The artwork too offensive for the UK..

[The Curmudgeon]

Well, in our supermarkets at least. What's the US equivalent of a supermarket? Uh, you know - a big grocery store that sells everything. Those things.

Well, it's from the Manic Street Preachers new album, Journal for Plague Lovers. Now, this album could very well be number one next week (it'll certainly go top 3 - Eminem and Green Day will be the main competition - go Manics!!) but try finding it in any supermarket in the UK - because you won't be able to, certainly not by artwork recognition anyway. Because this image..



is too offensive for people in supermarkets to see, apparently, and as such the album is being sold in a white slipcase.

The artwork is a painting by English artist Jenny Saville, showing a young girl with a port-wine stain. And, er, that's it. As lead singer James Dean Bradfield rightly argues, you can show magazines with semi-naked girls, CDs with guns etc but you have a piece of art and people "just freak out."

Is there anything even remotely offensive about this?

[Benjamin Haines]

Unless any survivors of the original bubonic plague are still kicking after all these centuries, nobody should be offended by that.

The term supermarket in America typically refers to just a really big grocery store. The big places that sell clothes, electronics, kids toys and everything else on top of groceries (Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart, etc.) typically aren't referred to as supermarkets. Actually, they're not typically referred to as anything. I guess the term "supercenter" is the closest thing we have for them, but it's not exactly an everyday conversation term. They're just big stores, I guess.

[trashcanman]

Well, it does appear to be a child with a bloody face which could upset everyday idjits. But censorship is for losers and that artwork hardly constitutes obscenity. You know, I meant to buy one of their albums, but I have yet to find a store that sells any MSP. To Amazon, then....

Looks like "The Holy Bible" isn't even in print here. Would you recommend the greatest hits album?

[The Curmudgeon]

The Hits album's got some great songs on there, for sure. I remember it received some negative press because it did focus on the bands more successful period and only had one track from the Holy Bible, but it IS a Hits album, after all.

So you can contrast and compare, if you like. This is one of their earlier tracks (available on the hits album), Motown Junk.



and this was the first number one of the new millennium (wow, how positive things looked back then), The Masses Against the Classes (also on the Hits). It didn't have a video.



So if those seem like your bag - make it so.


Back on topic, I remember the Andrew WK album cover



being banned from UK supermarkets as well (they had to remove the sleeve from every copy and turn it around.. how very quaint).

Are the US as timid as the UK in this respect? The only album cover I've ever heard of being "banned" from department stores was Prince's Lovesexy in 1988



which seems really rather tame now. Have you lot chilled out yet?

[Benjamin Haines]

I've seen that Andrew WK album on store shelves before. Not sure about the Prince one though.

[trashcanman]

When it was released, the Andrew WK on actually had a little insert under the plastic wrap that went over the gore. At least in the store where I bought it. No time to listen to those tracks, C, but I'll be back.