| Send Away the Tigers | ||||
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| Released | 7 May 2007 | |||
| Recorded | 2007 | |||
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| Length | 38:12 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
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| Manic Street Preachers chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Send Away the Tigers | ||||
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Send Away the Tigers is the eighth studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers, released on 7 May 2007 by Columbia Records. It reached number 2 on the UK Albums Chart. [1]
The album is named after a phrase the English comedian Tony Hancock used to refer to "battling one's inner demons by getting drunk". [2] The album is widely seen as a return to the hard-edged, more guitar-driven sound of their earlier releases, being described as a hard rock album by AllMusic and Sputnikmusic, [3] [4] as well as glam rock by Uncut and Reno Gazette-Journal . [5] [6] The band itself has described it as a mixture of Generation Terrorists and Everything Must Go . The album was mixed by Chris Lord-Alge, whose brother Tom provided the US mix of The Holy Bible .
The album sleeve features a quotation from Wyndham Lewis (there misspelled as "Wyndam Lewis"): "When a man is young, he is usually a revolutionary of some kind. So here I am, speaking of my revolution". [7] "I'm Just a Patsy" is a direct quotation from Lee Harvey Oswald denying the murder of U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
Nina Persson from the Cardigans shares vocals on "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough", the second single from the album. The song "Rendition" concerns the act of extraordinary rendition, which has been described as a global system of human rights violations. [8] The song is partly inspired by the Academy Award-winning 1982 film Missing starring Jack Lemmon.
The photographs used as the album artwork are taken from the book Monika Monster Future First Woman on Mars by Valerie Phillips. The models are a Polish-American college student called Monika Monster and her cousin Kate. [9]
In September 2008 the band embedded three songs on their website, named "Donkeys (Acoustic)", "Untitled Instrumental" and "Motown Junk (The Johnny Boy Anniversary Mix)". They were replaced by songs from their next album in April 2009.
The song "Underdogs" was made available as a free download and limited edition one sided 7" single on 19 March 2007 as a 'thank you' to the fans who have supported the Manics over the years. [10] The song received its premiere on the Phill Jupitus show on BBC 6 Music on Saint David's Day (1 March 2007).
The album was released on 7 May 2007, and it entered and peaked the UK Album Chart at number 2, it sold 38,769 copies in the first week, the album was BPI certified as achieving Gold status (100,000 copies) during week 30 of 2007. [11] In Ireland the album peaked at number 4, being certified Gold in that region as well. It reached the Top 10 in Finland and as for Europe, the album peaked at number 9 in the European charts.
The preceding single of the album "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough" featured Nina Persson from the Cardigans and debuted at No. 26 in the UK Singles Chart, reaching its peak on the second week, where it reached No. 2. "Autumnsong" was the second single and it managed to peak at No. 10, on the other end, the last single from the album, "Indian Summer", peaked at No. 22, making it the first Manics single not to chart in the Top 20 since 1994's "She Is Suffering". [11]
The band released a special edition of the record on 12 May 2017. The special edition featured a remastered album as well as b-sides and rarities spread over two discs, plus a DVD which features the band's 2007 Glastonbury performance, rehearsal footage, an album track-by-track, and promo videos. [12] This edition also replaced the second track, "Underdogs", with the former B-side "Welcome to the Dead Zone". [13]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 69/100 [14] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Digital Spy | [15] |
| Dotmusic | 7/10 [16] |
| The Guardian | [17] |
| musicOMH |  [18] |
| NME | 8/10 [19] |
| The Observer | [20] |
| PopMatters | 8/10 [21] |
| Q | [22] |
| Sputnikmusic | [4] |
Considered a return to form for Manic Street Preachers, [23] Send Away the Tigers was released to generally positive reviews from critics. [24] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 69 out of 100, which indicates "generally favourable reviews," based on 13 reviews. [14]
Q Magazine awarded the album four stars out of five, describing Send Away the Tigers as a "back-to-basics" rock record and calling it "overdue": "Send Away the Tigers refocuses the trio, allowing them to relocate their original plot and make a big rock classic." [22] The publication cited the single "Autumnsong" as its highlight. NME gave the album eight out of ten, calling it the band's best release since 1996's Everything Must Go , and the "cathartic regeneration that the band really needed in order to become relevant again." [25] Talia Kraines, writing for BBC Online, agreed and called Send Away the Tigers a "brilliant pop record." [26]
Among less positive commentaries, The Guardian and The Observer both awarded the album three stars, with the latter describing Send Away the Tigers as a "pedestrian retread of former glories." [20] Alex Denney went further in a negative review for Drowned in Sound, describing the album as a "bloated swansong" that was "embarrassing" in parts, with the band "going through the motions". [27] AllMusic disagreed, with Stephen Thomas Erlewine describing its relatively short and concise length as a "welcome progression from a band that only a couple of albums back seemed stuck in a rut with no way out." [3]
Retrospectively, NME cited the record as when the band "rediscovered their sense of purpose and ushered in their third great phase" with the critically acclaimed Journal for Plague Lovers and Postcards from a Young Man following. [23] Bassist Nicky Wire remains fond of the album, saying of the pre-Send Away the Tigers period: "It didn't feel like we were a band just before that. We were on the verge of nothingness and to dig that out of ourselves made us fall in love with music again." [28]
The album helped earn the band the following accolades from critics:
The record was also re-evaluated by Drowned in Sound in 2008, with Ben Patashnik describing Send Away the Tigers as "far better than anyone had any right to hope for, it sees the Manics embracing their stadium status by writing a collection of dynamic, catchy rock songs that seemed tailor-made for summer festivals. It blows the previous two albums out of the water, not simply because they sound like they’re having fun again, but because they’re not trying to ignore their past." [32]
All lyrics are written by Nicky Wire; all music is composed by James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Send Away the Tigers" | 3:37 |
| 2. | "Underdogs" | 2:49 |
| 3. | "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough" (feat. Nina Persson) | 3:55 |
| 4. | "Indian Summer" | 3:54 |
| 5. | "The Second Great Depression" | 4:09 |
| 6. | "Rendition" | 2:59 |
| 7. | "Autumnsong" | 3:40 |
| 8. | "I'm Just a Patsy" | 3:11 |
| 9. | "Imperial Bodybags" | 3:30 |
| 10. | "Winterlovers" (includes bonus hidden track "Working Class Hero" by John Lennon) | 6:43 |
| Total length: | 38:13 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Working Class Hero" (written by John Lennon) | 2:47 |
| 12. | "Love Letter to the Future" | 3:45 |
| 13. | "Morning Comrades" | 3:12 |
| 14. | "Send Away the Tigers" (acoustic version) | 2:29 |
| Total length: | 50:26 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Boxes and Lists" | 3:57 |
| 2. | "Welcome to the Dead Zone" | 3:43 |
| 3. | "Little Girl Lost" | 2:15 |
| 4. | "Fearless Punk Ballad" | 4:07 |
| 5. | "The Long Goodbye" | 2:45 |
| 6. | "1404" | 2:26 |
| 7. | "The Vorticists" | 3:17 |
| 8. | "Anorexic Rodin" | 3:09 |
| 9. | "Heyday of the Blood" | 2:43 |
| 10. | "Lady Lazarus" | 4:10 |
| 11. | "You Know It's Going to Hurt" | 2:50 |
| 12. | "Red Sleeping Beauty" (McCarthy cover) | 3:13 |
| 13. | "Foggy Eyes" (Beat Happening cover) | 2:53 |
| 14. | "Umbrella" (Rihanna cover) | 3:34 |
| 15. | "Umbrella" (acoustic) | 3:27 |
| 16. | "Umbrella" (Grand Slam mix) | 5:10 |
| 17. | "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough" (Nina & James acoustic) | 4:00 |
| 18. | "A Design for Life" (live at the O2) | 3:48 |
| 19. | "Everything Must Go" (live at the O2) | 3:30 |
| 20. | "Motorcycle Emptiness" (live at the O2) | 5:59 |
| 21. | "You Stole the Sun from My Heart" (live at the O2) | 4:01 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 2. | "Welcome to the Dead Zone" | 3:42 |
| 12. | "Send Away the Tigers" (demo, Faster Studios) | 3:18 |
| 13. | "Underdogs" (demo, Faster Studios) | 2:51 |
| 14. | "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough" (demo - 60's jangle, Faster Studios) | 4:01 |
| 15. | "Indian Summer" (cassette home acoustic demo) | 3:23 |
| 16. | "The Second Great Depression" (demo, Faster Studios) | 4:38 |
| 17. | "Rendition" (cassette home acoustic demo) | 2:06 |
| 18. | "Autumnsong" (demo, Faster Studios) | 3:54 |
| 19. | "I'm Just a Patsy" (cassette home acoustic demo) | 1:51 |
| 20. | "Imperial Bodybags" (demo, Faster Studios) | 3:30 |
| 21. | "Winterlovers" (demo, Faster Studios) | 3:09 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Leviathan" | 2:40 |
| 2. | "Umbrella" (Rihanna cover) | 3:39 |
| 3. | "Ghost of Christmas" | 3:42 |
| 4. | "Boxes and Lists" | 3:58 |
| 5. | "Love Letter to the Future" | 3:51 |
| 6. | "Little Girl Lost" | 2:17 |
| 7. | "Fearless Punk Ballad" | 4:08 |
| 8. | "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough" (Nina solo acoustic) | 4:00 |
| 9. | "Red Sleeping Beauty" (McCarthy cover) | 3:18 |
| 10. | "The Long Goodbye" | 2:46 |
| 11. | "Morning Comrades" | 3:15 |
| 12. | "1404" | 2:29 |
| 13. | "The Vorticists" | 3:22 |
| 14. | "Autumnsong" (acoustic version) | 3:43 |
| 15. | "Anorexic Rodin" | 3:12 |
| 16. | "Heyday of the Blood" | 2:44 |
| 17. | "Foggy Eyes" (Beat Happening cover) | 2:54 |
| 18. | "Lady Lazarus" | 4:11 |
| 19. | "You Know It's Going to Hurt" | 2:49 |
10th anniversary edition DVD (Live at Glastonbury 2007 and extras)
Manic Street Preachers
Additional musicians
| Technical personnel
|
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [34] | 65 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [35] | 57 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [36] | 35 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [37] | 10 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [38] | 50 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA) [39] | 4 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI) [40] | 78 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [41] | 33 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [42] | 38 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [43] | 2 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [44] | 69 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [45] | 21 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [46] | 43 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [47] | 2 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Ireland (IRMA) [48] | Gold | 7,500^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) [49] | Gold | 100,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Welsh rock band formed in Blackwood, Caerphilly, in 1986. The band consists of Nicky Wire and cousins James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore. They form a key part of the 1990s Welsh Cool Cymru cultural movement.
Generation Terrorists is the debut studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers, released on 10 February 1992 by Columbia Records.
Gold Against the Soul is the second studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers, released on 21 June 1993 by Columbia Records. The follow-up to the band's 1992 debut album Generation Terrorists, the record reached No.8 on the UK Albums Chart.
Lipstick Traces (A Secret History of Manic Street Preachers) is a compilation album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers, released on 14 July 2003 by Sony Music Entertainment. It consists of various B-sides, rarities and cover versions and reached number 11 on the UK Album Chart.
Everything Must Go is the fourth studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers, released on 20 May 1996 by Epic Records. It was the first record released by the band following the disappearance of lyricist and rhythm guitarist Richey Edwards.
This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours is the fifth studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers, released on 14 September 1998 by Epic Records.
Know Your Enemy is the sixth studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers, released on 19 March 2001 by Epic Records. It was supported by four singles, all of which reached the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart.
Forever Delayed is a greatest hits album and DVD by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers, released on 28 October 2002 by Epic Records. The album included three singles which had never appeared on any of the band's earlier albums, as well as two new songs, the single "There by the Grace of God" and "Door to the River".
"A Design for Life" is a single by Welsh band Manic Street Preachers from their fourth studio album, Everything Must Go (1996). It was written by James Dean Bradfield, Sean Moore and Nicky Wire, and produced by Dave Eringa and Mike Hedges. Released on 15 April 1996 by Epic Records, the song debuted and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. The accompanying music video was directed by Pedro Romhanyi.
Lifeblood is the seventh studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers, released on 1 November 2004 by Sony Music UK.
Manic Street Preachers are an alternative rock band formed in 1986 in Blackwood, Wales, UK. Their discography consists of 14 studio albums, three compilation albums, four video albums, 71 music videos, six extended plays, 57 singles, 208 B-sides, plus appearances on various artist compilations.
"Your Love Alone Is Not Enough" is a song by Welsh rock group Manic Street Preachers. It is a duet with Nina Persson, lead singer of Swedish band the Cardigans. Released on 23 April 2007 as the second single from the album Send Away the Tigers, it peaked at number two in the United Kingdom, number one in Scotland, and in the top 10 in Ireland and Norway.
Journal for Plague Lovers is the ninth studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers, released on 18 May 2009 by Columbia Records. Recorded between October 2008 and February 2009 and produced by Steve Albini and Dave Eringa, it features exclusively posthumously published lyrics by Richey Edwards, who disappeared on 1 February 1995 and was presumed deceased in 2008. It is the only Manic Street Preachers album in which the lyrics for every song were written solely by Edwards.
Postcards from a Young Man is the tenth studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers, released on 20 September 2010 by Columbia Records.
National Treasures – The Complete Singles is a compilation album by the Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers, released on 31 October 2011 by Columbia Records/Sony Music. It is the band's third compilation album, after Forever Delayed: Manic Street Preachers, The Greatest Hits (2002), and the B-sides/rarities collection Lipstick Traces (2003). The compilation features one new recording, a cover of The The's "This Is the Day", which was issued as a single on 18 September 2011. The compilation reached number 10 on the UK Album Chart in November 2011.
Rewind the Film is the eleventh studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers, released on 16 September 2013 by Columbia Records. The sound is very different from previous records and is more acoustic-driven. It features guests Lucy Rose, Cate Le Bon and Richard Hawley.
Futurology is the twelfth studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers, released on 7 July 2014 by Columbia Records. The album features collaborations with Green Gartside, Nina Hoss, Georgia Ruth, Cian Ciaran and Cate Le Bon.
Catherine Anne Davies, better known by the stage name the Anchoress, is a Welsh-born multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and author.
Resistance Is Futile is the thirteenth album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers, released on 13 April 2018 by Columbia Records.
Greg Haver is a Welsh music producer, based in New Zealand. He is best known for his work with the Manic Street Preachers and Melanie C. He has worked on a number of award-winning singles and albums. With Manic Street Preachers, he was involved in production for numerous gold and platinum accredited albums. This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours, Send Away the Tigers and Know Your Enemy albums received gold accreditations in the UK. He also worked on Melanie C's album Beautiful Intentions.
