Talk:The Holy Bible (album)

Move to "The Holy Bible"
I think one can move this article to The Holy Bible. It would be possible to add a line like "For the Christian book of worship, see Bible. '' —Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.140.22.64 (talk) 09:55, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Cut-and-paste move
A cut-and-paste move was done on this article (and the talk page) on 18 February 2010 to copy it to The Holy Bible. This move created violations of the copyright licensing for our editors' contributions and has been reverted. If anyone wants this page moved to The Holy Bible, they should follow the instructions at WP:Requested moves to start a discussion. If the consensus is in favor of the move, an administrator will help make the move in a way that preserves the page histories. Thanks. --RL0919 (talk) 15:25, 12 March 2010 (UTC)
 * I've history-merged it. That should take care of any problems. Black Kite 20:16, 12 March 2010 (UTC)

Requested move

 * The following discussion is an archived discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section. 

The result of the move request was: Moved ≈ Chamal talk ¤ 01:45, 24 March 2010 (UTC)

The Holy Bible → The Holy Bible (album) — User's are more likely to be looking for Bible when they come to this page than the music album. So it would be more appropriate to move this page to The Holy Bible (album) and then replace it with a redirect to Bible. _ Kingpin13 (talk) 21:18, 16 March 2010 (UTC)
 * Support I fully agree that the name as is would be one i would search as the book, not the album. Also more specific for the album as well in order to find the article for it. I support this switch. Ottawa4ever (talk) 21:35, 16 March 2010 (UTC)
 * Support. Much, much more likely. StAnselm (talk) 22:46, 16 March 2010 (UTC)


 * A hatnote serves the purpose of disambiguation perfectly well. This is akin to suggesting that The Police should redirect to Police, even though "The Police" is a proper noun referring to one particular subject. In all the time that this title previously redirected to Bible less than a dozen pages referring to the religious work pointed to it, whereas the inbound link count for the album title suggests that several times that number of inbound links to the album have had to be piped. It is more likely that a new inbound link to The Holy Bible (capitalised, with definite article) will refer to the album (which has that proper name) than to the religious work (which predominantly goes by simply "Bible" or "The Bible"). Neither of the supports above does anything to actually back up the assertion made. Chris Cunningham (not at work) - talk 22:50, 16 March 2010 (UTC)
 * But a Google search reveals a) 2.5 million hits, I wonder how many refer to the album? b) "The Holy Bible" is a very common phrase to refer to the Bible, in a way that "The Police" is never used to refer to the police. StAnselm (talk) 01:33, 17 March 2010 (UTC)
 * While a Google hits result for "The Police" is less clear than one for "The Holy Bible", at least half of the first-page results still refer to the Constabulary. Chris Cunningham (not at work) - talk 14:26, 17 March 2010 (UTC)
 * Support. The Holy Bible is the Bible, as revered by Christianity for nearly 2000 years, NOT some routine pop music album. Anthony Appleyard (talk) 23:23, 16 March 2010 (UTC)
 * Support either replace with a dab page, or point to the Christian book of canonized religious texts. 70.29.210.242 (talk) 04:06, 17 March 2010 (UTC)
 * Support This seems obvious from the nominator. —Justin (koavf)❤T☮C☺M☯ 06:22, 17 March 2010 (UTC)
 * Support This one is a no-brainer. Honestly, I was expecting the worst coming here, as I assumed that we were talking about the article about the Bible. Why isn't this a redirect there already? — V = IR (Talk&thinsp;•&thinsp;Contribs) 06:36, 17 March 2010 (UTC)
 * It was a redirect. The section above this one indicates that a page move was proposed two years ago with no opposition. This was eventually carried out the other week. Again, I'm not actually seeing any rationales beyond "this is obvious" from the comments so far aside from a Google results page, which still doesn't explain why a hatnote isn't good enough to disambiguate this. Chris Cunningham (not at work) - talk 14:23, 17 March 2010 (UTC)
 * WP:COMMONSENSE, but that's only an essay. 70.29.210.242 (talk) 03:39, 18 March 2010 (UTC)
 * Stongly support The Holy Bible should redirect to the Bible. Notability, and I don't care about a note for other uses.  The Christian Scriptures are significantly more notable than a rock album.  Squad51 (talk) 22:28, 18 March 2010 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

4st 7lb but not 4st 7lbs
I do not know, what the Melody Maker wrote 1994, but the song is titled “4st 7lb” there is no plural s. There should be a “lb” or if the Melody Maker's spelling was “lbs” ther should be a sic! --Diwas (talk) 20:29, 16 October 2011 (UTC) See Talk:Manic Street Preachers --Diwas (talk) 20:32, 16 October 2011 (UTC)

WP:PEACOCK and WP:WEASEL
Sorry but this material is just awful and impossibly subjective. WP is an encyclopedia, not a fansite, and we have guidelines against this sort of thing (see above), which is why I removed it. "The album won widespead [sic] critical acclaim, and is frequently cited as one of the greatest albums ever made" - what does it mean? How widespread? How frequently? Cited by whom? Greatest of all albums, including every jazz, black metal and grime album? Do you know how many pages make that claim about "described/cited as one of the greatest albums ever recorded" and how it easy it is to find one or two reviews or listener polls where a hyperventilating music critic or random self-selecting electorate has claimed as much for most albums at one time or other? Simply saying it is reflected in the body, or that we're not explicitly claiming it is one of the greatest albums, doesn't cut it.  N-HH   talk / edits  09:00, 27 August 2012 (UTC)


 * The lead section of an article is intended to provide an overview of the body of the article, so it's perfectly correct for the lead of this article to include a one-sentence summary of the "reception" section. Aside from the typo, this sentence appears to do a reasonable job of that, and the questions you raise - fair enough in themselves - can be answered by reading the article. They don't all need to be answered in the summary. If you suspect reviews have been cherry-picked, that should be addressed by bringing balance to the reception section. I don't know how many articles make similar claims, but each one just needs to be examined on its merits. Formerip (talk) 11:15, 27 August 2012 (UTC)


 * There's ways of summarising information for an encyclopedia lead without borrowing the hype of music reviewing and random polls. The point of asking the questions was not because I wanted to know the exact answers, but to demonstrate how meaningless such descriptions are on their own terms. Anyway, I read through a few of the reviews cited here. Most of the ones selected are, unsurprisingly, favourable, some very much so. However, despite all that, none I saw talked about "one of the greatest albums ever made". Four random polls - out of the 1000s of such polls and critics' lists that presumably have taken place around the world - 100s in the UK - over the years are cited, one with it at no 18. Even allowing for the general pointlessness and capriciousness of such polls, and contemporary bias, that is not "frequent". As our guidelines suggest, we should either pick a specific, attributed piece of praise or poll-topping, or summarise what is there more broadly, but factually - eg something to the effect that it has appeared in the top 20 in some recent best album polls.  N-HH   talk / edits 


 * No, "frequent" does seem to be fair. If you browse through this (not RS, but nontheless it seems fairly reliable), you can see that, since The Holy Bible was released, the NME did all-time polls in 2003 (THB didn't rank) and 2006 (THB ranked 37). Q did one in 2011 (THB 21), 2008 (THB 27), 2006 (THB 69), 2003 (THB 18), 2001 (THB 10),1998 (THB 41). Mojo did one in 1995, which didn't include THB (although, let's face it, that poll was never going to include an album less than a year old). Kerrang! did one in 2005 (THB 10). Melody Maker did one in 2000 (THB 15). Classic Rock 2006 (THB 43). The Observer 2003 (THB 99). Uncut, Metal Hammer, Vox, Select, The Word and The Face appear never to have done an all-time poll.
 * As far as the British press goes, at least, I don't see how this can fail to justify the "frequently cited" wording. Formerip (talk) 13:12, 27 August 2012 (UTC)
 * Or, as I suggested, something more simply like "has appeared/continues to appear in [several] magazine best-album polls". That's just as valid a conclusion and wording - the problem is that this whole issue is far too subjective, at every level. Critics or readers contributing to these polls are not defining some objective level of greatness, they are simply telling us what their favourite albums are, most likely from a fairly limited genre pool. When, in turn, the page here uses the words "frequently" and "greatest" and therefore talks about it being rated as one of the Greatest! Albums! Ever! we are adding our own interpretation onto the bare facts. As noted, it's simultaneously boastful and staggeringly uninformative. Are we seriously going to have some variation on this wording for every album that's been noted in the top 100, say, in more than four such polls, including those run by MixMag, Classical Music Listener, Barbershop Monthly et al? Having said that, we seem close to that - this problem is a plague across WP and doing anything about it seems a lost cause. People have too much invested in their favourite bands and albums. It looks as daft as finding "muesli is regularly cited in food polls as one of the best breakfasts ever" on that page  N-HH   talk / edits  15:59, 27 August 2012 (UTC)
 * I'd say general questions about how many appearances in what polls justifies what language or about how comparable albums are to popular breakfasts belong on some other talkpage.
 * In the particular case, we have two proposed wordings:
 * ...in the UK, it is frequently cited in polls as one of the greatest albums ever made. (current wording)
 * ...it has appeared/continues to appear in [several] magazine best-album polls. (your proposal)
 * I really can't see much difference between the two. The main difference is "several" vs "frequent" but, as I said above, I don't see how "frequent" can possibly not be justified in the case of an album that features in 11 out of 12/13 polls it could have qualified for in what seems like a comprehensive survey. Then there's "best" vs "greatest", which I'm happy to give you. There's "appear" vs "cited" which, again, you're welcome to. And there's the word "magazine", but one of the polls cited in the body was for TV. I think "UK" should be specified. Formerip (talk) 17:01, 27 August 2012 (UTC)
 * I get what you're saying... your point is very valid; this article is styled quite different to, say, an article on muesli, which is merely a factual description of the product. I suppose that's because the majority, including me, are more interested in art in this way than, say, muesli (generally). In that sense, though, shouldn't the mere fact that people are so interested in it and that it is one of, if not, the main focus of interest around the subject overwrite any obligations we may have to be strict and make Wikipedia mirror Encyclopedia Britannica, or the like? It's an interesting dilemma: should we be completely factual and write all articles like the one on muesli, or accept that our human nature makes us interested in reading certain things, and just go along with it?


 * I am personally in the latter boat, as it's this very aspect of Wikipedia that made (and still does) me appreciate the website and join in the first place. I think it's one of the things that makes Wikipedia better than the text book-style stuff – personally.


 * But then again, this could all just be entirely because I'm an art fan... Lachlan Foley (talk) 17:42, 27 August 2012 (UTC)
 * And some people are food fans ... anyway, look, I'm a music fan. But whenever I come across this kind of wording, which is transparently put there to squeeze as much out of some critics' descriptions short of actually claiming it as WP's own, my heart sinks. For an album I like, it comes across as desperate or defensive; for an album I dislike, it simply makes me laugh. Pretty much every album, even in obscure backwater genres, has WP editors and critics who rate it - the former will seek out and cite the latter and we end up with thousands of albums reportedly described as "landmark", "a masterpiece", "most influential/best album ever made" etc. As for the comparison noted above between the current wording and my proposal (which btw is not necessarily exactly how I'd prefer it - for example, on reflection, I would add some reference to "rock"; and am more comfortable with the limitation of the claim to the UK), I think there is a difference that goes beyond mere semantics - noting simply that it has appeared in best-album polls reads far less bombastically than explicitly asserting it has been cited as one of the "greatest" albums "ever made". The latter addition in particular is, surely, redundant?  N-HH   talk / edits  09:04, 28 August 2012 (UTC)

Still POV/weasel problems with lead
After noting recent genre changes (see section below) I can't help but notice that this phrase is still here. Sorry, but it really is problematic as currently phrased. It offers no context or even the vaguest attribution.  N-HH   talk / edits  12:48, 23 January 2013 (UTC)

"The Holy Bible received significant critical acclaim, and is considered one of the best albums ever made in the history of music." - Ummmmmm, is this a joke? I mean, it's one of my all-time favourite albums too, but this phrase made me laugh out loud. Is it really appropriate for Wikipedia? Seriously? Why not "It is considered the absolute bestest album anybody anywhere has ever made in the history of the entire universe - BY MILES."
 * If that phrase has ever been in the article, it probably lasted about two minutes. Formerip (talk) 00:10, 25 January 2015 (UTC)
 * Sadly, no, it has lasted a lot longer than two minutes, and these sort of weasel phrases have been removed in the past and re-added by manic Manics fanboys (see what I did there?) who wish to assert forcefully that they are the "BEST BAND EVA!!". I think this page, a long with the other more popular Manics articles, need to be consistently monitored for this. Lachlan Foley (talk) 00:19, 25 January 2015 (UTC)

Infobox genres
The infobox recently acquired a whole set of extra genres here. I know these things are subjective and a little random at the best of times (let's leave aside whether there's even much point when it comes to micro-genres), but I'm not sure about some of the additions: it's not really a punk or gothic rock album as such, and post-punk as a genre is surely fairly time-specific? There may be elements of or nods to those styles/genres on the album but I think it's hard to argue that it falls within them outright. Even if one or two writers have noticed the links – and I'm not sure what the page of the Simon Price book cited says exactly – wouldn't it need something a bit more than that? Otherwise pretty much every album, for example, that features a lap steel guitar on one track suddenly becomes a "country" album.  N-HH   talk / edits  12:46, 23 January 2013 (UTC)
 * NME source notes the "goth music" elements. I also remember reading a book source in which this album was classified as gothic rock; however, I think that'd not be enough for classification. I also think that the hard rock classification is somewhat contradictory to what has been written about this album's style (considering that it is actually a shift from the band's previous hard rock sound). The best would be to keep it as solely "alternative rock", I guess.Myxomatosis57 (talk) 19:19, 10 September 2013 (UTC)

Nicky Wire composing credits
I doubt that the personnel section was actually adapted from the CD sleeve. Allmusic gives also credits Wire as composer. Does anyone have copy of the album/album sleeve to justify the actual credits? Myxomatosis57 (talk) 18:45, 10 September 2013 (UTC)
 * Sorry to contradict, but the personnel section was actually adapted from the CD sleeve. It looks like AllMusic are not distinguishing between words and music and have just listed all band members as "composer". Formerip (talk) 22:04, 10 September 2013 (UTC)

Background section
It is my understanding that the Background section in articles, specifically album-related articles in this case, is to provide a summary of the events leading up to the creation of the album. Does this differ from other people's understanding? Lachlan Foley (talk) 23:32, 24 January 2015 (UTC)


 * And the Background section is present, it is divided in Sound and recording so it meets the definition of Background: a summary of the events leading up to the creation of the album. It is my opinion, I am very much open to hear other opinions in order to improve the article. User:Rhanas Sing! 23:47, 24 January 2015 (UTC)
 * Yes, but there is currently information on the album's recording included under this heading, whereas "leading up to the creation of the album", in my view, means prior to recording. On most articles I've contributed to there is generally a separate Recording heading. Lachlan Foley (talk) 23:53, 24 January 2015 (UTC)
 * Disagree, I tend to include the recording in the  Background section because the album is not finished after the recording, many changes can occur during the recording, and the recording leads up to the album itself. Other people can contribute to this discussion and decide, I made my point. User:Rhanas Sing! 00:01, 25 January 2015 (UTC)
 * At the moment, though, we have a section with only one sub-section, so the section could safely be retitled and the second-tier heading removed. I'd also note that, although the section-sub-section is titled "sound and recording", it doesn't actually talk about the "sound" of the record. It says a bit about music that influenced it and then talks about the recording process. So I would say just title the whole thing "recording". I don't agree that "background" should include the recording of the record. It would be about things leading up to the recording, some of which we have in the article, but not organised into a single section (although I'm not proposing it should be). Formerip (talk) 00:08, 25 January 2015 (UTC)

4st 7lb merge
I propose the merging of 4st 7lb into this article. The song lacks independent notability, and looking at that article's sources there is no reason why this track should have its own article and not any other non-single track, since the sources are all from articles about The Holy Bible and not the track in particular. 165.228.231.15 (talk) 12:12, 25 January 2016 (UTC)


 * Oppose merge. When was indefinitely prohibited from adding notability tags (broadly construed) to articles (discussion on ANI), he took 4st 7lb to AfD the same day. Consensus was clear. It was not delete. It was not redirect. And it was not merge. It was keep. I see that  on your talk page writes that . --Sam Sailor Talk! 23:44, 12 April 2016 (UTC)
 * Yes, this suggestion is from Lachlan Foley logged out. Nothing has changed since the AfD resulted in keep, so there's no reason to raise this suggestion. Binksternet (talk) 01:20, 13 April 2016 (UTC)