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Manic Street Preachers to release Richey Edwards-written album

The new album is set to be released next Spring

November 4, 2008 | 19 Comments
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Manic Street Preachers are set to release an album featuring lyrics written by missing member Richey Edwards.

The Welsh trio told NME.COM that they had recorded nine songs with producer Steve Albini for the album, tentatively titled 'Journal For Plague Lovers', which they plan to release in spring 2009.

The album will only feature lyrics written by Edwards, which his bandmates kept following his disappearance in 1995.

"We've had these lyrics for 14 years and we all felt compelled that this was the right time to do it," bassist Nicky Wire told NME.COM. "It's a follow-up to [1994 album] 'The Holy Bible' in a lot of ways.

"There's a small amount of editing involved, because some of them [Edwards-written passages] are prose and they needed to be made into lyrics, but they're all Richey's."

For the full interview with Wire and more details on the album, see the new issue of NME, out in the UK tomorrow (November 5).

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Comments (19)

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Servo

Nov 4, 2008

cant wait to hear this album!!

SpookyElectric

Nov 5, 2008

fuckin amazing news! completely unexpected & the twist in the saga of one of the most important & inspiring bands of modern times. long live the manics xx

Kotowboy

Nov 5, 2008

It's going to be good for sure.Holy Bible part 2 ? Whats not to be excited about ?

wellduhobviously

Nov 5, 2008

Excellent, lyrically the last couple of have been terrible... I yearn for the days of shoehorning angsty prose into proper songs.

Brain_Of_J

Nov 5, 2008

Steve Albini and Richey Edwards' lyrics!! This could be the best Manics album in years! I think they would have to try pretty hard to mess this one up. Just keep the drummer away from the trumpet.

jamesheal

Nov 5, 2008

Not sure what to make of this. The Holy Bible is one of the best albums of the past 20 years so i'd be excited to hear the Manics doing dark material again, but using Richey's lyrics? Some people might accuse them of cashing in on Richey....let's hope not...

tomhorner78

Nov 5, 2008

I'm not even a big manics fan but I cannot wait for this album. Only cos Albini is involved with it though.

chrispaz

Nov 5, 2008

I loved their first four albums and I hope this will be a return to form, but I fear it's just going to be yet another case of good lyrics and shit music. It's about time the Manics pulled their fingers out and started rocking out a bit more. I wouldn't really care if the lyrics were lifted from Thomas The Tank Engine books, as long as the quality of the tunes improved.

littlebabyeverything

Nov 5, 2008

I seriously can't believe this is being done... I hope the long wait is about taking the time to do it right and not just the credit crunch kicking in for those remaining... Everything the Manics have done for the last 10 years has felt like a personal attack due to the sheer amount of myself I saw in the early stuff and the extent to which I lived through those first three albums, this is the only band I have loved (or ever will). I knew I kept up my belief in them for a reason... Please please please don't mess this up.

gareth675

Nov 5, 2008

I love the Manic Street Preachers, but how many times have I heard them say it's 'the follow up to the Holy Bible'!?Is it really? What about all those other albums released since then...?

the_libertineguy

Nov 5, 2008

Chrispaz, remember they're working with Albini, so that should mean a great deal of roughnress around the edges, though I doubt if it'll quite sound like In Utero. Apparently they want to split it between rock and acoustic stuff too, which I really like the sound of. I love Small Black Flowers.

A_Dis

Nov 5, 2008

The Holy Bible is the Manics best album and one of THE great albums. However a comfortable and middle-aged Manics attempting a followup without the fire in their bellies and some leftover prose (not even lyrics) doesn't sound like a good idea to me. They'd be better off sticking to making their more recent radio friendly unit shifters.

youhavenomail

Nov 5, 2008

I don't think it can be seen as cashing in on Richey as they've sold more records without him anyway. The last album was a bigger success than The Holy Bible ever was.They are generally better as songwriters and musicians now than they were on the first three albums. It's mainly the MOR production and dull lyrics about Dysons and stuff that have let them down, so this has the potential to be the best Manics album. Which is unfortunate, really, as it puts a Chinese Deomcracy-style pressure on them to deliver the goods.

chrispaz

Nov 5, 2008

the_libertineguy, I do hope you're right. Small Black Flowers is a great tune, and the Everything Must Go album had a great mix of songs. A_Dis, I know what you're saying, but I don't want them to stick to radio friendly stuff, because its shit! I'd rather they didn't bother making any records if they're just going to churn out that MOR bollocks.

maximo neil

Nov 5, 2008

This can't fail to be brilliant surely. Alongside Johnny Marr joining The Cribs this is the most exciting prospect of next year.

therecluse

Nov 5, 2008

Richey Edwards the poor bloke , the reason he went missing were cos his band were rubbish, he's probably sat in a bed sit in Tenby or somewhere reading this thinking , 'i wish they would just give up, I've moved on why can't they'!!

hjp94

Nov 13, 2008

im a bit late commenting here but...the manics are the best! i cant beleive you said that about why richey edwards went missing because "they were rubbish" 'therecluse'.!Richey was depressed with a lot of problems... he went missing because of that ! Richey is a legend for lyric writing in my opinion so this will be the best album in the past 3 albums lyrically! the manics musically are still great.. especially live!

fastersound

Nov 25, 2008

I wouldn't call it 'cashing in' either as they still pay Richey's royalties to his estate, and as the lyrics used for the next album are his, I'm pretty sure they're gonna credit him and carry on handing over his share of any royalties. Also, Albini - yes!!!

MahadyTheLips

Dec 13, 2008

tbh i think richey needed to go missing.i think the fact that he went missing is influencing opinions on how good his lyrics wer without anyone actually properly listening.but i love the manics. 1 of 2 favourite bands. theres only 2 manics albums i dont really like. and thats know ur enemy and lifeblood. the rest hav all been pure quality. i think richey needed to disappear for them to truly find their own genius, it made them grow as a band.if this is Holy Bible part 2 coming then i really cant wait. its by far my favourite Manics album of them all. pure beautfiul nihilism. when they sed his lyrics wer being used i got shivers.i dont think theyll mess it up off the back of send away the tigers cos that was a top album. nicky wire has his own barrel of super lyrics to pick from.i hope the new album will do richey justice. and i cant wait