Manics to release Richey-penned LP

Manic Street Preachers have announced that they will release an album featuring lyrics from missing member Richey Edwards.

The Welsh band confirmed they are working on a record with Steve Albini that is based around unused Edwards material, which they have kept since his mysterious disappearance in 1995.

"We've had these lyrics for 14 years and we all felt compelled that this was the right time to do it," bassist Nicky Wire told NME.

"It's a follow-up to [1994 album] The Holy Bible in a lot of ways. There's a small amount of editing involved, because some of them [Edwards-written passages] are prose and they needed to be made into lyrics, but they're all Richey's."

The record, which has the working title Journal For Plague Lovers, will be released in spring 2009.

Edwards, who was the co-lyricist and rhythm guitarist with the group for six years, was last seen on February 1, 1995.