Lipstick Traces (A Secret History/The B-Sides) - Manic Street Preachers > Reviews > Judge for Y'rself

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Some excellent B - Sides, a decent mixture of early and later material
Disadvantages:	One or two classic B - Sides glaringly absent, some recent B - Sides are a bit average

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

This double disk package, released in 2003 features a great selection of B-Sides, covers and unreleased material from one of the most influential British bands of the decade - The Manic Street Preachers.

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MANICS
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The Manic Street Preachers are:

James Dean Bradfield (Guitar and Vocals)
Richey Edwards (Rhythm Guitar, Lyrics)
Nicky Wire (Bass, Lyrics)
Sean Moore (Drums)

From the small town of Blackwood in Gwent, Wales, the Manic Street Preachers burst onto the rock scene in 1992 with their explosive debut album Generation Terrorists. They quickly won over a devoted following of fans with their intelligent lyrics and ambitious rock sound. In 1994 they released their bleakest, and what many consider their best album, The Holy Bible.

Tragedy struck the band in February 1995 as their rhythm guitarist and lyricist Richey Edwards, who had a history of depression and self-harm, disappeared. His car was later found parked at the Severn Bridge service station but he was never found and is presumed missing to this day. The band eventually decided to carry on as a three piece and released the critically acclaimed album Everything Must Go in 1996. It signalled a much brighter musical direction for the band as they reached the peak of their popularity.

This package features a good mix of tracks from throughout the bands career, from their early punk roots in 1991, right up to the present day, making it a worthwhile purchase for old and new fans alike. Disk 1 holds a collection of 20 B-Sides, rarities and unreleased songs. The B-sides included were specially selected by their fans via an online poll. Disk 2 holds 15 cover songs that the band have performed or recorded over the years.

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DISK 1
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1. Prologue to History
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(B-Side to the No.1 Single - If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next, 1998)

The first, and one of the best songs on the album, a thrilling fast paced rock song driven by piano. This song was initially recorded for the album This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours. As mentioned by Nicky Wire in various interviews, the band recorded several mixes of the song in the studio but they just couldn't find one they were happy with. They eventually got bored of toying with the song and it was relegated to a B Side, a crying shame as it deserves to be a single in it's own right.

The lyrics are filled with historical and political references including a memorable reference to the displacement of Scottish farmers by English Landlords, in the late 18th century ''Remember ethnic cleansing in the highlands, No one says a thing in the middle of En-ger-land' Nicky seems to be questioning the bands historical relevance and whether they actually deserve or want to be remembered 'I don't want to be a Prologue to History'.

2. 4 Ever Delayed. (Unreleased 2002)
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A previously unreleased track, this was written during the 2002 Greatest Hits tour and was due for a single release. Alas the single never materialised but this is still a great slice of Manics stadium rock, with a thunderous chorus.

3. Sorrow 16. (B-Side to Motown Junk, 1991)
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One of the Manics' earliest recordings, it first appeared as a B-side in 1991. This song is a good illustration of their early punk roots brimming with the raw energy and anger that they became famous for, with raw vocals coming from a young James Dean Bradfield. The Lyrics are inspired by the Situationist ideology that capitalism provides us with a passive, passionless and unfufilling life dominated by consumerism, which can only be improved through revolution or disruption of the system 'Cut your hair in front of businessmen; Destroy words and ignore their truth; Wearing hate like they wear money; There is too many numbers for us to sleep; You live stoned in obedience'

4. Judge Y'rself. (Unreleased, Late-1994/1995)
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The last Richey-era song ever recorded before his tragic disappearance in '95. This song was recorded for the soundtrack of the Judge Dredd movie but due to the bands difficult circumstances it never saw the light of day. This is another screaming punk song with heavy growling guitars and Richeys lyrics are filled with typical black humour. 'Heal yourself, Hurt yourself, Judge yourself' the chorus shouts mockingly, playing on Richeys own self harm problems. It's not hard to see why this was shelved for so long.

5. Socialist Serenade.
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(B-Side to You Stole The Sun From My Heart, 1998)

This '98 B-Side is a laid back song driven along by Sean's lively drumming and a crisp guitar riff. The song is a thinly veiled attack on the New Labour government, because of its is gradual move away from its socialist roots. This is seen as an act of betrayal by the staunchly socialist Manics, who go on to attack tuition fees in particular. 'Change your name to 'New', Forget the f******* Labour' James rants

6.Donkeys. (B-Side to Roses in The Hospital, 1993).
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A very gentle, slow song, with beautiful vocals and an inspiring guitar solo. It is a very personal song describing what it is like to suffer from depression on an everyday basis, something that Richey in particular struggled with

7. Comfort Comes. (B-Side to Life Becoming a Landslide, 1994).
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This is an angry song driven along by menacing guitars and bass with raucous vocals. It is very much a disenchanted love song that gives a pretty jaded view of true love.

'The difference between love and comfort
Is that comfort's more reliable and true
Brutal and mocking but always there
A crutch for enmity's saddest glare'

8. Mr Carbohydrate. (B-Side to A Design For Life, 1996)
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This Nicky Wire penned B-Side is a rather light-hearted and funny song. The lyrics are an amusing take on Wire's own life and how he would rather stay at home watching cricket on TV than live the rock n roll lifestyle. 'Have you heard of Matthew Maynard. He's my favourite cricketer, I would rather watch him play, Than pick up my guitar'.

9. Dead Trees and Traffic Islands
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(B-Side to A Design For Life, 1996)
A fairly light-hearted tune with a flute and breezy acoustic guitars providing the melody and some pretty upbeat vocals.

10. Horses Under Starlight (B-Side to Kevin Carter, 1996)
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This B-Side isn't exactly a classic as it is a pretty hollow and near vocal-less B-Side. It has a nice enough melody, with some trumpets, keyboards and guitar and a vocal going Ba-Ba-Baa-Baa-Ba-Baa over the top. Though It's not exactly their finest hour! How this got on the compilation when classics such as Patrick Bateman were overlooked I don't know!

11. Sepia (B-Side to Kevin Carter, 1996)
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A very beautiful and personal song in which Nicky describes the every day feelings that he has had since Richeys disappearance. The music is very soft and floaty and James' vocals are in particularly fine form. The chorus is extremely moving.

'And just like that moment
In Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
I'm perpetually stuck in a sepia film
But bleeding inside I manage to keep it all in
I keep it all in'

12. Sculpture of Man (B-Side to Faster/PCP, 1994)
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The only B-Side included from around the time of their infamous Holy Bible Album. However this is not actually that surprising as most of the B-Sides from '94 were just Live versions of previously released songs. As you'd expect this song is typically schizophrenic with James screaming out the vocals at a ludicrously high tempo. This is a furious, fast paced rant about things such as War, McDonalds and Princess Diana.

13. Spectators of Suicide - Heavenly Version
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(B-Side to You Love Us, 1991)

Two versions of this song exist, the first was recorded on the Manics' early label Heavenly and a later version was recorded for the album Generation Terrorists, after they had signed for major label Columbia. The earliest version, included here, has a more downbeat and raw sound than the album version. The guitar work isn't as ambitious and James mumbles the lyrics a bit but it is an interesting look at the Manics' early sound.

14. Democracy Coma (B-Side to Love's Sweet Exile, 1991)
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Another early track, this one is a much more energetic rock song with a great guitar solo. The song is an attack on parliament and the monarchy and pokes fun of the patriotic song Land of Hope and Glory. 'Mother of the free she said that we'd breathe, Mother of the free but we just scream'

15. Strip It Down - Live (B-Side To You Love Us, 1991)
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This song was one of the Manics earliest releases. James' vocals were still pretty raw and deep at the time and are pretty amusing in places but otherwise this is a decent punk rock song. Lyrically it is a rant against greed and consumerism.

16. Bored Out Of My Mind (B-Side to Motorcycle Emptiness, 1992)
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A slower laid back song, which feels typical of the early sound of their first album.

17. Just A Kid (B-Side to Ocean Spray, 2001)
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This is a very sentimental song with a catchy guitar melody.

18. Close My Eyes
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(B-Side to the No1 Single - The Masses against The Classes, 2000)

This is a very odd song with loud distorted vocals and fuzzy guitars that give it a menacing and unsettling feel. The song seems to be about the frustration of growing older as a band and being tied to the contractual obligations of their label. 'I close my eyes and then I count to ten, Shake some hands and then I feel ashamed'. Its almost as if the band feel like they have sold out as James angrily shouts 'It's not about us anymore'.

19. Valley Boy (B-Side to The Everlasting, 1998)
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This is another one of their fairly breezy later B-Sides. Nickys lyrics touch on his reservations about the Europe Union 'It's too late to learn a new currency' and his hopes and fears in life. 'And some of my dreams, They may have come true, But so have my nightmares, Which I can't get through'

20. We Her Majesty's Prisoners (B-Side to Motown Junk, 1991)
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Another slice of early manics punk, this is a staunchly anti-monarchist song with some pretty explicit lyrics. The vocals and guitar work are more refined this time and solid drumming drives the song along.

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DISK 1 STANDOUT TRACKS
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Prologue To History, Judge Y'rself, Donkeys, Sculpture of Man, Comfort Comes, Sepia, Democracy Coma, Close My Eyes.

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DISK 2
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Disk 2 is a selection of 15 live and recorded covers from throughout the bands' career. I didn't enjoy this as much as Disk 1 as I felt that some of the covers were a bit hit and miss, but I think this is more down to my own musical tastes. However I did enjoy several of them including Last Christmas, Rock and Roll Music, It's So Easy, Bright Eyes and What's My Name.

TRACKLISTING - DISK 2

1. We Are All Bourgeois Now
2. Rock And Roll Music
3. It's So Easy (live)
4. Take The Skinheads Bowling
5. Been A Son
6. Out Of Time
7. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head
8. Bright Eyes (live)
9. Train In Vain (live)
10. Wrote For Luck
11. What's My Name (live)
12. Velocity Girl
13. Can't Take My Eyes Off You
14. Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel
15. Last Christmas (live)

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SUMMARY
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Overall this package has a reasonable mixture of both the bands newer and older B-Sides. Several of the B-Sides are extremely high quality and should have been singles in their own right. However the collection isn't quite perfect and some hard-core manics fans may be left feeling a tad disappointed as there are one or two prolific B-Sides which are notably absent. B-Sides such as Patrick Bateman and Locust Valley would have been much more welcome than the distinctly average Horses Under Starlight and Valley Boy.

The packaging of the two CD set is well presented, consisting of a fold up, glossy card sleeve that holds the two CDs. It is adorned by some very eye-catching leopard print artwork. Lipstick Traces can still be found in most high street shops from around £10 to £15 and is currently £12 on Amazon. With 35 tracks this package represents very good value for money.

This would be a worthwhile purchase for hard-core fans of the Manics, who are looking to get their hands on those hard to find B-Sides and rarities. It would also be good buy for newer fans who want to delve into the history of the band and listen to some of their earlier material.