Manic Street Preachers

Manic Street Preachers

Manic Street Preachers in 2010. From left to right: James Dean Bradfield, touring member Wayne Murray, Nicky Wire and Sean Moore
Background information
Also known as The Manics/Manics
Origin Blackwood, Wales, United Kingdom
Genres Alternative rock,[1] hard rock[2]
Years active 1986–present
Labels Columbia, Epic, Heavenly, Damaged Goods
Website www.manicstreetpreachers.com
Members James Dean Bradfield
Nicky Wire
Sean Moore
Past members Richey Edwards
Miles Woodward

Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 1986 in Blackwood and consisting of James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, lead guitar), Nicky Wire (bass guitar, lyrics) and Sean Moore (drums). They are often colloquially known as "The Manics", or simply, "Manics". The former bass player was Miles Woodward, but he ended up leaving the band in early 1988, but later in that same year after the release of the first single "Suicide Alley" they became a quartet when Richey Edwards joined the band as primary lyricist and rhythm guitarist. The first record of the band, Generation Terrorists, they proclaimed would be the "greatest rock album ever"[3] and sell around sixteen million copies around the world, "from Bangkok to Senegal", and then they would split up.[4] The album did not meet this scale of success and the band went on with their career. Years forward the group became a trio when Edwards disappeared on 1 February 1995.[5]

Following Edwards' disappearance, Bradfield, Moore and Wire persisted with Manic Street Preachers and went on to gain critical and commercial success, making numerous appearances and headlining festivals like Glastonbury Festival, T in the Park, V Festival and Reading Festival. The band has won many awards from different publications, including eleven NME Awards, eight Q Awards and have won four BRIT Awards.[6] The Manics have also been nominated twice for the Mercury Prize in 1996 and again in 1999, and they have one nomination for the MTV Europe Music Awards. Apart from their debut, the band have released another eleven albums, and a total of three compilation albums, Forever Delayed, Lipstick Traces (A Secret History of Manic Street Preachers) and National Treasures – The Complete Singles, and have sold more than 10 million albums worldwide to date.

The group has achieved the number 1 spot in the UK three times – in 1998 with the album This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours, and the single "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" and again in 2000 with another single "The Masses Against the Classes".[7] The band's later albums retained a leftist politicisation and intellectual lyrical style while adopting a broader alternative rock sound.[8] Their early combination of androgynous glam imagery, critical social lyrics about "culture, alienation, boredom and despair" and a furious rock sound gained them a loyal following over the years and assured them a cult status.[4]

History

Formation and early years (1986–1991)

The band was formed in 1986 in Oakdale Comprehensive School, Blackwood, South Wales. During this time, Bradfield had tried writing lyrics but this later changed and Wire wrote all their earliest lyrics, leaving Bradfield, alongside the classically trained Sean Moore when he joined, to write the music. The origin of the band's name is unclear, but the most often-told story is that Bradfield, while busking one day in Cardiff, got into an altercation with someone (sometimes said to be a homeless man)[9] who asked him "What are you, boyo, some kind of manic street preacher?"[4]

Original bassist Flicker (Miles Woodward) left the band in early 1988, reportedly because he believed that the band were moving away from their punk roots.[4] The band continued as a three-piece, with Wire switching from guitar to bass,[4] and in 1988 they released their first single, "Suicide Alley". Showing the Manics at their most authentically punk, ‘Suicide Alley’ stands up surprisingly well today, despite the obviousness of its debt to ’77 in general and the Clash in particular. Despite the limitations of the recording quality, this simple paean to youthful escape is a fascinating early insight into both Bradfield’s guitar work and Moore’s live drumming, the latter of which would be absent from the band’s first LP. Compositionally, there are encouraging signs to be found in the hard stop at just under a minute, as well as the song’s furious but controlled final third.[10]

They intended to restore revolution to rock & roll at a time when Britain was dominated by trancey shoegazers and faceless, trippy acid house. They had a self-aware conflicted image and a hard rock sound. After the release of ″Suicide Alley″, the ″NME″ magazine gave it an enthusiastic review, citing Richey's press release -- "We are as far away from anything in the '80s as possible."[11]

After the release of ′′Suicide Alley′′, Edwards joined the band on guitar and often made contributions to lyrics with Wire, designing record sleeves and other artwork as well as driving the band to and from gigs.[4]

In 1990, they signed a deal with label Damaged Goods Records for one EP. The four-track New Art Riot E.P. attracted as much media interest for its attacks on fellow musicians as for the actual music. With the help of Hall or Nothing management, the Manics signed to indie label Heavenly Records. The band recorded their first single for the label, entitled "Motown Junk".

Their next single, "You Love Us", sampled Krzysztof Penderecki's "Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima" as well as Iggy Pop. The video featured Nicky Wire in drag as Marilyn Monroe and contained visual references to the film Betty Blue and Aleister Crowley. In a now legendary interview with then-NME journalist Steve Lamacq, Edwards carved the phrase "4REAL" into his arm with a razor blade to prove their sincerity.[12] He was taken to hospital and received a total of seventeen stitches.[4]

With all this controversial behaviour, the Manics attracted attention of the media in the UK, and with an outsider status they were favorites of the British music press and that helped them build a rabidly dedicated following.[13] Columbia Records of Sony Music UK signed the band shortly afterwards and they began work on their debut album.[4]

Richey Edwards era: Generation Terrorists to The Holy Bible (1992–1995)

Manic Street Preachers in Japan circa 1993

The band's debut album, Generation Terrorists, was released in 1992 on the Columbia Records imprint. The liner notes contained a literary quote for each of the album's eighteen songs and the album lasted just over seventy minutes. The album's lyrics are politicised like that of The Clash and Public Enemy,[14] with the album's songs regularly switching from a critical focus on global capitalism to more personal tales of despair and the struggles of youth. About the musical style of the album Pitchfork writer Joe Tangari wrote that Generation Terrorists "walked a weird line between agit-punk, cock rock, romantic melodicism and glam, and was so obviously patterned after The Clash's London Calling that it was actually kind of cute."[3]

Other tracks combine personal and political themes, implicating a connection between global capitalism and personal struggle; "Nat West-Barclays-Midlands-Lloyds" was written as a critique of overseas banking credit policies, but also concerned Richey Edwards' issues involving overdrafts and refused loans.[15] Marc Burrows of Drowned in Sound considered the song to be an accurate prediction of "global financial meltdown" and its effects on everyday life.[16] The single "Motorcycle Emptiness", meanwhile, criticizes consumerism as a "shallow dream"[15] that makes human life overtly commercialized.[16] "Little Baby Nothing", a duet between Traci Lords and Bradfield, was described by Priya Elan of the NME as a "perfect snapshot of [female] innocence bodysnatched and twisted".[17]

The record contained six singles and sold 250,000 copies.[4] The success of 1996's Everything Must Go at the 1997 BRIT Awards ensured that sales of Generation Terrorists and subsequent albums Gold Against the Soul and The Holy Bible enjoyed a late surge; the band's debut sold an extra 110,000 copies.[4] The band also made a cover version of the song ′′Suicide is Painless′′ which peaked at number 7 in the UK charts, spending 3 weeks in the Top 10, and giving the band their first ever Top 10 hit single.[18]

The group's second album, Gold Against the Soul, displayed a more commercial, grungy sound which served to alienate both fans and the band itself. It was released to mixed reviews but still performed well, reaching number eight in the UK album chart. The album presents a different sound from their debut album, not only in terms of lyrics but in sound, the band privileged long guitar riffs, and the drums themselves feel more present and loud in the final mix of the album. This sound would be abandoned in their next album and as for the nature of the lyrics they also changed, with Edwards and Wire eschewing their political fire for introspective melancholy.

When asked to look back on the album, the band themselves have described Gold Against the Soul as their least favourite album and the period surrounding the album as being the most unfocused of their career. The band's vocalist and guitarist James Dean Bradfield has said "All we wanted to do was go under the corporate wing. We thought we could ignore it but you do get affected."[19]

By early 1994, Edwards' personal difficulties became worse and began to affect the other band members as well as himself. He was admitted into The Priory in 1994 to overcome his problems and the band played a few festivals as a three-piece to pay for his treatment.[4]

The group's next album, The Holy Bible, was released in August to critical acclaim, but sold poorly. The album displayed yet another musical and aesthetic change for the band, largely featuring army/navy uniforms. Musically, The Holy Bible marks a shift from the modern rock sound of their first two albums, Generation Terrorists and Gold Against the Soul.[20] In addition to the album's alternative rock sound the album incorporates various elements from other musical genres, such as hard rock,[21] British punk, post-punk,[22] new wave, industrial, art rock and gothic rock.[4][23]

Lyrically the album deals with subjects including prostitution, American consumerism, British imperialism, freedom of speech, the Holocaust, self-starvation, serial killers, the death penalty, political revolution, childhood, fascism and suicide.[24] According to Q: "the tone of the album is by turns bleak, angry and resigned".[25] There was also an element of autobiographic subjects, like in the song ″4st 7lb″ where the lyrics clearly tackle Richey's own experience and life. The song was named after 4 stones 7 pounds , or 63 pounds (29 kg), because it is the weight below which death is said to be medically unavoidable for an anorexic sufferer.[26]
"Motorcycle Emptiness"
The song has a different pace from all the other songs in the album. The lyrics were written by Richey and Nicky and presents a metaphor for the capitalist world.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

In support of the album the band appeared on Top of the Pops, performing its first single, "Faster", which reached No. 16. The performance was extremely controversial at the time, as the band were all dressed in army regalia. Bradfield wore a "terrorist-style" balaclava. At the time, the band was told by the BBC that they had received the most complaints ever.[27] The album eventually has sold over 600,000 copies worldwide and is frequently listed among the greatest records ever recorded.[28]

In April and May 1994 the band first performed songs from The Holy Bible at concerts in Thailand and Portugal and at a benefit concert for the Anti-Nazi League at Brockwell Park, London.[29] In June, they played the Glastonbury Festival.[30] In July and August, without Richey Edwards, they played T in the Park in Scotland, the Alte Wartesaal in Cologne, the Parkpop Festival in The Hague and the Reading Festival.[31] During September, October and December there was a headline tour of the UK and Ireland and two tours in mainland Europe with Suede and Therapy?.[32] In December, three nights at the London Astoria ended with the band smashing up their equipment and the venue's lighting rig, causing £26,000 worth of damage.[33]

Shortly after, on 1 February 1995, Edwards disappeared from the Embassy Hotel at Bayswater Road in London after checking out at 7:00 A.M. His car was found abandoned on 17 February at the Severn View service station near the Severn Bridge. A car park attendant reported it had been there for three days; a police search of the car revealed that it had been lived in for a few days. Edwards was never seen again, although the band have kept a percentage of the royalties aside should he return. He was declared presumed dead on 23 November 2008 by his family.[34] The band commented that they respect their decision. Manic Street Preachers was put on hold for six months and disbanding the group was seriously considered, but with the blessing of Edwards' family, the other members continued.[4]

Everything Must Go to Lipstick Traces (1996–2003)

Edwards with 4 Real carved into his arm in a discussion with the NME. He disappeared without a trace on February 1st, 1995.

The first album without Edwards, Everything Must Go, was released on 20 May 1996, and debuted on the UK Album Chart at number #2, so far the album has gone Triple Platinum in the UK and is their most successful album to date, spending 82 weeks in the Top 75 with the album still in the Top 5 a year after its release.[18] Containing five songs either written or co-written by Edwards the album was released to overwhelmingly positive reviews. Lyrically the themes were different from their previous effort, instead of introspective and autobiographical tracks such as "4st 7lb", Wire's predilection for historical and political themes dominates, like the No. 2 hit single "A Design for Life". The album was shortlisted for the 1996 Mercury Prize award for best album, and won the band two BRIT Awards for Best British Band and Best British Album,[6] as well as yielding the hit singles "Australia", "Everything Must Go" and "Kevin Carter".

Subjects tackled on the album include the tragic life of the photographer Kevin Carter, on the track of the same name, Willem de Kooning and the maltreatment of animals in captivity on "Small Black Flowers That Grow in the Sky" (which is a quote from the film The Best Years of Our Lives). The latter track, with lyrics by Edwards, can also be interpreted as an exploration of his mental state before his disappearance; the line "Here chewing your tail is joy" for instance may be as much about Richey's self-harm as it is the tormented self-injury of zoo animals. It was their most direct and mature record to date and it established the Manics as superstars throughout the world.[35]

The album has sold over two million copies around the world, and it is still considered one of the finest releases of the decade,[36] a classic album from the 1990s[37] and frequently voted in polls in the category of best albums of all time by many publications.[38]

In 1997 the band performed a special gig at the Manchester Arena for more than 20,000 people. Bassist Nicky Wire said that was the moment he knew that the band had "made it". The recording was released as a VHS video on 29 September 1997, and has only been reissued on DVD in Japan.

This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours was the first number 1 of the band in the UK, remaining at the top of the albums chart for 3 weeks,[39] selling 136,000 copies in the first week and spending a total of 60 weeks in the Album Chart.[18] The title is a quotation taken from a speech given by Aneurin Bevan, a Labour Party politician from Wales.[40] Its working title was simply Manic Street Preachers. The cover photograph was taken on Black Rock Sands near Porthmadog, Wales.[41] Around the world the album also peaked at number 1 in countries like Sweden and Ireland, and it sold over five million copies worldwide.

With their fifth album, the group also had a No. 1 single, "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next". It was written about the Spanish Civil War and was inspired in equal parts by George Orwell's Homage to Catalonia and The Clash's "Spanish Bombs". The album also included the hit singles "You Stole the Sun from My Heart", "Tsunami" and "The Everlasting". The Manics won Best British Band and Album awards at the BRIT Awards in 1999.[6] This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours was also shortlisted for the 1999 Mercury Prize and the band received a further nomination for the category of Best UK & Ireland Act in the 1999 MTV Europe Music Awards, where the band performed live the single If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next.

After headlining Glastonbury Festival, T In the Park and V Festival, the band played the Leaving the 20th Century concert at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on 31 December 1999, the first concert to be held there, with 57,000 people attending and the final song being broadcast around the world by satellite as part of 2000 Today. The concert is available on VHS and DVD. Subtitled English lyrics, available as an extra, contain errors when compared to the official lyrics in the band's album booklets and in between some of the tracks there are interview clips where the band discusses their history and the songs.

In 2000, they released the limited edition single "The Masses Against the Classes". Despite receiving little promotion, the single sold 76,000 copies in its first week and reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on 16 January 2000, being the first new number one of the 21st Century and beating "U Know What's Up" by Donell Jones to the top. The catalogue entry for the single was deleted (removed from wholesale supply) on the day of release, but the song nevertheless spent seven weeks in the UK chart.[18]

In 2001, they became the first popular Western rock band to play in Cuba (at the Karl Marx Theater), and met with president Fidel Castro. Their concert and trip to Cuba was documented and then released as a DVD entitled Louder Than War. At this concert they revealed many tracks from their upcoming sixth album, Know Your Enemy, which was released on 19 March. The left-wing political convictions of the Manic Street Preachers are apparent in many of the album's songs, such as "Baby Elián" as they comment on the strained relations between the United States and Cuba as seen in the Elián González affair, a hot topic around the album's release.[42]

The band also pays tribute to singer and civil rights activist Paul Robeson in the song "Let Robeson Sing", but the song "Ocean Spray", which was a single, was written entirely by James about his mother's battle with cancer. The first singles from the album, "So Why So Sad" and "Found That Soul", were both released on the same day. The final single "Let Robeson Sing" was released later. The Manics also headlined Reading and Leeds Festival.
"If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next"
Contrary to popular belief, there are no live strings on the record. The strings are instead produced by a synthesizer.
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The greatest hits (plus remixes) album Forever Delayed was released in 2002, containing two new songs, "Door to the River" and the single "There by the Grace of God". Several songs were edited for length ("Motorcycle Emptiness," "You Love Us", "Australia," "Everything Must Go," "Little Baby Nothing," and "The Everlasting") so that more tracks could fit onto the CD (though not listed as edits in the liner notes). The album peaked and debuted on the UK Album Chart at #4.[43]

An album of B-sides, rarities and cover versions was released in 2003 entitled Lipstick Traces (A Secret History of Manic Street Preachers), which contains the last song the band worked on with Edwards. The album received a far more positive reception from fans than the Forever Delayed greatest hits album, which was heavily criticised for favouring the band's more commercially successful singles. The only recurring criticism of Lipstick Traces was the exclusion of the infamous fan favourite "Patrick Bateman", from the "La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)" single. The band explained that it was excluded mainly because it was almost seven minutes long and simply would not fit on the album.

Lifeblood to Journal for Plague Lovers (2004–2009)

The band's seventh studio album, Lifeblood, was released on 1 November 2004 and reached No. 13 on the UK album chart. Critical response to the album was mixed. The album was more introspective and more focused on the past, Wire talked about the ghosts that haunted this record and stated that the record was a retrospective: "The main themes are death and solitude and ghosts. Being haunted by history and being haunted by your own past. Sleep is beautiful for me. I hate dreaming because it ruins ten hours of bliss. I had a lot of bad dreams when Richey first disappeared. Not ugly dreams, but nagging things. Until we wrote 'Design for Life', it was six months of misery. Lifeblood doesn't seek to exorcise Edwards' ghost, though, just admits that there are no answers".[44] Tony Visconti helped the band produce three songs on the album, which was followed by a UK arena tour in December 2004. Empty Souls and The Love of Richard Nixon were the two singles released from the album, both reaching No. 2 in the UK.

A tenth anniversary edition of The Holy Bible was released on 6 December 2004, which included a digitally remastered version of the original album, a rare U.S. mix (which the band themselves have admitted to preferring to the original UK mix) and a DVD of live performances and extras including a band interview.

In April 2005, the band played a number of shows as the Past-Present-Future tour – announced as their last for at least two years. The band released an EP entitled God Save the Manics with only a limited number of copies available and given out to fans as they arrived at the venue. After all the copies were gone, the band made the EP available as a free download on their website. In September, the band contributed the new track "Leviathan" to the War Child charity album Help!: A Day in the Life.

Manic Street Preachers live in Brighton in 2004

The band's eighth studio album, Send Away the Tigers, was released on 7 May 2007 on Columbia Records. It entered the official UK album charts at No. 2. Critical response to the album was largely positive, with some critics hailing the album as the band's best in a decade. A free download of a song entitled "Underdogs" from the album was made available through the group's website on 19 March 2007.

The first official single released from Send Away the Tigers was "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough", which features Cardigans vocalist Nina Persson and according to the band they always had a duet in mind, seeing that the lyrics have a question/reply style to it. According to singer Bradfield the title was the last line of a suicide note left by the friend of someone close to the group.[45] The second single, "Autumnsong", and a third, "Indian Summer", were released in August. ″Indian Summer″ peaked at number 22, making it the first Manics single not to chart in the Top 20 since 1994's She Is Suffering. The album sleeve features a quotation from Wyndham Lewis: "When a man is young, he is usually a revolutionary of some kind. So here I am, speaking of my revolution".[46]

The band ended up promoting the album with appearances in the summer festivals like Reading and Leeds Festivals and Glastonbury Festival.

In 2006, a 10th anniversary edition of ″Everything Must Go″ was released on 6 November. It included the original album, demos, B-sides, remixes, rehearsals and alternate takes of the album's songs, spread out over two CDs. An additional DVD, featuring music videos, live performances, TV appearances, a 45-minute documentary on the making of the album, and two films by Patrick Jones, completed the three-disc set.

In the 10th anniversary edition, the band itself claims that they're still fond of the record, and Wire goes further saying: "I think it's our best record, I am not afraid to say that."

The band released a Christmas single, "The Ghosts of Christmas", in December. The track was available as a free download on their official website throughout December 2007 and January 2008. In February 2008, the band were presented with the God-Like Geniuses Award at the NME Awards ceremony.[47]

The ninth Manics album, Journal for Plague Lovers, was released on 18 May 2009 and features lyrics left behind by Edwards. Wire commented in an interview that "there was a sense of responsibility to do his words justice."[48] The album was released to positive critical reviews and reached No. 3 on the UK Album Chart. However the cover of the album generated some controversy, with the top four UK supermarkets stocking the CD in a plain slipcase, as the cover was deemed "inappropriate".[49] Bradfield regarded the decision as "utterly bizarre", and has commented: "You can have lovely shiny buttocks and guns everywhere in the supermarket on covers of magazines and CDs, but you show a piece of art and people just freak out."[49]

Several tracks refer to Edwards' time in a couple of hospitals in 1994. Among them is "She Bathed Herself in a Bath of Bleach", of which James Dean Bradfield said to the NME: "There're some people he met when he was in one of the two places having treatment and I think he just digested other people's stories and experiences."[50] The final track, "William's Last Words", has been compared to a suicide note, and although Nicky Wire rejects this suggestion,[51] Bradfield observes, "you can draw some pretty obvious conclusions from the lyrics."[38] Wire, who admitted finding the task of editing this song "pretty choking",[51] eventually composed the music and sang lead vocals after Bradfield found himself unsuited to the task.[38]

Bradfield commented that Journal for Plague Lovers was an attempt to finally secure the legacy of their former member Richey Edwards and the result was that, during the recording process, it was as close to feeling his presence since his disappearance: "There was a sense of responsibility to do his words justice. That was part of the whole thing of letting enough time lapse. Once we actually got into the studio, it almost felt as if we were a full band; it [was] as close to him being in the room again as possible."[52]

On 18 June 2009 the Manics officially opened the new Cardiff Central Library. Wire later said in an interview with The Guardian that the occasion had been a great honour for the band. "For us, it seemed like a chance to give something back to Wales. Seeing one of our lyrics – "Libraries gave us power", from 'A Design for Life' – inscribed on the opening plaque was in its own way as affecting as playing the Millennium Stadium."[53]

Postcards from a Young Man and National Treasures (2010–2012)

On 1 June 2010, the band announced on their homepage that a new album called Postcards from a Young Man would be released on 20 September. James Dean Bradfield said that the album would be an unashamedly pop-orientated affair, following 2009's Journal for Plague Lovers. "We're going for big radio hits on this one", he told NME. "It isn't a follow-up to Journal for Plague Lovers. It's one last shot at mass communication."[54]

On 26 July, the first single from the new album, "(It's Not War) Just the End of Love", was played on the breakfast shows of BBC Radio 2,[55] BBC 6Music, XFm and Absolute Radio.[56] It was released on 13 September. The title had previously been suggested as a working title for the album by Nicky Wire. Three collaborations were also confirmed on the band's website later that day: Duff McKagan would appear on "A Billion Balconies Facing the Sun", Ian McCulloch will add guest vocals to "Some Kind of Nothingness" and John Cale will feature on "Auto-Intoxication". Of the album's lead single, "(It's Not War) Just the End of Love," Nicky Wire claimed: "I believe in the tactile nature of rock 'n' roll. There's a generation missing out on what music meant to us...You can only elaborate on the stuff that compels you to. But "It's Not War..." is kind of saying, "Alright, we're not 18, but even at 40 the rage is still there".[57]

Postcards from a Young Man was recorded with producer (and longtime Manics collaborator) Dave Eringa and was mixed in America by Chris Lord-Alge.[58] It was released in a standard version, 2 CD deluxe version, and limited edition box set.[59] The album cover art uses a black and white photograph of British actor Tim Roth.[60]

The album was supported by the Manics' most extensive tour of the UK to date,[61] starting in Glasgow on 29 September 2010. British Sea Power were the support act for the band on the tour. Two further singles have been released from the album – the McCulloch-featuring "Some Kind of Nothingness" and the title track "Postcards from a Young Man". "Some Kind of Nothingness" peaked at No. 44 in the UK making it the first ever Manics single to not make the Top 40 since they signed to Sony in 1991.

The band initially announced that their next album had the working title 70 Songs of Hatred and Failure and would sound very different from Postcards From A Young Man: "The next album will be pure indulgence. There's only so much melody stored in your body that you can physically get onto one record. It was just so utterly commercial and melodic."[62] However, Nicky Wire contradicted this in 2011 while doing promotion for their greatest hits compilation National Treasures. When asked why the band was releasing the compilation Wire stated: "It's just the end of an era. Not the end of a band. We're gonna disappear for quite a long time."[63]

National Treasures – The Complete Singles was released on 31 October 2011, preceded by the release of the single "This Is the Day", a cover of the song by The The.[64] On 17 December 2011, the group performed 'A Night of National Treasures' at O2 Arena in London to celebrate the bands 25 years to date, and enter into a period of hiatus where the eleventh album was written. The band performed all the 38 singles in one show, with around 20,000 people attending the show. It featured guests, like Nina Persson from The Cardigans who sings with the band on the single "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough" and Gruff Rhys from Super Furry Animals who sang with the band that night on the track Let Robeson Sing.[65] In April and May 2012, the band embarked on a European greatest hits tour.[66] The compilation was voted by NME magazine as the best re issue of 2011, beating Nirvana's deluxe and super deluxe edition of Nevermind to the top spot.[67]

Despite the "complete singles" title, National Treasures does not contain every Manic Street Preachers single. Notable omissions are the band's very first single, "Suicide Alley" (1989), "Strip It Down" from the New Art Riot EP (1990), for which the band's first promotional video was made,[68] and "You Love Us (Heavenly Version)" (1991). For singles originally released as double-A sides, only one song is included: therefore from "Love's Sweet Exile/Repeat" (1992) and "Faster/P.C.P." (1994), only "Love's Sweet Exile" and "Faster" are included.

On 10 October the band announced via Facebook that a film-interview-documentary about their album Generation Terrorists would be screened at 2012's Sŵn Festival as a Welsh exclusive. The film was shown at Chapter Arts Centre on Saturday 20 October, with all profits being donated to Young Promoters Network.[69] The film was made available in the 20th anniversary re-issue of Generation Terrorists, of which there were five editions: 1. Single Disc edition: Original Album 2. 2 Disc Deluxe edition: Includes Original Album + Demos with DVD of Culture, Alienation, Boredom, Despair (A making of the album) 3. 4 Disc Limited edition (3000 copies worldwide): Includes Original Album, Demos, B-Sides, Rarities, CABD DVD + Replica of Generation Terrorist Tour VIP Pass, 10" Collage by Richey Edwards, 10" Vinyl LP of a rare Manics Radio Performance and a 28-page book from Nicky Wire's personal archive.

Also, if the Deluxe edition was purchased from the London record store "Rough Trade", then alongside the £20 purchase came a free ticket to see a showing of the CABD film, followed by an acoustic gig with James Dean Bradfield on 6 November.

Rewind the Film and Futurology (2013–present)

In May 2013, the band announced an Australasian tour for June and July, that would see them play their first ever show in New Zealand.[70] This tour coincided with the British and Irish Lions rugby tour to Australia and the Melbourne concert on the eve of the 2nd Test featured Lions' centre Jamie Roberts as a guest guitarist on "You Love Us".

In May 2013 the Manics released information about their most recent recording sessions, saying that they had enough material for two albums; the first would be almost exclusively without electric guitars.[71] The name of the first album and title track was revealed to be Rewind the Film on 8 July.[72] In a statement, the band announced, "(If) this record has a relation in the Manics back catalogue, it's probably the sedate coming of age that was This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours."[73] The band also stated via Twitter, "MSP were in the great Hansa Studios in January with Alex Silva (who recorded The Holy Bible with us). Berlin was inspirational... Sean been playing a french horn in the studio today - sounding wonderful."[74]

The lead single of the album, "Show Me the Wonder", was referred to on their Twitter account, the Manics posted, "I think 'show me the wonder' is the 1st ever manics single without JDBs electric guitar on-xx."[75] The single was released on 9 September 2013 to a positive critical reception. The album itself was released on 16 September 2013 and reached No. 4 on the UK Album Chart. The second single of the album "Anthem for a Lost Cause" was released on 25 November 2013.
"Your Love Alone Is Not Enough"
The single features Nina Persson and reached number 2 on the UK Charts.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The other album, Futurology, the band's twelfth studio album, was released on 7 July 2014 and it received immediate critical acclaim. The lead single from the album, "Walk Me to the Bridge", was released as a digital download on the day of the announcement, on 28 April.[76]

Futurology, according to the band, is an album full of ideas and one of their most optimistic yet, as Wire said to the NME magazine in an interview: "There's an overriding concept behind 'Futurology' which is to express all the inspiration we get from travel, music and art – all those ideas, do that in a positive way. 'Rewind The Film' was a harrowing 45-year-old looking in the mirror, lyrically. 'Futurology' was very much an album of ideas. It's one of our most optimistic records, the idea that any kind of art can transport you to a different universe." [38]

The album sold about 20,000 copies in its first week and reached No. 2 on the UK Album Chart. The title track, Futurology, was the second and final single released from the album on 22 September, the video debuted on YouTube on 10 August. The video was directed by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts winner Kieran Evans, who worked with the band on videos from their previous effort Rewind The Film. The band promoted the album with a tour around the UK and Europe from March to May 2014, they also made appearances in festivals like T in the Park in Scotland and Glastonbury Festival in the summer.

Late in 2014 the band celebrated the release of their seminal album ″The Holy Bible″ with a new special edition in December, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the album. This edition includes the vinyl edition of the full album, plus a three-CD set, the first CD with the full album remastered for the special release, the second with the US mix remastered and the third including a performance at the Astoria in 1994 and an acoustic session for Radio 4 Mastertapes in 2014. The special edition also contains a 40-page book full of rare photos and handwritten lyrics and notes by Richey and by the band.[77] In the NME awards 2015, the album won "Reissue of the Year".[78]

They also toured the album, playing it in full for the very first time.[79] After the tour in the UK, the Manics are going to take The Holy Bible tour to North America, in April 2015, playing in Washington DC, Toronto, New York, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago.[80]

Solo work

In late 2005, both Bradfield and Wire announced that they intended to release solo material prior to a new album by the band. A free download of Nicky Wire's debut solo offering I Killed the Zeitgeist was posted on the band's website for just one day, Christmas Day 2005, while "The Shining Path" was released exclusively on iTunes for download. In addition, a promotional album sampler had been sent out to the press and certain other people which included "I Killed the Zeitgeist", "Goodbye Suicide", "Sehnsucht", and "Everything Fades".

The album was officially released in September 2006. It charted at No. 130 in the UK. The sound of the album, which Nicky referred to as his "nihilistic anti-everything album", was inspired by, among others, Neu!, The Plastic Ono Band, Einstürzende Neubauten, The Modern Lovers, Richard Thompson and Lou Reed.[81] Only one official single was released, "Break My Heart Slowly", which charted at No. 74. Nicky toured small intimate venues across the UK with his band The Secret Society.

Bradfield's solo album, The Great Western, was released in July 2006, to positive reviews from critics.[82] It reached No. 22 in the UK. The sound of the album was inspired by, among others, Jeff Beck, Badfinger, Simple Minds and McCarthy. Two singles were released: "That's No Way to Tell a Lie" (No. 18) in July, which was also the background music to the BBC's Match of the Day's 'Goal of the Month' competition,[83] and then "An English Gentleman" (No. 31) in September. The latter is in remembrance of the first Manics manager Philip Hall, to whom The Holy Bible had been dedicated. The initial pressings of the red 7" single were actually made with black vinyl, some of which were sent out to distributors by mistake. James toured the album with a band that included Wayne Murray, who would subsequently play second guitar for Manics live performances. James' solo gigs featured covers of The Clash songs "Clampdown" and "The Card Cheat", both from the album London Calling.

In a later interview, when the band were collectively asked what they had learned from making a solo album, Sean Moore dryly quipped "Not to do one".

Collaborations and covers

Manic Street Preachers performing live in the V Festival in 2007

The band released a split single in 1992 with The Fatima Mansions, a rock cover of "Suicide Is Painless", which became their first UK Top 10 hit.[4] They have recorded many cover versions of songs by other artists, primarily as B-sides for their own singles. Bands to whom the group have paid tribute in this way include The Clash, Guns N' Roses, Alice Cooper, Happy Mondays, McCarthy, Chuck Berry, Faces and Nirvana.

The band's first musical appearance since Edwards' departure was recording a cover of "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" for The Help Album, a charity effort in 1995 in support of aid efforts in war-torn Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Lightning Seeds' song "Waiting for Today to Happen", from their fifth album, Dizzy Heights (1996), was written by Nicky Wire and Ian Broudie. That same year, James Dean Bradfield and Dave Eringa produced Northern Uproar's first single, "Rollercoaster/Rough Boys". The 808 State song "Lopez" (1997) features lyrics by Wire and vocals by Bradfield. It is featured on their greatest hits album, 808:88:98. Kylie Minogue's sixth album, Impossible Princess (1997), features two songs co-written and produced by the Manics: "Some Kind of Bliss" (Bradfield, Minogue and Sean Moore) and "I Don't Need Anyone" (Bradfield, Jones and Minogue) were produced by Bradfield and Dave Eringa. Bradfield provided backing vocals, bass guitar and production for the Massive Attack song "Inertia Creeps" (1998), which features on their successful third album, Mezzanine. Patrick Jones's album of poetry set to music, Commemoration and Amnesia (1999), features two songs with music written by Bradfield: the title track and "The Guerilla Tapestry". Bradfield plays guitar on both songs. Furthermore, the track "Hireath" features a section called "Spoken Word", in which Nicky Wire talks about Welsh identity.

In February 2006, the band contributed a cover version of "The Instrumental" to the album Still Unravished: A Tribute to the June Brides.

In February 2008, the Manics covered Rihanna's hit pop song "Umbrella". Their version appeared on a CD titled NME Awards 2008 given away free with a special souvenir box set issue of NME magazine, which went on sale 27 February. Additionally, the Manics' version of the song was made available on iTunes since 5 March 2008.[47] Despite being chart-eligible (it reached number 47 in the UK),[18] the release was not intended as an official single.[84] Two further versions (the Acoustic and Grand Slam mixes) were later made available on iTunes and now comprise a three-track Umbrella EP.

James Dean Bradfield and Nicky Wire contributed an original song, "The Girl from Tiger Bay", to Shirley Bassey's 2009 studio album, The Performance.

Band members

Current members
Former members
  • Miles "Flicker" Woodward – bass guitar (1986–1988)
  • Richey Edwards – rhythm guitar, piano, backing vocals (1989–1995)
Current touring members
  • Wayne Murray (Catch) – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2006–present)
  • Nick Nasmyth – keyboards (1995–2005, 2013–present)
Former touring members
  • Dave Eringa – keyboards (1993–1994)
  • Greg Haver – rhythm guitar, percussion (2002–2003)
  • Anna Celmore – piano (2002–2003)
  • Guy Massey – rhythm guitar (2004–2005)
  • Sean Read – piano, keyboards, percussion, saxophone (2006–2012)

Discography

Studio albums
Compilation albums

Awards

  • Viewers' Favourite Album of All Time (The Holy Bible) – Newsnight
  • 15th Best Album of All Time (The Holy Bible) – Melody Maker
  • 10th Best Album Since Creation of Magazine (The Holy Bible) – Q
  • 18th Best Album of All Time (The Holy Bible) – Q
  • 10th Greatest Album of All Time (The Holy Bible) – Kerrang!
  • Best Band of 1996 – NME Awards
  • Best Album of 1996 (Everything Must Go) – NME Awards
  • Best Track of 1996 (A Design for Life) – NME Awards
  • One of The Writers' Best Albums (Everything Must Go) of 1996 – The Daily Telegraph
  • Writers' Best Album (Everything Must Go) of 1996 – Melody Maker
  • Readers' Band of 1996 (Runner Up) and Writers' Album of 1996 (Everything Must Go) – NME
  • Writers' Best Live Band of 1996 – NME Brat Award
  • Writers' Best Album of 1996 (Everything Must Go) – Vox
  • Writers' Best Album of 1996 (Everything Must Go) – The Sunday Times
  • Writers' Best Album of 1996 (Everything Must Go) – Sky
  • Writers' Best Album of 1996 (Everything Must Go) and Readers' Best Album of 1996 (Everything Must Go) – Select
  • Readers' Best Album of 1996 (Everything Must Go) – Q Awards
  • Writers' Best Album of 1996 (Everything Must Go) – Music Week
  • One of Writers' Top Ten Albums (Everything Must Go) of 1996 – Metal Hammer
  • Writers' Album (Everything Must Go) of 1996 (Runner Up) – Kerrang!
  • One of Writers' Top Five Albums (Everything Must Go) of 1996 – The Independent on Sunday
  • Readers' Best Album (Everything Must Go) of 1996 – Hot Press
  • Writers' Best Album (Everything Must Go) of 1996 – The Guardian
  • Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song (A Design For Life), 1996
  • Best Album & Best Group – BRIT Awards, 1997
  • Best Act In The World Today – Q Awards, 1998
  • Best Band In The World Today – Q Awards, 1998
  • Best Album & Best Group – BRIT Awards, 1999
  • Best Band – 1999 NME Awards
  • Best Album (This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours) – 1999 NME Awards
  • Best Track ("If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next") – 1999 NME Awards
  • Best Music Video ("If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next") – 1999 NME Awards
  • Best Live Act – Q Awards, 2001[85]
  • Q Merit Award – Q Awards, 2006
  • Best Track ("Your Love Alone Is Not Enough") – Q Awards, 2007
  • God-Like Geniuses – Shockwaves NME Awards, 2008
  • The MOJO Maverick Award 2009[86]
  • Songwriting Prize at the Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards, 2011
  • Ambassadors of Rock - Silver Clef Award 2012
  • Classic Album (Generation Terrorists) - Q Awards, 2012
  • Best Video (Show Me The Wonder) - Q Awards, 2013
  • Musician's Union Maestro (for James Dean Bradfield) at the Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards, 2013
  • Best Reissue of the Year (The Holy Bible) at the NME Awards, 2015

References

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Sources

External links

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