KYE band photos..etc

[IrelandCalling4]

Really re-discovering Know Your Enemy these past weeks, it's so much better than I remember and some tracks are actually pretty damn brilliant!

I'm seeking some photos from the era to add to the ipod; google images and others have the main band shots from the time - if anyone has any cool shots from 2001/2002, KYE era, please add them.

All hail KYE!^

[Son of Stopped]

20th Anniversary Edition!! Must happen!!!
They could even bring them out as the two specific albums like they wanted to but chickened out of!
No photos to upload sadly, but I remember the era well. I also remember how it became open season critically on the band.
Well I hope they enjoy the Nickelback etc that came after!

[IrelandCalling4]

I have to say it's really surprised me; around 10 years ago I did listen to it quite a bit and knew it had obvious highlights but never got the grips with the full opus as I did other albums from the 2000s like Lifeblood & Journal. But on re-listening I think it's actually pretty excellent overall; some tracks not quite as good as others but overall a very strong work with some sterling standouts. I love that Castro attended their gig also - no matter how they look back on it now - that they did that then is pretty cool.



Oasis' SOTSOG was the other album of that time I listened to a lot and that has gone down in estimation even more, while KYE has had an upward swing.

[Automatik]

Originally Posted by Son of Stopped

They could even bring them out as the two specific albums like they wanted to but chickened out of!

This would be heaven.

[Son of Stopped]

Originally Posted by IrelandCalling4

Oasis' SOTSOG was the other album of that time I listened to a lot and that has gone down in estimation even more, while KYE has had an upward swing.

Manics have always been better than Oasis, by the Gallagher's are masters of sleeping at night knowing this!

[Europa Gluten Free]

Originally Posted by IrelandCalling4

Really re-discovering Know Your Enemy these past weeks, it's so much better than I remember and some tracks are actually pretty damn brilliant!

I'm seeking some photos from the era to add to the ipod; google images and others have the main band shots from the time - if anyone has any cool shots from 2001/2002, KYE era, please add them.

All hail KYE!^

I'm a huge KYE era fan. I was in my last year at school and it was a great time! My goodness to be 18 again.

What I always say about KYE is that the second half of the album is fantastic. All lo-fi 3 chord mini monster songs. Love My Guernica, Epicentre, His Last Painting for being self-consciously shit. And then you have Baby Elian and Freedom of Speech which are classic Manics songs.

Plus, the acoustic version of Intravenous is amazing.

Yes, this was the beginning of the downturn, and the album or singles didn't sell well, and they got fat, but I love the 2nd half of the album.

The B-sides are fucking brilliant too.

[tomd2103]

Will always be a case of 'what if' for me. There is a very good 'back to basics' album in there, but as discussed in previous threads I think the finished article reflected their somewhat muddled thinking around that time.

Really like the album artwork and some of the B-Sides around that time (Locust Valley, Masking Tape Just a Kid and Fear of Motion being particular favourites).

[IrelandCalling4]

I have never heard the acoustic 'Intravenous Agnostic', must seek that one out as it's one of my favourites! Besides it being on YouTube, where was the physical version released - it's not on any of the singles, as far as I can see anyway

[Glyn]

Originally Posted by IrelandCalling4

I have never heard the acoustic 'Intravenous Agnostic', must seek that one out as it's one of my favourites! Besides it being on YouTube, where was the physical version released - it's not on any of the singles, as far as I can see anyway

From memory it was a virgin radio session during the KYE era. No official release. It's a great radio session track, up there with the 6music This is Yesterday acoustic version.

Have had my say on KYE a few times in the past but in my view there's a very solid backbone of a rather good scuzzy fuzzy rock album there. Sadly it gets a bit too diluted with the other ideas that pop up (how about a folk song ? Lets give disco another go, remember early R.E.M ? etc). 2 albums ,or better editing, would have made history a bit kinder on the album in my opinion but its quite endearing to see that they were still capable of making the same 'throw the kitchen sink in too' mistake that they made with Generation Terrorists.

As someone said above it was a slight (and inevitable) dip in form but towers above the Postcards era !

[IntlDebris]

A ten track straight-to-the-point scuzzy rock album in 2001 (Masses, Found That Soul, Intravenous Agnostic, Wattsville Blues, Dead Martyrs, His Last Painting, My Guernica, Pedestal, Bangkok Novotel, Freedom of Speech) and a more experimental halfway house between that and Lifeblood in 2002 (So Why So Sad, Ocean Spray, Let Robeson Sing, The Year of Purification, Miss Europa Disco Dancer, The Convalescent, Royal Correspondent, Epicentre, Baby Elian, Door to the River) would have worked brilliantly, and still left at least seven songs for b-sides (plus remixes and live tracks).

[tomd2103]

Originally Posted by IntlDebris

A ten track straight-to-the-point scuzzy rock album in 2001 (Masses, Found That Soul, Intravenous Agnostic, Wattsville Blues, Dead Martyrs, His Last Painting, My Guernica, Pedestal, Bangkok Novotel, Freedom of Speech) and a more experimental halfway house between that and Lifeblood in 2002 (So Why So Sad, Ocean Spray, Let Robeson Sing, The Year of Purification, Miss Europa Disco Dancer, The Convalescent, Royal Correspondent, Epicentre, Baby Elian, Door to the River) would have worked brilliantly, and still left at least seven songs for b-sides (plus remixes and live tracks).

I've always thought that the following would have made a strong album:

Freedom of Speech (always thought it should have been first track rather than last), Found that Soul, Intravenous Agnostic, Ocean Spray, So Why So Sad, Let Robeson Sing, The Year of Purification, Dead Martyrs, His Last Painting, The Convalescent, Royal Correspondent, Baby Elian.

I always liked the way Blur went back to basics after all the Britpop nonsense with their self-titled album and think the above would have a similar feel to that.

[Donkey]

Well,

at that time I enjoyed KYE after the disastrous TIMTTMY, although there always were songs, which I consider weak or sometimes even the worst of all times (Ocean Spray, Robeson, Year of Purrification, Epicenter, His Last Painting, Baby Elian lyric, Freedom of Speech lyric).

But now already a few years actually I never listen to the album, I lost my love to My Guernica, Convalenscent and Royal Correnspondent, although I still consider the songs ok. The only realyl good song of KYE era is Just a Kid. The other B-sides are mainly weak too, with an exception of Locust Valley and Pedestal.

Then the production is tragic and has aged badly, the album is too long. I think the album deserves the place it has. Of course you will always find here enough people, who will say it's brilliant, as well as it is with every Manics' album...

when, then something like this:

Found that Soul
Intravenous Agnostic
Pedestal
Dead Martyrs
MissEuropaDiscoDancer - the live version from Cardiff Coal Exchange
Wattsville Blues - any live version
My Guernica
The Convalescent
Locust Valley
Royal Correspondant
Just a Kid
Freedom of Speech

it wouldn't be a bad album actually.

EDIT: Pedestal!!!!

[UEF]

I used to have a great little video of them pissing about in their studio in Spain. I wonder if someone still has it.

Lots of great little acoustic radio shows that year.

It's taken me about 15 years to like 'Freedom of Speech Won't Feed My Children', though. Talk about a slow burn! Funny how your tastes change.

[db26]

love this album. i think if you had to sum the band up with one of their albums, then i would pick KYE. a sometimes-brilliant-and-sometimes-so-shit-its-still-brilliant overblown beautiful mess. really struggled with it when it came out as my 17yr old self really wanted TIMTTMY part two, but as the years go by i can recognise it's greatness.

love the simplistic power of the middle section songs of dead martyrs through to the convalescent. love the fact they can go from touching ballad on Ocean Spray through post-punk, beach boys, pop, wattsville blues(!) into disco!

love the artwork.

love this band.

long live KYE.

[Manic Steve Preacher]

I really tried at the time and still try to fall in love with this album but it's just never got there. As a concept album I can understand some of the tracks but there's way too much random filler to get any kind affiliation with it.