The Holy Bible

Note that the following information relates to the UK release of the Manic Street Preachers album The Holy Bible. However, details of non-UK releases are listed in the Other Versions section.

Release details

Artist Manic Street Preachers

Title The Holy Bible

Release type Album

Date of release 29th August 1994

Highest chart position Information not found

Record label Epic

Catalogue number 477421 2

Producer Information not found

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The Holy Bible Tracklisting

1. Yes
2. IfWhiteAmericaToldTheTruthForOneDayIt'sWorldWouldFallApart
3. Of Walking Abortion
4. She Is Suffering
5. Archives of Pain
6. Revol
7. 4st 7lb
8. Mausoleum
9. Faster
10. This Is Yesterday
11. Die in the Summertime
12. The Intense Humming of Evil
13. P.C.P.

Cover artwork

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Manic Street Preachers The Holy Bible Album cover

Where To Buy

Downloadthe whole album:

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Other Versions

An Japanese version of The Holy Bible was released on 9th September 1998 through the Epic record label. It has the tracklisting: 1. Yes 2. IfWhiteAmericaToldTheTruthForOneDayIt'sWorldWouldFallApart 3. Of Walking Abortion 4. She Is Suffering 5. Archives of Pain 6. Revol 7. 4st 7lb 8. Mausoleum 9. Faster 10. This Is Yesterday 11. Die in the Summertime 12. The Intense Humming of Evil 13. P.C.P. 14. Drug Drug Druggy (live) 15. Roses in the Hospital (live) 16. You Love Us (live) 17. New Art Riot (live)

Reviews

Amazon Review

The Holy Bible is the sound of a band plunging into chaos, taking in such joyous subjects as the holocaust ("The Intense Humming Of Evil"), prostitution ("Yes"), anorexia ("4st 7lb") and general despair (everything else). Needless to say, the majority of it was written by guitarist Richey Edwards, just before he was hospitalised for depression. It's not the easiest album in the world to listen to, with James Bradfield often having to cram all the words together to fit them all in, but it's w... Read full review »

The 'best' album ever?

All the finest music ever made has difficulty being categorised, is never compromised for any market, is not made for financial gain, and comes straight from the heart and soul. Frank Zappa, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, later Radiohead, Ween and the Meat... Read full review »

Ignorance is bliss... and weakness. Insight brings pain... and strength.

"It's your choice, Neo. Do you take the red pill or the blue pill?"

'The Holy Bible' has nothing to do with 'The Matrix', on the surface. But then, it didn't have a lot to do with the rest of the music released in 1994. It has even less to do with the increasingly bland music offered to the UK by reality TV in the last 10 years.

Most of the music made in 1994 and afterwards is a series of 'blue pills', designed to make other people very rich. This is your 'red pill' album, and it's as relevant today as the day it came out. It will never make anyone rich, except you the listener, in ways that go far beyond money.

But you have to understand: it will hurt, and there's no going back once you swallow it. What you shouldn't be afraid of is its 'dark' or 'depressing' reputation.

The truth is, it's really about the beauty and potential in humanity, and what a shocking, disgusting waste we make of it. As such, it's infused with anger throughout. The sort of intelligent anger that the ignorant are incapable of, and the sort that tells you that the band have an insight into what's really going on. The Manics are 'Morpheus' with big, loud guitars for guns, and words for karate.

The first song, 'Yes', is up there with 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' as a perfect opening track. It's clearly about prostitution, but the lyrics are in the first person and display an extraordinary empathy with the subject. At times it sounds disturbingly like child prostitution. The chorus is unforgettable, the lyrics are captivating throughout, the imagery is breathtaking, and the music could fit on the more commercial 'Everything Must Go' album.

Next is 'IfWhiteAmericaToldTheTruth....', and immediately you should understand why this album is still relevant. The blackly comic sample of a forthcoming 'gala tribute to Ronald Reagan' with 'special guest Margaret Thatcher' can't help but bring to mind Bush and Blair, and the cynical may wonder if anything ever changes. Needless to say, the whole track is devoted to revealing the reality behind the political spin on which Western democracy rests.

The first truly terrifying moment comes at the end of track three, 'Of Walking Abortion', as James Dean Bradfield screams 'Who's responsible? You ... are' and you realise that no-one is exempt from this testament to human failings. The almost ballad-like 'She Is Suffering' follows. A more mature, less obvious take on the beauty/exploitation theme of 'Little Baby Nothing', it's an album highlight. Then it's 'Archives Of Pain', a searing demand for capital punishment of the true wastes of humanity (mainly notorious killers). It is the most extreme track so far, and yet a mere harbinger of what's to come.

The only superfluous track is 'Revol', which has more in common with the sloganeering of 'Generation Terrorists' than it does with the rest of this masterpiece.

The second half of the album is largely preoccupied with death: 'Mausoleum' is a powerful... Read full review »

Most people don't seem to understand what this is

Notoriously seen as some what of Richey's last will and testiment its very hard to say something about this album that hasn't already been said. It's a curious CD produced in the red light district of Cardiff and it shows, everything sounds jaggered and compressed from James vocal performance to the guitars which now holds a razor sharp snarl. The music itself is heavily produced and gothic, some would go as far as metal, but I wouldn't.

The lyrics themselves tend to be a mess of disconnected jargon usually in sharp contrast. Such as the ballad of anorexia 4st 12lbs.

Lose my only remaining home
See my third rib appear
A week later all my flesh disappear
Stretching taut, cling-film on bone
Im getting better

This is far from the name checking protest of Motorcycle emptyness, this is geniune horror in song form. Which is where my review really focuses, mainly against the 2 star reviews on this album. What does this album really say and do the Manic's have a right to say it?

Why people listen to depressing music is a curious question as music tends to focus far more on emulating emotion or influencing it than say a movie. The people out there who declare this album brilliant in its total hopelessness and despair are missing the point and perhaps crazy... This album screams compassion and humanity, not neccasarally in the music, or the lyr... Read full review »

In admittance

If I am honest, although I like the manics,I realised that everything else they produced is really pale and insubstantial up this album. This was, perh... Read full review »

Overrated

Every reviewer seems to go on and on about how great the lyrics are in this album, and that's this album in a nutshell. Musically it has little to offer, and compared to Everything Must Go or the more similar Generation Terrorists it's really quite embarrassing.
The music is very simplistic and und... Read full review »

Poetic Brilliance from the most important band of the 90's.

This album should go down as one of the best from a decade which saw music stoop to new lows. Although Nicky Wire is involved in some of the lyrics it esentially a Richey Edwards album,(they were split 30/70 betwen Nicky and Richey.) From the harrowing 'Yes', (a song where Richey compares himself t... Read full review »

The best album in the world

This version contains live versions of Drug Drug Druggy, Roses In The Hospital, You Love Us and New Art Riot(in E Minor). The live version of You Love Us is brilliant,... Read full review »

The sound of integrity and beauty yet wonderfully abrasive

Up with Nevermind as the grea... Read full review »

Beautiful and terrible

The best manics album ever.I think it expresses the Manic Street Preachers in such a poetic "Richey" way.It doesn't sound like anything else but give it some time and you'll look at the world from another perspective.It's just as beautiful as it is terrible and if Richey and Nickys words doesn't leave a trace of despair in your heart you're not human. It's an emotional album, don't listen to it... Read full review »

Excellent yet harrowing

It was tragic how aband member had to go missing,before this excellent yet harrowing album got the reocgnition it deserved. This albu... Read full review »

Lyrics

You can get the lyrics to the songs on The Holy Bible from the Bands Only Manic Street Preachers lyrics section.