Nicky Wire sits down in a German hotel room to pass a critical eye over the VOX writers' Singles Of The Year. He wants to know who's the scariest, why the Americans are so crap... and why the Manics are only at number two.
1. Underworld
- Born Slippy (Junior Boy's Own)
Underworld's feverish discourse on the alch-babble that
follows pub closing time united the masses at Tribal Gathering
and then spread its beery fumes all over the top of the chart,
courtesy of its inclusion in Trainspotting. All this,
and a roaring techno tune, ensured that 'Born Slippy' was the VOX
anthem for '96. Nicky Wire approves - apart from the fact
that said record has kept the Manics off the top.
Nicky: "Beaten to Number One again,
ain't we? Everywhere we go. Mark Morrison, George Michael and now
Underworld. We're doomed never to have a Number One in anything!
I love their album titles, though, and they've got a Welsh bloke!
Trainspotting was a perfect film, and 'Born Slippy' was
a perfect song with perfect timing. The lyrics were good, too.
You can't fail to be moved by a record like that. And that line "Lager!
Lager! Lager!" fits in with our line, "we only
want to get drunk". It's a good correlation. As a
punter, I thought Trainspotting was mega. The only bad
thing on the soundtrack was Sleeper doing a Blondie song."
2. Manic
Street Preachers - A Design For Life (Epic)
For some punters, it was the first time they'd encountered
the guts and glory of the band. For seasoned fans, it was a
heartbreaking statement of class pride and the will to survive.
Written partly as a response to Blur's 'Girls And Boys', which
the Manics deemed "patronising", they transcended this
anger to make a storming defence of the workers' potential and
socialism's original promise of self-improvement.
Nicky: "Along with 'Motorcycle
Emptiness', it's become our universal song now. Wherever you go,
people know it. The lyrical content is something that we're
pretty proud of. Simple as that.
"I think it will stay with us for a long time. We've got to
better, or at least equal it, and that's the hardest part. We're
always confident with our songs, yet when the single came out it
was a nerve-racking time. The fact that 300,000 people bought it
still means something to us."
3.
Prodigy - Firestarter (XL)
The video terrified young children when it was aired on
Top Of The Pops. The Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant wondered
aloud if 'Firestarter' could actually be described as a "song".
And Mark Lamarr was moved to record a hilarious homage to the
Number One on Shooting Stars. Once again, Prodigy had
managed to give us a terrific binge of drama, comedy and
adrenalised riffs.
Nicky: "When we played Knebworth and I
saw 'em live for the first time, I thought they were absolutely
amazing. Especially to get an Oasis audience going with a full-on,
dance attack; That was pretty brave of them. And the fact that
they wear make-up, that always gets me going. The reaction to
their video on Top Of The Pops was a bit like when the
Manics did 'Faster' with the balaclavas on. Prodigy might have
got more complaints."
4. Beck
- Where It's At (Geffen)
A smart sample from Mantronix, some funky organ lines, and a
unique hip-hop demo from the man who described himself in VOX
as an "industrial outdoorsman".
Nicky: "Beck is vastly overrated.
Typical maverick US lyrics that pretend to be intelligent, but
deep down mean absolutely fuck all. I know he's very credible but
I just don't see it - he's got a good haircut and that's about it.
The first time I saw 'Loser' on Top Of The Pops with all
those old geezers and the breakdancing, I thought it was an
absolute pile of shit. Both the albums are really disappointing,
the singles are better."
5. Orbital
- The Box (Internal)
The undisputed dance emperors of Glastonbury several years
running. Orbital followed the overground success of 'Snivilisation'
with a cinematic single. Suddenly the world - and specifically,
the Albert Hall - was all theirs.
Nicky: "I have got to be honest, this
is the first dance record ever that has hit me and has had
something that I liked. It's probably the first dance record that
I've gone out and bought straight away. I didn't even know who it
was when I first heard it on the radio.
"I still don't really know why I liked it to this day. The
video was absolutely fantastic, but perhaps it was the filmic
nature of the song that actually did it. Does the fact that it's
in a minor key make it melancholic? Well, there you are then.
Melancholia's got me again! I still put this record on all my
compilation tapes. That's a good sign."
6.
Fugees - Ready Or Not (Columbia)
Ultra-expensive videos, a geezer that keeps shouting "two
times", and a lyric about "defecating of your
microphone". Pity the poor roadie who has to pack away
the mikes at the end of the night. A sinister brand of dub-wise,
hip-hop, all told.
Nicky: "She's angelic, but they rely
on cover versions too much. 'Ready Or Not' is my favourite off
the album. Normally when I buy dance records, it's an attempt to
try and get into it. I've come round to the Fugees, but with
Orbital it was a natural thing. Their interviews are good, though
I get nervous when religion comes into it so often. They could be
this year's Arrested Development."
7. Oasis
- Don't Look Back In Anger (Creation)
A mere Number Seven in the charts? Noel's vocal highpoint so
far (ignoring The Chemical Brothers' collaboration), it probably
failed to score highly because it was already a familiar album
track this time last year.
Nicky: "I still love the song - I just
love Oasis anyway - but I think this was one of their most
derivative songs. It reminds me of the theme from Whatever
Happened To The Likely Lads? But it still gives me goose
pimples. It's a beautiful singalong.
"I disagree with people who think all their B-sides are
fantastic - a lot of Noel's acoustic songs are very average. They're
incredibly focused and hard-working, though. I think Liam is an
integral part of the danger of the band and I admire Noel's
stamina. There's a great quote from Noel when he read about
Menswear's nervous breakdown: 'They should try being me, pal."
8. 2pac
- California Love (Death Row)
A fearless paean to the roughneck lifestyle in the City of
Angels. Like many things connected to the rapper (the record
label, the lyrics, the video and film performances), this takes
on new levels of irony following his violent death.
Nicky: "When anything like that
happens, it just seems such an incredible waste. Perhaps five
years ago I would've been a bit more blase about it, but not now.
I find it hard to relate to the lyrics and I need to do that with
songs. We had a lot of love for early Public Enemy but the modern
stuff seems very self-indulgent. I'd be lying if I said it was my
favourite record."
9. The
Charlatans - One To Another (Beggars Banquet)
The Charlatans, like the Manics, made the crossover with the
Chemical Brothers/Heavenly Social set - both were viewed as the
progressive and soulful side of British rock'n'roll. The parallel
continues when you realise that both acts were obliged to restart
their careers in '96 without one of their former, pivotal members.
Nicky: "I used to play 'The Only One I
Know' all the time when I was at university. I think James is
friendly with Tim from the Sunday Social. The production is
fantastic - it gives real power to the song. There's something
fragile about The Charlatans. I've always had a soft spot for
them, even though I once said I didn't like the fact that some of
their fans had moustaches. They've made some duff albums, but
have still come back. Tim's so enthusiastic, there must be
something wrong with them."
10. The
Bluetones - Slight Return (Superior Quality)
The Bluetones and the Manics have the same publicists,
causing some consternation therein when this record was mentioned
as one of those that Nicky would be asked to comment on. Seems
that Nicky doesn't care for duffle-coat chic, the Mark Morriss
shuffle, or comfortable jangle-pop. However, on this occasion,
Wire's wicked wit is kept in check. But just for a short while...
Nicky: "This is the best song they've
done by a mile. What I like is that there's a certain kind of
femininity about them. They're not your run-of-the-mill boy band,
but it will be interesting to see if they can come up with a 'Fool's
Gold'. There's obviously a gap that's there to be filled, but it
would be nice to see if they could expand a bit, because they're
a little one-dimensional.
"I do like 'Slight Return', the missus likes it, too. What I
find frustrating is that the album's called 'Expecting To Fly',
which is a Neil Young song. It really gets on my nerves that
everyone nicks old song titles these days. I try so hard to come
up with original titles, but noone else gives a toss.