Manic Street Preachers Banned
Posted Fri 15 May 2009 11:34AM BST by Dave Rumour in Snap, Crackle and Pop
You probably wouldn't know it looking at their rather tired 21st century image but the Manic Street Preachers used to be a quite terrifying prospect for some, full of provoctive teen rage, playing "Top Of The Pops" in balaclavas, while tragic lost member Richey Edwards famously slashed the words "For Real" into his bloody arm in a bid to impress former music journalist Steve Lamacq. They might be a lot older now but that's not stopped their new album being banned by four of the UK's big retail giants, with one supermarket calling the artwork "inappropriate".The cover for "Journal For Plague Lovers" (pictured) depicts a girl seemingly with a bloody and battered face and has been painted by acclaimed artist Jenny Saville. The record is considered a follow-up to the Welsh rockers' landmark 1994 album "The Holy Bible", which also featured one of her controversial works. Sainsburys, Tesco, Asda and Morrisons have all refused to stock it with the original image, as Nicola Williamson, music buyer for Sainsbury's explained: "We felt that some customers might consider this particular album cover to be inappropriate if it were prominently displayed on the shelf. "
The Manics have reacted with bafflement at the news, calling their decision "truly bizarre" and pointing to the fact that such shops regularly display products of a similarly graphic nature. "We just thought it was a beautiful painting. We were all in total agreement", explained singer James Dean Bradfield, continuing: "You can have lovely shiny buttocks and guns everywhere in the supermarket on covers of magazines and CDs, but you show a piece of art and people just freak out". "Journal For Plague Lovers" is released on Monday but will only be available in these stores in a special sleeve provided by the publisher.
Are you shocked by the artwork to the new Manic Street Preachers album? Or do you think Sainsburys and co have gone too far in banning it? Have your say here...
It's so typical of these mass-marketeers, pitching themselves at the lowest common denominator, to crap their consumerist pants a little when faced with something thought-provoking and intellectual - concepts it's clear they're not very familiar with.
people will see far worse images in real life and on tv
These self righteous stores should therefore be taking off the shelves all books, dvds etc which display bloody images. Will they do this? Not likely. Double standards Morrisons et al? I think so!
They are empty shells and I feel sorry for them.
Banning this just goes to show how short sighted they are. They have not banned it because it was offensive, they have banned it because they dont understand it, and in their eyes, it instantly becomes evil.
people will rush out now and buy it from a shop that sells music not front covers and is in fact in the 21st century not the dark ages
I reckon teenagers see worse in Hollyoaks every evening!