The Holy Bible - Album
The Holy Bible (Album) by Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers>
Artist Biography For Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers Is An Alternative Rock Band From Blackwood Wales Formed In 1986. Often Referred To As "the Manics" They Are James Dean Bradfield Vocals Guitars Nicky Wire Bass Occasional Vocals And Sean Moore Drums Backing Vocals Occasional Trumpet . The Band Were Originally A Quartet Lyricist And Rhythm Guitarist Richey Edwards Mysteriously Vanished On 1 February 1995. He Was Declared Presumed Deceased In November 2008. The Manics Released Their Debut Album Generation Terrorists In 1992. Their Combination Of Androgynous Glam Punk Imagery Outspoken Invective And Songs About "culture Alienation Boredom And Despair" Soon Gained Them A Loyal Following And Cult Status. The Band's Later Albums Retained A Politicized And Intellectual Lyrical Style While Adopting A Broader Alternative Rock Sound. Enigmatic Lyricist Richey Edwards Gained Early Notoriety By Carving The Words "4 REAL" Into His Arm With A Razor Blade Narrowly Missing An Artery And Requiring Seventeen Stitches In Response To The Suggestion That The Band Were Less Than Authentic. The Dark Nature Of 1994's The Holy Bible Reflected The Culmination Of Edwards' Instability. Following Edwards' Disappearance Bradfield Moore And Wire Persisted With The Manic Street Preachers And Went On To Gain Critical And Commercial Success Becoming One Of Britain's Premier Rock Bands. They Have Had Eight Top Ten Albums And Fifteen Top Ten Singles. They Have Reached Number One Three Times With Their 1998 Album This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours And The Singles "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" 1998 And "The Masses Against The Classes" 2000 . The Masses Against The Classes Songfacts Reports That The Latter Was The First UK #1 Of 2000. They Have Also Won The Best British Album And Best British Group Accolades At The BRIT Awards In 1997 And 1999 And Were Lauded By The NME For Their Lifetime Achievements In 2008. Their Ninth Studio Album Journal For Plague Lovers Was Released On 18th May 2009 And Features Lyrics Edwards Had Left Behind To The Band Weeks Before His Disappearance. They Came Together In 1986 When James Dean Bradfield Nicky Wire Sean Moore And Rhythm Guitarist Flicker Formed Betty Blue In The Small South Wales Town Of Blackwood. Two Years Later Flicker Had Left And Nicky's Friend Richey Edwards Previously The Group's Driver Joined In His Place. Richey Would Later Say In Vox Magazine "If You Built A Museum To Represent Blackwood All You Could Put In It Would Be Shit. We Used To Meet By This Opening Called Pen-Y-Fan. It Was Built When The Mines Closed Down But Now The Water Has Turned Green And Slimy. They Put 2 000 Fish In It But They Died. There's A Whirlpool In The Middle Where About Two People Die Every Year". A Bleak Image Then But It Provided The Necessary Fuel To Drive The Band. Inspired By The Passion Of The Clash And Moved By Thatcher's Suppression Of The Miners The Band's Lyrics Exploded With Politicised Anger. Their First Single The Self-Financed Suicide Alley Didn't Make Great Waves And The Band Moved To London. There They Found A Sympathetic Character In The Form Of Bob Stanley Later A Member Of St Etienne But Then A Freelancer For The Melody Maker. Stanley Released A Collection Of Their Demos As The New Art Riot EP In June 1990. It Caught The Attention Of Philip Hall Who Became Their Publicist And Co-Manager. In Early 1991 Heavenly Released Motown Junk An Inspired Three-Minute Punk Blast. Later That Year It Was Followed By You Love Us A Swaggering Arrogant Self-Regarding Slice Of Brilliance. The Manics Paved The Way For A Resurgence Of Guitar Bands In Wales. In The Press They Were Forced To Live With Punning Headlines Referring To Sheep Boyos And Leeks - They Got All The Clichés Out Of The Way So The Bands Of The So-Called Cool Cymru Would Be Taken More Seriously. Yet Their Image Often Overshadowed The Music. On 15 May 1991 Came A Turning Point For The Manics. Following A Gig At Norwich Arts Centre Steve Lamacq Then Writing For The NME Argued With The Band That They Were A Cartoon Band - Not Real Punks. The Band Refuted This But Still Lamacq Persisted. Frustrated Richey Edwards Took A Razor And Calmly Carved The Words 4 REAL Into His Forearm. Lamacq Was Horrified Richey Needed 17 Stitches. Six Days Later The Manics Signed To Sony. Richey Had Suffered From Depression For Many Years And Self-Mutilation Had Become Increasingly Common For Him. But The Norwich Incident Was The First Time The Guitarist Had Aired His Emotional Problems In Public. In February 1992 The Debut Album Generation Terrorists Was Released. Heavily Influenced By Appetite For Destruction Richey Said Of It "We Wanted To Sign To The Biggest Record Label In The World Put Out A Debut Album That Would Sell 20 Million And Then Break Up. Get Massive And Then Just Throw It All Away". The Album Sold 250 000 Copies Worldwide. Predictably They Didn't Split Up But The Album Polarised Opinion Between Those That Saw Them As The New Saviours Of Rock And Roll And Detractors Who Considered Them Contrived And Insincere. Not That The Manics Cared They Were Off On Their First American Tour Shortly After The LA Riots And Singles Such As Slash 'N' Burn And Motorcycle Emptiness Were Climbing Up The Charts. The Second Manics Album Was Released In June 1993. Gold Against The Soul Was Overproduced And Less Passionate But Did Contain The Classic Songs La Tristesse Durera Scream To A Sigh And From Despair To Where. However They Also Chose To Support Bon Jovi For A String Of Unwise Live Dates. The Troubles Continued With The Death On 7 December 1993 Of Their Mentor Philip Hall Who Had Been Battling Cancer For Two Years. Meanwhile Richey's Problems Were Worsening. Weighing Less Than Six Stone And Subjecting His Body To Drinking And Cutting Binges He Was Eventually Admitted To The Priory In Roehampton. Richey's Despair Was Documented In What Is Now Considered The Manics' Masterpiece 1994's 'The Holy Bible'. Unremittingly Bleak The Opening Song Yes Contained The Lines "I Eat And I Dress And I Wash And I Still Can Say Thank You / Puking Shaking Sinking / Can't Shout Can't Scream I Hurt Myself To Get Pain Out". The Song Was About Prostitution But Every Line Emanated From Richey's Fragile State Of Mind. He Rejoined The Band For Tours With Therapy? And Suede And An Early Incarnation Of Vitriol I.D. In Europe And A Series Of Frantic Shows At The London Astoria In December. The Final Night Saw Them Destroying 10 000 Worth Of Their Equipment. "We'll Never Be That Good Again " Said Nicky After The Event. It Was Also Their Last Live Appearance As A Four-Piece. Although They Had Never Found Transatlantic Success At The Beginning Of 1995 They Were Preparing To Give America One Last Try. However On 1 February Richey Walked Out Of The Embassy Hotel In London And Never Returned. His Passport And Money Were Found In His Cardiff Bay Flat And Two Weeks Later His Car Was Discovered Beside The Severn Bridge - A Notorious Local Suicide Spot. The File On His Disappearance Remains Open. "We Decided To Carry On In April " Said Nicky Wire In The Guardian "after Two Months Of Waiting By The Phone And Feeling Ill And Exhausted. We Thought We'd Been So Close And In The End We Couldn't Do Anything For Him." September Saw The Band Record A Cover Of Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head For The War Child "Help" Album And By January 1996 The Manics Were Recording Their Comeback Album 'Everything Must Go'. It Was Released On 20 May To Critical Acclaim Went Double Platinum And Yielded Four Top Ten Singles 'A Design For Life' The Title Track 'Kevin Carter' And 'Australia'. The Sound Represents A Cross Between The Heavy Rock Of 'Gold Against The Soul' And A New Less Agressive Almost Britpop Like Sound. Two Brit Awards Later They Released The LP This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours Which Gave The Band Their First Number One Single In If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next Perhaps The Only Song That References The Spanish Civil War To Ever Appear On Top Of The Pops. On December 31st 1999 The Band Said Goodbye To The 20th Century With A Gig At Cardiff Millennium Stadium Attended By Upwards Of 50 000 People. This Was Followed By Their Second Number One Single The Masses Against The Classes Which Hit The Top Spot Despite Not Having A Video Or Marketing Support From Their Record Company. Shortly Afterwards Nicky Stated That "the Fourth Era Of The Manics Is Beginning".
The Fourth Era So Far Has Involved An Audience With Fidel Castro In Cuba The 2001 Album Know Your Enemy And Continuing Success. Their Long Awaited Greatest Hits Collection Forever Delayed Appeared In October 2002 Followed In 2003 By Lipstick Traces A Two-Disc Collection Of Covers B-Sides And Outtakes Including The Last Song Recorded With Richey 'Judge Yr'self'. The Manics Returned In November 2004 With The More Reflective Lifeblood Which Featured The Singles The Love Of Richard Nixon And Empty Souls Both Of Which Went Straight In At Number Two In The Charts. Not To Rest On Their Laurels The Band Released A 10th Anniversary Edition Of The Holy Bible In December 2004 Which Included A Digitally Remastered Version Of The Original Album A Never Before Heard U.S Mix And A DVD Of Live Performances And Extras. In April 2005 The Manics Released A Limited 3 Track E.P. Titled God Save The Manics As A Free Download But With Hard Copies Distributed Also Without Cost At The Final Date Of Their Small Intimate 'Past Present And Future' Tour At Hammersmith Apollo London - Their Last Show Before A Two Year Hiatus. Later That Year The Band Contributed The New Track Leviathan To September's War Child Charity Album Help A Day In The Life Becoming One Of The Few Bands To Contribute Tracks To Both Albums. 2006 Saw Both James Dean Bradfield And Nicky Wire Releasing Solo Albums The Great Western And I Killed The Zeitgeist Respectively. But Both Insisted That This In No Way Meant An End To The Manics And In December The Band Headlined XFM's Winter Wonderland Gig In Manchester. 2007 Sees The Band Enter Yet Another Era With Their 8th Studio Album Send Away The Tigers Which Was Released On May 7th. The Album Journal For Plague Lovers Was Released In May 2009 And Features Lyrics Left To The Band By Richey Before He Disappeared. They Released Several Different Versions Of The Album Including A Special Edition Which Has A Book Featuring Copies Of The Original Typed Lyrics And Pictures That Went With Them And A Bonus Disc With All The Original Demos Recorded At Rockfield Studios In Monmouth Which They Say Is One Of Their Favourite Studios. Their 10th Studio Album Postcards From A Young Man Was Released In September 2010. The Album Features Several Guest Artists Duff McKagan On A Billion Balconies Facing The Sun John Cale On Auto-Intoxication And Ian McCulloch On Some Kind Of Nothingness. A Deluxe Edition Was Also Released Containing A Bonus Disc With The Original Demos On It. In 2011 The Band Released Their Second Compilation National Treasures- The Complete Singles Collection A Release Preceded By New Single This Is The Day A Cover Of A ´¨The The Song. The Collection Featured Every Single Released Since And Including Motown Junk. Http //www.Manicstreetpreachers.Com
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Biography - Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers Is An Alternative Rock Band From Blackwood Wales Formed In 1986. Often Referred To As "the Manics" They Are James Dean Bradfield Vocals Guitars Nicky Wire Bass Occasional Vocals And Sean Moore Drums Backing Vocals Occasional Trumpet . The Band Were Originally A Quartet Lyricist And Rhythm Guitarist Richey Edwards Mysteriously Vanished On 1 February 1995. He Was Declared Presumed Deceased In November 2008. The Manics Released Their Debut Album Generation Terrorists In 1992. Their Combination Of Androgynous Glam Punk Imagery Outspoken Invective And Songs About "culture Alienation Boredom And Despair" Soon Gained Them A Loyal Following And Cult Status. The Band's Later Albums Retained A Politicized And Intellectual Lyrical Style While Adopting A Broader Alternative Rock Sound. Enigmatic Lyricist Richey Edwards Gained Early Notoriety By Carving The Words "4 REAL" Into His Arm With A Razor Blade Narrowly Missing An Artery And Requiring Seventeen Stitches In Response To The Suggestion That The Band Were Less Than Authentic. The Dark Nature Of 1994's The Holy Bible Reflected The Culmination Of Edwards' Instability. Following Edwards' Disappearance Bradfield Moore And Wire Persisted With The Manic Street Preachers And Went On To Gain Critical And Commercial Success Becoming One Of Britain's Premier Rock Bands. They Have Had Eight Top Ten Albums And Fifteen Top Ten Singles. They Have Reached Number One Three Times With Their 1998 Album This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours And The Singles "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" 1998 And "The Masses Against The Classes" 2000 . The Masses Against The Classes Songfacts Reports That The Latter Was The First UK #1 Of 2000. They Have Also Won The Best British Album And Best British Group Accolades At The BRIT Awards In 1997 And 1999 And Were Lauded By The NME For Their Lifetime Achievements In 2008. Their Ninth Studio Album Journal For Plague Lovers Was Released On 18th May 2009 And Features Lyrics Edwards Had Left Behind To The Band Weeks Before His Disappearance. They Came Together In 1986 When James Dean Bradfield Nicky Wire Sean Moore And Rhythm Guitarist Flicker Formed Betty Blue In The Small South Wales Town Of Blackwood. Two Years Later Flicker Had Left And Nicky's Friend Richey Edwards Previously The Group's Driver Joined In His Place. Richey Would Later Say In Vox Magazine "If You Built A Museum To Represent Blackwood All You Could Put In It Would Be Shit. We Used To Meet By This Opening Called Pen-Y-Fan. It Was Built When The Mines Closed Down But Now The Water Has Turned Green And Slimy. They Put 2 000 Fish In It But They Died. There's A Whirlpool In The Middle Where About Two People Die Every Year". A Bleak Image Then But It Provided The Necessary Fuel To Drive The Band. Inspired By The Passion Of The Clash And Moved By Thatcher's Suppression Of The Miners The Band's Lyrics Exploded With Politicised Anger. Their First Single The Self-Financed Suicide Alley Didn't Make Great Waves And The Band Moved To London. There They Found A Sympathetic Character In The Form Of Bob Stanley Later A Member Of St Etienne But Then A Freelancer For The Melody Maker. Stanley Released A Collection Of Their Demos As The New Art Riot EP In June 1990. It Caught The Attention Of Philip Hall Who Became Their Publicist And Co-Manager. In Early 1991 Heavenly Released Motown Junk An Inspired Three-Minute Punk Blast. Later That Year It Was Followed By You Love Us A Swaggering Arrogant Self-Regarding Slice Of Brilliance. The Manics Paved The Way For A Resurgence Of Guitar Bands In Wales. In The Press They Were Forced To Live With Punning Headlines Referring To Sheep Boyos And Leeks - They Got All The Clichés Out Of The Way So The Bands Of The So-Called Cool Cymru Would Be Taken More Seriously. Yet Their Image Often Overshadowed The Music. On 15 May 1991 Came A Turning Point For The Manics. Following A Gig At Norwich Arts Centre Steve Lamacq Then Writing For The NME Argued With The Band That They Were A Cartoon Band - Not Real Punks. The Band Refuted This But Still Lamacq Persisted. Frustrated Richey Edwards Took A Razor And Calmly Carved The Words 4 REAL Into His Forearm. Lamacq Was Horrified Richey Needed 17 Stitches. Six Days Later The Manics Signed To Sony. Richey Had Suffered From Depression For Many Years And Self-Mutilation Had Become Increasingly Common For Him. But The Norwich Incident Was The First Time The Guitarist Had Aired His Emotional Problems In Public. In February 1992 The Debut Album Generation Terrorists Was Released. Heavily Influenced By Appetite For Destruction Richey Said Of It "We Wanted To Sign To The Biggest Record Label In The World Put Out A Debut Album That Would Sell 20 Million And Then Break Up. Get Massive And Then Just Throw It All Away". The Album Sold 250 000 Copies Worldwide. Predictably They Didn't Split Up But The Album Polarised Opinion Between Those That Saw Them As The New Saviours Of Rock And Roll And Detractors Who Considered Them Contrived And Insincere. Not That The Manics Cared They Were Off On Their First American Tour Shortly After The LA Riots And Singles Such As Slash 'N' Burn And Motorcycle Emptiness Were Climbing Up The Charts. The Second Manics Album Was Released In June 1993. Gold Against The Soul Was Overproduced And Less Passionate But Did Contain The Classic Songs La Tristesse Durera Scream To A Sigh And From Despair To Where. However They Also Chose To Support Bon Jovi For A String Of Unwise Live Dates. The Troubles Continued With The Death On 7 December 1993 Of Their Mentor Philip Hall Who Had Been Battling Cancer For Two Years. Meanwhile Richey's Problems Were Worsening. Weighing Less Than Six Stone And Subjecting His Body To Drinking And Cutting Binges He Was Eventually Admitted To The Priory In Roehampton. Richey's Despair Was Documented In What Is Now Considered The Manics' Masterpiece 1994's 'The Holy Bible'. Unremittingly Bleak The Opening Song Yes Contained The Lines "I Eat And I Dress And I Wash And I Still Can Say Thank You / Puking Shaking Sinking / Can't Shout Can't Scream I Hurt Myself To Get Pain Out". The Song Was About Prostitution But Every Line Emanated From Richey's Fragile State Of Mind. He Rejoined The Band For Tours With Therapy? And Suede And An Early Incarnation Of Vitriol I.D. In Europe And A Series Of Frantic Shows At The London Astoria In December. The Final Night Saw Them Destroying 10 000 Worth Of Their Equipment. "We'll Never Be That Good Again " Said Nicky After The Event. It Was Also Their Last Live Appearance As A Four-Piece. Although They Had Never Found Transatlantic Success At The Beginning Of 1995 They Were Preparing To Give America One Last Try. However On 1 February Richey Walked Out Of The Embassy Hotel In London And Never Returned. His Passport And Money Were Found In His Cardiff Bay Flat And Two Weeks Later His Car Was Discovered Beside The Severn Bridge - A Notorious Local Suicide Spot. The File On His Disappearance Remains Open. "We Decided To Carry On In April " Said Nicky Wire In The Guardian "after Two Months Of Waiting By The Phone And Feeling Ill And Exhausted. We Thought We'd Been So Close And In The End We Couldn't Do Anything For Him." September Saw The Band Record A Cover Of Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head For The War Child "Help" Album And By January 1996 The Manics Were Recording Their Comeback Album 'Everything Must Go'. It Was Released On 20 May To Critical Acclaim Went Double Platinum And Yielded Four Top Ten Singles 'A Design For Life' The Title Track 'Kevin Carter' And 'Australia'. The Sound Represents A Cross Between The Heavy Rock Of 'Gold Against The Soul' And A New Less Agressive Almost Britpop Like Sound. Two Brit Awards Later They Released The LP This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours Which Gave The Band Their First Number One Single In If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next Perhaps The Only Song That References The Spanish Civil War To Ever Appear On Top Of The Pops. On December 31st 1999 The Band Said Goodbye To The 20th Century With A Gig At Cardiff Millennium Stadium Attended By Upwards Of 50 000 People. This Was Followed By Their Second Number One Single The Masses Against The Classes Which Hit The Top Spot Despite Not Having A Video Or Marketing Support From Their Record Company. Shortly Afterwards Nicky Stated That "the Fourth Era Of The Manics Is Beginning".
The Fourth Era So Far Has Involved An Audience With Fidel Castro In Cuba The 2001 Album Know Your Enemy And Continuing Success. Their Long Awaited Greatest Hits Collection Forever Delayed Appeared In October 2002 Followed In 2003 By Lipstick Traces A Two-Disc Collection Of Covers B-Sides And Outtakes Including The Last Song Recorded With Richey 'Judge Yr'self'. The Manics Returned In November 2004 With The More Reflective Lifeblood Which Featured The Singles The Love Of Richard Nixon And Empty Souls Both Of Which Went Straight In At Number Two In The Charts. Not To Rest On Their Laurels The Band Released A 10th Anniversary Edition Of The Holy Bible In December 2004 Which Included A Digitally Remastered Version Of The Original Album A Never Before Heard U.S Mix And A DVD Of Live Performances And Extras. In April 2005 The Manics Released A Limited 3 Track E.P. Titled God Save The Manics As A Free Download But With Hard Copies Distributed Also Without Cost At The Final Date Of Their Small Intimate 'Past Present And Future' Tour At Hammersmith Apollo London - Their Last Show Before A Two Year Hiatus. Later That Year The Band Contributed The New Track Leviathan To September's War Child Charity Album Help A Day In The Life Becoming One Of The Few Bands To Contribute Tracks To Both Albums. 2006 Saw Both James Dean Bradfield And Nicky Wire Releasing Solo Albums The Great Western And I Killed The Zeitgeist Respectively. But Both Insisted That This In No Way Meant An End To The Manics And In December The Band Headlined XFM's Winter Wonderland Gig In Manchester. 2007 Sees The Band Enter Yet Another Era With Their 8th Studio Album Send Away The Tigers Which Was Released On May 7th. The Album Journal For Plague Lovers Was Released In May 2009 And Features Lyrics Left To The Band By Richey Before He Disappeared. They Released Several Different Versions Of The Album Including A Special Edition Which Has A Book Featuring Copies Of The Original Typed Lyrics And Pictures That Went With Them And A Bonus Disc With All The Original Demos Recorded At Rockfield Studios In Monmouth Which They Say Is One Of Their Favourite Studios. Their 10th Studio Album Postcards From A Young Man Was Released In September 2010. The Album Features Several Guest Artists Duff McKagan On A Billion Balconies Facing The Sun John Cale On Auto-Intoxication And Ian McCulloch On Some Kind Of Nothingness. A Deluxe Edition Was Also Released Containing A Bonus Disc With The Original Demos On It. In 2011 The Band Released Their Second Compilation National Treasures- The Complete Singles Collection A Release Preceded By New Single This Is The Day A Cover Of A ´¨The The Song. The Collection Featured Every Single Released Since And Including Motown Junk. Http //www.Manicstreetpreachers.Com read less
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The Fourth Era So Far Has Involved An Audience With Fidel Castro In Cuba The 2001 Album Know Your Enemy And Continuing Success. Their Long Awaited Greatest Hits Collection Forever Delayed Appeared In October 2002 Followed In 2003 By Lipstick Traces A Two-Disc Collection Of Covers B-Sides And Outtakes Including The Last Song Recorded With Richey 'Judge Yr'self'. The Manics Returned In November 2004 With The More Reflective Lifeblood Which Featured The Singles The Love Of Richard Nixon And Empty Souls Both Of Which Went Straight In At Number Two In The Charts. Not To Rest On Their Laurels The Band Released A 10th Anniversary Edition Of The Holy Bible In December 2004 Which Included A Digitally Remastered Version Of The Original Album A Never Before Heard U.S Mix And A DVD Of Live Performances And Extras. In April 2005 The Manics Released A Limited 3 Track E.P. Titled God Save The Manics As A Free Download But With Hard Copies Distributed Also Without Cost At The Final Date Of Their Small Intimate 'Past Present And Future' Tour At Hammersmith Apollo London - Their Last Show Before A Two Year Hiatus. Later That Year The Band Contributed The New Track Leviathan To September's War Child Charity Album Help A Day In The Life Becoming One Of The Few Bands To Contribute Tracks To Both Albums. 2006 Saw Both James Dean Bradfield And Nicky Wire Releasing Solo Albums The Great Western And I Killed The Zeitgeist Respectively. But Both Insisted That This In No Way Meant An End To The Manics And In December The Band Headlined XFM's Winter Wonderland Gig In Manchester. 2007 Sees The Band Enter Yet Another Era With Their 8th Studio Album Send Away The Tigers Which Was Released On May 7th. The Album Journal For Plague Lovers Was Released In May 2009 And Features Lyrics Left To The Band By Richey Before He Disappeared. They Released Several Different Versions Of The Album Including A Special Edition Which Has A Book Featuring Copies Of The Original Typed Lyrics And Pictures That Went With Them And A Bonus Disc With All The Original Demos Recorded At Rockfield Studios In Monmouth Which They Say Is One Of Their Favourite Studios. Their 10th Studio Album Postcards From A Young Man Was Released In September 2010. The Album Features Several Guest Artists Duff McKagan On A Billion Balconies Facing The Sun John Cale On Auto-Intoxication And Ian McCulloch On Some Kind Of Nothingness. A Deluxe Edition Was Also Released Containing A Bonus Disc With The Original Demos On It. In 2011 The Band Released Their Second Compilation National Treasures- The Complete Singles Collection A Release Preceded By New Single This Is The Day A Cover Of A ´¨The The Song. The Collection Featured Every Single Released Since And Including Motown Junk. Http //www.Manicstreetpreachers.Com read less
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Published: 07 Jul 2023, 14:44
The Holy Bible Was The Third Studio Album By The Welsh Rock Band Manic Street Preachers. It Was Released On August 30 1994 By Epic Records A Subsidiary Of Sony Records Unlike Their Two Previous Albums Which Had Been Released On The Columbia Records Imprint. It Peaked At Number 6 On The UK Albums Chart. The First Single From The Album "Faster" Was Released On June 6 And Peaked At #16 On The British Singles Chart. The Single Marked A New Chapter For The Band As The Material Was Both Lyrically And Sonically Different Than Their Previous Release The Life Becoming A Landslide EP. While The Album Was Being Written And Recorded Lyricist And Rhythm Guitarist Richey Edwards Was Struggling With Severe Depression Alcohol Abuse Self-Harm And Anorexia Nervosa And Its Contents Are Considered By Many Sources To Reflect His Mental State. The Songs Focus On Themes Relating To Politics And Human Suffering. The Holy Bible Was The Band's Last Album Released Before Edwards' Disappearance On 1 February 1995. Whereas Lyric Duties On The Two Previous Albums Were Split Fairly Evenly Between Edwards And The Band's Bass Player Nicky Wire Wire Has Said In Interviews That Edwards Wrote About 70-75% Of The Lyrics On The Holy Bible Which May Explain Why The Lyrical Themes Were Much Darker Than On Later Albums Following Edwards' Disappearance. On The DVD Included In The 10th Anniversary Reissue Of The Holy Bible Wire Said He Mainly Wrote "Ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayit'sworldwouldfallapart" And "This Is Yesterday" As Well As Giving Many Of The Songs Their Final Titles. The Song Lyrics Consisted Of Many Diary/journal Entries Made By Edwards And Were In Essence His Final Writings Before His Mysterious Disappearance On February 1 1995. In Q Magazine's January 2006 100 Greatest Albums Ever! List Where The Holy Bible Came In At #69 It Was Said Of The Album 'Graphic Violent Torrent Of Self-Lacerating Punk Fury Which Infamously Details The Horrors In Richey Edwards' Head Before His 1995 Disappearance.' Edwards' Lyrics As Well As Being Darker Were Generally Of A More Personal Nature Than On Previous Albums. Gold Against The Soul Had Shown That The Band Were Able To Write Songs Dealing With Melancholy And Despair As Opposed To The Political Themes Of Generation Terrorists. Even So They Were Largely About The Effect Of The Wider Culture On The Individual. In Contrast The More Personal Songs On The The Holy Bible Are More Revealing Of Edwards' Own Mindset. In Parallel With The More Personal Material Many Of The Albums Songs Still Dealt With The Wider Political And Cultural Themes That Had Dominated Generation Terrorists Though The New Songs Drew On Edwards' Knowledge Of Political History More Than That Album. The Tone Was Also Angrier And More Judgemental In General With "Archives Of Pain" And "The Intense Humming Of Evil" Being Particularly Damning Indictments Of The Evil Side Of Mankind's Nature. In Fitting With The Darker And Angrier Nature Of The New Songs The References Used Throughout The Album's Songs And Artwork Were More Obscure Than In The Past Drawing Less From The World Of Pop Culture And More From The Shady World Of Serial Killers And Political Dictators. Edwards' Interest In Philosophy Was Also More Evident On This Album With Nihilism "I Know I Believe In Nothing But It Is My Nothing" And Misanthropy "All I Preach Is Extinction" Being Particularly Prevalent. A Mood Of Misanthropy And Self-Hatred Hovers Over Much Of The Album A Felling Different From But Not Unrelated To The General Feeling Of Pessimism And Despair That Had Pervaded Their Previous Albums. As Well As The Subject Matter The Actual Structure Of The Lyrics Was Also Different From The Bands Previous Albums Eschewing The More Polemical Nature Of Old For A More Experimental Fragmented Approach Comparable To The Modernist Poetry Of T.S. Eliot And Dylan Thomas Or The Lyrics Of Post-Punk Frontmen Howard Devoto And Mark E. Smith. As Well As Ignoring A Linear Narrative Much Of Edwards' Writing From This Period Ignores Standard Grammar And Traditional Syntax Creating A Rougher Rawer Feel That Arguably Creates An Even More Expressive Lyric Due To Its Jagged Edges. The Album Was Recorded At Soundspace Studios A Cheap £50 A Day Facility In Cardiff Wales Which Was Usually Used To Record Demos And Mixed In Britannia Row Studios London England. It Was Produced By The Band With Assistance From Little Known Producer Mark Freegard Whose Previous Work Included The Breeders' 1993 Album Last Splash. The Overall Sound Of The Album Is Fairly Dense With Most Tracks Featuring Multiple Interwoven Guitar Parts. Many Tracks Begin Or End With A Spoken Word Sample And There Is Increased Use Of Flanger Effects On The Guitar Tracks. The Recording Quality Is Of A Considerably Lower Fidelity Than Their Previous Albums And Results In A Blurrier Murkier Sound That Is Both Harsher And Less Radio-Friendly Than The Punchier Sound Of Their Previous And Subsequent Albums. The Album Is Notable For Its Limited Use Of Instruments Compared To The Radio-Friendly Sound Of Their Previous Album. The Only Instruments Used On The Album Are The Electric Guitar Bass Drums And Percussion. Other Instruments Such As The Piano Or Strings Are Rarely Present On The Album - There Are Small Synth Parts That Can Be Heard At The Beginning Of "She Is Suffering" And "Die In The Summertime". However Upon Listening The Reasons For This Soon Become Apparent Each Song Is Implicitly Linked And Related To All The Other Songs On The Album As Such The Album Sounds Like A Complete Set Of Songs That Support And Complement One Another. "Comfort Comes" A B-Side From The Previous Album Gold Against The Soul Is Generally Regarded To Be The First Manics Track To Display The Musical Style Of The Holy Bible Though Its Recording Quality Is Much Cleaner And Less Harsh Than That Of The Holy Bible. In Interviews Nicky Wire Has Also Said Of The Track "Judge Yr'Self" Released In 2003 On The B-Sides Collection Lipstick Traces To Be "very Holy Bible. It's The Way Richey Wanted Us To Go Very Aggressive And Automated Not That Richey Had A Clue Musically". The Holy Bible Is Regarded By Most Critics And Fans To Be The Band's Most Uncompromising Album And Indeed As One Of The Most Introspective Dark And Impenetrable Albums In Rock History. It Was Compared To Nirvana's 1993 Album In Utero In Almost Every Review At The Time Which Is No Coincidence As Edwards Had Been Listening To That Album As Well As Cranes At The Time. The Others Had Been Listening To Cranes Wire Magazine Alice In Chains The Smiths Joy Division And David Bowie's Low And "Heroes" Both Considered To Be Among His Most Uncommercial Work. Although It Is Thought By Some To Be The Manics' Best Album It Sold Extremely Poorly In Comparison To Everything Must Go. A Performance On The BBC's Top Of The Pops In Support Of First Single "Faster" Resulted In Over 25 000 Complaints Due To Lead Singer/guitarist James Dean Bradfield Wearing An IRA-Style Balaclava As Part Of The Band's New Military Image A La The Clash's Combat Rock-Era Style. The Band Have Said Since That The Reason For This Was Because They Felt They Had Lost A Lot Of Focus During The Gold Against The Soul Era And Believed That Having A Unified Militant Image Would Bring Them Together Again. The Band's Military Fatigues Also Represented A Change Of Attitude And Newfound Intensity That Left Its Mark On The Recording With Bradfield Regularly Working In The Studio For Thirteen Hours A Day. This Showed On "Faster" Which Required Approximately Thirty-Six Rewrites Over A Period Of Three Weeks To End Up With The Final Version Which In Bradfield's Words Was "strychnine Like Parallel Lines With The Lyrics". As Well As The Recording Itself The Period Of Creativity That Ultimately Resulted In The Holy Bible Was Equally Intense. Edwards Was Constantly Writing During This Period As Well As Reading Five Books A Week Which Partly Accounts For The Numerous Obscure References Found On The Album. The Videos For The Album's Three Singles - "Faster" "Revol" And "She Is Suffering" There Was No Video Made For "P.C.P." Which Was A Double A-Side With "Faster" - Also Featured The Band Wearing Army And Navy Uniforms. The Album Cover Is A Painting Called Strategy South Face/Front Face/North Face By Artist Jenny Saville. Although The Band Were Originally Quoted £30 000 To Use The Painting By The Saatchi Gallery Saville Gave Her Permission For Use Of Her Work For Free After A 30-Minute Telephone Call With Edwards In Which He Described In Detail Each Song On The Album. Underneath The Painting Is The Tracklisting And Above It Is The Band Name And Album Title All In The Same Typeface As Simple Minds' Empires And Dance Album. The Back Cover Features A Photo Of The Band In Military Uniforms And A Quote Taken From Octave Mirbeau's Book The Torture Garden. Of The Album Title Edwards Said "In Every Hotel In The World The Only Constant Is The Holy Bible". On December 6 2004 An Expanded Version Of The Holy Bible Was Released Containing 2 CDs And A DVD. Disc 1 Comprised A Digitally Re-Mastered Version Of The Original Album Plus 4 Live Tracks. The Second CD Was The Version Of The Holy Bible That Had Been Released In Canada And Was Planned To Be Released In The US Which Ultimately Didn't Happen . It Had Been Re-Mixed By Tom Lord Alge Who Would Go On To Mix Recordings By Marilyn Manson Amongst Others And Is Significantly Different From The UK Version On Disc 1. Nicky Said Of The Remix That "it Does Beef It Up Quite A Bit Actually Gives It A Bit Of American Savvy". Sure Enough The US Mix Sounds More Like A Rock Album Than The Less Commercial Post-Punk Sound Of The British Mix. James Also Commented On The Enclosed Bonus DVD Interview That The Overall Sound Of The US Mix Is Reminiscent Of How The Tracks Sound Live. However Not All Of The Tracks Were Considered Superior By The Band - Nicky Stated In The DVD Interview That Although He Considered Around Eight Of The US Tracks Better Than Their UK Counterparts "Faster" Was A Better Song In The Original Mix. James Mirrored This Opinion Expanding The List To Not Only "Faster" But "Archives Of Pain" And "The Intense Humming Of Evil" Suggesting That In The Original Mix They Were "closer To Their Roots". The DVD Features A 30-Minute Interview With The Band The Manics Playing "Faster" On Top Of The Pops As Well As An Acoustic Performance For MTV's Most Wanted. It Also Includes Live Performances From The Glastonbury And Reading Festivals 3 Tracks From TV Show Butt Naked The American Video For "Faster" A New Film For "Yes" And The "Judge Yr'Self" Video Previously Only Available As A Video Stream From The Band's Official Website. The Videos For The Singles Can Be Obtained By Clicking "enter" When The "R" Appears On The Screen.