Manic Street Preachers celebrate The Holy Bible 20th with US tour

[RoadWarrior]

Legacy Recordings has announced that Manic Street Preachers, the influential post-punk industrial modern rock band formed in Blackwood Wales in 1986, will celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Holy Bible, their third studio album, with "The Holy Bible Tour," the group's first North American concert dates in six years, and the release of The Holy Bible 20, a newly expanded edition of the widely acclaimed masterpiece.

Originally released on Epic Records in 1994, The Holy Bible has proved pivotal in the evolution of Manic Street Preachers and the alternative rock music landscape bridging the 20th and 21st centuries. A 1995 US tour, planned in support of The Holy Bible, was cancelled when Richey Edwards, the band's principle lyricist and rhythm guitarist, disappeared, under mysterious and still unknown circumstances, on February 1, 1995. Edwards' last live show with the Manics was on December 21, 1994 and The Holy Bible contains his last recordings with the band.

Following Edwards' disappearance, the Manic Street Preachers continued to record, tour and develop in his absence, creating a discography of powerful and influential albums and singles and becoming one of the UK's biggest bands in the process. In 2014, Manic Street Preachers released the critically acclaimed UK #2 studio album Futurology and The Holy Bible 20, the definitive collector's edition of the group's 1994 watershed.

In late 2014, to coincide with the 20th anniversary of The Holy Bible, the Manic Street Preachers mounted a UK tour of concerts, which sold out in 9 minutes, featuring the album performed live, in sequence and entirety, for the first time ever. Overwhelming demand prompted a second run of The Holy Bible live shows for 2015 in Edinburgh, Wolverhampton, Southampton and Cardiff Castle.

In addition to performing The Holy Bible on the North American tour the band will also play classic tracks and rarities from their extensive back catalog.

A deluxe edition of The Holy Bible (20th Anniversary Edition) was released in the UK on December 9, 2014. An ultra deluxe physical edition of the album, featuring a 12" vinyl LP and 4CDs, is slated for release on March 10, 2015. A limited edition 12" vinyl LP picture disc is being struck for release on Record Store Day 2015 (April 18).

Available on vinyl for the first time since 1994 (when it was only released as a limited edition picture disc) and digitally for the first time ever, The Holy Bible (20th Anniversary Edition) features BBC recordings of the 1994 Astoria shows released commercially for the first time and a curated book with rare, previously unseen images, including exclusive photos by Mitch Ikeda, handwritten lyrics, sleeve notes from Keith Cameron and notes from the band.

The 12" x 12" box contains the remastered album on 180gm heavyweight vinyl plus 4 CDs and a 40 page book. The CDs contain the full album, the remastered US version, b-sides, mixes live versions and a previously unreleased version of 'Revol'. The Holy Bible (20th Anniversary Edition) includes a live CD of the band's last performances with guitarist Richey Edwards from the Astoria on December 1994.

The Holy Bible Tour dates:

04/20 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
04/23 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
04/24 - Boston, MA - The Sinclair
04/27 - Toronto, Ontario - Danforth
04/29 - Chicago, IL - Metro