The Love of Richard Nixon

In 2004, self-styled Welsh 'generation terrorists' Manic Street Preachers made a surprising volte-face from being a bunch of young, livid, agit-prop neo-punks to a fairly respectable, ostensibly mature Brit-rockers, with this new sensibility embodying itself in the sober, level-headed 'Lifeblood'. 'Lifeblood' was noticeably shorn of the inflammatory guitar riffs and heated hollers of the past, instead opting for a more produced feel to the proceedings, with much of the intemperate rawness of the early records streamlined into a more efficient and economical veneer. Although the album was derided by some quarters as being too stolid and economical, it did highlight a hitherto unknown facet of the band, and it also paved the way for a more considered artistic outlook for the once-firebrand trio. Check out a live performance of the lead single from 'Lifeblood', the electronically enhanced and bitterly satirical 'The Love of Richard Nixon', on the venerable 'Later With Jools Holland' programme.