Stars: Manic Street Preachers

Summary: The tracklist includes 'Found That Soul', 'Motorcycle Emptiness', 'Kevin Carter', 'Ocean Spray', 'If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next', 'Let Robeson Sing', 'The Year Of Purification', 'Baby Elian', Miss Europa Disco Dancer', 'Wattsville Blues', 'You Love Us', 'Motown Junk', 'Australia', 'Rock And Roll Music', 'So Why So Sad' A Design For Life', 'The Masses Against The Classes', 'Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head' and 'Freedom Of Speech Won't Feed My Children. Also features 'Cuba Documentary' and 'Tour Diary'.

On February 17, 2001, Manic Street Preachers performed at the Karl Marx Theater in Havana as a promotional launch for their KNOW YOUR ENEMY album. LOUDER THAN WAR is a record of that eventful day, both on stage and behind the scenes. The hour-long set includes the hit singles "Motorcycle Emptyness," "Ocean Spray," and "Let Robeson Sing" among others. An accompanying documentary features the band's arrival in Cuba, their meeting with Fidel Castro, a press conference, and much more.

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A month before the release of their sixth album in early 2001, the Manic Street Preachers organised a one-off gig in Cuba. Louder than War contains footage of the entire concert (famously attended by President Fidel Castro), as well as the group's caper around the island. The country was chosen by the Manics because of Cuba's anti-American stance, a position that band members supported and have drawn upon in their material. Superbly produced and edited, the end result however fails to represent the group's visit and views in a positive light. Reading between the lines, it's obvious that their trip was just as much a challenge to Americanisation as Wham's 1985 tour of China. The band verbally acknowledge that communism has always been openly romanticised, however they fail to recognise the extent to which they have done the same with this "promotional" concert, and the subsequent merchandising and PR opportunities. Putting ideological issues aside, the disc provides further evidence of the Manics' flair for live performance. The dulled colours of the visual material create a drab, if somewhat oppressive atmosphere, but add much needed authenticity to the proceedings. The unreleased tour diary sets the scene more comprehensively than the previously broadcast Cuba documentary, which is also contained on this disc. This is a must for all Manics fans, as well as those wanting a non-guidebook (if somewhat romanticised) view of modern-day, urban Cuba.

On the DVD: The disc is stuffed full of bonus material but the extensive track listing does exaggerate the amount of original footage featured (the same live performance material being used both in the "gig" section, and in the Cuba documentary). There's also loads of hidden bonus material that can be accessed by selecting/clicking on the "Bonus Feature" captions that intermittently pop-up: such as their meeting with Fidel Castro, and a full-length version of the Radio Progresso interview. There are breathtaking photos of the guys featured in the photo gallery, and the Manics' discography is particularly thorough (the highest chart positions, the artwork and track listings of all their single and album releases are all included). Furthermore, all of the live footage can be listened to in either Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround or PCM stereo. The menus are relatively straightforward to use, however the utilisation of the group's trademark blocky typeface in the sub-menus occasionally makes it difficult to read/select track names. The DVD-ROM link is also particularly tricky to access, mainly due to the basic and rather confusing instructions provided on the disc for accessing this "exclusive" link.--John Galilee

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Hidden Clips, Radio Interview In Full, Fidel Castro Interview, Discography, Photo Gallery, Hyperlink To Exclusive DVD Website
Year:	2001
Release Date:	September 17, 2001
Runtime:	132 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	2014719
Label:	Epic
Keywords:	Music, Street, War, Rock, Than, Pop, Louder, Performing, Arts, Preachers, Popular, Manic
Genre:	Music/Performing Arts