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Know Your Enemy (Manic Street Preachers album)

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Know Your Enemy
Studio album by
Manic Street Preachers
Released19 March 2001
RecordedAugust–December 2000
Studio
GenreAlternative rock
Length75:34
LabelEpic
Producer
Manic Street Preachers chronology
This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours
(1998) 		Know Your Enemy
(2001) 		Forever Delayed
(2002)
Singles from Know Your Enemy
  1. "So Why So Sad"
    Released: 26 February 2001
  2. "Found That Soul"
    Released: 26 February 2001
  3. "Ocean Spray"
    Released: 4 June 2001
  4. "Let Robeson Sing"
    Released: 10 September 2001
Alternative cover
Cover of the 2022 version

Know Your Enemy is the sixth studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers, released on 19 March 2001 by Epic Records. It was supported by four singles, all of which reached the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart.[1]

The band originally envisioned Know Your Enemy as two separate albums: Door to the River, which consisted of more reflective and personal material, and the heavier, more politically charged Solidarity, with the intention of releasing both on the same day. However, Epic was not inclined to follow through on the idea (as they would later do in 2013–2014 with Rewind the Film and Futurology), and so most of the material ended up being released as one lengthy 75-minute album, a move that drummer Sean Moore described as "strange" and "confusing".[2] A remnant of the original two-album idea was that the first two singles, "So Why So Sad" and "Found That Soul" – reflecting the two very different styles at play – were released on the same day as a publicity stunt.[3]

Whilst the album sold well, it did not match the success of its predecessor, This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours. Critics were somewhat divided in their opinions at first, but its reception since has been mostly positive. In 2022, the band released remixed 2- and 3-disc editions of Know Your Enemy, rearranging the tracks into the two separate albums as originally intended.

Background

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The album features Nicky Wire's debut as a lead vocalist, on the track "Wattsville Blues", and James Dean Bradfield's debut as a lyricist, on "Ocean Spray". Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine plays guitar on the album's final track.[4]

The left-wing political convictions of the Manic Street Preachers are apparent in many of the album's songs. "Baby Elián" comments on the strained relations between the United States and Cuba as seen in the Elián González affair. The band also pays tribute to singer and Civil Rights activist Paul Robeson in the song "Let Robeson Sing".[4]

About the political side of the record Wire spoke in an interview about the subject: "Unfortunately it was four years before everyone else got interested in politics. It took everyone else a war. Where have these people been the last four years? Forty years? American foreign policy's never changed. There's a track called 'Freedom of Speech Won't Feed My Children' about forcing freedom on societies that says everything we ever needed to say." Wire also described the album as "a deeply flawed, highly enjoyable folly".[5]

Musically, the album departs from the arena rock sound of their previous two albums for a bigger and more abrasive rock sound.[6] The album also features influences from various genres. On the album's diverse sound, Pitchfork Media stated: "Know Your Enemy finds the Manics attempting to write a protest song in just about every genre."[7] The punk rock-influenced "riotous" sound of the tracks "Found That Soul", "Intravenous Agnostic", and "Dead Martyrs" attribute influences to Sonic Youth and Joy Division. Tracks such as "The Year of Purification" and "Epicentre" foray to a R.E.M.-indebted jangle-pop style.[7] The tracks "So Why So Sad" and "Miss Europa Disco Dancer" were described as "a Beach Boys homage" and "a disco parody" respectively.[6][7][8][9] The tracks "My Guernica", "His Last Painting", and "The Convalescent" were also described as "dark, marching and charging post-punk anthems".[8]

Sean Moore stated in an interview to a Spanish reporter in 2014 that the songs included in Know Your Enemy were originally meant for two different albums with different sounds and concepts. The songs ended up all together in one album as the record label was not inclined to put out two albums at the same time (as they would do in 2013–2014 with Rewind the Film and Futurology). For this reason, Moore describes the album as "strange" and "confusing".[2]

James Dean Bradfield reflected on the album in 2015 placing it as his second least favourite album that the band made. "when we came in to do this album we were reacting to the massive success in Europe and other parts of the world. Not America. But with Everything Must Go and This Is My Truth we had sold millions of records around the world, and after This Is My Truth we kind of reacted against our own success. We thought that we had lost some of that original punk spirit that we’d had. It had kind of always been in the lyrics and some of our performances, but we thought we’d become too polished. We thought that perhaps we had fallen onto a treadmill of success, which was stupid. You look back on all this stuff and think, “What a fucking idiot I was!” You can’t help but live in the moment, and basically with Know Your Enemy we tried to be too spontaneous and too organic. We were just laying stuff down quite quickly and not worrying about the production. And we undersold some of the songs on the record. It’s not the producer’s fault, it’s our fault. We backed him into a corner and said, “No, we want to keep things fresh and do it quickly.” And we didn’t give the record a chance to breathe or sound good."[10]

Nicky Wire reflected on the album in 2021: "Musically, I was particularly lazy and destructive. Constantly saying, 'It's too tight - can't we use the demo?' Too many lyrics just weren't finished. The original idea was to have two albums: one called Solidarity, after the Polish trade union movement, and one called Door to the River, which was the softer side. James just looked at me: 'Why are you trying to do this weird shit all the time?' In a nice way."[11]

Release

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Know Your Enemy was released on 19 March 2001. The album debuted and peaked at number 2 in the UK Album Chart, spending a total of 16 weeks there.[1] In Ireland the album reached number 5. Around the world it was fairly successful,[4] peaking at number 3 in Finland and remaining five weeks in the Finnish charts.[12] It was number 6 in Denmark,[13] number 7 in Sweden,[14] and number 8 in Norway and in Greece.[15] In Germany,[16] Belgium[17] and in Australia[18] it charted within the top 20.

Four singles from the album were released. "So Why So Sad" and "Found That Soul" were released on the same day while "Ocean Spray" and "Let Robeson Sing" were released later. All four singles charted within the top 20 in the UK Singles Chart.[1]

Know Your Enemy reached the top 10 in seven countries. It peaked at number 5 in the European charts. Since its release in March 2001, Know Your Enemy has sold more than 200,000 copies in the UK alone.[19]

In 2021, Nicky Wire reflected on the album's reputation and sales: "To this day, you see Know Your Enemy at service stations for £2.99, because they bought so many thinking it was by one of those commercial bands! In retrospect, it sold half a million copies. Imagine what we'd give for that now."[11]

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic57/100[20]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Alternative Press6/10[20]
Robert Christgau(2-star Honorable Mention)(2-star Honorable Mention)[21]
Dotmusic[22]
Mojo[20]
NME7/10[23]
Pitchfork7.5/10[7]
PopMattersunfavourable[24]
Q[20]
Rolling Stoneunfavourable[25]

Know Your Enemy received generally mixed reviews from critics. At Metacritic the album has a score of 57, which indicates "mixed or average reviews".[20]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic said in two and a half stars review that "it was time to strike back with a harsh, political record" after the more "lush arena rock" of their previous albums Everything Must Go (1996) and This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours (1998) "The block-type cover art reveals that at a glance, and so does the ferocious opener, "Found That Soul," both suggesting their dark high watermark, The Holy Bible." observing "This is the album where the Manics tie all their disparate strands together, up the political ante, try new things, all in an attempt to prove they're still vital. When it works, this can be pretty invigorating, but when it doesn't, it's utterly maddening." concluding that the length and inconsistent quality damaged "a record that rocks harder, sounds better, than anything since Richey James disappeared -- but lacks the sense of craft that made Everything Must Go a minor masterpiece."[26]

Robert Christgau gave the album a two-star honorable mention, calling it "punk propaganda poppified" and citing "Ocean Spray" and "Let Robeson Sing" as highlights.[21]

Victoria Segal from the NME gave a positive review to the album and wrote: "Know Your Enemy sees them scrabbling for some of that early freedom, catapulting themselves back to a time when their minds could only just keep pace with their lipsticked mouths and they had all the establishment credentials of a red light district. It's a dangerous mission, returning to the scene of your earliest triumphs is a textbook example of the fool's errand."[23]

Pitchfork Media described the album as "provocative, well-done, but not quite focused enough to take the listener anywhere in particular."[7]

Mojo called the album "such a sprawling, unwieldy beast that the instrumental hooks take time to emerge".[20]

A negative review came from Rolling Stone, which wrote: "Nowhere amidst all the confusion is there even a worthwhile tune to be salvaged", calling it "hideously dull".[25]

Track listing

[edit]

All lyrics are written by Nicky Wire, except "Ocean Spray", by James Dean Bradfield; all music is composed by Bradfield and Sean Moore, except "We Are All Bourgeois Now", written by Tim Gane, Malcolm Eden, John Williamson and Gary Baker

No.TitleLength
1."Found That Soul"3:05
2."Ocean Spray"4:11
3."Intravenous Agnostic"4:02
4."So Why So Sad"4:02
5."Let Robeson Sing"3:46
6."The Year of Purification"3:39
7."Wattsville Blues"4:29
8."Miss Europa Disco Dancer"3:52
9."Dead Martyrs"3:23
10."His Last Painting"3:16
11."My Guernica"4:56
12."The Convalescent"5:54
13."Royal Correspondent"3:31
14."Epicentre" (contains excerpt of the b-side "Masking Tape" released on the "Let Robeson Sing" single)6:26
15."Baby Elián"3:37
16."Freedom of Speech Won't Feed My Children" (contains a cover of the McCarthy song "We Are All Bourgeois Now" as a hidden track)13:12
Total length:75:34
Japanese edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
17."Just a Kid"3:30
18."The Masses Against the Classes"3:22
Australian limited edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
17."The Masses Against the Classes"3:22
18."So Why So Sad" (Sean Penn Mix – Avalanches)4:57

2022 Remixed Editions

[edit]

On 9 September 2022, Manic Street Preachers released new 2- and 3-disc editions of Know Your Enemy. While putting together the reissue, Nicky Wire proposed recreating the two separate albums that the band had originally envisioned. James Dean Bradfield agreed to the idea on the condition that he was allowed to remix the tracks with Dave Eringa.[27]

Note: On the standard 2-CD and vinyl editions, Door to the River is a 10-track album and Solidarity is a 12-track album. On the 3-CD digibook edition, three alternative/original mixes and one outtake ("Royal Correspondent") are added to disc one, while B-sides are added to disc two. None of these tracks have been newly remixed. The third disc contains demos.

Standard edition disc one: Door to the River
No.TitleLength
1."The Year of Purification"3:38
2."Ocean Spray"4:13
3."So Why So Sad" (Avalanches Sean Penn Mix)4:59
4."Door to the River"4:38
5."Rosebud"4:03
6."Just a Kid"3:31
7."His Last Painting"3:18
8."Let Robeson Sing"3:47
9."Groundhog Days"4:58
10."Epicentre"5:13
Standard edition disc two: Solidarity
No.TitleLength
1."Intravenous Agnostic"4:01
2."Found That Soul" (TLA Mix)3:06
3."We Are All Bourgeois Now"4:31
4."Freedom of Speech Won't Feed My Children"2:53
5."The Convalescent"5:28
6."Baby Elián"3:38
7."Masses Against the Classes"3:22
8."My Guernica"4:55
9."Studies in Paralysis"3:20
10."Dead Martyrs"3:26
11."Wattsville Blues"4:09
12."Miss Europa Disco Dancer"3:56
Digibook edition disc one: Door to the River
No.TitleLength
1."The Year of Purification"3:38
2."Ocean Spray"4:13
3."So Why So Sad" (Avalanches Sean Penn Mix)4:59
4."Door to the River"4:38
5."Rosebud"4:03
6."Just a Kid"3:31
7."His Last Painting"3:18
8."Let Robeson Sing"3:47
9."Groundhog Days"4:58
10."Epicentre"5:13
11."His Last Painting" (TLA Mix)3:17
12."Epicentre" (TLA Mix)5:13
13."So Why So Sad" (KYE Version)4:04
14."Royal Correspondent"3:31
Digibook edition disc two: Solidarity
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Intravenous Agnostic" 4:01
2."Found That Soul" (TLA Mix) 3:06
3."We Are All Bourgeois Now" 4:31
4."Freedom of Speech Won't Feed My Children" 2:53
5."The Convalescent" 5:28
6."Baby Elián" 3:38
7."Masses Against the Classes" 3:22
8."My Guernica" 4:55
9."Studies in Paralysis" 3:20
10."Dead Martyrs" 3:26
11."Wattsville Blues" 4:09
12."Miss Europa Disco Dancer" 3:56
13."Fear of Motion" 2:38
14."Pedestal" 4:51
15."Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel"Traditional2:07
16."Locust Valley" 4:06
17."Masking Tape" 4:11
18."Ballad of the Bangkok Novotel" 2:38
19."Little Trolls" 3:43
Digibook edition disc three: Demos
No.TitleLength
1."Ocean Spray" (Studio Demo)2:55
2."So Why So Sad" (Cassette Demo)3:36
3."Door to the River" (Cassette Demo)4:53
4."His Last Painting" (Air Version Home Cassette Demo)4:05
5."Let Robeson Sing" (Home Cassette Demo)2:37
6."Groundhog Days" (Home Cassette Demo)4:01
7."Epicentre" (Cassette Demo)4:01
8."Intravenous Agnostic" (Home Cassette Demo)2:26
9."Freedom of Speech Won't Feed My Children" (Studio Demo)2:57
10."The Convalescent" (Studio Rehearsal Demo)5:29
11."His Last Painting Baby Elián" (Studio Demo)3:23
12."Masses Against the Classes" (Studio Demo)2:25
13."My Guernica No 1" (Home Acoustic Demo)4:25
14."My Guernica" (Studio Demo)4:10
15."Dead Martyrs" (Home Cassette Demo)3:28
16."Wattsville Blues" (Home Cassette Demo)2:42

Personnel

[edit]

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for Know Your Enemy
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[49] Gold 219,985[19]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Manic Street Preachers - Official Single Charts". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  2. ^ a b Sánchez, Miguel (17 July 2014). "Manic Street Preachers: Hay gente que prefiere que la música sea superficial".
  3. ^ "Manics take double-single gamble". BBC News Wales. 26 February 2001. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Power, Martin (17 October 2010). Manic Street Preachers. Omnibus Press.
  5. ^ "Nicky Wire (Manic Street Preachers)". Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  6. ^ a b Bolton, Rob (1 May 2001). "Manic Street Preachers - Know Your Enemy". Exclaim!. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d e Reid, Brandon (19 March 2001). "Manic Street Preachers: Know Your Enemy". Pitchfork. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  8. ^ a b Mulholland, Gary (16 March 2001). "Condemned to rock'n'roll". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  9. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Know Your Enemy – Manic Street Preachers : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : Allmusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 4 July 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  10. ^ Lindsay, Cam (7 May 2015). "Rank Your Records: James Dean Bradfield Rates Manic Street Preachers' 12 Albums". Vice. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  11. ^ a b Cameron, Keith (July 2021). "The Mojo Interview: Nicky Wire". Mojo.
  12. ^ "Finland Chart".
  13. ^ "Dannish Charts".
  14. ^ "Swedish Charts".
  15. ^ "Greek Charts".
  16. ^ "German Chart".
  17. ^ "Belgium Charts". Ultratop.
  18. ^ "ARIA Charts".
  19. ^ a b Hanley, James (19 March 2018). "MicVive la résistance!: Inside the Manic Street Preachers' new album". Music Week. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  20. ^ a b c d e f "Critic Reviews for Know Your Enemy – Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  21. ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG: Manic Street Preachers". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  22. ^ Ward, Simon P. (19 March 2001). "Dotmusic – Album Review". Dotmusic. Archived from the original on 27 June 2001. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  23. ^ a b Segal, Victoria (19 March 2001). "NME Album Reviews – Manic Street Preachers : Know Your Enemy – nme.com". NME. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  24. ^ Neate, Wilson (24 April 2001). "Manic Street Preachers: Know Your Enemy". PopMatters. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  25. ^ a b Vaziri, Aidin (24 April 2001). "Manic Street Preachers Know Your Enemy". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 6 September 2001. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  26. ^ Know Your Enemy - Manic Street Preachers | Album | AllMusic, retrieved 5 June 2024
  27. ^ Aubrey, Elizabeth (22 July 2022). "Manic Street Preachers share unreleased song 'Rosebud' from new 'Know Your Enemy' reissue". NME. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  28. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Manic Street Preachers – Know Your Enemy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  29. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Manic Street Preachers – Know Your Enemy" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  30. ^ "Ultratop.be – Manic Street Preachers – Know Your Enemy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  31. ^ "Ultratop.be – Manic Street Preachers – Know Your Enemy" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  32. ^ "Lescharts.com – Manic Street Preachers – Know Your Enemy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  33. ^ "Manic Street Preachers: Know Your Enemy" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  34. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Manic Street Preachers – Know Your Enemy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  35. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Manic Street Preachers – Know Your Enemy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  36. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Manic Street Preachers – Know Your Enemy" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  37. ^ "Greekcharts.com – Manic Street Preachers – Know Your Enemy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  38. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Manic Street Preachers". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  39. ^ "Charts.nz – Manic Street Preachers – Know Your Enemy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  40. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Manic Street Preachers – Know Your Enemy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  41. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  42. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Manic Street Preachers – Know Your Enemy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  43. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Manic Street Preachers – Know Your Enemy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  44. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Manic Street Preachers – Know Your Enemy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  45. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  46. ^ "Top 100 Albums Weekly". El portal de Música. Promusicae. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  47. ^ "UK Album Chart". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  48. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2001". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  49. ^ "British album certifications – Manic Street Preachers – Know Your Enemy". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
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