This was an eBay purchase late last year - I'd gotten back into eBay in a big way and was spending far too much. I probably could have found this record cheaper, but it was in good condition (at least, the sleeve is) and I wanted to fill a gap in my collection, so I put in a bid and won. The record itself sounds like shit - not in a charming "isn't vinyl nice and warm and crackly" way, but more in a "I wonder what damage this is doing to my needle" way. Luckily I have the songs on the cd, so I don't need to play it to hear any of these songs.
Roses in the Hospital is, of course, a standout on Gold Against the Soul (although I love the whole album). The slow drum-and-vocals bit before the outro is a nice precursor to the perfect ending of A Design For Life and the "forever delayed" lines at the very end are (forever) brilliant. The line "We don't want your fucking love" has been replaced with "Roses in the hospital" (just about works if you say each syllable slowly enough) for the 7" version and the fade out is shortened considerably.
Us Against You has a Generation Terrorists b-side feel to it - dirty and punky. I like it. It's at odds with the polished sound of GATS in the best possible way; you wonder how it might have sounded if it'd had the same treatment as the album tracks. James' vocals in the chorus are impossible to understand, and could maybe stand to be a little cleaner. The other b-side here is Donkeys. There are a bunch of slower Manics b-sides that all sound great, and could be a fascinating album in themselves - Donkeys is one such song. Maybe I should make that as a mixtape for the car.
Format: 7"
Tracks: 3
Cost: £8.45 second hand
Bought: eBay
When: 15/10/18
Colour: Transparent red
Etching: none
mp3s: none
