Manic Street Preachers to release 'directors cut' of 2001 album Know Your Enemy

Virgin Radio

23 Jul 2022, 12:23

And this time it'll be split into two.

The Manic Street Preachers have unveiled details of a re-release of 2001 album Know Your Enemy.

The big news is that it will now be a record of two distinct sides, which the Welsh band had envisaged it to be in plotting their follow up to 1998’s commercial hit, This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours.

Drummer Sean Moore told a Spanish reporter in 2014 that the songs included in Know Your Enemy were originally meant for two different albums with different sounds and concepts. The songs ended up together in one album as the record label didn't want to put out two albums at the same time.

"Musically, I was particularly lazy and destructive," bassist Nicky Wire said in 2021. "Constantly saying, 'It's too tight - can't we use the demo?' Too many lyrics just weren't finished. The original idea was to have two albums: one called Solidarity, after the Polish trade union movement, and one called Door to the River, which was the softer side.

James [Dean Bradfield, guitarist] just looked at me: 'Why are you trying to do this weird shit all the time?' In a nice way."

And so now the record - a 'directors cut', if you will - will be released as was always intended, with the three CD format of the release now including a disk of unreleased demos. This deluxe release includes two previously unheard tracks: ‘Studies in Paralysis’ and ‘Rosebud’.

You can hear 'Rosebud' below.

The new record will be remixed in full by longtime studio partner Dave Eringa, a condition of James Dean Bradfield in allowing Wire to restore the groups sixth release to how it was originally planned.

The track listing for the new versions of Know Your Enemy are as follows.

2 x 12″ VINYL

DISC 1 – DOOR TO THE RIVER

Side 1

1. ‘The Year of Purification’

2. ‘Ocean Spray’

3. ‘So Why So Sad’ (Avalanches Sean Penn Mix)

4. ‘Door To The River’

5. ‘Rosebud’Side 2

6. ‘Just a Kid’

7. ‘His Last Painting’

8. ‘Let Robeson Sing’

9. ‘Groundhog Days’

10. ‘Epicentre’

DISC 2 – SOLIDARITY

Side 1

1. ‘Intravenous Agnostic’

2. ‘Found That Soul’ (TLA Mix)

3. ‘We Are All Bourgeois Now’

4. ‘Freedom of Speech Won’t Feed My Children’

5. ‘The Convalescent’

6. ‘Baby Elian’Side 2

7. ‘Masses Against The Classes’

8. ‘My Guernica’

9. ‘Studies In Paralysis’

10. ‘Dead Martyrs’

11. ‘Wattsville Blues’

12. ‘Miss Europa Disco Dancer’

DELUXE 3 X CD VERSION

DISC 1 – DOOR TO THE RIVER

1. ‘The Year of Purification’

2. ‘Ocean Spray’

3. ‘So Why So Sad’ (Avalanches Sean Penn Mix)

4. ‘Door To The River’

5. ‘Rosebud’

6. ‘Just a Kid’

7. ‘His Last Painting’

8. ‘Let Robeson Sing’

9. ‘Groundhog Days’

10. ‘Epicentre’

11. ‘His Last Painting’ (LA Mix)

12. ‘Epicentre’ (TLA Mix)

13. ‘So Why So Sad’ (Original KYE Version)

14. ‘Royal Correspondent’  

DISC 2 – SOLIDARITY

1. ‘Intravenous Agnostic’

2. ‘Found That Soul’ (TLA Mix)

3. ‘We Are All Bourgeois Now’

4. ‘Freedom of Speech Won’t Feed My Children’

5. ‘The Convalescent’

6. ‘Baby Elian’

7. ‘Masses Against The Classes’

8. ‘My Guernica’

9. ‘Studies In Paralysis’

10. ‘Dead Martyrs’

11. ‘Wattsville Blues’

12. ‘Miss Europa Disco Dancer’

13. ‘Fear Of Motion’

14. ‘Pedestal’

15. ‘Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel’

16. ‘Locust Valley’

17. ‘Masking Tape’

18. ‘Ballad of the Bangkok Novotel’  

DISC 3 – DEMOS

1. ‘Ocean Spray’ (Studio Demo)

2. ‘So Why So Sad’ (Cassette Demo)

3. ‘Door To The River’ (Cassette Demo)

4. ‘His Last Painting’ (Air Version Home Cassette Demo)

5. ‘Let Robeson Sing’ (Home Cassette Demo)

6. ‘Groundhog Days’ (Home Cassette Demo)

7. ‘Epicentre’ (Cassette Demo)

8. ‘Intravenous Agnostic’ (Home Cassette Demo)

9. ‘Freedom Of Speech Won’t Feed My Children’ (Studio Demo)

10. ‘The Convalescent’ (Studio Rehearsal Demo)

11. ‘His Last Painting Baby Elian’ (Studio Demo)

12. ‘Masses Against The Classes’ (Studio Demo)

13. ‘My Guernica No 1’ (Home Acoustic Demo)

14. ‘My Guernica’ (Studio Demo)

15. ‘Dead Martyrs’ (Home Cassette Demo)

16. ‘Wattsville Blues’ (Home Cassette Demo)  

Manic Street Preachers perform at Latitude Festival tomorrow night (Sunday, July 24th), with other dates across the summer.

The expanded and remastered record will be released on September 9th and can be pre-ordered here.