Ranking The Manics – Rewind The Film

If there’s one thing in common with the three albums which the band has made since Postcards, it’s the lack of good extra songs and the difficulty I have in ranking the album tracks. While each album is unique in their own way, I just don’t feel the same way about them as I do their first 10 albums. Maybe it’s their age, maybe it’s mine, but I find myself increasingly drawn to everything else than these. These three albums still have many high moments, but I struggle to differentiate between them and if someone on the street asked my to hum a random song from one of them, I’d struggle. Whereas if the same random weirdo asked me to hum something from their first 10 albums and assorted rarities, I’d be able to recreate each note from each instrument, every word, glitch, and vocal inflection flawlessly. In other words, I just don’t know these ones as well. Here’s my ranking for the first of those three:

1. Show Me The Wonder
2. This Sullen Welsh Heart
3. 30 Year War
4. I Miss The Tokyo Skyline
5. Three Ways To See Despair
6. Anthem For A Lost Cause
7. Running Out Of Fantasy
8. 4 Lonely Roads
9. As Holy As The Soil That Buries Your Skin
10. Builder Of Routines
11. Rewind The Film
12. Manorbier

There isn’t a lot to choose from with the B-Sides – they’re all as equally average to me as much of what appears on the album, with a few sprinkled gems. Regardless, here’s my alternative tracklist:

1. This Sullen Welsh Heart
2. Show Me The Wonder
3. TE Lawrence On A Bike
4. 4 Lonely Roads
5. Melancholyme
6. I Miss The Tokyo Skyline
7. Anthem For A Lost Cause
8. As Holy As The Soil
9. 3 Ways To See Despair
10. Running Out Of Fantasy
11. Whatever Happened To The Blue Generation
12. 30 Year War

Let us know your ranking and alternatives in the comments!