The effect of time and age on a band is a joy to behold. Generation Terrorists, the Manic Street Preachers brash statement to the world is now celebrating its 20th Birthday. And from their initial manifesto of releasing one album, taking over the planet and then imploding, to performing soft-rock ballads on Strictly come dancing – the Manic Street Preachers are essentially the same politically charged punks, but just a tad more grown-up.
The working title for the album, Culture, Alienation, Boredom & Despair is pretty damn effective in covering all the bases for the album. The Manics in themselves were ‘Generation Terrorists’ if you like; highly politicized nutters with no regard for establishment –thankfully they favored guitars over grenades. Take the opening track ‘Slash ‘n’ Burn’ straight away it’s a cold hard slap in the face. The Guns N’ Roses style riffs coupled with the bitterness in the lyrics “Madonna drinks Coke and so you can too, Taste’s real good not like a sweet poison should”.
Nicky and the late (we assume so anyway) Richy provide most of the ammunition for the album, however the real credit for me goes to JDB for crafting actual songs given lyrics such as – “Obedience to the law is free desire, Under curfew from neon barbed wire, Wasting away this country, wearing like a born dead, Free heroin shots for those who never beg”.
As a whole piece, my first encounter with Generation Terrorists was a difficult one. Over faced by the sheer audacity and arrogance, tracks like ‘You Love Us’ I’m ashamed to say kind of passed me by. On first impressions the abrasive nature and no-frills production was quite overwhelming, but the album is actually pretty varied in its styling. From the amalgamation of Rage Against The Machine and Guns N’ Roses-esque tracks like ‘Another Invented Disease’ to the lush softer sounds found on ‘Little Baby Nothing’, James Dean Bradfield really excels as the sole musical contributor, and shows why many consider him the guitarist of his generation.
To most, the creme de la creme of the album is the anthemic ‘Motorcycle Emptiness’ – comfortably taking the title of ‘that song you know, but aren’t sure who it’s by’. It epitomises the whole album, and in many ways showcasing the best of what the Manic Street Preachers have to offer. 20 years on and Generation Terrorists is still as potent and relevant as ever.
