Lifeblood #10

[tomd2103]

Originally Posted by Radiomanic

That's the one, its pretty much the same speed as its played now. Back then it probably seemed punky.

Wasn't that the gig where they were pelted with bottles by a section of of the Swansea crowd not too enamoured with their East Wales origins?

[River Boy]

Originally Posted by Radiomanic

Really, who by? Certainly not the Manics!

Simon Price did once say they played a punkier version of it in 1993, but it was just the same version they play live now. Only started to speed it up regularly from THB era onwards.

I've never heard it but it was one of the biography books that referred to it - definitely using the distinction metal rather than punk. I thought it might have been a festival performance but can't be 100%.

Although if no else knows about it then I might start to be paranoid that I dreamt it.

[Radiomanic]

Originally Posted by River Boy

I've never heard it but it was one of the biography books that referred to it - definitely using the distinction metal rather than punk. I thought it might have been a festival performance but can't be 100%.

Although if no else knows about it then I might start to be paranoid that I dreamt it.

It was Everything by Simon Price, referring to this gig. It definitely says Punky. I remember reading it and thinking 'that sounds interesting', but he just meant they played it faster for the first time (which we are used to now). Manics haven't really done metal properly, Patrick Bateman comes closest and they only ever played it twice live.

[Marcellin Caillou]

Lifeblood is the last Manics album that I like.

I got to meet a few FDers after the Brighton gig and, actually, only picked up the album at the airport on my way back home. I'd been listening to a copy which was uploaded somewhere (here? Them were the days) and I didn't like it as the drumming was too prominent. So I guess I was already in the wane.

Now I play it occasionally, more than the rest of the Manics output.

[Midlands_Junk]

Where do I sign? Any excuse for them to release '1985' as a single.

[dolphin]

Lifeblood is different and ultimately a great record.

It's a shame they [presumably the record label] hopelessly mismanaged the singles from it.

[darkanddivine]

I think they did say that the label forced the Nixon decision on them, but I'm not sure how confirmed or true that is.

[clash750]

Went to the Edinburgh corn exchange when touring lifeblood full of the cold and really ill and its still in my top 5 gigs ever. Bradfield and Wire were in top form that night mind you they always are when touring up in Scotland.

[bringbackvinyl]

Good album and b-sides too

[River Boy]

Originally Posted by dolphin

Lifeblood is different and ultimately a great record.

It's a shame they [presumably the record label] hopelessly mismanaged the singles from it.

Both got no.2 in the charts though, I wonder how far off no.1 they were in terms of sales. Can you imagine if Nixon had been no.1, considering how hated it is. It would be hilarious!

I like the song, not my favourite but, as someone pointed out earlier, it's unusual. Think of it as the ultimate anti sell-out song.

Come to think of it, I remember some interviewer at the time asking them if they'd sold out with Lifeblood. Don't know what he was thinking of, it seems to have been completely the opposite. Like or love a band's albums we want them to be artistically pursued yes? - which is why I'm not keen on SATT or PFAYM.

Lyrically you can definitely see that Nicky has a very clear and personal agenda on Lifeblood, but told in a universal way unlike, for example, The Convalescent or Mr Carbohydrate, which are fun but hard to empathise with.

[Tom]

The last serious Manics album

[Europa Gluten Free]

Originally Posted by Tom

The last serious Manics album

There's a lot of value in this statement.

[db26]

Apologies but i need to temper the love in a bit. Lifeblood is a good album. Great by most other's standards and definitely under rated by non-Manics fans. However, by their standards I think it's actually one of their weaker efforts and saw the band at a bit of a "mid life crisis" point, struggling to be relevant but desperately wanting to be. Beyond this point I think they regrouped and realised that being relevant wasn't that important anymore and produced some of their best work (JFPL, RTF, F). Ironically I think they're now more relevant than ever actually....

[Suicide Aldi]

Originally Posted by db26

Apologies but i need to temper the love in a bit. Lifeblood is a good album. Great by most other's standards and definitely under rated by non-Manics fans. However, by their standards I think it's actually one of their weaker efforts and saw the band at a bit of a "mid life crisis" point, struggling to be relevant but desperately wanting to be. Beyond this point I think they regrouped and realised that being relevant wasn't that important anymore and produced some of their best work (JFPL, RTF, F). Ironically I think they're now more relevant than ever actually....

I agree totally with this statement. I like lifeblood as much as the next man, but the band seened a little bit lost. I think the band they were trying to be on it just didnt seem suit them, which is probably why they dislike it so much.

[Littlesue]

I would say SATT and PCFAYM were their 'mid life' crisis albums, plodding 'dad rock', at least Lifeblood was a bit fresh and diferent.