Manic Street Preachers will share a 20th anniversary edition of ‘Lifeblood’ later this year.
Initially released in 2004, the album found Manic Street Preachers exploring different modes of working, digging into their bedrock in order to experiment. Producing some hit singles – ‘The Love of Richard Nixon’ entered the UK charts at No. 2 – it’s come to become a rather more slept-on, under-rated aspect of their catalogue.
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On April 12th the Welsh trio will release an expanded take on the record, with ‘Lifeblood’ being spruced up for its 20th birthday. Alongside the original record you’ll find B-sides, demos, and outtakes, with liner notes from John Harris and unseen pictures by Mitch Ikeda.
‘Lifeblood’ will be released on CD, 3CD bookset, double vinyl, double coloured vinyl, limited artwork prints, and digitally. Two new remixes have been commissioned – Steven Wilson and Gwenno get to grips with ‘1985’.
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Described by Nicky Wire as “our most estranged album of all”, sessions took Manic Street Preachers from Wales to New York and back again. Lyrically, Wire said at the time: “The main lyrical themes are death and solitude and ghosts. Being haunted by history and being haunted by your own past.”
James Dean Bradfield commented: “I loved making Lifeblood, because it was interesting. I loved chasing these other versions of what we were trying to do.”
‘Lifeblood’ will be released on April 12th.
Manic Street Preachers will complete a UK co-headlining tour with Suede this summer.
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