"I’m always shocked to talk to a journalist that knows more than one of our songs!" laughs singer/guitarist James Dean Bradfield from his home in the UK.
Back in the heady days of the mid-1990s, the Manic Street Preachers (with bassist/lyricist Nicky Wire, drummer Sean Moore) were heavyweight contenders to wrestle the international Brit-Pop crown away from the ubiquitous Oasis. With landmark albums under their belt including Generation Terrorists, Everything Must Go, and the made-for-the-USA This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours the trio seemed primed to pounce on these shores.
However it was not to be. Perhaps filling soccer stadiums throughout Europe tempered their resolve to slog it out on the American club circuit. Or maybe after the mysterious 1995 disappearance of founding guitarist Richey James (he's never been found and is presumed dead), the Manics decided not to further tempt fate. For subsequent albums Bradfield was dispatched to a few major US cities with an acoustic guitar for a select series of showcases and meet-and-greets. Not the way to conquer a nation, is it?
Yet all that doesn’t matter to Bradfield and his mates who sound comfortable in their own skin with their new and most spiritually uplifting collection Send Away the Tigers (named by Wire after a common phrase employed by comedian Tony Hancock when he commenced to drinking). Why the return to basics?
"I think we ignored our instincts for a long time" emphasizes Bradfield. "For the last few years we tried to find this ultimate version of the Manic Street Preachers. In the past we’d write a song, go into the rehearsal studio, and if the song didn’t work we’d just chuck it away. We would completely trust our initial feelings. We’d stopped doing that but now we're back."
Wire prefers to wear his influences on his sleeve. His descriptions of the tracks which comprise Tigers are revelatory to say the least.
"Send In The Tigers": "All You Need Is Love' played by Guns 'n' Roses."
"Rendition": "A modern day take on Jeff Beck's 'Bolero' and The Clash's 'Tommy Gun'… militaristic Skids guitar with 'Love Removal Machine' (The Cult) drums… the idea of Guantanamo Bay being above or outside the law… Jack Lemon used as a symbol of the America we once respected."
"Winterlovers": Big Mott the Hoople chorus…Ronnie Lane bass solo… reconnection between yourself and your mental and your environmental landscape. 'Radio Ga Ga' (Queen) breakdown…"
"I Am Just A Patsy": "A real guilty pleasure 70s American rock… Mercury Rev's 'Goddess on a Highway' played by Boston."
Previous to the recording of Tigers both Bradfield and Wire waxed solo albums. "When Nick and I did our own projects it was like clearing out your garage. It was a chance to regard the past but also an opportunity to dump the past."
Plans are still up in the air as to if and when the Manic Street Preachers will come to America. In the mean time, we'll have to settle for Send Away the Tigers and the hidden track, a heavy handed remake of John Lennon's "Working Class Hero." Says Bradfield, "it just seemed really applicable."
Send Away the Tigers is out on July 24, 2007 on Red Ink.
--Tom Semioli
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Manic Street Preachers' Send Away the Tigers is out July 24, 2007 on Red Ink Records.
http://www.manics.co.uk
