Nicky Wire: 'I tried to get Manic Street Preachers to scrap Richey album'

Manic Street Preachers' bassist Nicky Wire says he tried to convince bandmates James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore to scrap new album 'Journal For Plague Lovers', which features lyrics written by former bandmate Richey Edwards.

Owing to the fact that Edwards disappeared suddenly in 1995, Wire says he found it difficult contemplating the album's release, even after the band had finished recording it.

Instead, Wire had the idea of publicising the fact that the band had recorded a "great album", but not actually releasing anything, he told the Guardian.

"I said 'Let's just fucking dig a hole and bury it and make it even more of an art statement, say we've made this great album, but it's just too much to give away,'" Wire explained.

However, the bassist failed to convince the rest of the band of the plan.

Wire continued, "James [Dean Bradfield] was like "After I've done all that work? Fuck off!""

Now that the album is being released (on May 18) Wire says he's still worried that its unusual subject matter could damage Manic Street Preachers' commercial potential.

He revealed: "Already, supermarkets won't accept the album cover, which I am really startled at. You can have the Pussycat Dolls poledancing, but you can't [have our album cover]," he said, referencing Journal For Plague Lovers' Jenny Saville-designed artwork.

Saville also worked on the cover for 1994's 'The Holy Bible', which was the final Manic Street Preachers album before Edwards' disappearance.