The Great Western - James Dean Bradfield

This debut album from the Manic Street Preachers frontman is, for those who are initiated in the Manics, a cross between 'This is My Truth Tell Me Yours' and 'Lifeblood' In the sense that there are some strong, European style, cold tracks on here. Like those albums, there are some songs on here which are rather shoddy, the lead single, and opening track, 'That's No Way To Tell a Lie' doesn't really hit the highs that the rest of the album does, most notably in the epic 'Still a Long Way To Go' 'Which Way To Kyffin' and 'The Wrong Beginning'. In terms of musical tone, the album top heavy with backing vocals, which are beautiful in songs like 'An English ...  Read the complete review

Up until Richey Edwards vanished in February 1995, James Dean Bradfield was not seed as the front man of the Manic Street Preachers. Part of a band seen by many as naff Guns N’ Roses and Clash copyists, he was the guitar player and warbler helping the music tick whilst Edwards and Nicky Wire cavorted around in eyeliner and dresses. Then Richey was gone and in 1996 A Design For Life became the nation’s anthem, Everything Must Go slayed the Brit Awards and Bradfield was thrust into the spotlight as part of the UK’s biggest band behind Oasis. He reacted by becoming a fixture of the London bar circuit, walloping blokes trying to steal his taxis and became more ...  Read the complete review