Manic Street Preachers: Smile, It Might Never Happen
Stuart Maconie, Q, December 1994
'THE INTENSE Humming Of Evil', 'Mausoleum', 'Archives Of Pain', 'Die In The Summertime'. Even a cursory glance at the titles will confirm that this is not the new Gloria Estefan album. The cover too, a huge triptych depicting a woman of vast, fleshy dimensions staring, absorbed yet detached, at her own reflection, is hardly the sort of thing that Mariah Carey goes in for.
Total word count of piece: 1546
Best Databases: RBP is Runner-up in Best Niche category
Video: Johnny Marr talks about Rock's Backpages
RBP on Spotify: The Absolute Best o' Burt
RBP Album Club, June 13th: Miki Berenyi and Lucy O'Brien celebrate a Blondie classic
Essential Listening: Mick Gold meets Patti Smith in '76
Essential Reading: RBP's awesome Ozzy anthology
Essential Reading: Nina Antonia introduces her new poetry collection
RBP Album Club, July 11th: Nick Hornby and Nick Coleman celebrate Southside Johnny's debut