Lifeblood

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Lifeblood
Studio album by Manic Street Preachers
Released	November, 2004
Recorded	2003, New York & Wales
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	45:26
Label	Epic Records
Producer	Greg Haver, Tony Visconti, Tom Elmhirst
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Drowned In Sound link The Guardian link NME link Q
Manic Street Preachers chronology
Lipstick Traces (2003) Lifeblood (2004) Send Away the Tigers (2007)

Lifeblood is the seventh studio album by Manic Street Preachers. It was recorded in New York and Wales by Tony Visconti, Tom Elmhirst and frequent collaborator Greg Haver.

Released on November 1, 2004 and preceded by the number two single "The Love of Richard Nixon", the album entered the UK Albums Chart at #13 and only spent two weeks in the top 75.

The album includes a song about Emily Pankhurst a leader in the British woman's suffrage movement ("Emily") but otherwise the band's earlier political lyrics have been replaced by personal reflection such as on the band's past ("1985") and former member Richey Edwards ("Cardiff Afterlife"). The album was also a departure musically, replacing the band's traditional guitar walls with more subtle and melodic playing, emphasis instead being given to keyboards and synthesizers. This results in a softer sound, something Nicky Wire described as "elegiac pop" throughout the recording process.

"Empty Souls" was the second single released and like the previous single, it debuted and peaked at #2 on the UK Singles Chart. No further singles were released. Two tracks recorded during the Lifeblood recording sessions ("Antarctic" and "The Soulmates") remain only on the Japanese version of the album.

A Song For Departure was thought to be the third and last single from the album, as they performed the song on Later with Jools and was more Rock-like, but they wanted to have a break and were dissapointed with the album.

The working title of this album was Litany, hinting that the song 'Litany' recorded during the Lifeblood sessions was originally intended for inclusion. The track however only featured as a b-side to the Empty Souls CD-Single.

[edit] Track listing

1. "1985" – 4:08
2. "The Love of Richard Nixon" – 3:38
3. "Empty Souls" – 4:05
4. "A Song for Departure" – 4:20
5. "I Live to Fall Asleep" – 3:57
6. "To Repel Ghosts" – 3:58
7. "Emily" – 3:34
8. "Glasnost" – 3:14
9. "Always/Never" – 3:42
10. "Solitude Sometimes Is" – 3:21
11. "Fragments" – 4:02
12. "Cardiff Afterlife" – 3:27

[edit] Credits

• All songs written by: Nicky Wire, James Dean Bradfield, Sean Moore.
• Additional lyrics on "Fragments" by: Patrick Jones.
• Keyboards: Nick Nasmyth, Jeremy Shaw.
• Percussion: Greg Haver.
• All tracks produced by Greg Haver, except "Solitude Sometimes Is", "Cardiff Afterlife" and "Emily" produced by Tony Visconti.
• Additional production on "1985", "The Love of Richard Nixon", "Solitude Sometimes Is", "Cardiff Afterlife" and "Emily" by Tom Elmhirst.

v • d • e Manic Street Preachers James Dean Bradfield • Nicky Wire • Sean Moore Flicker (Miles Woodward)  • Richey James Edwards Studio albums "Generation Terrorists" (1992) • "Gold Against the Soul" (1993) • "The Holy Bible" (1994) • "Everything Must Go" (1996) • "This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours" (1998) • "Know Your Enemy" (2001) • "Lifeblood" (2004) • "Send Away the Tigers" (2007) Singles and EPs "Suicide Alley" (1989) • "New Art Riot EP" (1990) • "Motown Junk" (1991) • "You Love Us (Heavenly Version)" (1991) • "Feminine Is Beautiful" (1991) • "Stay Beautiful" (1991) • "Love's Sweet Exile/Repeat" (1991) • "You Love Us" (1991) • "Slash 'N' Burn" (1992) • "Motorcycle Emptiness" (1992) • "Little Baby Nothing" (1992) • "Theme From M*A*S*H (Suicide Is Painless)" (1992) • "From Despair To Where" (1993) • "La Tristesse Durera (Scream To A Sigh)" (1993) • "Roses In The Hospital" (1993) • "Life Becoming A Landslide EP" (1994) • "Faster/P.C.P." (1994) • "Revol" (1994) • "She Is Suffering" (1994) • "A Design for Life" (1996) • "Everything Must Go" (1996) • "Kevin Carter" (1996) • "Australia" (1996) • "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" (1998) • "The Everlasting" (1998) • "You Stole The Sun From My Heart" (1999) • "Tsunami" (1999) • "The Masses Against The Classes" (2000) • "Found That Soul" (2001) • "So Why So Sad" (2001) • "Ocean Spray" (2001) • "Let Robeson Sing" (2001) • "There By The Grace Of God" (2002) • "The Love Of Richard Nixon" (2004) • "Empty Souls" (2005) • "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough" (2007) • "Autumnsong" (2007) • "Indian Summer" (2007) Promos "UK Channel Boredom" (1990) • "God Save The Manics EP" (2005) • " Underdogs" (2007) • "Ghost Of Christmas" (2007) Other releases "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" (1995)  • "Know Our B-Sides" (2001)  • Leviathan" (2005)  • "The Instrumental" (2006) • "Umbrella" (2008) Compilation albums "Forever Delayed" (2002) • "Lipstick Traces" (2003) Box Sets "Six Singles from Generation Terrorists" (1997) Videos "Everything Live" (1997) • "Leaving the 20th Century" (2000) • "Louder Than War" (2001) • "Forever Delayed" (2002) Official book "Forever Delayed" (2002) Related articles Manic Street Preachers Discography Manic Street Preachers B-sides