To be fair, the comment on the Manics was harsh, but fair at the time.

I don't have the heart to tell Andy how I feel about it, either. Not in detail. Maybe I will when the shine has rubbed off of the album, but not now. I think he'd take it really personally and I'm not going to set out to hurt someone's feelings.

27 is definitely the best song on this album; the Thin Lizzy-style solo is good, and the whole thing is the most stripped down track on the album. Less show-offy vocals, less over-produced. Generally much simpler and less pretentious than anything else on there.