1001 albums, concluded

The last album I want to talk about from the 1001 albums series is Manic Street Preachers' Everything Must Go.

With lyricist and anti-guitarist Richey Edwards disappeared and presumed dead in 1995, it all seemed finished for the Manics.

Instead, they regrouped as a trio, wrote the greatest song in history (as far as I'm concerned) and created the rock masterpiece that is Everything Must Go.

For the most part, there's nothing fancy about Everything Must Go. In an interview with Q magazine this year, vocalist/guitarist James Dean Bradfield said that 'there are times when I just want to write a good f**king tune,' and he's done just that twelve times here.

The majority of the album is hard-rocking songs played with pride, and sung with the most ridiculous amount of passion you'll ever hear.

But there are subtle undertones and elements you wouldn't expect. The aforementioned 'A Design For Life,' along with other cuts like the magnificent title track, are accompanied by sweeping strings.

The song which best illustrates how unique the Manics are, however, is opener 'Elvis Impersonator: Blackpool Pier.'

Apart from anything else, opening an album that's predominantly fast-paced with the sound of the ocean and a strummed acoustic guitar is an interesting move. But it's the lyrics which are extraordinary, detailing the suicidal contemplations of the titular Elvis Impersonator.

No other band could come up with that kind of image, few other bands would begin an album with a punt out of left field like that.

Everything Must Go may not reinvent the wheel much, but it's simply a classic album without a single song that needs cutting.