Artist:Manic Street Preachers
Song:A Design for Life
Album:National Treasures:The Complete Singles
The 1996 single A Design for Life was one of several British hits for the Welsh band Manic Street Preachers (MSP). They were in their prime in the 90s. But they still record and tour. They just never broke through to a larger audience. Manic Street Preachers were formed in 1986 at Oakdale Comprehensive School in Blackwood, South Wales by lead singer and guitarist James Dean Bradfield, guitarist Nicky Wire, bassist Miles "Flicker" Woodward and drummer Sean Moore Bradfield. The Bradfields are cousins and Sean moved in with James' family after his parents divorced. They shared a bedroom. James was a teenage busker and that's where he got the band name. They started out as a punk band and changed to an alternative rock sound to reach a wider audience. Woodward left in 1988 as he preferred the punk sound. Wire switched to bass and they continued as a trio. They released a single that was favorably reviewed by New Musical Express (NME). MSP's road manager Richey James Edwards joined the band as rhythm guitarist and wrote lyrics with Wire. He also designed album covers. After releasing a 1990 EP, MSP signed with the indie label Heavenly Records and the 1991 single Motown Junk was their first chart single. MSP had a glam rock image at the time. During an interview with NME's Steve Lemacq, Edwards carved the phrase "4Real" into his arm with a razor blade to prove his sincerity. He was taken to the hospital and got seventeen stitches. NME gave the incident a full page. This stunt got MSP a lot of publicity in England and a record deal with Columbia/Epic. MSP released their debut album Generation Terrorists in 1992. Their next couple of albums did OK. They became known for their political lyrics. But Edwards was having health problems. And he was admitted into a mental hospital in 1994. This led to Edwards' disappearance in Feb. 1995. His body was never found. But his car was and it is presumed that Edwards jumped off the Severn Bridge and died. MSP continued with the blessing of Edwards' family. The 1996 album Everything Must Go was MSP's first album after Edwards' death. A Design for Life was the first single. It reached #2 on the British Singles chart. The band wrote and produced Everything Must Go with recording engineer Mike Hedges credited as producer. The album was certified 3XPlatinum in England. The 1998 album This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours got similar results. You can get all of MSP's singles on this 2CD comp. Did Edwards' death help MSP? Of course it did. In the music business, there's no such thing as bad publicity. MSP has faded over the years. But they released an album last year and still tour. They toured in the US occasionally but their albums didn't sell. One possible reason is their politics which made them successful in England was not relatable in foreign lands. There were other British bands of that era that were also unsuccessful in the US. Here's the video for A Design for Life by Manic Street Preachers.
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