This is the album that by many accounts should never have happened. The word from lead singer James in the interview last year in Consumable was that if one member left then the band would break up, that the sum of the group was greater than the individuals. Moreover the trauma of their dear friend vanishing so suddenly could have been too much for them to face going on as a unit.
Richie has been gone over a year and the band have in no way exploited their colleague's memory, as some bands have with fallen figureheads (mentioning no names).
However the Manics have gone on, and after some low-key support sets around the UK, for Oasis in Wales, for the Stone Roses showpiece Wembley Arena extravaganza, and their touching rendition of Burt Bacharach's 'Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head' on the Help Bosnia charity CD, at length they have emerged with this CD. The title has a two-edged connotation: a rebuttal of accusations of any 'sellout' (the phrase is commonly used on UK shop windows during Sales); and/or that the past is to be wiped from the slate. Certainly some Manics fans have reacted badly to them continuing, holding onto Richie's memory out of misguided loyalty.
It has to be said that Richie was never a great musical presence in the Manics, singer James did rhythm AND lead whenever I saw them and Richie never seemed to be that motivated in a performance. Of course, he had the most interesting intellect - and during interviews and in his lyrics he was continually stimulating the fans and the UK music scene generally. His swansong The Holy Bible released in 1994 was one of the greatest rock albums of all time in the opinion of this writer mainly on the strength of Richie's paralysing analysis of the twentieth century's horrific inhumanity set to electrifying punk rock (70s style not 90s). But what of its successor?
The opener is strange, beginning with ambient lapping of waves and acoustic musings. The target of this song "Elvis Impersonators" is the pervasive effect of gutter American nonculture. The song kicks into rock midway, but the presence of a harp in the chorus points to a multi-instrumental approach which gradually become more apparent as the CD goes on. The lyrics on this are Richie's, finished by Nicky Wire, the bassist, who it must be said was always a major lyrical contributor. The Manics picked on America in a track on the last CD too, but they are really concerned about artificial culture, not exhibiting crass xenophobia.
The current UK single "Design For Life" is one of the very best songs they have ever written. It has a swaying riff which conveys deep anguish combined with fury; it is extremely moving. This is a new composition, with Nicky Wire lyrics. Strings underline the track, but the orchestration is startling. The lyrics describe alcohol abuse as an escape from life.
The title track is a direct statement of intent by the band "I hope you can forgive us, but everything must go". The furious pace of the song implies that they are anything but sorry and are committed upon their renewed mission. Again strings are prominent.
There are three musical layers in this CD: the acoustic aspect which begins several songs, and others are completely acoustic- but with the added instrumentation of harps, strings and the like. This is particularly effective on "Small Black Flowers That Grow In The Sky" which is a harrowing Richie lyric. The second layer is the all-out rawk guitar which this band have always been adept at. However the third layer is completely new - a Phil Spector-esque orchestration where the strings have a cavernous sound to them. "Everything Must Go" the track actually reminds a lot of "River Deep Mountain High", Spector's ultimate production job in the 60s with Ike and Tina. Elsewhere harps and horns also give this CD a marvellously lush instrumental landscape.
The subject matter of Richie's lyrics on this CD hasn't got the meltdown-white-hot focus of The Holy Bible - it reflects various subjects that interested the guitarist in his last few months in the band. For example, he was much taken with the character played by Dennis Hopper in Coppola's Vietnam classic Apocalypse Now. One track "Kevin Carter" is about this war photographer. The horns on this song give it an oddly 70s TV theme feel. This is another bleak majestic Manics classic.
There won't be many CDs this year as accomplished, interesting and multi-faceted. This CD proves that the Manic Street Preachers can successfully experiment with their sound. It shows that they can survive the loss of Richie. They remain one of the finest rock bands of any era.
