Topic: Let's make Manic's SYMM Top of the Pops

[Rossie]

I have already mentioned this suggestion in another topic and a few people seemed to agree that it was a good idea.  Basically, as you may or may not know, the music charts have been totally changed this year, after the introduction of downloads of new songs counting toward sales (the same as if you bought the single in the shops) last year, they've further changed the rules to include all downloads, even old songs.  This now means that say the Beatles entire back catalog was available on line, then they could conceivably have the entire top ten to themselves. 

To get to the point, what I'm proposing is that we all buy the Manic St. Preachers song, South Yorkshire Mass Murderers, on download. It was was a b side, I was told.  (Not a big Manic's fan myself, you see, though my girlfriend is).  If it was arranged to make it available to download and enough of us bought it in the same, prearranged week, then hopefully we could put it high up the charts and this would be another chance to educate the public on 'the truth'.

I don't know how many downloads would be required to put it up in the charts or how easily this would be to arrange but I thought, as someone said when I mentioned it before, the BBC compile the charts, how sweet would it be to get this to number one.

[Glorious Future]

Good idea.

[Commie Bobbie]

Very Good Idea.

[Glorious Future]

Just in case anyone is considering flagging on this issue, may I exhibit some of the distressing ignorance of some -- and THIS from an alleged LIVERPOOL fan: (sorry for any distress any one feels from this, but it's important to know, I think, that shit like this exists in peoples heads.)

"Rarely have I seen so much use of the English Language to simply say "It wasn't us Guv'.

Unfortunately you start your 'book' on the wrong premise.

Of COURSE it was you. If you hadn't been there, pushing and shoving like raving lunatics to get into a ground , ill-equipped to deal with such a seething mass - those people would be alive today.

Whilst Taylor laid the blame largely on on poor stewarding, and inadequate turnstiles, he did NOT exhonerate the Liverpool fans, save to say that there was no evidence that they were drunk, or without tickets.

As for delaying the kick-off - hindsight is a wonderful thing

You misjudge me when you say that I have never been to any major footbvall matches. I told you that the last match my son saw was Liverpool-Arsenal at Highbury. I have been to many others in my long lifetime, and I ask YOU to remember that the fences that these people were crushed against, were erected because of the hooliganism, prevalent in English football. I have never been able to erase the memory of the sight I have seen personally, and those transmitted to us pictorially, of fans baying for blood on the terraces, and the inescapeable pictures of the Liverpool fans bwehaviour outside the ground on that day.  Just so they shouldn't miss any of the play.

The result was that they missed the entire match."

Personally, I find that shit above staggering.

[Commie Bobbie]

Who was that who wrote that bullshit, Glorious?

[andeeeee]

Who was that who wrote that bullshit, Glorious?

yep agree , who wrote that
my heads in bits at the mo with all the goings on in the last week.
what happened in the 88 semi , nothing ! why was that

[Glorious Future]

I was pointed towards a website/forum by a distressed member of RAWK who had this fella spouting the said shite -- I registered and responded to various crap the fella was coming out with - at great length (dont know why I bother with these sorts tbh). Its an Orange (the phone co) forum:

http://forums.orange.co.uk/n/pfx/forum.aspx?tsn=591&nav=messages&webtag=fs_curraffairs&tid=32118

The thread is about Question Time, the shite starts a few pages before, the above is on page 60.

[Alan_F]

I read that shit on another forum - someone linked to it in the MacKenzie thread. He sounded like a complete fucking whopper claiming to be a Liverpool fan.

[cowtownred]

I read that shit on another forum - someone linked to it in the MacKenzie thread. He sounded like a complete fucking whopper claiming to be a Liverpool fan.

Was this the same wanker, claiming to be an LFC supporter, who first surfaced when Galloway was featuring our campaign on Talksport?  Sounds suspiciously like him.

[Glorious Future]

I read that shit on another forum - someone linked to it in the MacKenzie thread. He sounded like a complete fucking whopper claiming to be a Liverpool fan.

Whopper or not though Alan, (and he's obviously a fucking know-nothing of the highest order) these people are actively engaged in misinforming people, and its because of pricks (to put it lightly) like this that we have to put up with this shit every year/month/day of our lives. Its this that causes distress to the survivors, as you probably know. We were to blame and all that shit. I know we weren't, but the distress I feel at hearing this must be as bad for others.

These people, despite Taylor, despite anything tbh, cause us angst and pain and I now have zero tolerance for it. Theres a complicated process in someone like this believing all that shite. Its political, its geographical, its class driven (though I hasten to add, I KNOW the day of Hillsborough has been shown by the honest and helpful accounts of many not to be a class issue) -- and I believe we have to be aware of precisely what we're up against, if we want peace in our minds.

[Gareth]

What a weapon.

[Glorious Future]

Was this the same wanker, claiming to be an LFC supporter, who first surfaced when Galloway was featuring our campaign on Talksport?  Sounds suspiciously like him.

Agreed. Its too ... particular... in its viciuousness to be common. Perhaps were being too conspiritorial? I dont know.

[Alan_F]

Whopper or not though Alan, (and he's obviously a fucking know-nothing of the highest order) these people are actively engaged in misinforming people, and its because of pricks (to put it lightly) like this that we have to put up with this shit every year/month/day of our lives. Its this that causes distress to the survivors, as you probably know. We were to blame and all that shit. I know we weren't, but the distress I feel at hearing this must be as bad for others.

These people, despite Taylor, despite anything tbh, cause us angst and pain and I now have zero tolerance for it. Theres a complicated process in someone like this believing all that shite. Its political, its geographical, its class driven (though I hasten to add, I KNOW the day of Hillsborough has been shown by the honest and helpful accounts of many not to be a class issue) -- and I believe we have to be aware of precisely what we're up against, if we want peace in our minds.

If it came out like like I was making light of it I wasn't. People like him are in some ways the most dangerous. Bourguois c*nts who have maybe been to one game and know nothing about going to football. The shite he was talking about the faces of fans "baying for blood" is melodramatic bollocks but it reinforces the prejuduces of those who are happy to believe the stories that were printed. You wonder why people like him do that. Like the idiot who said he watched it all happen because he was recording the game.

[andeeeee]

for those who aint seen the lyrics
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/manicstreetpreachers/symm.html

[ds2190]

How would we realistically get it to number-one?

[Glorious Future]

If it came out like like I was making light of it I wasn't. People like him are in some ways the most dangerous. Bourguois c*nts who have maybe been to one game and know nothing about going to football. The shite he was talking about the faces of fans "baying for blood" is melodramatic bollocks but it reinforces the prejuduces of those who are happy to believe the stories that were printed. You wonder why people like him do that. Like the idiot who said he watched it all happen because he was recording the game.

Not AT ALL Alan, I didnt take it that way. You are right, we have to be aware there are people out there who are ACTIVELY ENGAGED in spreading the shit as quick as we are trying to counter it. God knows who they are or why they do it, but they are there. We've heard it - Radio5 and the fuckwit and his video recorder - GG and talksport and Peter (was it?) and his dubious motives (as almost exposed by GG) - they are out there, and the more I read and see, the more I believe there are those out there who are ACTIVE in this.

Be discreet folks. I believe the fucking dark side is plotting. Scuse my suspicion, but I am ... suspicious. Be discreet.

[Ned Kelly]

As a rough average of the past decade, a Number One record has sold approximately 133,000 copies per week. Sales of 25,000 have been sufficient to reach the Top 10 - particularly during early January when sales are traditionally lower.

A couple of thousand should make the top twenty then. I'm sure we could pull that off.

[Ned Kelly]

If it came out like like I was making light of it I wasn't. People like him are in some ways the most dangerous. Bourguois c*nts who have maybe been to one game and know nothing about going to football. The shite he was talking about the faces of fans "baying for blood" is melodramatic bollocks but it reinforces the prejuduces of those who are happy to believe the stories that were printed. You wonder why people like him do that. Like the idiot who said he watched it all happen because he was recording the game.

Had to listen to a lad in work say that we 'killed our own fans at Heysel' . I put the fuckin' beaut straight but this is typical of the shite being spouted.

[Commie Bobbie]

What a weapon.

It's is the ultimate weapon.

Remember, people are influenced world-wide by who is number one in this country (worrying, but true), if they are influenced and want to know what it means, it can only do good for the greater.

[jward85]

Just in case anyone is considering flagging on this issue, may I exhibit some of the distressing ignorance of some -- and THIS from an alleged LIVERPOOL fan: (sorry for any distress any one feels from this, but it's important to know, I think, that shit like this exists in peoples heads.)

"Rarely have I seen so much use of the English Language to simply say "It wasn't us Guv'.

Unfortunately you start your 'book' on the wrong premise.

Of COURSE it was you. If you hadn't been there, pushing and shoving like raving lunatics to get into a ground , ill-equipped to deal with such a seething mass - those people would be alive today.

Whilst Taylor laid the blame largely on on poor stewarding, and inadequate turnstiles, he did NOT exhonerate the Liverpool fans, save to say that there was no evidence that they were drunk, or without tickets.

As for delaying the kick-off - hindsight is a wonderful thing

You misjudge me when you say that I have never been to any major footbvall matches. I told you that the last match my son saw was Liverpool-Arsenal at Highbury. I have been to many others in my long lifetime, and I ask YOU to remember that the fences that these people were crushed against, were erected because of the hooliganism, prevalent in English football. I have never been able to erase the memory of the sight I have seen personally, and those transmitted to us pictorially, of fans baying for blood on the terraces, and the inescapeable pictures of the Liverpool fans bwehaviour outside the ground on that day.  Just so they shouldn't miss any of the play.

The result was that they missed the entire match."

Personally, I find that shit above staggering.

The thing that anyone who is in the know will know about this is that you could have put each individual supporter into the pen one by one at ten minute intervals and the crush still would have happened, the fact is, the pen had more people in than it could hold, due to the fact that the bizzies did not guide people safely and enable a safe distribution of fans into all pens, instead overcrowding the two middle ones. If they had been organised or decisive in their actions, it wouldn't have happened.
SOUTH YORKSHIRE PLOD - MURDERING c*nts, NOT TO MENTION LIARS

[Claire.]

I think this is a great idea, don't know too much about the new rules, but have the OCC binned that 'featured track' rule or would someone have to contact the Manics/Sony to get them to release this song officially as a single, just for download, so it can enter the chart? or doesn't it matter?

As a rough average of the past decade, a Number One record has sold approximately 133,000 copies per week.

Jesus. I thought it was more like 35,000 for a number one, and the cheeky bastards moan about a drop in sales.

[Commie Bobbie]

I think this is a great idea, don't know too much about the new rules, but have the OCC binned that 'featured track' rule or would someone have to contact the Manics/Sony to get them to release this song officially as a single, just for download, so it can enter the chart? or doesn't it matter?

Jesus. I thought it was more like 35,000 for a number one, and the cheeky bastards moan about a drop in sales.

That's was my understanding, you could sell about 5,000 to get into top 20 comfortably. if every member of this forum bought it in one week, it could easily make top 10 if not further.

[Ned Kelly]

Jesus. I thought it was more like 35,000 for a number one, and the cheeky bastards moan about a drop in sales.

That's what it says here but could be wrong.

http://www.ukmusic.com/charts/

[RedMike-86-]

It's a great idea!

However, we need to gain support from thousands and thousands of people willing to buy it beforehand and then nominate a week that we all make the purchase, as if the purchases are spread out it won't get it into the charts in any given week.

You would need thousands upon thousands to buy it though, put me down though!

Also, as a word of caution, if one person buys too many copies it doesn't count and ine band recently were caught with heir family buying shit loads and they were suspended form the charts all together.

[voodoo ray]

Some people's ignorance really does amaze me sometimes. These people spout off what they think as fact when in reality they know the sum total of fuck all.

The facts are out there. It makes me sad really that people don't read them.

The fans were not to blame. End of story.

[Swoop]

It's a great idea!

However, we need to gain support from thousands and thousands of people willing to buy it beforehand and then nominate a week that we all make the purchase, as if the purchases are spread out it won't get it into the charts in any given week.

You would need thousands upon thousands to buy it though, put me down though!

Also, as a word of caution, if one person buys too many copies it doesn't count and ine band recently were caught with heir family buying shit loads and they were suspended form the charts all together.

I think the week begging 9th April would be apt, or if too close for some maybe the week before or after.

[andythecatuk]

I think the week begging 9th April would be apt, or if too close for some maybe the week before or after.

Also giving time to spread the word.  I think it's a top idea...let's make it happen.

[Swoop]

"S.Y.M.M."

The subtext of this song
I've thought about it for so long
But it's really not the sort of thing
That people want to hear us sing

The context of this song
Well I could go on and on
But it's still unfashionable
To believe in principles

South South Yorkshire - mass murderer
How can you sleep at night, sleep at night

South South Yorkshire - mass murderer
How can you sleep at night, sleep at night

The reason for this song
Well maybe it's a pointless one
But thank you Jimmy McGovern
For reminding me of what lives on

The ending for this song
Well I haven't really thought of one
There's nothing I could ever say
That could really take the pain away

South South Yorkshire - mass murderer
How can you sleep at night, sleep at night
South South Yorkshire - mass murderer
How can you sleep at night, sleep at night



Just so you now what were looking at here.

[Swoop]

Just in case anyone is considering flagging on this issue, may I exhibit some of the distressing ignorance of some -- and THIS from an alleged LIVERPOOL fan: (sorry for any distress any one feels from this, but it's important to know, I think, that shit like this exists in peoples heads.)

"Rarely have I seen so much use of the English Language to simply say "It wasn't us Guv'.

Unfortunately you start your 'book' on the wrong premise.

Of COURSE it was you. If you hadn't been there, pushing and shoving like raving lunatics to get into a ground , ill-equipped to deal with such a seething mass - those people would be alive today.

Whilst Taylor laid the blame largely on on poor stewarding, and inadequate turnstiles, he did NOT exhonerate the Liverpool fans, save to say that there was no evidence that they were drunk, or without tickets.

As for delaying the kick-off - hindsight is a wonderful thing

You misjudge me when you say that I have never been to any major footbvall matches. I told you that the last match my son saw was Liverpool-Arsenal at Highbury. I have been to many others in my long lifetime, and I ask YOU to remember that the fences that these people were crushed against, were erected because of the hooliganism, prevalent in English football. I have never been able to erase the memory of the sight I have seen personally, and those transmitted to us pictorially, of fans baying for blood on the terraces, and the inescapeable pictures of the Liverpool fans bwehaviour outside the ground on that day.  Just so they shouldn't miss any of the play.

The result was that they missed the entire match."

Personally, I find that shit above staggering.

Mate I swapped 3 or 4 pmS with a gooner yesterday who couldn't after starting a very offensive thread couldnt understand why asking a question about drunk and ticketless fans at the game was upsetting!  The cheeky git even told me in a PM he was upset that I thought he didn't know the facts about it. 

Some people don't get it.  Unfortunately from talking to a few gooners last week, they skirt around the subject but they seem to still believe in the drunken fans angle.  SYP Cover up well and truly worked in London then!

[Rhino]

Mate I swapped 3 or 4 pmS with a gooner yesterday who couldn't after starting a very offensive thread couldnt understand why asking a question about drunk and ticketless fans at the game was upsetting!  The cheeky git even told me in a PM he was upset that I thought he didn't know the facts about it. 

Some people don't get it.  Unfortunately from talking to a few gooners last week, they skirt around the subject but they seem to still believe in the drunken fans angle.  SYP Cover up well and truly worked in London then!

Mate, I lived in North London at the time and believe me, everyone in London has been taken in.  Was speaking to my dad last night and said I was off to Barcelona and his reply was 'what, to get drunk and cause more trouble'.

My sister still buys the S**, even though I burn any copies when I go to her house.

So if this is the behaviour of people who had a family member at the match, imagine what the others think

[Five Times]

Mate I swapped 3 or 4 pmS with a gooner yesterday who couldn't after starting a very offensive thread couldnt understand why asking a question about drunk and ticketless fans at the game was upsetting!  The cheeky git even told me in a PM he was upset that I thought he didn't know the facts about it. 

I had a PM conv with the same guy. To be fair, I think he just phrased the question poorly - he seemed pretty clued up and was well aware that the fans had been exonerated and didn't doubt the grounds for that exoneration.

[raptor]

If, and it's big if, this could be pulled off it would be incredible. A notice in the echo here with a link, a notice on .tv there and blanket forum coverage I actually reckon top 5 is more than realistically achieveable. I do however think that full agreement from everyone involved and clear communication about dates etc would be required.

[Claire.]

That's what it says here but could be wrong.

http://www.ukmusic.com/charts/

I think I heard it on the chart show itself, and I'm not saying you or that site is wrong, just seemed a big jump as to what I previously thought the 'marker' was.

Nicky Wire from the Manics wrote SYMM, and he is a Liverpool fan, and he might be able to help with a few things, what those things are I have no idea, possible this could raise money for the HJC or something... anyroad, I know people here aren't keen on MySpace (I'm not myself) because of the News International connections, but I've just seen he has one, whether he runs it himself is another question, but could someone who has an account there possibly send him a message and ask him what he thinks or whatever?

He's a lovely guy, so he might lend a hand if he can.

http://www.myspace.com/nickywiressecretsociety

[TomE]

Would fans living outside of the UK still be able to contribute?

Being in Aus, I am more than happy to  do this - I just want to be sure that my song would count!

[The Cappuccino Kid]

Cracking idea.

[Rossie]

for those who aint seen the lyrics
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/manicstreetpreachers/symm.html

Thank you andeeeee, very poignant lyrics.

I think the week begging 9th April would be apt, or if too close for some maybe the week before or after.

Brilliant idea Swoop!

That's was my understanding, you could sell about 5,000 to get into top 20 comfortably. if every member of this forum bought it in one week, it could easily make top 10 if not further.

I think 5,000 could definitely be achievable.  A high chart position is all we need to get some more attention on this issue, as Gareth said below...

What a weapon.

[cowtownred]

I rather suspect Gareth was being a little 'tongue-in-cheek' mate.

Listen, I ain't about to knock any ideas as to how we score some points.. but personally I think we need to be aiming a little higher than a meaningless online pop-chart.

[RedMike-86-]

I rather suspect Gareth was being a little 'tongue-in-cheek' mate.

Listen, I ain't about to knock any ideas as to how we score some points.. but personally I think we need to be aiming a little higher than a meaningless online pop-chart.

Mate, I understand where you are coing from but I work in music, and this would make history! A B side from donkey's years ago never makes the charts unless it is re-released. The coverage wold be huge from a musical point of view alone.

[Swoop]

I rather suspect Gareth was being a little 'tongue-in-cheek' mate.

Listen, I ain't about to knock any ideas as to how we score some points.. but personally I think we need to be aiming a little higher than a meaningless online pop-chart.

Showing your age mate, online sales now go towards the chart that is used by the industry as a whole, therefore it would be The No1 - therefore THE BBC would have to play it!

I had a PM conv with the same guy. To be fair, I think he just phrased the question poorly - he seemed pretty clued up and was well aware that the fans had been exonerated and didn't doubt the grounds for that exoneration.

"To be fair"  Sorry mate but the thread he started, never mind the questions was a fucking disgrace, did you read it? As for him being clued up, if he was he wouldnt have asked such insensitive questions and would have known they were impossible to answer.  Read the Taylor report he tells me, if he had that question answered surely!

[AirdrieRed]

The track SYMM is track 13 on the album 'This is my truth Tell me yours'.  IIRC the Manics were not allowed to put the full title of the song on the album cover after a court injunction from South Yorkshire Police. 

I think this is a great idea to keep the campaign going and I definitely think someone should contact Nicky Wire.  The Manics have a sizeable and loyal fanbase who I am sure would be more than happy to take part in this idea.  When it is further down the line of being organised (date etc) then we should post on their fansite forums to drum up interest