A while back, I talked about how I was just starting to figure out how awesome Manic Street Preachers were, and that I felt I’d missed out on a significant chunk of their career. On the flip side, good friend Lukeh is an absolute expert on the subject and should be considered a super-fan.

So, Mr C plied the man with mango-flavoured beer and demanded that he concoct an incredibly specific playlist of ten songs that would introduce a new fan (me) to the band, digging a little deeper than the obvious but not being too obscure as to be off-putting. All this after a drink or two and completely on the spot with no research.

Easy.

This, then, is the Lukeh-approved new-fan Manics playlist.

1. You Stole the Sun From My Heart
2. Australia
3. Tsunami
4. Little Baby Nothing
5. The Masses Against the Classes
6. Walk Me to the Bridge
7. Some Kind of Nothingness
8. Roses in the Hospital
9. (It’s Not War) Just the End of Love
10. Faster

I must say I really enjoyed the full list and it did help me further appreciate the Welsh band. I want to dig in even further and that can only be a good thing.

I also really like the idea of this version of essential mix-tapes. Apple Music may have their own Essentials Playlists going on but going to the super-fans and getting a specific selection of ten means you really have to pick the very best rather than just the singles. And it’s a great result.