Know Your Enemy (Manic Street Preachers album)

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Know Your Enemy
Know Your Enemy cover
Studio album by Manic Street Preachers
Released March 19, 2001
Recorded 2000 at El Cortijo, Monnow Valley and Rockfield Studios
Genre Rock, alternative rock, pop punk
Length 75:34
Label Epic - 501880 2
Producer Dave Eringa, David Holmes, Greg Haver and Mike Hedges
Professional reviews
Manic Street Preachers chronology
This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours
(1998)		 Know Your Enemy
(2001)		 Forever Delayed
(2002)

Know Your Enemy is an album by the Manic Street Preachers. It was released in March 2001 on Virgin Records. The album is arguably the band's most inconsistent in style, with its songs ranging from energetic lo-fi rock songs reminiscent of their earlier material to highly produced, more melodic pop songs as well as for example a disco song. The album also features Nicky Wire's debut as a lead vocalist in the song 'Wattsville Blues' and James Dean Bradfield's debut as a lyricist on 'Ocean Spray'.

The album derives its name from Sun Tzu's The Art of War Part III, 'Act Of Strategum', the English translation being "So it is said that if you know others and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know others but know yourself, you win one and lose one; if you do not know others and do not know yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle". The working title of this album was Fidel, after Cuban president Fidel Castro.

[edit] Track listing

  1. "Found That Soul" – 3:05
  2. "Ocean Spray" – 4:11
  3. "Intravenous Agnostic" – 4:02
  4. "So Why So Sad" – 4:02
  5. "Let Robeson Sing" – 3:46
  6. "The Year of Purification" – 3:39
  7. "Wattsville Blues" – 4:29
  8. "Miss Europa Disco Dancer" – 3:52
  9. "Dead Martyrs" – 3:23
  10. "His Last Painting" – 3:16
  11. "My Guernica" – 4:56
  12. "The Convalescent" – 5:54
  13. "Royal Correspondent" – 3:31
  14. "Epicentre" – 6:26
    • "Epicentre" features around a minute-long snippet of a vocal part from the song "Masking Tape" as a hidden track after its ending. "Masking Tape" was eventually released as a B-side for "Let Robeson Sing".
  15. "Baby Elián" – 3:37
  16. "Freedom of Speech Won't Feed My Children" – 2:59
    • On some versions of this album, there is a hidden track recording at 8:40, a cover of "We Are All Bourgeois Now" by McCarthy.

[edit] Personnel

  • James Dean Bradfield – vocals, guitars, keyboards (track 16)
  • Nicky Wire – bass, vocals (track 7), acoustic guitar, backing vocals
  • Sean Moore – drums, programming, trumpet
  • Nick Nasmyth – keyboards, backing vocals
v • d • e
Manic Street Preachers
James Dean Bradfield • Nicky Wire • Sean Moore
Flicker (Miles Woodward)  • Richey James Edwards
Studio albums
"Generation Terrorists" (1992) • "Gold Against the Soul" (1993) • "The Holy Bible" (1994) • "Everything Must Go" (1996) • "This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours" (1998) • "Know Your Enemy" (2001) • "Lifeblood" (2004) • "Send Away the Tigers" (2007)
Singles and EPs
"Suicide Alley" (1989) • "New Art Riot EP" (1990) • "Motown Junk" (1991) • "You Love Us (Heavenly Version)" (1991) • "Feminine Is Beautiful" (1991) • "Stay Beautiful" (1991) • "Love's Sweet Exile/Repeat" (1991) • "You Love Us" (1991) • "Slash 'N' Burn" (1992) • "Motorcycle Emptiness" (1992) • "Little Baby Nothing" (1992) • "Theme From M*A*S*H (Suicide Is Painless)" (1992) • "From Despair To Where" (1993) • "La Tristesse Durera (Scream To A Sigh)" (1993) • "Roses In The Hospital" (1993) • "Life Becoming A Landslide EP" (1994) • "Faster/P.C.P." (1994) • "Revol" (1994) • "She Is Suffering" (1994) • "A Design for Life" (1996) • "Everything Must Go" (1996) • "Kevin Carter" (1996) • "Australia" (1996) • "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" (1998) • "The Everlasting" (1998) • "You Stole The Sun From My Heart" (1999) • "Tsunami" (1999) • "The Masses Against The Classes" (2000) • "Found That Soul" (2001) • "So Why So Sad" (2001) • "Ocean Spray" (2001) • "Let Robeson Sing" (2001) • "There By The Grace Of God" (2002) • "The Love Of Richard Nixon" (2004) • "Empty Souls" (2005) • "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough" (2007) • "Autumnsong" (2007) • "Indian Summer" (2007)
Promos
"UK Channel Boredom" (1990) • "God Save The Manics EP" (2005) • " Underdogs" (2007) • "Ghost Of Christmas" (2007)
Other releases
"Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" (1995)  • "Know Our B-Sides" (2001)  • Leviathan" (2005)  • "The Instrumental" (2006) • "Umbrella" (2008)
Compilation albums
"Forever Delayed" (2002) • "Lipstick Traces" (2003)
Box Sets
Videos
"Everything Live" (1997) • "Leaving the 20th Century" (2000) • "Louder Than War" (2001) • "Forever Delayed" (2002)
Official book
"Forever Delayed" (2002)
Related articles
Languages