Manic Street Preachers | Rock Albums Ranked 

So refreshing to find someone else who actually appreciates how good and underrated Lifeblood is!

My top 3 is the same as yours. My entire list: 1. Everything Must Go (number one :)) 2. The Holy Bible (was always my number 1, but slipped down a couple of years ago) 3. This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours (would like to rank it lower, but could not) 4. Send Away the Tigers (Manics back to form) 5. Gold Against the Soul (the first Manics album I bought, listened to it over, and over, and over) 6. Generation Terrorists (an album that has my favourite Manics song cannot rank very low) 7. Journal for Plague Lovers (lots of hooks, hard rocking) 8. Postcards from a Young Man (too many good memories to rank it lower) 9. Resistance is Futile (this one felt a bit like Send Away the Tigers - the Manics were back!) 10. Futurology (fantastic sound) 11. Lifeblood (very good memories associated with this album - and 1985 is my top 10 Manics song) 12. The Ultravivid Lament (a very good, fun album) 13. Know Your Enemy (if it were cut to 10 tracks, it would be a superb album) 14. Rewind the Film (a decent album, the title track is really good, but some album should come last - and this is the the only Manics album that bores me a bit) How does the new record rank for you?

Great video man. Some surprising rankings there, but that's what makes these lists so fun. You get to see the individual's tastes, and that's something which often will diverge wildly from the consensus. I mean, I for one would put Lifeblood at #2, and that album is derided by many fans and even the band themselves. But I love it. And good call with the number one spot. That's my favourite Manics album too. And I will add, I've heard the new album by them (it leaked a few days ago) and I may be risking jumping the gun here but I've got to say... I think Still Snowing in Sapporo is their best song yet. It's everything great about the Manics condensed into six minutes. It's grandiose and exhilarating and nostalgic and bittersweet and atmospheric and anthemic and... AHHHH it's just so good!

Lovely summary of the Manics career. I've been a fan for about 25 years. This brought back some of the good times I've had with these records over the years. I like how you made it personal to you too and weren't afraid to make some 'contraversial' choices.

So true that an album's ranking reflects where you were in life. EMG's insert features a quotation from Jack Pollock: "The pictures I contemplate painting would constitute a halfway state, and an attempt to point out the direction of the future, without arriving there completely." The album was consistent with that. And that also happened to capture the "halfway state" I felt in toward the end of my schooldays. THe album became a soundtrack of that time of my life, especially James' bitter-sweet guitar solos (like the descending wah-wahs at end of Interiors).

Nice attempt at a list. Journal For Plague Lovers really doesn't get the love it deserves though. It's up there with Everything Must Go/The Holy Bible. An absolutely brilliant record from start to finish.

Great to see the Manics featured, I've been a fan for a long time. They are a remarkable band, with a unique vibe. Lyrically resonant, musically beautiful and thrilling. 14 albums (plus a wealth of B Sides throughout) - every one of them quality. Some will connect more deeply than others, but to see such quality over the last decade, 25-30 years into their career at those points, is inspiring. Albums I would place in the lower third of ranking are still great albums, goes to show the strength and variety of their catalogue as my lower third could be another fans top third. God Save the Manics :)

'Lifeblood' in the Top 5! Your a legend, love that album so much. Great list, can't wait for the new album.

Journal FPL is their best album and deserves to be much higher on this list

Agree with your top 3. Great to see another manics fan. They are so underrated

I love Know Your Enemy

A difficult task! Mine would be not too dissimilar. I’m also a big fan of the big anthemic pop/rock duo Send Away the Tigers and Postcards from a Young Man. They’re just so much fun. So many good tunes. You’re also right about where you were in your life when the records dropped. I was happy and care free and had such a blast listening to those aforementioned records. Resistance is Futile wasn’t bad, but for me was something of a poor mans version of those two. So mine would be: The Holy Bible/Everything Must Go This is my truth tell me yours Postcards from a young man Send Away the Tigers Futurology Know Your Enemy Lifeblood Generation Terrorists Rewind the Film Journal for Plague Lovers Resistance is Futile Gold Against The Soul

Interesting to see. Nobody is right or wrong with lists like this. It’s all opinions. Personally mine would be (not including the last album which I haven’t heard enough times yet to judge). 13. Know Your Enemy 12. Lifeblood 11. Rewind the Film 10. Futurology 9. Gold Against the Soul 8. Generation Terrorists 7. Resistance is Futile 6. This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours 5. Postcards From A Young Man 4. Send Away The Tigers 3. Journal of Plague Lovers 2. Everything Must Go 1. The Holy Bible

Great list really like the holy bible and the new album that I've heard on here even if the two are totally different. Gonna have to check out some of the other albums on your list - really like those book style CDs as well - wish more music came packaged that way [:

I can party to 'The Holy Bible', challenge accepted!

Fantastic review, subscribed

1. Everything must go 2. The holy bible 3.This is my truth.. 4. Send away the tigers 5. Futurology 6.Journal for plague lovers 7.Gold against the soul 8.Postcards from a young man 9.Lifeblood 10.Resistance is futile 11.Generation terrorists 12. Rewind the film 13.Know your enemy List has changed over the years but only slightly. I also have the 10 year anniversary box sets of holy bible and everything must go, they're awesome.

As a long time Manics fan, I enjoyed that video. Think you are spot on about the top two and I would have them in that order as well, as Everything Must Go is an album for all occasions whereas the The Holy Bible is almost a state of mind. Think the others after that are up for debate and although I would rank some differently, I agree that you sometimes associate albums with a certain time in your life and that this can influence how you feel about it.

The first song I ever heard of the Manics was Faster and it was like a life changing experience. Incredible band. No one else quite like them.

Agree with many comments on here I always thought Lifeblood was underrated. Good to see it appreciated here.

Great ranking, my friend! The Manics was my favorite band for a number of years, and their music was incredibly important to me. It also bled into my own songwriting and the bands I fronted during ca 2000-2010. I haven’t really listened to the last two albums in full, because after Rewind The Film and Futurology I kinda lost track of the Manics a bit. But here is my ranking of the albums up til then: 1) The Holy Bible 2) Generation Terrorists 3) Everything Must Go 4) This Is My Truth… 5) Journal For Plague Lovers 6) Send Away The Tigers 7) Know Your Enemy 8) Gold Against The Soul 9) Lifeblood 10) Futurology 11) Postcards From A Young Man 12) Rewind The Film Top 10 songs: 1) Yes 2) Hibernation 3) Little Baby Nothing 4) Faster 5) Stay Beautiful 6) Motorcycle Emptiness 7) Patrick Bateman 8) A Design For Life 9) Small Black Flowers… 10) Ifwhiteamerica… And those obligatory honorable mentions: Donkeys Die In The Summertime Archives Of Pain 4st 7lb Kevin Carter Girl Who Wanted To Be God Enola/Alone Prologue To History If You Tolerate This… You’re Tender And You’re Tired Baby Elian Judge Yr’self (almost made the 10…) Askew Road The Soulmates Send Away The Tigers Anorexic Rodin This Joke Sport Severed All Is Vanity Peeled Apples Bag Lady (Wow! What a great riff!!!)

Know your enemy is actually in my top 5

love lifeblood

Greatest band in the world!!! 😊

To me it's a pity they didn't go for a harder sound on This is My Truth since the b-side Montana Autumn '78 shows what's possible and it might be my favourite version of their overall sound and could be my overall favourite song of theirs. The album itself falls down a bit by comparison because I don't know if the songwriting's all that consistent, and I feel that way about a lot of their albums (although it's always the highlights that you reach back for in the end). Same way about a lot of the b-sides too, they have some great ones (even when they get left off compilations). Not so into their cover tunes though (although that's a general thing with me, not too into covers on the whole). It's weird looking back when you say about Tigers being an answer to the reception of Lifeblood as they're both really high up for me, and both because they do what they're going for really well. Tigers would be another one with exceptional b-sides like Anorexic Rodin and I also go to Futurology for a great pick, the Last Time I Saw Paris. But yeah it's not like these projects don't have great a-sides either. Postcards however... nothing clicked for me. Don't know why not, I can see what they're going for, but just can't feel it. Same thing when it comes to Rewind the Film. Those two would make the bottom of my list. Big exception made for Show Me the Wonder though, which is just an amazing pop song and nothing like anything surrounding it. I think Red Rubber might be a b-side from it though? If so then it's a really odd anomaly and absolutely amazing song. You know what? I've gone off Holy Bible a bit. Yeah. I know the point of it is to be not a fun listen, but at the same time it still isn't a fun listen, if you get what I mean? I'll still throw up Yes, 4st-something, or the severely underrated She is Suffering any day, but a lot of the album I gotta say it just isn't a go-back-to type of thing. It's still quite high up there even regardless. I kinda love Generation Terrorists but I do get why it's at the bottom of your list. First thing is it's far too long. They overdid it - would've made a better album cut short. And yeah the drums are pants, and while the drums on Gold Against the Soul are equally obviously replaced by a drum machine, if I had to show anyone what the difference between a good drum machine and a bad one can be, those two albums might be what I point to. It sounds so bad when it could've been so great if they'd just let him play on it. But when you have a handful of the best of those tracks, to me it still elevates it up the list regardless (and for at least a couple of songs, namely Motorcycle Emptiness and Little Baby Nothing, the drum sound does actually work... if it were only those two I might even call it a good choice). More than anything I think Everything Must Go represents a signiature sound for them. Although my own preference would lean more toward their more energetic output. With that in mind, I swear Enola / Alone must be the slowest super-energetic song I've ever heard lol. Don't know how they made it sound like that haha. Great song obviously. I quite liked Resistance is Futile. It brought back a bit of the energetic fun with that Broken Algorithms track which can sit comfortably alongside some of their much older punkier stuff such as Motown Junk or We Her Majesty's Prisoners. God damn they do that style well. Speaking of gems, Intravenous Agnostic would be another one on the more minor side of that style although you're absolutely right in suggesting Know Your Enemy is a mess. It is. It might contain some of the most embarrassing tryhard moments, but... I still like it for the good stuff on it. It's why I put albums that don't hit me as hard with anything (or even that only shine with one track) below in general. A few good highlights are better in my mind than the absence of throwaways or personal disfavourites. I do have to say, just to be fair, even though I love them to bits... Journal for Plague Lovers, with the track Peeled Apples, it sounds badass but... come on guys, you owe some writing credits to the Eurhythmics for that one. Had to be said. Good album overall, perhaps a bit underproduced, few too many second verses echoing the first verbatim... shouldn't have been afraid to add some new lyrics but I do get the approach nevertheless. Highlight for me off that one would be the one about the epileptic colony, and yeah Marlon JD is a good shout too. Actually you know what? No. No, it's the quieter stuff that stands out on that one, thinking back. Facing Page is great and Joke Sport Severed is especially brilliant (speaking as someone involved in pro wrestling too, it might've connected more for that reason). Huh, maybe I like this album more than I thought I did. I don't know if all this is maybe a bit harshly judging in general but bear in mind I'm also a songwriter so coming from that sort of perspective. I tend not to be swayed by who did something (nor indeed where I was in my life when they did it) so much as my overall feelings on each particular piece of music. My taste in music took a really long time to develop but I'm quite fussy over it now, lol (or you could say 'refined' if you wanted a nicer way to put it - 'fussy' is maybe more honest though). Anyway, obviously there's no objective absolute in the judgement of art, and especially not in music. End of the day preferences are preferences no matter the reasons behind them nor anyone's ability or inability to articulate those reasons. All essentially boils down to liking what you like... but the in-between stuff and the figuring out whys and hows are still a massive bit of dorky fun, though. :D Haven't listened to the newer album much in the intervening time. Still hasn't been around long enough for me to really judge it against the others, mind. Seems alright, not really standing out much. I hope they keep going forever of course. I like it when bands I really like stick around for ages and surprise you every now and then. Lmao, I think me getting into the Manics was spurred on by my dad saying once about them that their songs all sound the same, and me remembering a couple that didn't, and thus wanting to challenge that viewpoint lol (be fair on him I think he'd only heard like two of them). Ah, the silly things that can be the beginning of massive journeys. :D so nostalgic

Wow great review 👍. Top 2 are the same and least favorite being GT although ME is one of the best songs I have ever heard. EMG is an album I can listen to easily from start to finish so a deserved #1. Kevin Carter from EMG made me an obsessive fan. Such unique lyrics and music. Tolerate similarly is also so unique lyrically and musically. It’s what separates them from other bands for me and why I love them so much. Holy Bible though can be tough to listen to depending on your mood still is such an amazing record even down to the album cover and the reversed Rs in the titles of the songs and their image at that time was also really strong with the army outfits and balaclavas..that’s when they really did look like Generation Terrorists 😂

Agghhhh, you shouldve put James's solo albums in with them...that is im assuming you've heard them? If not...then you really need to..last years Even In Exile is just stunning. Generation Terrorists and Know Your Enemy as the bottom 2 makes sense when you explained them to be fair... when they came to formulating Know Your Enemy the idea was to deconstruct themselves from the hugeness that This Is My Truth and Everything Must Go had propelled them to and try and get that original rawness back that Generation Terrorists exuded, hence two long sprawling albums lol.

I'm surprised you rated Rewind the film so highly, Its my equal least favorite album with Lifeblood.

To put GT at the bottom regardless of context is criminal. Postcards is easily the worse. Too many later albums are near the bottom.