In coming back after the disappearance of guitarist Richey Edwards, Everything Must Go had to be special. Thankfully, the album shows extreme dignity in the face of adversity, with its big, Phil Spector-ish production and the pure lyrical perfection of "A Design For Life" (the least patronising, most spot on discussion of the working class ever to reach number two in the charts). Richey Edward's influence is still evident, as "Small Black Flowers That Grow In The Sky" is a pit of despair, but it is much more subtle than anything on "The Holy Bible", delicately comprised of James' vocals and a harp. Their love of art and literature continues, referencing Sylvia Plath ("The Girl Who Wanted To Be God"), war photographer Kevin Carter, and artist Willem De Kooning (on "Interiors", surely one of Nicky Wire's best bass parts since "La Tristesse Durera"). It's little surprise that this was the album to finally shove the Manics into the mainstream. --Emma Johnston

This is one of my all time favourite albums I've ever bought. I purchased it when it first came out in 1996. The one thing I love about this is that it's very unusual at times with some very interesting chord structures. Unlike a lot of artists this album doesn't have any fillers as all the songs are top notch. It even features a brilliant trumpet solo in the track Kevin Carter. This album should really get the same critical acclaim as Pink Floyd's The Dark Side Of The Moon as it is trully excellent as I'm sure it's allready a classic.

Great album. It doesn't quite match The Holy Bible, but not many albums do. This is completely different as well, the music is more Indie compared to the punk of The Holy Bible. These songs are big anthems, which is discovered upon the chorus of the first song when the strumming acoustic guitars turn into thunderous electric guitars and drums.
Songs on here like A Design For Life, Enola/Alone, Everything Must Go, Australia and No Surface All Feeling are very powerful anthems, which are heavy on guitars, and have huge chorus's.

Get this album, or go for the anniversary edition coming out soon, whichever, its a recomended album

Blimey i love this album. love it love it love it. I love all manic albums but this (next to Holy bible) is just superb. can they actually produce a naff album?.....unlikley!

You know how it is. The key member of a band leaves/dies and either the band splits up or they carry on together and completely ruin the bands name. Only that's not how it is with the Manic Street Preachers fourth album, the first since the disappearance of lyricist, visionary and terrible guitarist Richey Edwards. On the contrary, it's quite good. Actually, it's the best thing they've ever done! It could have all gone so wrong but somehow everything slotted into place. Of course, the Cult of Richey will all tell you that the Manics just aren't any good without Edwards or that the only good songs on this album are the ones made from leftover lyrics left over by him. But despite their claims, praise needs to go to James Dean-Bradfield, Nicky Wire and Sean Moore for creating such an incredible album amongst such sadness with the loss of a friend.

Where the despair of 'The Holy Bible' was tainted with anger and hatred, meaning you only got to appreciate its full beauty occasionally, when at your most strong minded, the despair of 'Everything Must Go' is so pure that it could break the heart of the most stone cold person there is. As James Dean-Bradfield cries out the the title during 'Design For Life' you get such an incredible look at the emptiness and confusion they are feeling that Richey Edwards' hatred and anger seem child-like in comparison.

But 'Design For Life' isn't the only triumph on the album. 'Enola/Alone', 'Small Black Flowers That Grow in the Sky' and the title track are all amazing tracks. In fact, the title track is this albums equivalent of 'This is Yesterday' from the previous album as a look into exactly how the band are feeling at the time. In this song they address the problem I mentioned earlier, where bands continue after a disaster and either lose their ability, or else the fans turn against them. They address the Cult of Richey who they know will hate them for daring to carry on without the missing guitarist with the beautiful lyrics 'freed from our memory, escape from our history, and I just hope that you can forgive us, but everything must go'. They know that people will see this album as a betrayal of Richey but they also know that its what he would have wanted, so they bite the bullet and make that unpopular decision.

Some might call this album an MOR flop, a shot at commercial success after the financial failures of 'Gold Against the Soul' and 'The Holy Bible'. However, it is so much more than that. Yes, the songs are accessible and most people you met on the street would be perfectly content to listen to this album. But the songs are still breathtakingly good and retain a dignity that MOR bands like Travis and Stereophonics simply don't have. Admittedly the Manics lost this dignity on the following two albums and have since become as dull and dreary as the bands they once shouted hatred upon, but that doesn't take away from this brilliant album that displays the minds of a band coming to terms with tragic loss and overwhelming despair.

Think of other bands that were popular at the time. Would they have survived without their most popular members? Radiohead without Thom Yorke or Jonny Greenwood? Pulp without Jarvis Cocker? Oasis without the Gallagher brothers? Only the Manic Street Preachers could pull it off. Forget Richey, 'The Holy Bible' was great, but this is better.

The manics have made a sheer breakthrough with this album-thrusting them into the mainstream. As for the tracks some are abstract enigmas, with diffrent and very lryicaly potent meanings. A few of the tracks relate to the recent departure of fellow band member richey james. 'Elvis impersonator' and 'Small black flowers' make a unique use of the harp! 'Design for life' has become a theme for a generation and i certainly want it played at my funeral! 'everything must go' is a superb album and a must buy for all!