Rarities compilations are usually just an excuse for a record company to make a quick buck. When it comes to a band as important as the Manic Street Preachers, however, even the most obscure recordings can be of artistic interest. Lipstick Traces does a fine job of tying up the loose ends of the Welsh revolutionaries' career, rounding up their B-sides, non-album singles and no fewer than 15 cover versions in a neatly-packaged double CD compilation. Among the highlights are 'Judge Y'rself', the last song ever written with the ill-fated Richey Edwards, and the half-forgotten single '4 Ever Delayed', which finds the band at their most fiercely polemical. Elsewhere, versions of Burt Bacharach and Andy Williams songs show that behind their punk roots, James Dean Bradfield and co. had more than a soft spot for the kings of easy listening. If you're new to the Manics, this is hardly the place to start - but as an historic document, it's pretty much flawless.
