Manic Street Preachers' James Dean Bradfield talks guitar and plays Manics hits 

James Dean Bradfield doesn't get the recognition he deserves for his guitar playing.

My James Dean Bradfield anecdotes: 1. Mid 90s: I was behind him in the queue at M&S in central Cardiff. He was buying a yoghurt. This must've been around the time they were recording Everything Must Go. Can't remember what flavour; might've been rhubarb. 2. 2019: I was browsing guitars in a guitar specialist shop somewhere in South Wales. I turned around and there he was. I said hello & we chatted about telecasters for about 5 minutes. He put me totally at ease and is absolutely a genuine and humble guy - which is surprising given his immense talent, but not so surprising given where he grew up. He's just an all round awesome human being.

This man is my hero, and probably the most underrated frontman ever.

"here's what the riff goes like, from slash n burn, if i can remember it" *JDB goes on to play it PERFECTLY*

fucking legend. this video is about 2 hours too short

I don't understand why people call JDB underrated. Everyone I know rates him, and not just as a guitarist - he's an awesome singer too - and a fking immense composer. So much talent in one person, but humble with it. If he was an asshole, he'd be a celebrity, maybe that's what people mean by underrated.

Love the little nod to John Frusciante there. JDB is a criminally underrated guitarist.

I love this. He makes everything sounds totally fresh, like it was written yesterday, and it gives me shivers. Sometimes forget how amazing that riff from Slash and Burn is.

The chord structure to Kevin Carter is both complex and so creatively masterful. This man is an underrated genius .

He's a really good guitarist. It's easy to just focus on the great, higher register vocals but the playing is really solid with some nice little arpeggios and riffs. In all honesty, this style of playing interests me so much more than wanky noodling!

James is a guitar genius. Yet he seems so humble. I wish certain pop singers could take a lesson re chord progression and lyrics. Long live James and the Manics.

Those first arpeggios of A Design For Life still send shivers down my spine. Always the signal that it's sadly the end of your gigs though, such an awesome & emotional track. An ode to all us common working class folk. Cheers fellas.

0:32 Motorcycle Emptiness 1:57 Design for Life 3:16 Slash and Burn 4:57 My Little Empire 5:37 Kevin Carter 8:49 This is Yesterday

his Les Paul has had 4 pickup changes and a new neck, a bit like Trigger's broom

That Kevin Carter riff is really unique....love it!

James Dean Bradfield is a living legend. Incomparable

Wouldn't be making music if it weren't for this chap. Biggest inspiration of my life.

This is Yesterday is such a beautiful song, and incredibly sad when you think of Richey. I still have the original cd bought in 1994 ( Holy Bible)

how he does what he does live AND SING is beyond me..JDB IS up there witth anyone

FFS. Will people quit using the word "underrated" about universally worshipped musicians.

I started to play guitar because of this guy.

My best friend who is no longer in this world went to britain and worked in a guitar shop in doncaster in the 90s.. I think it was called music ground.. when he came back to sweden he brought these guys music with him, totally obsessed about it.. didnt get it at first but it grew on me .. These days this music has a special place in my heart

James is provably the most modest musical geniuses of all time. Such a creative guitar player and amazing composer of incredible music, not to mention one the most unique and accomplished vocalists of the last 30 years

I heard that James also has the same broom for 20 years, its had 7 new handles and 13 heads.

Anyone notice he started the video married and somehow ended up divorced around 5 minutes in? 😂

Don't even know how many times I've watched this video.. I do know I'll be watching it for as long as it's up here. The quiet genius of JDB

Majorly under rated songwriter of the 90's, This is yesterday is a beautiful song.

I met him a few times in the late 90's, seriously the nicest guy ever.

It's about time james started getting the recognition he deserves!my favourite guitarist & singer,the man is a genius!

The guitar part on the chorus of Kevin Carter is just genius

I don't know a thing about playing guitar but surely James is one of the top guitarists working in popular music today. What a cool dude.

Just killer riff after killer riff. The Manics are the "hookiest" band I know, in that every song from "You Love Us" is just full of hooks that instantly pull the listener in. If they were from Manchester, they'd be revered like Oasis or The Verve - two groups I love - where the reality is they are far better than either of those bands.

Johnny Marr would have been proud of that "Kevin Carter" chord sequence.

I repent, I'm sorry, everything is falling apart.

Such an underrated guitarist and a top bloke! Long live James Dean Bradfield! ✌🏼

This is amazing but the bit where James starts singing Kevin Carter is pure goosebumps.

How he manages to remember all those lyrics and play the riffs is incredible. Definitely an underrated guitar hero. Thought he was going to do a Trigger from Fools and Horses about his guitar having four different necks etc.😁

What a beautiful riff. This guy is like a music machine. Every song by the Manics has the catchiest guitar riffs ever

JDB has that rare ability of not just being a great singer, but an accomplished guitarist. I love how he combines gentle arpeggios, a keen sense of melody, yet can rip out a big solo from his Les Paul Custom.

I'm English, born in south London, and I'm pretty much disgusted with the sly snobbery that pervades the media in England... There's a serious lack of artistic recognition and reverence handed to non-English British bands, and that also goes for American bands.. In my opinion, if the Manics had been an English band, they would've received far more artistic recognition. Seems to me, as though English bands have been, and still are, taken more seriously as artists... For example, take Nirvana, they were given great attention, and respect for their cultural impact on a generation, and recognised for their massive commercial success, but were/are they taken as seriously by English music-writers, as say the 'Sex Pistols'... I don't think so... I once watched on tv an English music journalist praise the Sex Pistols, and defend their 'one great album' saying it doesn't matter how many albums a band writes, it's about their impact and the greatness of their songs on that album, yet minutes later, the same fella slated Guns N' Roses for just having AFD, and he also then mentioned their 'silly' names: Slash, Duff etc... Yet this prick conveniently forgot all about the names: Sid Vicious, and Johnny Rotten... This is blatant snobbery and childish discrimination in my opinion. And the Manics have endured this for 25 yrs - such a massively under-rated band.

Always though James a great guitarist..always thought the riff in Sleepflower was epic

I've seen Johnny Marr play with The The on the Mind Bomb-tour. I've seen Bernard Butler play with Suede in Brixton Academy in 93. Black Francis/Pixies on the Doolittle-tour, and loads of other personal guitar heros through the years. But my nr.1 guitar moment is this man. Some time around 2012 Manics played in Oslo. His guitar suddenly fell out. The way he actually sang the guitar lines to fill in the missing sound on Motorcycle emptiness...and seamlessly started playing when the sound was back...Just an amazing musician and man. There is no musician alive today that i respect more.

Brilliant! ..eleven minutes well spent.

I could quite happily listen to JDB all day. A guitarists guitarist if that makes sense?

Why have I only just found this? I fucking love JDB.

Seen them live. He is just the best. The melodies and guitar playing, the vocals. It pushes every button on point. The last album, the piano playing. Still classic JDB tunes.

Quite simply my favourite guitarist and frontman of all time. And the reason I play a white Custom.

He's awesome and President Zelensky looks like him

James Dean Bradfield doesn't do what James Dean Bradfield does for James Dean Bradfield. James Dean Bradfield does what James Dean Bradfield does because James Dean Bradfield is... James. Dean. Bradfield.

JAMES DEAN BRADFIELD ... FUCKING LEGEND.. GUITAR PLAYERS TRY TO EMULATE WHAT HE DOES ..AND THEN DO IT LEAPING AROUND! WORLD CLASS GUITARIST .TAP IN ANY MANIC STREET PREACHERS PERFORMANCE ON YOU TUBE,HE CAN SING AND FUCKING NAILS IT ON GUITAR.LEGEND, AND THAT'S FROM AN ENGLISHMAN WHO KNOWS CLASS WHEN HE SEE'S IT.

Not to diminish Nicky or Sean's contributions in anyway but that performance of Kevin Carter shows just how much of the MSP sound is James. Hugely underrated for his playing and his songwriting both.

Wow... To be fair, he's no average Joe when it comes to the guitar!

fantastic, unique guitarist who constantly flies under the radar. massive respect for this guy

JDB is a legend, my guitar hero❤❤

Such a good guitarist. Really inspired me to pick up a guitar after I listened to Generation Terrorists many many years ago. It's great that he likes to play in alternate tunings too. Sound bloke too by the looks of it.

This was a real treat. Kevin Carter especially.

Been a Manic's fan for a LONG time. If only we had YT back in the day ...

Gifted human being. The Geddy Lee joke was good, too.

Adorable 💙 Half of the views are mine. I could listen to him for ages

Only just got into the Manic Street Preachers a few weeks ago, always thought they were just another indie band. Never realized this guy could play the way he can. :-)

JDB is unreal. That Slash 'n Burn riff is immortal.

"Too high for even me, or Geddy Lee" 😂

One of my 90s guitar heroes along with Bernard Butler and Billy Corgan. Great video.

This just underlines what an astonishingly creative guitarist and songwriter he is. As a musician myself, this is mind-blowing and inspiring...

I used to listen to manics when I was in junior high. Long time has passed since then, but I've just got to think I want to be able to play guitar by seeing this. I'm over 40 now though. Good music and good sound never fade.

The intro to Slash and Burn still gives me goosebumps. Pure class.

Underrated player. Always overlooked in polls etc . Solid playing with no flash pretentiousness....

A brilliant guitarist and frontman, singer. His guitar playing is exceptional. Very underrated.

You get lost watching and listening to him, mesmerising ❤️❤️

This is an amazing video !

I like when a songwriter actually knows what he's doing rather than just strumming the same open chords all the time. and his singing is just as good. Performancewise, no one out there comes close to these guys.

One of my favourite singers + guitarists for the last 20-odd years, he's amazing. 'This Is Yesterday' was bloody beautiful!

Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Rory Gallagher, Richie Blackmore, Johnny Marr, James Dean Bradfield . . progression

I’ve watched this a load of times over the last couple of years - hugely captivating performance. Never was a big manics fan but this guy is something else. He’s written some pretty incredible riffs in his time and got a belting voice.

Idolise jdb my favourite guitarist of all time love his screaming vocals too "legend "

My Little Empire; that really is a great bloody riff. Can see the Frusciante in it, with the hammer ons

Don't want this vid to end!

Incredible. Even more impressive considering he's self taught

Absolutely love this blokes style of playing and writing An unbelievable vocalist too

This is yesterday has got to be one of the most beautifully poignant songs ever

Saw them live once, amazing. He did the ME riff hopping around on one leg in a circle. Fucking incredible.

He plays a mean guitar

Some nice playing in here, well done, hope Fru got to hear that! For me the peak of JDB is to be found on THB and EMG, that's just me though.

A living legend. He is a one man band. It' s totally insane his style of playng, singing and writing at the top. Usually are necessary 3 genius.

Amazing james, as ever. Probably my favorite guitarist / singer ever, from one of my all time favorite bands. Thank you from france

My later teenage years and beyond were listening to the manics and Suede. A unfortunate side effect of that is in my view I took this man's brilliance for granted. He deserves far more credit than he gets. Seems like a really nice person too.

James is a great musician.

Best guitarist and best singer ever

The guy is just a genius.

This is Yesterday is a beautiful song. I still have my original copy of The Holy Bible from 1994 r.i.p Richey

fucking fantastic down to earth bloke . so are nicky and sean. along with the clash I don't think planet earth will ever see such genius as the two of these bands ever again. " just wondering what mick jones is doing at the moment " wouldnt that be fuckin premier league.

Legend! Got goosebumps when he starred singing Design For Life!

Who in their mind thumbs downed this? Just silly. Class this

You are a fucking wonderful man! As well as a phucking guitar outlaw!

I dont even play guitar, infact im a drummer but this is awesome. James is such a under-rated guitarist and also a down to earth guy, such great feeling

James is a very underrated guitar player.

Pretty sure, My Little Empire tuning is EAEFAE. Tuning the D string to F seems a bit far.... Watch your eyes folks lol

Inspiring, humble, Guitar Hero. He’d be in my supergroup if it existed.

This makes me realise i dont have enough Manic Street Preachers albums

Seriously, I think this is one of the most valuable videos on RU-vid.