MANIC STREET PREACHERS: Gold Against the Soul CD. Free for orders of £25+

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Description

Gold Against the Soul is the second studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released on 14 June 1993, through Columbia Records.

The lyrics on Gold Against the Soul are considerably less political than their previous album Generation Terrorists, and the album is more reflective of the despair and melancholy of their later work.
“La Tristesse Durera” (literally “the sadness will go on”) is the title of a biography of Vincent van Gogh, although the song is not about him, but about a war veteran.

www.amazon.com/Gold-Against-The-Soul/dp/B002AN2Q98/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qi…

or  www.allmusic.com/album/gold-against-the-soul-mw0000620198

All lyrics written by Richey Edwards and Nicky Wire, all music composed by James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore.
No. Title Length
1. “Sleepflower” 4:51
2. “From Despair to Where” 3:34
3. “La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)” 4:13
4. “Yourself” 4:11
5. “Life Becoming a Landslide” 4:14
6. “Drug Drug Druggy” 3:26
7. “Roses in the Hospital” 5:02
8. “Nostalgic Pushead” 4:14
9. “Symphony of Tourette” 3:31
10. “Gold Against the Soul” 5:34

Reception:
Gold Against the Soul received mixed reviews from critics. Allmusic, awarding the record three and a half stars out of five, described it as a “flawed but intriguing second album”, while Kerrang! and Melody Maker listed the record at #8 and #25 in Albums Of The Year 1993 respectively. Stuart Bailie, writing for the NME, was uncertain however, calling the album “confusing” and “too much Slash and not enough burn” but did compliment its musicality, saying “the drums and guitars rumble higher in the mix, and massive, harmonising riffs are everywhere”. Q Magazines Peter Kane was more critical, describing Gold Against the Soul “superficially competent, of course, but scratch below the surface and you’ll find few signs of life, just a vaguely expressed, bemused and bored dissatisfaction”.
The band themselves have described the record as their least favourite album and the most unfocused period of their career. James Dean Bradfield has said, “All we wanted to do was go under the corporate wing. We thought we could ignore it but you do get affected.”

Legacy:
Gold Against the Soul remains a controversial record among critics. Both the NME and Q have revised their opinions in some later articles, with the formers Paul Stokes opining that its short, “snappy, driven and focused” length contrasts with other albums’ “indulgently lengthy tracklistings”, and suggesting that “with its big, radio-friendly Dave Eringa production, its easy to see why Gold Against The Soul caused such a stir compared to the wild, almost feral rock of Generation Terrorists that preceded it a year earlier. However, with the bands more beefed up, arena-friendly sound emerging in subsequent years, this album is no longer so at odds with the general Manics aesthetic.” The latter publication, in a retrospective review of The Holy Bible, looked back on Gold Against the Soul as “an underrated pop-metal effort thats armed with a handful of bona-fide big tunes” and cited “La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)” as its highlight.
In a negative commentary, meanwhile, Joe Tangari of Pitchfork lambasted Gold Against The Soul as a “labored, sophomore-slumping hard rock turd that had them looking washed up early,” concluding that “there was really no preparation for the intensity, perversion, and genuine darkness of The Holy Bible”, which would follow in 1994.

Manic Street Preachers:
James Dean Bradfield lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Sean Moore drums, percussion, drum programming (tracks 8, 10), backing vocals
Richey Edwards rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Nicky Wire bass guitar, backing vocals
Additional personnel
Dave Eringa piano, organ
Ian Kewley piano, organ
Nick Ingham string arrangements
Shovel percussion

Additional information

Weight 0.1 kg

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