The Manics released their first Best-Of album in 2002 and I rushed out to buy a copy - I, of course, had all the albums long before that point but there were two new songs - the single, There By the Grace of God, and Door to the River - so it was always going to be an essential purchase. Plus, the cd came with a bonus disc of remixes which were mostly unexciting, but an essential part of the collection. About a month later I picked up the DVD in HMV for an expensive £18 (£16.20 after my student discount), but it had all their videos, a bunch of singles that didn't make it onto the 20-track album (the DVD has 30 songs, including both You Love Us versions), as well as videos for all the remixes. It pleased me that the videos were presented in chronological order.
Just a few months later, I found this double-LP copy in HMV in Bristol and quickly added it to my collection. I was in town for a university open day, but made the most of the day by trying to find as many record shops as I could. It was lucky timing finding this early in the day, given that I found a great record shop at the end of the day and ended up emptying my bank account there. I was gutted at the time to not get all the records I'd selected in that shop, but in hindsight I'd have been annoyed to have not bought this - I've not seen it since, until the morally-dubious Music On Vinyl reissues appeared recently (as it was, I had to leave without buying some Nine Inch Nails 12" singles, which would have been quite nice too. I'd found a copy of a Cave In record for Hugh that I'd promised to pick up for him - had I not been so nice I could be sitting here writing about those NIN singles now, but I think he was pretty happy with his LP; it's still one of the gems of his collection).
It was very exciting to get this LP back then - there are many songs that I didn't have on vinyl at the time, and it was the only outing of the two new songs (I still don't have Gold Against the Soul on vinyl, but both the songs here also found their way onto the National Treasures LP that was included with a copy of Q magazine). The records are thick so the songs sound excellent.
It goes without saying that the compilation is superb. I mean, the band have written so many incredible songs that it's pretty easy to find 20 excellent ones to group together. In places I might have chosen a few different songs, but I enjoy this selection very much. There By the Grace of God has aged much better than I expected - at the time I wasn't that fussed on it (but still bought both cd singles and the DVD single - there was a limited edition box sent out to fans that mine live in, although only two of the three really fit). Door to the River is a little weaker and saved by the high production quality (those strings) - it's the only flaw in the collection.
Can you imagine being able to start an album with two songs as strong as A Design For Life and Motorcycle Emptiness and still have enough huge songs to finish on The Everlasting and Motown Junk? I think for most bands such a strong set of songs would be unfathomable. I love that it starts with A Design For Life - I have so much time for that song - but I do find the transition from that into Motorcycle Emptiness a bit off. They almost feel too different, but on the other hand, that's one of the things that makes the Manics so special. Little Baby Nothing and Suicide is Painless are nice side 4 treats. It says something about the era this was released in that Gold Against the Soul has more songs here than The Holy Bible does - I don't think they'd snub that record in such a way these days.
The record is very nicely presented - as was the cd - as each record is in a picture sleeve with a quote for each song (as ever). On the back they list the UK chart position that each single reached. I doubt the singles charts mean what they did when I was a teenager anymore, but it says a lot that in 2002 it was worth printing those for all to see. You forget quite how many high-charting songs they had. As much as I remember A Design For Life being their break-through single, it only made it to number 2 - they didn't have a number 1 until If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next, although I do remember that being huge at the time (a quick bit of research shows that A Design For Life was kept off the number 1 position by Mark Morrison's Return of the Mac, a song I remember vividly but had not thought about for over 20 years now).
Tracks: 20
Cost: £11.70 new
Bought: HMV Bristol
When: 05/02/03
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no
