memories you associate with manics albums...

[mank]

i've been trying to sit down and listen to all of the albums in their entireity for the first time in a year or two and each album bar GT has stirred up a particular memory.

the holy bible was my introduction to the manics when i saw the video for revol on mtv2 in 2001 and it completely hit me for six. i remember walking around school with my massive "portable" CD player hidden under my coat listening to it, thinking that i was so much cooler than my mates who were into slipknot, limp bizkit and other such gubbins... i can actually see myself walking across the car park from the canteen/art block to outside the hall with THB slowly deafening me.

EMG and TIMT remind me of a holiday i went on with my parents in the summer of 2002, i'd had a rough year, i was ill and we went to south yorkshire to stay with some friends before they went abroad and we stayed and looked after their house. their eldest had EMG and TIMT on CD and i must have listened to them a hundred times each, studying the lyrics as i sat in the back of my dad's vauxhall astra on our way to chatsworth house, filey or some other nondescript tourist place. if it wasn't for the manics being in the right place at the right time - sort of - that holiday would have sucked. as it turned out, i have very fond memories of it.

GATS bizarrely reminds me of playing the zelda games on the n64 with the one friend i had at school. a completely and utterly pointless memory!

i remember the release of KYE because it was the first new material the band had released since i discovered them.

lifeblood passed me by unnoticed because by 2004 i think i'd decided that i was above such mainstream nonsense as the manics. i still don't own a copy and haven't heard SATT.

the thing i love most about music is the way it can define moments in your life or provide you with such strong and vivid memories. i don't think any other band has had such a profound impact of my development as a person, my adolescent obsession with the band during my puberty and last but not least the solace and comfort i found in the band's music.

i don't think i'm alone in that either.

anyway, what do you associate with each album?

[Daniel]

GT reminds me of becoming a proper fan - starting to get all their stuff etc. £6 at HMV i believe.

GATS was a random present off my dad as i was just getting into them, he spotted it at a sale next to where he worked.

THB reminds me of being in hospital, when my mam brought it in for me to listen to because my sister told her it was my favourite album, though perhaps not those circumstances!

EMG reminds me of a trip to france i went on with school, and i bought it on the ferry.

TIMT was my first manics album, reminds me of the being an early teen and being addicted to playstation.

KYE reminds me of an ex girlfriend, my GCSE's, and probably the best period of my life!

FD reminds me of college and listening to my minidisc player to and from it.

LB reminds me of becoming a depressed, cynical, fuckwit and being on the dole.

SATT is too early to tell!

[Mr Inconspicuous]

I don't really get this thing of music bringing you back to a particular time in your life. I mean I have specific (and completely uninteresting) memories associated with albums by the Manics and other bands, but actually listening to the albums doesn't bring them back any more vividly...

[Tom]

GT Reminds me of year 8- learning guitar, starting a band, making friends, impressing girls with said guitar.

GATS I bought it even though I'd only heard bad things. I learnt the riff to Sleepflower and decided I was meant to be a rock star.

THB Later year 8- Got it for my birthday off my uncle, with a CD player. Remember thinking it was really overrated, then thinking it was the greatest thing I'd ever heard.

EMG Bought it from Asda, got the tab book. Not many memories really.

TIMT Got it for christmas one year- wasn't too impressed, I already had all the good songs off it.

KYE Borrowed the CD off my mate in year 8 and copied it onto my xbox. Didn't have the CD copy for ages, so I only listened to it while playing PGR1. Good times.

FD First Manics album I got, summer holidays year 7. Reminds me of staying at my grans in rotherham and nearly losing my mind. Sounds cheesy, but it opened my eyes to alot.

LB Winter year 9. Reminds me of cold nights and writing dodgy poetry. Sniffing the booklet, and listening to the album on my paper round. Maybe the best time of my life. Reminds me of a girl.

SATT Fuck all.

[MoralMajority]

Generation Terroists reminds me of listening to the album on the train ride home from London, having just brought the album.
The Holy Bible reminds me of when I was playing GTA Vice City, and after hearing it thinking WTF was that all about then?
Forever Delayed reminds me of Sainsburys as every Friday I would walk to Sainsburys to buy lunch, and every time I saw the album and passed after looking at it for a while. But one week I had £8 in coins and just thought what the hell. Also reminds me of walking to politics on friday afternoon after listening to the album once and declaring A Design for Life was the best song ever.
Lifeblood was the first Manic album released whilst I was a fan of the band. And every time I hear Love of Richard Nixon I think of me skipping to school having recieved the album before school in the post.

Ahhh memories.

[Daniel]

Originally Posted by Tom

FD First Manics album I got, summer holidays year 7.

way to make me feel old tom!

[Tom]

It's weird to think that everyone was listening to the same albums at the same time, in different parts of the country, at different points in their lives.

I know that sounds really obvious, but I still find it interesting.

[mank]

i'd dropped out of school by the time FD was released, blimey i feel old now.

[Tom]

I didn't buy FD at the time of release, I bought it around the time Lipstick Traces was released.

[tzb]

Lifeblood reminds me of Brighton beach in November 2004 which was where and when I heard it first, huddled next to one of those walls which divide the beach up and go out into the sea. The worst year of my life, and the beautiful sadness of the album struck a massive chord with me. I listened to it 3 times in a row, and by the end of it my hands had gone orange (after going white then purple). Then I walked the 6 miles home and had a bath

[i-accuse-history]

Hmmm... lifeblood holds the most memories for me. It's the first album I bought, as it was the only one (with FD) in stock. Actually I listened to FD the first, sitting on the floor, using my roommate's computer to listen to it. I was trying to hear for the lyrics of Tristesse, because I thought it was in french (completely). But I could not understand a single word of what James sang.

I remember listening to Lifeblood in my bed, and hearing I live to Fall Asleep and Solitude was just amazing. Most of all, ILTFA will always remind me of vaccuming the basement floor of the Chateau Lake Louise. My supervisor had allowed us to smuggle mp3 players in our uniforms (I worked nights), and I would put that song on repeat while I was vaccuming. Every time I hear the song I think about that.

I don't remember the order of the CDs after that, but I think I got THB next. I remember really liking Mausoleum, listening to it again in my bed (we had a really tiny room, not much space elsewhere to listen to music, lol).

I remember when I got GT, I listened to it with my best-friend (she had ordered it from the internet), sitting in my living room. We were probably staring intently at the album cover

SATT reminds me of when I was working at Purolator, because when I got it I listened to it on my way to work and back. Same thing for James' album.

GATS reminds me of when my best-friend went to London. She brought that album and KYE back for me.

I remember when I got Nicky's album from my best-friend for my birthday. I remember listening to it for the first time with her and just staring at each other like, what the fuck is that??? (we liked the demo version of IKTZ better!). Of course it grew on me...

I can't really remember any other significant things for an album in particular. EMG and TIMTTMY were never that special for me, so I don't remember anything about it...

Funny how the things we remember about it are the first things we did 'with' them. Like, vaccuming with ILTFA??? Weird.

[Flint]

GT reminds me of listening to it for the first time at my sister's place. I was sitting right next to the CD player, looking at the lyrics, thinking "fuck me this is long". And then my sister asking after I've finished if I listened to it twice in row.

GATS reminds me of summer; sunshine going through my old room's windows and the room basking in warm light. That's what it was like when I first heard the album.

The only memory I have with THB is that it was the first CD I ordered online.

EMG not much, but I do recall my dad asking if I had bought an Elvis album after the car CD player flashed a part of Elvis Impersonator's name.

TIMTTMY is rainy days, peaceful nights and contemplating moments.

KYE's first listens are always printed in my mind, t'was the album that made me a fan after I obsessively listened to it on an otherwise boring vacation.

LB is winter. Loads of snow on the field behind my window, everything basking in white.

SATT... buying it on its release date in UK, listening to it as my boyfriend browsed the net.

[Lindz Delirium]

GT - the angst-ridden 16 year old in her room, revising for GCSE's and almost throwing it all away following the band around on tour, telling my Mum I was staying at my mate's house and hitching on the motorway to get to gigs.

GATS - all good memories, mainly due to Kev and I being in our first flush of love.

THB - I have no good memories associated with THB.

EMG - Buying DFL the day it came out in a wierd shortlived record shop in MK called Sam Goody's, bringing it home after spendong so long thinking it was the end, and knowing it wasn't

TIMTTMY - Driving backwards and forwards over the Severn Bridge, coming home in my lunchbreak for Jo Whiley's first play of Tolerate, using Counterlanguages stereo to turn off the main vocal on MLE so we could hear Nicky sing - more sitting in Counterlaunguage's flat rocking out to NLY. Some of the best gigs ever and truly good times.

KYE - fucked up.

FD - reminds me of when I finally mellowed and Jude being born.

LB - Trying so hard to not be disappointed and then actually finding myself liking it, cold cold winters, hard pavements and being slightly outside myself.

SATT - Being so proud of them again, feeling a little bit like 98 again but also hoping they don't get too big again, cos they have to stay as "our band".

[Always/Never]

GT - last year of college and get ready to leave home and go to University (yes this does make me very old )

GATS and THB - no specific memories, but they were while I was at uni having an absolute ball. I drank too much

EMG - I had bought ADFL from Virgin in Shrewsbury and played the two singles loads so I was so excited to get the album. Bought it from an independent record store in Stoke.

TIMTTMY - Bought it from Chester about a week before I moved to Nottingham. Played it constantly for months - which is probably why I don't like it now.

KYE -Sharing a house with some great people in Nottingham - one of whom found Nicky hilarious. Went on the morning it was released to Woolies - remember feeling rather disappointed once i had played it.

FD - Can't remember when I bought the CD, but I bought the DVD the day after the Homecoming gig. The same day I had my mobile stolen at Nottingham train station

LT - Bought it the day of the Virgin signing in Birmingham - the very first time I met the band so it was very special. Came away feeling rather giddy and thinking that they were even better than before, particularly the incredibly chatty Sean.

LB - I had heard leaks of the album a week before so I was already into the songs, but I still went to Sainsburys to get it on the day of release. I was not at a great point then for various reasons and I was travelling miles and miles every week.

SATT - When Dermot O'Leary played YLAINE accidently too early I listened to it over and over again - completely bowled over by the song. SATT will be associated with lots of FD activity, chatting to lots of new people and making some great friends. The year I saw the band 5 times and the year I got my PhD Good times indeed.

[Son of Stopped]

GT- Fresh out of school read and see videos, brother puts off by pointing out they will split after first album. "Oh that's no good! I want a band I can collect through the years...." or words to that effect.

GATS-Two stars in Q? (NME and Melody Maker didn't have random one off mentions of David Gilmour and Roger Waters so were off radar) "Ha Ha! Good job I didn't bother with them then!" Then I saw them doing RITH on TOTP. "Ah...." still didn't buy at first because if I could get £15 together then I could get a weed and hang at friends new house with his flatmates...

THB-Was on a NACRO course Audio-Visual (they opened doors to non-offenders, doesn't work, corrupts as many as rehabilitates ...) where I met a man in his 40's who had first two THB singles. Hence Sculpture of Man being first song I really loved.Was no use to man nor beast on A/V course suffice to say...Bought then worked backwards.

EMG- Again, on another NACRO course, but this time it's Stagecraft, so that'll sort my career out then... 96 also the year of my only live experience at Manchester. Funding got cut for whole Stagecraft department near end of the course. So I can't be blamed for that one. Bought when released.

TIMTTMY- Living on Income Support with a bit more LSD access than many would wish for. Never saw them live funnily enough.

KYE-Girlfriend breaking up with me.

FD-Still not got over it, trying to be broken down by New Deal putting me on courses that are basically Nacro with blinder eyes.

LT-Happy memories thanks!

LB- Working in Oxfam shop and playing it whenever I was on the till (usually, outvoted in favour of bloody Alanis Morrissette!)

SATT-Thinking "What the fuck have I been doing with my life?"

(The Two Ronnies brass and orchestral punchline cue)

EDIT: Oh yeah, and I was another one put off by the Stipe remark.