The Band Of Holy Joy - Manic Magic Majestic
Review by Dr Nancy Malik
Band of Holy Joy's latest album, Manic Magic Majestic, is a powerful and evocative work that showcases the band's signature blend of punk, folk, and spoken word. The album opens with "The Devil Has a Hold on the Land," a haunting track that sets the tone for the rest of the album. From there, the band explores a range of themes, from the personal ("A Revivalist Impulse") to the political ("The Song of Casual Indifference").
The instrumentation on the album is top-notch, with a mix of acoustic and electric guitars, strings, and percussion that creates a rich and textured sound. The vocals are equally impressive, with frontman Johny Brown's distinctive voice delivering the lyrics with passion and intensity.
One of the standout tracks on the album is "Touch," a beautiful ballad that showcases the band's ability to craft emotionally resonant songs. The track features a gorgeous string arrangement and some of Brown's most heartfelt lyrics.
Table of Contents
Download
Filename: the-band-of-holy-joy-manic-magic-majestic.zip- MP3 size: 90.1 mb
- FLAC size: 1023.4 mb
Tracks
| Track | Duration | Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Manic, Magic, Majestic | ||
| You're Not Singing Anymore | ||
| Blessed Boy | 3:42 | |
| Route To Love | 3:02 | |
| You're Not Singing Anymore | 4:13 | |
| Tactless | 4:15 | |
| Manic, Magic, Magestic | 3:38 | |
| What the Moon Saw | ||
| Route to Love | ||
| What The Moon Saw | 2:48 | |
| Bride | 3:11 | |
| Nightjars | 2:50 | |
| Where It Hurts | 3:32 | |
| Killy Car Thieves | 2:43 | |
| You've Grown So Old in My Dreams | ||
| Baubles, Bangles, Emotional Tangles | 3:17 | |
| You've Grown So Old In My Dreams | 2:38 |
Video
The Band Of Holy Joy - Manic, Magic, Majestic
The Band Of Holy Joy - Manic, Magic, Majestic
Images
Catalog Numbers
- ROUGH 125
- 43399 LE
- L 30062, ROUGH 125
- Rough CD 125, ROUGH CD125
- ROUGH 125, 230.4010
- VDP-1528
- VG - GH125, ROUGH 125
- RTD 102
- ROUGH US69 LP
Labels
- Rough Trade
- Nuevos Medios
- Festival Records, Rough Trade
- Rough Trade, Stiletto
- Virgin, Rough Trade
- Rough Trade, Rough Trade Records GmbH
Listen online
- escuchar en línea
- online luisteren
- ascolta in linea
- online anhören
- lyssna på nätet
- kuunnella verkossa
- ouvir online
- écouter en ligne
- lytte på nettet
Formats
- Vinyl
- LP
- Album
- CD
- Promo
- 12"
- 33 ⅓ RPM
Companies
| Role | Company |
|---|---|
| Phonographic Copyright (p) | Rough Trade Records |
| Published By | Copyright Control |
| Recorded At | Sawmills Studio |
| Mixed At | Trident 2 |
| Distributed By | The Cartel |
| Copyright (c) | Rough Trade |
| Glass Mastered At | Nimbus |
| Manufactured By | Victor Musical Industries, Inc. |
Credits
| Role | Credit |
|---|---|
| Artwork | Chris Milton |
| Design | Me Company |
| Engineer | Danny Hyde |
| Illustration | Chris Milton |
| Performer | Adrian Bailey , Alfie Thomas, Big John , Bill Lewington, Johny Brown, Jub, Karel |
| Producer | Nick Tauber |
| Written-By | Holy Joy (tracks: A1 to B5), Jenkins (tracks: A2, A4, B1, B3, B5), Lewington (tracks: B4), Coulter (tracks: A5, A6), Brown (tracks: A1 to B5), van Bergen (tracks: A1, A3, B2) |
| Art Direction | Me Company |
Notes
- Recorded in the summer of 1988 at The Point, Victoria & Sawmills, then mixed at Trident 2 London.
- Track A6 is credited on inside sleeve as K.C.T.
- Issued with printed inner sleeve (lyrics).
- Made in England.
- Track A3 is credited on inside sleeve as K.C.T.
- Side B' label printed track-list is incorrect. Correct track-list is:
- B1 Where It Hurts
- B2 Bride
- B3 Manic, Magic, Magestic
- B4 What The Moon Saw
- B5 You're Not Singing Anymore
- B6 Blessed Boy
- The US vinyl version (like various other vinyl versions of this LP except the UK) includes the uncredited song "Where It Hurts" as track B1. "Where It Hurts" was a UK CD-only bonus track and it not credited on the B-Side label. Song's lyrics are not included as well in the printed inner sleeve with the lyrics.
Barcodes
- Barcode: 5 014644 301251
- Matrix / Runout (Side One, etched): ROUGH 125-A1 L 4 1+R. THE DRIVING MAN C
- Matrix / Runout (Side Two, etched): ROUGH 125-B1 C > CHEERS GEOFF
- Barcode: 5 014644 601252
- Label Code: LC 5661
- Matrix / Runout: ROUGH CD 125 : :MASTERED BY NIMBUS:
- Barcode: 5 01464 301251
- Label Code: VG - GH125
- Matrix / Runout: rough 125 a1 b1
- Barcode (Scanned): 023138006911
About The Band Of Holy Joy
Formed from the ashes of an unrecorded '77 punk band, Speed, Band Of Holy Joy's initial musical forays were largely in the domain of industrial bricolage and occasional bursts of madness. By the time they began releasing records under their own name in the 1980s, the band's humanist tendencies came to the fore, with astounding portraits of people on the periphery, resulting in such classics as Rosemary Smith, Mad Dot and Don't Stick Knives In Babbies Heads. The sharp sensibilities of founder and leader Johny Brown eventually led to a star-making deal with Rough Trade, a few near hits and career momentum shattered when the label collapsed mere days after what might have been the band's breakthrough album.
Slowly, a new Band Of Holy Joy has blossomed. Despite all the expected rock 'n roll trappings - Great shows! Killer tunes! Special guests! - the band operate, well, differently. In some aspects, they're an art collective. Inspired by the possibilities which burst forth after punk, the band's expression takes many forms. Visual artist Inga Tillere plays a large role in shaping the band's aesthetic and live events, and in musical foil James Stephen Finn, Mark Beazkley and Peter Smith, Johny's poetic vision transcends expectations without resorting to desperate reaches into esoterica.
In 2017, they released FUNAMBULIST WE LOVE YOU, a literary examination of the malaise set forth by Brexit, Trump, the rise of the far-right and a general disenfranchisement from most post-war liberal values. It rarely names any names, and it's far from strident, but it's undeniably a record forged by 2017.
The Band Of Holy Joy 2019 model is a sleek beat outfit that owes as much to indie music in the proper sense of indie as it does to the Brechtian connotations of past Band Of Holy Joy incarnations. They have lineage but never dwell on it preferring to forge forward. They have a history too but never let it drag them back. For the past few years they have been quietly growing and gestating and now they have emerged fully reborn with renewed purpose of sound and vision.
Name Vars
- B.O.H.J.
- Holy Joy
- Holy joy
- The Band Of Holy Joy
Members
- Hilary Jeffery
- David Coulter
- Mark Beazley
- Max
- Alfie Thomas
- Brett Turnbull
- Big John
- Johny Brown
- Karel Van Bergen
- Andrew Davis
- Howard Jacques
- James Stephen Finn
- John Jenkins
- William Lewington
- Peter Smith
Summary by Dr Nancy Malik
Comments
2023-04-12
What a wondrous song from one of greatest albums ever released in Britain!
Even namechecks "Halo Jones". Atm ospheric!
Even namechecks "Halo Jones". Atm ospheric!
2023-04-12
Saw them live with Marc Almond And The Cure , 1989 Bari Italy ,fantastic band , GREAT ALBUM and this particular song is one of my favorites from the 80s .
2023-04-11
Had never heard of them but read a review of this album in the Guardian when it was released and they happened to be playing in my town that week so gave it a go. Wow! Saw them several more times in the following years. Hard to define other than... excellent.
2023-04-10
BOHJ Touring in 2021 - Please see below for confirmed dates and ticket links with more to be announced in the coming days and weeks.
Wednesday 4th August - Sydney and Matilda, Sheffield
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/.../band-of-holy-joy-tickets...
Saturday 7th August - 3 Tanners Bank, North Shields
https://www.seetickets.com/.../three-tanners-bank/1957594
Thursday 30th September - Powerhaus, London
https://dice.fm/.../oo66y-band-of-holy-joy-30th-sep...
Saturday 16th October - Westgarth Social Club, Middlesbrough
https://www.seetickets.com/.../the-westgarth.../1808930
Friday 29th October - The Thunderbolt, Bristol
https://www.wegottickets.com/event/512401
Wednesday 4th August - Sydney and Matilda, Sheffield
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/.../band-of-holy-joy-tickets...
Saturday 7th August - 3 Tanners Bank, North Shields
https://www.seetickets.com/.../three-tanners-bank/1957594
Thursday 30th September - Powerhaus, London
https://dice.fm/.../oo66y-band-of-holy-joy-30th-sep...
Saturday 16th October - Westgarth Social Club, Middlesbrough
https://www.seetickets.com/.../the-westgarth.../1808930
Friday 29th October - The Thunderbolt, Bristol
https://www.wegottickets.com/event/512401
2023-04-09
Stunning
2023-04-09
But this is beautiful. It's majestic ??
2023-04-08
Bah....still just me then? ?
2023-04-07
We had fun on that, remember sawmills Johnny boy, and Citroen cars .
2023-04-07
For me, one of the greatest albums ever. Not a dud track. No other band had such an unusual instrumental lineup. Nobody writes lyrics like Jonny Brown.
2023-04-07
THIS BAND WAS ON THE UNDERCARD AT A JAMES CONSET , IT TURNED OUT THAT JAMES SHOULD OF BEEN ON THE UNDERCARD INSTEAD.
The sound of the music was always a joy to me.
The sound of the music was always a joy to me.
2023-04-07
I bought this album when it first came out. Still one of the all-time greatest ever LPs.
2023-04-07
I wish so hard that more people were finding this band.Poetic words, swishy swirly sounds so perfect for slightly drunk and happy folks ?
2023-04-06
Muy wena banda muy de los shabos . yupi
: v
: v
2023-04-05
Love love love this song, its just made the shortlist for my dessert island playlist
2023-04-04
where's the fucking lyrics !! can't find them anywhere...
2023-04-04
Amoooooooooooooooooooo
2023-04-03
Never twigged it before but yes I can hear Soft Cell in this song too and nothing wrong with that! Well done busterabcat below..
2023-04-03
One of the best albums of the time
2023-04-03
As the disk name itself says: Manic, Magic, Majestic
2023-04-03
Band Of Holy Joy, you are fabulous, fantastic , incredible etc, right finally got the chance to tell you
2023-04-02
The album is a masterpiece. We're lucky to have heard it, don't argue folks.
2023-04-01
SOFT CELL COMPARISONS????YOU MUST NOT BE HEARING WHAT I'M HEARING. THATS AN INSULT TO THE BAND....AND A COMPLIMENT TO SOFT CELL
2023-03-31
VERY UNIQUE BAND. I COMPARE THEM TO NO ONE. THEY STAND ALONE IN THIS SEA OF SOUND...I ADORE THEM STILL AFTER ALL THESE YEARS...
2023-03-31
I agree with wheelygood9 wholeheartedly..... not only is this album BOHJ's masterpiece, it's probably one of the greatest albums ever made in my opinion. It's so powerful and emotional - with the songs working on so many different levels. It's a great record to play when you're feeling a bit low, cos the incredible music actually LIFTS YOU UP to giddy heights and makes you feel totally invincible such that you can tell the world to go f*** itself!!!
2023-03-30
Can definitely see the Soft Cell comparisons (it's the vocals and some of the 'in the gutter gazing up at the stars' lyrical themes), but Holy Joy are far more esoteric .... they can make being the serial underdog seem so attractive with their tunes about the big city. There has been no other band like them before or since. Forget Jake Shillingford's My Life Story, Anthony Reynold's Jack and the rest - none can hold a candle to the mighty Holy Joy of yore!!!
2023-03-30
This album is The Band of Holy Joys' masterpiece, every song kicks ass.x
