Ahhhh the days of my youth...
Got banned from Napster for downloading it.
First Manics album I bought, had the Tolerate and Masses singles but this was the start of my journey to being a full-on Manics fan (obsessive?).
Recorded the Channel 4 version of the Cuba documentary on VHS and watched it over and over...still have it somewhere (nothing to play it on, mind).
Copied the album onto Minidisc, would walk around 6th Form with KYE as a constant soundtrack. I loved that Mindisc player, had loads of ‘Mixdiscs’ I made.
Did my History A-level coursework on the Cuban Revolution, wonder where the inspiration came from there???
My friends didn’t ‘get’ the Manics, except for one! We did a couple of road trips for the FD tour in Dec 2002. Still got the t-shirt. KYE one I ordered from the official website sadly destroyed in play fight at 6th Form.
Loved FTS, IA, SWSS, LRS, FOSWFMC at first listen. Convalescencant was a fave for the excellent wig-out outro. Royal Correspondent has become a latter day fave - love that thick distorted guitar sound that almost sits in the background of the song.
Great era for B-Sides: Fear of Motion, Masking Tape, Groundhog Days, Just A Kid, Locust Valley....only Little Trolls that I found weak but amusing lyrically.
I have all the singles, including the cassettes. My mum had my Ocean Spray one in her car for years (so she had the ‘pleasure’ of Little Trolls!).
Feels like a ‘summer’ album to me, in sound, feeling...and some additional nostalgia about the best summers of my youth with a great group of friends.