Manic Street Preachers – The Holy Bible (1994) review
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Rock & Roll has been riddled with odd, peculiar, and
disturbing stories in its 60 year lifespan. I can think of a few that deserve
mentioning, especially the story of Iron Butterfly’s bassist, Philip Taylor
Kramer, whom after departing the band had obtained a degree in aerospace
engineering, and was working under the United States department of defense as
well as computer engineering until he disappeared under very mysterious and
suspicious circumstances. However, that shall be saved for another article. One
of my favorite stories of the past 20 years is the creation of the album The
Holy Bible.
disturbing stories in its 60 year lifespan. I can think of a few that deserve
mentioning, especially the story of Iron Butterfly’s bassist, Philip Taylor
Kramer, whom after departing the band had obtained a degree in aerospace
engineering, and was working under the United States department of defense as
well as computer engineering until he disappeared under very mysterious and
suspicious circumstances. However, that shall be saved for another article. One
of my favorite stories of the past 20 years is the creation of the album The
Holy Bible.
Initially a quartet, Richey Edwards was the face of The
Manic Street Preachers, and their Clash-esque brand of Punk. After two albums,
the onslaught of attention went to Richey’s head and drove him over a cliff;
spiraling downward into a pit of self-destruction, despair, and nihilistic
delusion. It was in his very unstable state of mind that he commenced upon his
dark magnum opus in the form of diary entries made song. Richey held nothing
back in his lyrics—this was his confessional to the world. He had lost all hope
and so therefore, he had nothing to fear, and could not be bothered to exude
anything but his pent-up angst and forlorn fury. The album was completed and
released to critical acclaim, but their performance on Top of the Pops—Richey
in particular, clad in a ‘terrorist-style’ balaclava—garnered the show their
most complaints ever. Manic Street Preachers disappeared from the charts very
quickly.
Manic Street Preachers, and their Clash-esque brand of Punk. After two albums,
the onslaught of attention went to Richey’s head and drove him over a cliff;
spiraling downward into a pit of self-destruction, despair, and nihilistic
delusion. It was in his very unstable state of mind that he commenced upon his
dark magnum opus in the form of diary entries made song. Richey held nothing
back in his lyrics—this was his confessional to the world. He had lost all hope
and so therefore, he had nothing to fear, and could not be bothered to exude
anything but his pent-up angst and forlorn fury. The album was completed and
released to critical acclaim, but their performance on Top of the Pops—Richey
in particular, clad in a ‘terrorist-style’ balaclava—garnered the show their
most complaints ever. Manic Street Preachers disappeared from the charts very
quickly.
Two months after the release of the album, Richey simply
vanished. Oddball sightings were noted but nobody could say where in the world
he had gone to. Furthermore, for a solid two weeks the exact amount of $200
dollars was withdrawn from his bank account every single day. It eerily
correlated with the lyrics of his song “Yes” regarding prostitution;
“for $200 anyone can conceive a God on video.” Finally his car was
found abandoned without any clues. The band had set aside a percentage of
royalties since his disappearance, but it wasn’t until 2008 that his family had
him declared dead. Richey was eccentric and mentally frayed enough that a
disappearance would not entirely discount a miraculously unexplained
reappearance, but sadly, suicide is the most likely explanation considering his
mental state. Anonymous tips regarding his whereabouts still roll in to this
day.
vanished. Oddball sightings were noted but nobody could say where in the world
he had gone to. Furthermore, for a solid two weeks the exact amount of $200
dollars was withdrawn from his bank account every single day. It eerily
correlated with the lyrics of his song “Yes” regarding prostitution;
“for $200 anyone can conceive a God on video.” Finally his car was
found abandoned without any clues. The band had set aside a percentage of
royalties since his disappearance, but it wasn’t until 2008 that his family had
him declared dead. Richey was eccentric and mentally frayed enough that a
disappearance would not entirely discount a miraculously unexplained
reappearance, but sadly, suicide is the most likely explanation considering his
mental state. Anonymous tips regarding his whereabouts still roll in to this
day.
All in all, The Holy Bible is a masterwork of bleakness and
a destitute look at the state of our society. It serves as a lesson to those
who step into the darker realm of humanity; one must possess a wholesome spirit
to avoid the path toward corruption when investigating these borders. It is,
regardless, a very fine work in raw Punk musicianship, even with its morbidly
frank, hopeless and stoic nature.
a destitute look at the state of our society. It serves as a lesson to those
who step into the darker realm of humanity; one must possess a wholesome spirit
to avoid the path toward corruption when investigating these borders. It is,
regardless, a very fine work in raw Punk musicianship, even with its morbidly
frank, hopeless and stoic nature.
Review made by Hunter Gatherer/2013
© Copyright http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2013
