At the time of its release in 1998, THIS IS MY TRUTH TELL ME YOURS was the Manics' most commercially successful album to date. It included the singles "Tsunami", the brilliantly unwieldy "If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next", and the soaring "You Stole the Sun From My Heart".
Despite its success, this album remains true to the anarcho-punk socialist ethic, as the song titles "If You Toleratea" and "I'm Not Working" indicate. Combining trademark social critique and despair with an equally typical high quality of songwriting, there is plenty here to occupy the discerning listener, and though "mature" can often denote a kind of mixed praise, this album could be described as such, in only the most positive way. Songs are more varied and melodic than those of previous albums, making THIS IS MY TRUTH TELL ME YOURS more accessible, but without sacrificing any of the band's searing intelligence and passion. One can only be thankful that the Manics did not keep their promise to do just one album and then disappear.

Aug 2006

The eagerly anticipated follow up to "Everything Must Go" this was initially considered a disappointment despite huge commercial success. It was considered the difficult second album from the "new" Manic Street Preachers and so was a comedown from the critical success of "Everything Must Go" but despite that it remains an important album for the Manics and soon after the initial impact it became clear this was a very powerful album.

It contains many great singles such as "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next", "You Stole The Sun From My Heart" and "Tsunami" plus some truly touching songs like "Born A Girl" and "Nobody Loved You". While it may not be as gritty as the Manics earlier efforts it does show a clear maturing of the band as artists and songwriters and reflects on their own personalities at the time they wrote the album. A necessary addition for any Manics fan that contains some of their most emotional material.

Ryan Evans, HMV Newport

• Mojo (2/02, p.84) - "...The Manics in introspective, but still inspiring, mood..."
  CMJ (6/7/99, p.27) - "...As heart-wrenching as it is studious, THIS IS MY TRUTH...is the work of a band...that has successfully learned to translate the intensity of its experiences into potent musical pomp and circumstance."
  
  Guitar Magazine (7/99, p.96) - "...heartfelt, incredibly detailed, occasionally overwrought work of timeless rock that was also honored with Album of the Year accolades..."

Manic Street Preachers: James Dean Bradfield (vocals, acoustic, electric & 12-string guitars, sitar, melody horn, omnichord); Nicky Wire (vocals, bass); Sean Moore (drums, programming).
Additional personnel includes: Craig Pruess (sitar, tampura); Sally Herbert, Gini Ball, Anne Stephenson (violin); Jos Pook, Claire Orsler (viola); Dinah Beamish (cello); Nick Naysmith (accordion, piano, Wurlitzer piano, Hammond B-3 organ, Mellotron, keyboards, yang-ching); Martin Ditchum, Andy Duncan (percussion).
Engineers: Ian Grimble, Dave Eringa, Greg Haver.
Recorded at Chateau De La Rouge, Motte, France; Rockfield Studios, Big Noise Recorders and Mono Valley Studios, Wales, United Kingdom.
At the time of its release in 1998, THIS IS MY TRUTH TELL ME YOURS was the Manics' most commercially successful album to date. It included the singles "Tsunami," the brilliantly unwieldy "If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next," and the soaring "You Stole the Sun From My Heart."
Despite its success, this album remains true to the anarcho-punk socialist ethic, as the song titles "If You Toleratea" and "I'm Not Working" indicate. Combining trademark social critique and despair with an equally typical high quality of songwriting, there is plenty here to occupy the discerning listener, and though "mature" can often denote a kind of mixed praise, this album could be described as such, in only the most positive way. Songs are more varied and melodic than those of previous albums, making THIS IS MY TRUTH TELL ME YOURS more accessible, but without sacrificing any of the band's searing intelligence and passion. One can only be thankful that the Manics did not keep their promise to do just one album and then disappear.

Equally influenced by glam and punk, the Manic Street Preachers came barrelling out of the gate with enough narcissism and nihilism for both movements combined. Surviving even the mysterious disappearance of their guitarist, the Manics were Wales's biggest musical export since Tom Jones, and, in turn, became the forefathers of a very vocal movement of young Welsh bands in the late 1990s.