Manic Street Preachers

Manic Street Preachers (often known as Manics) are a rock band from Wales. They are known for their intelligent and often political and philosophical lyrics. Although they were characterized as having been a glam punk band during their early career, their music is now considered alternative rock., due to major changes in their sound.

The band initially claimed their debut album, Generation Terrorists, would be the "greatest rock album ever" and would sell "16 million copies" worldwide, or else the group would break up. Although the album failed to achieve such a level of success, the band continued their career, becoming a trio after the departure of Richey Edwards in 1995. Edwards, who preferred to be known as Richey James, mysteriously disappeared in February of that year. In 2008 he was presumed legally dead, although his body was never found.

Throughout their career, the band have headlined major music events such as the Glastonbury Festival, T in the Park and the Reading Festival; they won eleven NME Awards, eight Q Awards and four BRIT Awards. They were nominated for the Mercury Prize in 1996 and 1999 and for the MTV Europe Music Awards. They reached number one on the UK charts 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& #34;, and again in 2000 with the single "The Masses Against the Classes". They have sold more than ten million copies of their albums worldwide.

History

Beginnings (1986 - 1991)

The band - originally named Betty Blue (after the film Betty Blue by French director Jean-Jacques Beineix) - was formed in 1986 at Oakdale Comprehensive School in Blackwood, by James Dean Bradfield (guitarist lead and vocals), Sean Moore (drummer - cousin of James), Nicky Wire (rhythm guitar - brother of poet Patrick Jones) and Flicker (Miles Woodward, bassist). During this period Bradfield had tried writing lyrics, but gave up. expired and Wire wrote all the lyrics. Jenny Watkins-Isnardi, a former girlfriend of Nicky's, has claimed that she was the band's first singer. In 1988 Flicker left the band claiming that they were moving away from their punk roots.

The group, now called the Manic Street Preachers, continued as a trio, with Wire moving on to play bass. In 1989 they recorded their first single, 'Suicide Alley'. The cover art was photographed and designed by a school friend of the group, Richey James Edwards. Edwards' contribution was writing lyrics with Wire, designing record covers and other artwork, simulating playing the guitar on stage, or playing at a relatively low volume (Richey James stated about playing the instrument that he could play anything, but compared to James Bradfield he couldn't play at all) and drive the band to and from gigs.

In 1990, they signed a contract with Damaged Good Records for the release of an EP. The New Art Riot EP attracted media interest due to attacks on the musicians of the day. Manic Street Preachers sign with Heavenly Records. The first single for Heavenly Records - "Motown Junk" (released January 21, 1991) displayed their iconoclastic punk metal influence. The song also showcased its cultural reach with an intro from Public Enemy.

The following year, the band earned a wild reputation - much like the one given to Guns N' Roses or The Sex Pistols - as well as some extremely loyal fans. In interviews they attacked bands like Slowdive (which Richey described as 'worse than Hitler'), Ride and My Bloody Valentine, among other pop rockers from the shoegaze movement and denounced other movements of being in extinction Madchester. The Manic Street Preachers' manifesto stated that they would release an album that would outsell Appetite For Destruction, then go on a world tour, sell out Wembley for three nights, and then break up.

Her love-hate relationship with the press and her use of The Sex Pistols' style of manipulation of the media was documented on her next single for Heavenly Records, titled "You Love Us". They again exhibited her great cultural ambition; the single sampled everything from Penderecki's Hiroshima Victims Train to Iggy Pop. The video, featuring Nicky dressed as Marilyn Monroe, contained visual references to Betty Blue and Aleister Crowley. In a legendary interview with Steve Lamacq, a journalist for New Musical Express at the time, a man known for belittling anything he sees as hype, Richey cuts his arm with a razor blade writing the words "4 Real" (true, not fictional) to prove the authenticity of it. After this episode he was taken to the hospital, where he received seventeen stitches. Soon after the band signed to Sony Records and began work on their debut album.

Generation Terrorists - The Holy Bible and disappearance of Richey Edwards (1992 - 1995)

Their debut album, Generation Terrorists (originally titled Culture, Alienation, Boredom and Despair), was released on Columbia Records. The band toured the world and achieved success in many countries, including their hard-working fans in Japan, but failed to break through in the United States. Possibly this was due to an androgynous, highly intellectual image, and the explosion of grunge, making everything that seemed glam or heavy metal of one day the next it was no longer in fashion. The notes contained a literary quote for each of the eighteen songs (Albert Camus, Sylvia Plath, George Orwell, among others). The album was over seventy minutes long, contained six singles, and sold 250,000 copies, but the band felt they had failed as it did not meet their lofty expectations. Despite everything they had previously stated, the band did not break up. They responded by releasing a separate single (a cover of 'Suicide is Painless') which became their first UK Top 10 hit. From there, the four members began working on a second album.

The live band in 1992.

The second album, Gold Against the Soul, was released to mostly positive reviews and was generally well received. It peaked at number eight on the UK Albums Chart and showed a sound much closer to grunge. The lyrics changed as well, with Richey and Nicky refraining from making any political statements and developing their introspective melancholic streak. One of the tracks - "La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)" -is a tribute to Vincent van Gogh based on Theo van Gogh's comment after the suicide of his brother: "Sadness will last forever." The band also disposed of their glam/punk image, taking on a more dominant look at the time.

Following what the band called "the least focused stage of his career," Edwards' personal problems (anorexia, self-mutilation, alcoholism) worsened and began to take a toll on both him and his friends. the other members of the band. He was taken to The Priory, a clinic for psychological disorders to get over his problems, while the rest of the band played a few festivals as a trio.

The group's next album, The Holy Bible, released in August, maintained critical acclaim but sold extremely poorly. In fact, it sold fewer copies than the previous albums and for this reason it was not released in the United States, despite the fact that there was an American version of the CD (which, on the other hand, was released in Canada) that would later reappear as part of the edition. of the tenth anniversary. Despite this it was considered the band's magnum opera and was frequently voted on lists of the best albums of all time. The album showed another musical and aesthetic change in the group, the casual rocker look was replaced by army and navy uniforms, an image that was gestated at the end of their last tour in the United Kingdom, but which now took on a new meaning. Musically, the band was veering into gothic rock forms, with highly irregular melodies and cold guitar riffs. It was a stark change from their previous work, substituting their radio hard rock for gothic rock influenced by post-punk and the taste of band's musical at the time. According to James Dean Bradfield, they listened to Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures constantly during the recording of the album.

About 75% of the lyrics had been written by Edwards. These had taken a poetic course and were more unsettling than before. That's why they were compared to Nirvana's In Utero album in nearly every critical review, an assessment not entirely unwarranted since Edwards in particular was listening to that album at the time.

To support album sales, the band appeared on Top of the Pops, performing their first single, "Faster". The interpretation was highly controversial at the time, due to the fact that the band was dressed in army clothing. Some people mistook the intentions of the band and thought that they were supporting Irish terrorist groups from the Ulster conflict. The band was later informed by the BBC that they had never received more complaints.

Months later, on February 1, 1995, Richey James Edwards disappeared. He was last seen at the Embassy Hotel in London after checking out and leaving at 7am. m. His car was found abandoned on February 14, 1995 near the Severn Bridge, notorious for being a frequent scene of suicides. "I love you" was the last sentence he wrote in the hotel.

It was never seen again, despite several alleged sightings. However, the band saved their percentage of the royalties in case Edwards returned. The band announced that a breakup was being considered, but with the support of Edwards' family, the remaining Manics went back to work. His first musical appearance since Richey's departure was recording a cover of "Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head" by Burt Bacharach for The Help Album, 1995, in relief of the devastation caused by the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Everything Must Go - Lifeblood (1996 - 2005)

The first album without Edwards, Everything Must Go, contained five lyrics written by Richey solely or as co-lyricist. The positive reviews were numerous. Most of the lyrics were written by Wire including "A Design For Life", a hit that peaked at number two in the UK, becoming a working-class anthem and putting the band at the from other British groups such as Oasis. The band's image changed again, unintentionally taking on a casual Oasis-like image to the point that the message of "A Design For Life" was flatly misconstrued ("We don't talk about love/We only want to get drunk") was intended as a criticism scathing to those who believed that the working classes have no cultural or emotional depth. This verse was mistakenly adopted by many as a drunken hymn. The album was shortlisted for the Mercury Music Awards in the Best Album category, and produced the singles "Australia", "Everything Must Go" and "Kevin Carter".

This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours, from 1998, was successful almost everywhere in the world and gave the band their first number one single: "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next", written about the Spanish Civil War and inspired in equal parts by Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell and Spanish Bombs by The Clash. The album also contained the singles "You Stole The Sun From My Heart", "Tsunami" and the delicate and precious ballad "The Everlasting".

Simple poster "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next".

In 2000 they released the limited version of the single "The Masses Against The Classes" which took its name from a quote by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, William Ewart Gladstone ("All the world over, I will back the masses against the classes": "Throughout the world, I will support the masses against the classes"). Despite receiving almost no promotion, the track peaked at number one on the UK singles charts. The record was a return to his rock roots and was well received by his longtime fans.

In 2001 they became the first popular western rock band to play on the island of Cuba, (at the Karl Marx Theater) and met President Fidel Castro. His concert and trip to Cuba was documented and later released as a DVD titled Louder than War.

In this recital they reveal several songs from their sixth album Know Your Enemy, much more eclectic in the London Calling or Sandinista vein of the it was Clash. The song "Ocean Spray" it was written by James about his mother and her battle with cancer (she passed away in 1999). The first singles from the album, "So Why So Sad" and 'Found That Soul', were both released on the same day (at the time, many reviews incorrectly heralded this as the first time it had happened, though it later turned out that Lush was in fact the first group to release two singles on the same day, a feat they had accomplished seven years earlier in 1994). Another single was "Let Robeson Sing", which dealt with an eight-year period beginning in 1950, when the US State Department confiscated the passport of international concert singer Paul Robeson and with that, his freedom to travel outside the United States (the applause at the end of the song was taken from a recording of a concert he gave over the phone to a group of Welsh miners). When Robeson and his attorneys met with officials at the United States Department of State on August 23, 1950, to ask why it was "detrimental to the interests of the United States Government"; who traveled abroad, they responded that they were told that "their frequent criticisms of the treatment of Negroes in the United States should not be aired in foreign countries." From there, an international campaign to break the travel ban ensued.

The greatest hits album Forever Delayed was released in 2002. It was widely disputed by those who complained that it did not reflect the best songs of the band, but only included the songs that reached the top. on the charts (although after a look at the charts I stated that this was not entirely true). The album featured two completely new tracks, "Door to the River" and "There by the Grace of God" (the latter was released as a single).

An album of B-sides, rarities and cover songs - Lipstick Traces - was released in 2003 after a request from some fans about rumors of a greatest hits CD being released. It included the last song recorded while Edwards was still in the band, "Judge Yr'self," which was intended to be included on the Judge Dredd soundtrack, as well like "4ever Delayed", a song that the band had been playing for years but had not been recorded.

The band's seventh studio album, Lifeblood, was released on November 1, 2004, peaking only at number 13 and appearing on the UK album charts for two months. weeks. The reviews were mixed. Musically, it was a major departure from the Manics' previous albums, though it was heralded by There by the Grace of God. The band played two new tracks from the album, "Empty Souls" and "Solitude Sometimes Is", during their appearance at the Isle of Wight festival in 2004. "Everything Will Be," which the group had played at the 2003 Glastonbury Festival, appeared as a B-side of the single "The Love of Richard Nixon". Tony Visconti helped the band produce three songs on the CD, the release of which was followed by a UK tour which featured a second guitarist backing the band (for the first time since Richey James' demise).

The live band in 2004.

An edition of The Holy Bible, in response to its tenth anniversary, was released on December 6 of that year. It included a digitally remastered version of the original album, an American mix, and a DVD of the live shows and extras that incorporated an interview with the band.

On April 19, 2005 the band played the last show of the Past-Present-Future tour, and revealed that it would be their last for - at least - two years. To thank the fans for coming out, the band released an EP titled God Save The Manics. Around 300 EPs were available and were given to the fans after the concert. Later, when copies sold out, the Manics made the EP available for free download on their website for a limited time.

In July 2005, the BBC's Newsnight conducted a survey among its viewers, covering topics such as albums, books, artwork, among others. The Holy Bible topped the album chart, beating out major albums like Radiohead's OK Computer and Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. The poll said: "The biggest surprise was the triumph of The Holy Bible by Manic Street Preachers, an album that I suspect has never been heard by many of essential employees >Newsnight. In general we are not fans of the Manics".

Send Away The Tigers (2007)

On February 5, 2007 the band announced a major UK tour starting in May. The tour would be to support the release of their eighth studio album, Send Away The Tigers.

A free download of Underdogs, the track from the new album, was made possible by going to the Manic Street Preachers website. The first official single from Send Away The Tigers was "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough", featuring The Cardigans frontwoman Nina Persson. The single peaked at number 26 in its debut week, then rose steeply to number 2 - missing number one by a "few thousand" of sales.

On May 14 of that year, Send Away The Tigers entered the Official UK Albums Chart at number 2 (notably higher than Lifeblood), only being surpassed by Arctic Monkeys' Favorite Worst Nightmare by some 690 copies. On June 6, the band announces a tour in December 2007.

On July 23, "Autumnsong" was released as the album's second single, peaking at number 10 in the UK. A third single, 'Indian Summer', was released on October 1. It entered the UK charts at number 22. In February 2008 at the NME Awards they were given the Godlike Genius award.

Journal For Plague Lovers (2009)

In 2009 the band announced the release of their new album, whose lyrics were written entirely by late member Richey James Edwards, making this the first and only album with lyrics by Edwards alone. This is their ninth studio album, Journal for Plague Lovers. The band decided not to release singles, although they did release the video made for "Jackie Collins Existential Question Time" in his web page.

Postcards From A Young Man (2010)

The live band in 2012.

The album was recorded with producer (and longtime band collaborator) Dave Eringa and mixed in the US by Chris Lord-Alge. It was released in a standard version, 2 CD deluxe, and a limited edition box set. The album cover uses a black and white photograph of British actor Tim Roth.

The compilation National Treasures - The Complete Singles was released on October 31, 2011, preceded by the release of the single "This Is the Day", a cover of the song of The The.

Rewind the Film and Futurology (2013–2016)

In May 2013, they released information about their most recent recording sessions, saying they had enough material for two albums; the first would be almost exclusively without electric guitars. The name of the first album and the title track were revealed as Rewind the Film on July 8.

The album's lead single, "Show Me the Wonder", was released on September 9, 2013 to positive reviews. The album itself was released on September 16, 2013 and reached number 4 on the UK Albums Chart. The album's second single, 'Anthem for a Lost Cause', was released on November 25, 2013.

Futurology, the band's twelfth studio album, was released on July 7, 2014 to immediate critical acclaim. The album's first single, 'Walk Me to the Bridge', was released as a digital download on the day of its announcement, April 28.

The band announced in March 2016 that they would be releasing a theme song for the Wales national soccer team ahead of the Euro 2016 tournament titled "Together Stronger (C'mon Wales)". This was released on 20 May, also featuring a video featuring the Welsh band and crew. All proceeds from the song went to the Princes Gate Trust and Tenovus Cancer Care.

Escape from History and Resistance Is Futile

In February 2017, the band released a preview of a new documentary titled Escape from History, which traces the band's journey since the release of their album The Holy Bible until the disappearance of guitarist Richey Edwards and the huge success of Everything Must Go. The documentary was broadcast on Sky Arts on April 15.

On April 13, 2018, the band released their latest work to date, their thirteenth album, called Resistance Is Futile.

Solo projects

In late 2005, Bradfield and Wire announced that they intended to release solo material prior to a new album by the band. On Christmas Day 2005, the Manics uploaded an mp3 of Nicky Wire's new song titled "I Killed The Zeitgeist" to download for free throughout the day. The sound was completely different from that of the band, with more distorted instruments and Wire's guttural voice. The singles titled "[Break My Heart Slowly" from Wire and "That's No Way To Tell A Lie" from Bradfield were broadcast on the radio. Bradfield's debut single and album (titled The Great Western) were released in July, and Wire's debut single and album, titled I Killed The Zeitgeist, were released in September. (both in 2006). Bradfield published in August 2020 his second solo album, & # 34; Even in Exile & # 34;, a collection of songs inspired by the life of the Chilean poet, singer-songwriter and activist Víctor Jara.

Discography

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)
• Journal for Plague Lovers (2009)
• Postcards from a Young Man (2010)
• Rewind the Film (2013)
• Futurology (2014)
• Resistance Is Futile (2018)
• The Ultra Vivid Lament (2021)

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