bit deeper, I was fascinated by how much there was to explore. I loved the audacity and the androgyny of You Love Us and Motown Junk, and the utter genius of Motorcycle Emptiness. I loved the way they looked, the way they casually referenced Camus and Kerouac, and how fucking great a guitarist James is. But then I discovered the Holy Bible and it really did change everything. It was exciting, full of angst and defiantly bleak. Perfect for an 18 year old. Faster was always going to be at the top of my list just because of how far my jaw dropped when I heard "I know I believe in nothing but it is my nothing." To put it simply, they're the most consistently brilliant (and, between 1991 and 1994 at least, the coolest) British band of all time. Long live the Manics."

Matthew Smith Top 50
1. Faster
2. Motown Junk
3. Australia
4. ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayitsworldwouldfallapart
5. You Love Us
6. PCP
7. Motorcycle Emptiness
8. A Design For Life
9. 4st 7lb
10. Yes
11. Little Baby Nothing
12. Spectators Of Suicide
13. From Despair To Where
14. Stay Beautiful 
15. Strip It Down
16. Postcards From A Young Man
17. Jackie Collins Existential Question Time
18. Enola/Alone
19. If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next
20. Bored Out Of My Mind
21. Journal For Plague Lovers
22. She Bathed Herself In A Bath Of Bleach
23. Die In The Summertime
24. La Tristesse Durera (Scream To A Sigh)
25. Everything Must Go
26. Walk Me To The Bridge
27. Your Love Alone Is Not Enough
28. Small Black Flowers That Grow In The Sky
29. No Surface All Feeling
30. New Art Riot
31. The Masses Against The Classes
32. Mausoleum
33. Life Becoming A Landslide
34. Donkeys
35. Revol
36. Comfort Comes
37. Kevin Carter
38. You Stole The Sun From My Heart
39. This Is Yesterday
40. Marlon JD
41. Archives Of Pain
42. Sculpture Of Man
43. (It's Not War) Just The End Of Love
44. Removables
45. Roses In The Hospital
46. Found That Soul
47. Methadone Pretty
48. Elvis Impersonator: Blackpool Pier
49. 1985
50. NatWest-Barclays-Midlands-Lloyds

By Era
Generation Terrorists 11
Gold Against the Soul 6
The Holy Bible 11
Everything Must Go 9
This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours 2
Know Your Enemy 1
Lifeblood 1
Send Away the Tigers 1
Journal for Plague Lovers 4
Postcards From a Young Man 2
Rewind the Film 0
Futurology 1
Others 1

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Gabriel Rutherford @the_epic_llama

"When I heard about the Manics top 50 chart, I knew there was going to be a lot of indecision. I had jumped at the chance to do a top 50 and to write the piece you’re reading now, but it was decidedly tougher than I expected. I thought I had a set top 20 easily. Then, on re-listening, I thought “Hold on. That’s not quite as good as I thought” or “Oh god, that has to be higher than that”.  

As I’m sure we all know, the Manics have a pretty damn extensive back catalogue and one that requires a massive amount of browsing. Opinions are often very split on some albums or songs (we’re looking at you, Lifeblood) and almost completely unified on others.  My personal top 50 will probably incite some debate, mostly due to the inclusion of a Rewind the Film song and the lack of Generation Terrorists songs. While I do love GT, I feel it’s stronger as an album than a bunch of separated songs. Even talking over the chart with my dad raised a debate about the inclusion of Be Natural and Sorrow 16. 

Manics fans do have very strong opinions on their favourite album or song. However, what I found hardest was picking numbers 50-20. Because very, very few Manics songs are bad songs. The hard part was differentiating between the good songs that would make maybe 50-40 and the ones that would make the top 30.  

There are some songs that nearly made the top 50, but missed out by a few places. So getting honourable mentions are: 

Spectators of Suicide, Found That Soul, Imperial Bodybags, Roses in the Hospital, Drug Drug Druggy, Marlon J.D, The Love of Richard Nixon and Donkeys.

So, with that said, this is my top 50 Manic Street Preachers songs ever."

Gabriel Rutherford’s Top 50 Manics songs
1. Motorcycle Emptiness
2. A Design for Life
3. Faster
4. If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next
5. You Love Us
6. Archives of Pain
7. La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)
8. From Despair to Where
9. 4st 7lb
10. Motown Junk
11. Mausoleum
12. No Surface All Feeling
13. Revol
14. PCP
15. Sleepflower
16. Yes
17. Tsunami
18. Kevin Carter
19. Of Walking Abortion
20. Stay Beautiful
21. Europa Geht Durch Mich
22. Enola/Alone
23. Die in the Summertime
24. Australia
25. Everything Must Go
26. Autumnsong
27. She is Suffering
28. Repeat
29. Yourself
30. The Intense Humming of Evil
31. Let Robeson Sing
32. Small Black Flowers That Grow in the Sky
33. Ocean Spray
34. This Sullen Welsh Heart
35. Journal For Plague Lovers
36. Removables
37. Your Love Alone is Not Enough
38. Elvis Impersonator: Blackpool Pier
39. All Is Vanity
40. Strip it Down
41. Be Natural
42. ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayitsworldwouldfallapart
43. Suicide is Painless (Theme from MASH)
44. Further Away
45. Black Dog on my Shoulder
46. Nostalgic Pushead
47. My Little Empire
48. Sorrow 16
49. Slash N' Burn
50. Walk Me to the Bridge

By Era
Generation Terrorists 9
Gold Against the Soul 5
The Holy Bible 12
Everything Must Go 10
This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours 5
Know Your Enemy 2
Lifeblood 0
Send Away the Tigers 2
Journal for Plague Lovers 2
Postcards From a Young Man 0
Rewind the Film 1
Futurology 2
Others 0

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Gracie (user of Forever Delayed forum)
1. Slash N' Burn
2. Sorrow 16
3. PCP
4. Motown Junk
5. Prologue to History
6. Stay Beautiful
7. You Love Us
8. Faster
9. Motorcycle Emptiness 
10. Been A Son
11. Your Love Alone Is Not Enough
12. Peeled Apples
13. Donkeys
14. Journal For Plague Lovers
15. Futurology 
16. Australia 
17. Epicentre 
18. Roses in the Hospital
19. Of Walking Abortion 
20. ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayitsworldwouldfallapart
21. Patrick Bateman
22. Facing Page: Top Left
23. Another Invented Disease 
24. Revol
25. From Despair To Where
26. Mausoleum 
27. Let Robeson Sing
28. Jackie Collins Existential Question Time
29. A Design For Life
30. La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)
31. Sleepflower
32. The Masses Against The Classes
33. This Joke Sport Severed 
34. Tsunami
35. A Billion Balconies Facing The Sun
36. Divine Youth
37. Miss Europa Disco Dancer
38. No Surface All Feeling 
39. All Is Vanity
40. Antisocialmanifesto 
41. William’s Last Words
42. Further Away
43. The Girl Who Wanted to be God
44. Some Kind of Nothingness 
45. Pretension/Repulsion 
46. Sex, Power, Love and Money
47. Doors Closing Slowly 
48. The Next Jet To Leave Moscow
49. Dead Martyrs 
50. There by the Grace of God

By Era
Generation Terrorists 7
Gold Against the Soul 6
The Holy Bible 6
Everything Must Go 5
This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours 2
Know Your Enemy 4
Lifeblood 0
Send Away the Tigers 1
Journal for Plague Lovers 9
Postcards From a Young Man 2
Rewind the Film 0
Futurology 5
Others 3