Journal for Plague Lovers

The ninth Manics studio album, Journal for Plague Lovers , was released on 18 May 2009 and features lyrics left behind by Edwards. Wire commented in an interview that “there was a sense of responsibility to do his words justice.” The album was released to positive critical reviews and reached number 3 on the UK Album Chart. However, the cover of the album generated some controversy, with the top four UK supermarkets stocking the CD in a plain slipcase, as the cover was deemed “inappropriate”. Several tracks refer to Edwards’ time in a couple of hospitals in 1994. Bradfield commented that Journal for Plague Lovers was an attempt to finally secure the legacy of Edwards and the result was that, during the recording process, it was as close to feeling his presence since his disappearance: “There was a sense of responsibility to do his words justice. That was part of the whole thing of letting enough time lapse. Once we actually got into the studio, it almost felt as if we were a full band; it [was] as close to him being in the room again as possible.”