Everything Must Go - Manic Street Preachers > Reviews > Small Black Flowers That Grow in the Sky

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money

Advantages:	Great lyrics, easy to listen to, fantastic music
Disadvantages:	Different to older stuff, missing Richey

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

‘Everything Must Go’ is marked in music history as one of the stand out album of the 90s. It was the Manic Street Preachers fourth album, but their first without writer, guitarist and image Richey Edwards. Aside from the mystery surrounding his disappearance what you must not forget that this album is a spectacularly good rock record in its own right.

The title really says it all ‘Everything Must Go’ shows a big movement away from older ground of the Manic Street Preachers. Some people, me included feel the Manic peaked with their first album, but this remain a stunning album. The loss of Richey made a huge difference to the Manics. Although he did not contribute much on stage with his guitar the whole sound changed notably. Edwards wrote most of the songs in a split with bassist Nicky Wire and can lay claim to being one of the best lyricists of the 90s. It must have been a hard decision was made to carry on as a trio as all the Manic were school friends from a small town in South Wales, and this was the first result with a new look. From the earlier work and especially ‘The Holy Bible’ the words can hit you with the beauty of expression. You can clearly tell the differences between a song written by Rickey, and one by Wire. This album contains a mixture, and it is apparent. Just the title of ‘Small Black Flowers that Grown in the Sky’ makes an image that makes you wonder sort of mind can come up with that. Generally later songs like ‘A Design for Life’ or ‘Australia’ work better as songs with melodies that run together better, instead of ‘Kevin Carter’ where James Dean Bradfield has been forced to work around Richey Edwards lyrics. That is not to say the newer songs don’t carry a strong message, with a strong empathy for workers and liberties the Manics songs still remain one of the only chart bands to mean anything. The sound on ‘Everything Must Go’ as a result is almost totally different. The strings are out on several songs, and some of the songs are real anthems. The album was produced by Mike Hedges, and it results in an almost Phil Spector feel to the open spaces. A change indeed, but still results in a great album and up with the best of the Manics.

The first track on’ Everything Must Go’ opens and closes in one of the most un-rock n’roll way imaginable, with gentle waves lapping on the intro and a poetry recital leading it out. Somewhere in the middle of ‘Elvis Impersonator: Blackpool Pier’ though it explodes into a cracking rock song. An interesting way to open the album it has the Manics way of being typically anti-American and anti-commercialism but has a glossy end to it. Good song, but nothing spectacular.

‘A Design for Life’ perhaps best represents the change for the Manic Street Preachers. Instead of short and fast punk it is replaced with tuneful strings and melodies. You can almost whistle the tune, and that is a big shift. However the first words go – ‘libraries gave us power, then work came and made us free’ the later being a reference to the Nazi concentration camps slogans. How many rock songs now have ‘libraries’ as their first word? As a comeback song this can both be all the best of old Manics and new Manics.

Richey Edwards wrote much of ‘Kevin Carter’, the song does not flow as smoothly or gracefully as the first two, but packs a punch. The song is about Kevin Carter the award winning war photographer who killed himself after criticism of benefiting from the horrors of war in Africa. The lyrics are superb, a real touch of what Edwards could do. Perhaps a topic only he would think to draw out into a song.

Some people do not like the fourth track ‘Enola/Alone’. It is not unlike others with the wide atmospheric feel added in production, if a little overproduced. Maybe looks a little poor in comparison, but I like the upbeat and soaring track. James Dean Bradfield’s vocals are great on this, as is for the rest of the album while the lyrics are not the stand out on the album, still remain solid and better than most could do.

The title track from the album does have a good way of summing up overall. ‘Everything Must Go’ is a literal check of leaving the past behind, but still looking back fondly. Like ‘Design for Life’ this is another real anthem with all the strings section put to use. It runs in a strange way with each line answering itself, but the lyrics are really great.

‘Small Black Flowers that Grow in the Sky’ as said earlier stands out as a real Richey moment. It is a much slower pace than the guitar driven earlier tracks, and uses a Welsh harp for a real feel. It is a dark and mysterious track that would not have looked out of place on ‘Holy Bible’, so seems a little out of place, but remains a thought provoking song.

‘The Girl that Wanted to be God’ contains some really good lyrical hook, and generally a quick paced and brisk rock song. Like much of the album it mixes the guitars and strings well. The song was apparently about Silvia Plath as a quote, and the song does seem like poetry in itself. A nice song to listen to, very easy to get into but not the best on the album.

‘Removables’ would also not look out of place on the ‘Holy Bible’, so no surprises that it was written by Richey Edwards. The lyrics are much darker that the album in general, and the guitar sound is harsher with a deep growl. It may not be to everyone’s tastes, but it is a real grower and superb lyrics.

‘Australia’ takes out more of the emotions in the band after Richey, especially Nicky Wire. Australia is literally the furthest place do go to, so screams significance. The chorus contains one of the best lines ‘I want to fly and run until it hurts/In Australia’ again typical. Another really good anthem of the stadium rock variety. The album manages to have several of these, but remains good by not being too epic or overproducing. It is a delicate mix, and this has to be one of the best with such a fast paced just and hitting you in the face. Its full of energy, not exactly the punk attitude of ‘Generation Terrorists’ but a great song.

Another sign of the intellect the Manics can bring to rock and pop is shown in the next song. ‘Interiors (Song for Willen De Kooning)’, is not a name your average person will have heard of. The actual song is another slow grower, but has a very good chorus when the guitars get going and some bass guitar all the way through.

‘Further Away’ is not unlike ‘Enola/Alone’. It has the same speed and energy in the chorus and verses, even to the point of the same way it has been overproduced. It is not a great song, but still remains to keep the quality of the album so very high. Again the lyrics are almost effortless, but can really touch you if you bother to listen to them. It is a nice burst towards the end of the album, but there are really no weak links.

The album is wrapped up with another epic tune – ‘No Surface All Feeling’ manages to be simple yet stunning. It does push the point a little, but again manages sublime lyrics a simple sound and is just so easy and great to listen through.

At the end of the day, ‘Everything Must Go’ is a good starting point for anyone new to the Manic Street Preachers. It is good quality music, and this album must be one of the best of the decade. It has the politics and intelligence that comes with the Manics, as well as being very easy to listen to. There is hardly a weak track over the twelve, and just about anyone should be able to appreciate this album. Although different to early stuff, this marks a new high point for them. Unfortunately the slide did probably begin from here, so enjoy it now.