The Masses Against the Classes was a beautiful anomaly. I got into the band properly when they released their fifth album, This is My Truth Tell Me Yours, an objectively good album. The singles from it were excellent songs and, as with the four albums before it, sufficiently different from everything before it. However, it wasn't a heavy album. After hearing it I got Generation Terrorists, Everything Must Go, Gold Against the Soul and The Holy Bible (in that order, although I'd had a taped copy of The Holy Bible for a while, somehow with a few songs missing). I knew the band could be heavy; I wanted them to be again.
Then, at the start of January on the turn of the century, they released The Masses Against the Classes, the heaviest song they'd written in years and, it would turn out, the heaviest they'd be for a while. I loved it then and I love it now. The gradual build-up at the start, the arrogant spit of James' vocals and that huge chorus that stands ten times taller than the verses; what a combination. It's probably not always considered one of the best Manics songs, but I'd rate it very highly. They don't always play it live, but I get such a kick when they do. That said, it was a number 1 single in the UK charts, so maybe it's more loved than I realise. Of course, this was at the height of their national fame, so that probably helped. Close My Eyes is a suitably fuzzy b-side and also a pretty great song. Neither would have worked on any album they've ever released, but I'd love to hear an album they would work on (Know Your Enemy had some moments that came close, but these both would have stuck out). Loud and fuzzy works well for the band, it seems. Rock and Roll Music is a fine cover to round the single off, but struggles next to the songs that precede it.
Fearing it's status as "limited edition", I rushed out to buy a copy the day it came out. MVC didn't stock vinyl at the time, so I got the cd (for £3) rather than this 10". Over the following years I saw the 10" on eBay a bit but didn't by a copy until I found this one in Reading one day. At £7 it'd risen in price in two years, but seemed like a good price, especially given the near-mint condition. It's number 6272 out of, I assume, at least 10,000 - not a short run by any stretch, but they were very big at the time. (I had a jukebox 7" of the song that I'd found on eBay at some point in between the two purchases, which probably quenched my thirst for the song on vinyl for a bit too.)
17 years later, this is still an excellent single.
Format: 10", numbered (#6272)
Tracks: 3
Cost: £7 second hand
Bought: Reading
When: 27/12/02
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no
