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Old 23-10-2014, 08:08
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Lifeblood #10

Kicking off the 10th anniversary of Lifeblood, we've updated the FD logo .

Thought it might be fun to have a thread to share thoughts, memories, pics and stuff about Lifebood and maybe get some love (or hate ) going for this under rated album.
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Old 23-10-2014, 08:24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Takk View Post
Kicking off the 10th anniversary of Lifeblood, we've updated the FD logo .

Thought it might be fun to have a thread to share thoughts, memories, pics and stuff about Lifebood and maybe get some love (or hate ) going for this under rated album.
Had wonderful moments at that time.

Seeing the Manics open with 1985 in Wembley was mindblowing.

One of their best albums!
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Old 23-10-2014, 08:26
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I was at Wembley in 04 - My first gig. Loved 1985 live- and the cock up for Song For a Departure.
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Old 23-10-2014, 09:02
IrelandCalling4 IrelandCalling4 is offline
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Very apt this topic comes up; one week after my discovering of this gem of an album.

I'm honestly flummoxed (love that word!^) at how this album get's bad reviews, and a feeling that it's subpar. It is full of such wonderful songs, memorable melodies, thoughtful lyrics - I honestly feel it's one of their best.

LifeBlood was the lone omission from my Manics collection; the collection began inn 2007 with the SATT hype, concert (saw them here in Dublin, first time!); following that the excitement of the JFPL album and mini tour; PFAYM, RTF, Futurology - and delving into the back catalogue. Lifeblood was the only one I hadn't heard; that all changed last week...

I was going through itunes, listening to Manics tracks, decided to give 'Richard Nixon' a listen after not hearing it since it's release; loved it, and then let the album play. Almost on first listening I knew this was a special one.

Just to list a few of the tunes I feel have that magic - 'Solitude Sometimes Is' (which is gorgeous!), 'Empty Souls', 'To Repel Ghosts', 'I Live to Fall Asleep', 'A Song for Departure' - I mean, wow, ANY album that contains songs of that calibre is something very special indeed.

Only one week in, yes, but it's the best album I've heard in ages; I continue to listen...
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Old 23-10-2014, 09:25
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I'm a huge Lifeblood fan because of the music and the fact it soundtracked a great period of my life.

I made a Lifeblood Appreciation thread a few years ago but it appears to have been deleted... Takk!!!!

I'll post another appreciation post this evening hopefully. Love the album, the white gear, the leather, Empty Souls video, Maida Vale session. Everything.
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Old 23-10-2014, 12:40
tomd2103 tomd2103 is offline
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After recently reading a few threads about Lifeblood I've been listening to it quite a bit this week. I still really like the majority of the album (1985, Nixon, Empty Souls, Song For Departure, To Repel Ghosts, Glasnost, Solitude Sometimes is, Fragments and Cardiff Afterlife), but just feel it is lacking something. I think there are similarities to Futurology, but Futurology has a harder edge in places (title track, Walk me to the Bridge, Europa, SPLAM) which provides a contrast is lacking in Lifeblood, which is a bit one placed in places.

I accept it doesn't really work this way, but I've always also felt that if the three songs that appeared on the Greatest Hits and B sides collections around that time (There by the Grace of God, Door to the River and Forever Delayed) had been on Lifeblood instead alongside those listed above then the album would have been better overall. It is still an album I enjoy though and feel it is nowhere near as bad as the band themselves make it out to be.

Last edited by tomd2103; 23-10-2014 at 21:12.
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Old 23-10-2014, 12:42
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I really connected with someone of the lyrics that felt like Nicky reclaiming his own identity - some examples of which have made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up (the only Manics album that has done that for me) e.g 'and yet I kept my silence, the memory is still mine', 'for I witnessed splendour and evil that no one saw', 'when did you become another boy struck dumb with love', 'and in defeat cling to these words so clear/humiliation's not easily understood', 'wake up the past and tell it to stay away, bad times are here to stay', 'for all will be revealed when ghosts become set free', 'we used to have answers now there are only questions'.

I remember thinking, music fans will get hold of this in spite of the critics and declare it a success. My theory about critics is that they're always responding to a band's previous work in order to predict fan reaction - so when they praised TIMTTMY it was due to the success of EMG, and when they were luke warm for KYE it was because they sensed fans had been leaving during TIMTTMY. So the Lifeblood reviews were really a reaction to KYE having completely purged the band of the Britpop fan base EMG had gained it - as a result the album was overlooked when it would have been praised if it had been the follow up album to EMG.

Obviously this didn't happen and Manics fans I know are still bemused that I rate the album. The only reason I can think of for this is that there is just nothing trendy about Lifeblood and I think the music industry is largely based on trends.

For yearning melodies, however, I rate the album second only to Siamese Dream.
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Old 23-10-2014, 12:47
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"2 minutes silence in a century of screams" yep Wire can write brilliant lyrics, not just Richey!
It's in my top 3 Manics albums and works wonderfully with headphones on - love it (don't even mind Emily too much!)
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Old 23-10-2014, 12:53
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Europa Gluten Free View Post
I'm a huge Lifeblood fan because of the music and the fact it soundtracked a great period of my life.

I made a Lifeblood Appreciation thread a few years ago but it appears to have been deleted... Takk!!!!

I'll post another appreciation post this evening hopefully. Love the album, the white gear, the leather, Empty Souls video, Maida Vale session. Everything.
You'll have to make it again, I'm afraid - if it was by an active member and was deleted then it was on purpose, the database had to be made smaller so we could continue to exist .
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  #10  
Old 23-10-2014, 13:03
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Nicky's best lyrical output by far...

I live to fall asleep trumps all...
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  #11  
Old 23-10-2014, 13:30
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Ah, deliberated for ages over which albums to stick on this morning and this thread has ruined that, gonna go for the Japanese double cd thing. Definitely one of my favourite bits of my collection, lovely packaging, great inclusion of the There By The Grace Of God bsides and the dvd only ones from Nixon and Empty Souls.

Lifeblood was the first Manics album that I bought 9am on the dot on the day of release and the last one that I didn't hear before it came out. I had a kinda purple/red wine coloured cord jacket at the time and I remember in my haste to get out the door catching one of the button holes on the door handle and ripping it, weird how the most minor things and associations like that take you back. I remember being quite underwhelmed with Lifeblood at the time, must've had it on half a dozen or so times the day that I got it. I wasn't really sure what I was listening to, I remember the talk beforehand of "elegiac pop" and "The Holy Bible for 30 year olds" and having no fucking clue what they were on about, don't remember having any expectations really.. I saw Everything Will Be at Glastonbury and that made me curious too. It's kinda weird when the first time you hear something is seeing it live, even with bands you love and you consider yourself to know quite well... I've seen a few Manics songs debuted before they were released but besides Europa Geht Durch Mich which was stuck in my head instantly for weeks, I've needed a few listens to get used to them.

Lifeblood was the first Manics album that didn't grab me right away but I don't think I was ready for it. I think in a way when Lifeblood was released must've been quite similar to when The Holy Bible was released... in 1994 with Britpop in ascent they chucked that out and fuck me... Similarly in 2004 when all the rage was any band beginning with The, they didn't fit in with that either. They'd somehow gone from angry outcasts to Brit Awards darlings to some kinda more reflective outcasts. I don't know, I just found it a strange time to be a fan of the band. Not that they were testing me, I love the album now, I didn't love it straight away but eh there are still songs in the back catalogue dotted around that for one reason or another I'll kinda rediscover a renewed love for. But at the time for me it felt like a kinda transition period, couldn't predict what'd happen or where they'd go, what they'd do or anything and there were more times than I could ever be comfortable with that it crossed my mind that the band could be coming to an end given how Lifeblood had been received. It's certainly not the flop it's often made out to be..

I'm so glad that the Past Present And Future tour happened, I don't think it could've been timed any better. I remember the Glasgow Lifeblood gig and the reception for Love Of Richard Nixon being flat as hell, maybe they'd been a bit disheartened by the perceived flop of Lifeblood, but that Past Present And Future tour was such a rejuvenation. Nicky's been quoted slagging off arenas in the past and I think at the time it must've been a kinda jump or push thing to go from arenas back to academies. Just thinking about other bands who'd been so popular in the late 90s and struggled a bit in the 00s, I can't imagine for a second the likes of Blur, Oasis, Radiohead or U2 being content to be taking the step down from arenas to academies, I don't think their egos could've taken it. Yeah, Manics have dabbled with arenas a bit since then but I think they've thrived on doing longer tours in smaller venues.

Sorry just rambling now. As a Manic Street Preachers obsessive of half my life, I can't remember a time when I felt more confused about the band, wondering if they were coming to an end, if they weren't where they'd go, finding Lifeblood such a strange album for them. It was a different album for them but eh, if someone asked me to compile a best of that represents all the different versions of the band I wouldn't have a clue where to start, but there'd have to be some Lifeblood on it. I wouldn't blame anyone for not knowing that the sequence of This Is My Truth, Know Your Enemy and Lifeblood were the same band. As much as I love The Holy Bible, I think The Holy Bible 2, 3, 4, 5 could get tiresome after a while, they're a band who've always reacted against themselves and maybe it'll take me a while to "get" it, maybe I'll think for a bit that they're treading water but they've always found a way to surprise me.
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Old 23-10-2014, 15:56
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MEN Arena with a stinking cold. Nearly passed out up front... good times!
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Old 23-10-2014, 16:00
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Came out on my 21st birthday which I spent at a goth wedding in Whitby. Good times. Still my favourite album. Love it.
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Old 23-10-2014, 17:15
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Still my fave album by them, with the exception of Journal its been all downhill for me since then.
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  #15  
Old 23-10-2014, 17:29
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Thread inspired me to play alongside F and RTF. (I'm not hearing THB until after the gig)
It still stands up as one of my favourite Manics albums. It's different from what they've done and it works for the most of the tracks.
It's only "Emily" I find boring to listen to. The rest is full of stuff that makes you wish that whoever worked for Sony's single choices lost their job shortly after this album.
"1985" is regarded as the third single that should have happened, but I would not have chosen TLORN over A/N and Glasnost.
Even ILTFA could have been a third single.

I suppose because at the time James was troubled by the riff to "Empty Souls" sounded like a typical JDB riff, but a lot of Lifeblood's material could be easily converted into a basic three piece let alone the full band they have now.

And if the difference between Lifeblood and Futurology is Lifeblood was recorded when band members alone in the studio, then it might be worth keeping hold of that policy, as well as playing together in the studio.

Happy birthday Lifeblood! I suppose it will be your 20th when we get anyting like an appraisal or re-release.

I had the best rest reason to walk out of the band I was with because (On top of being unhappy) they promised me they'd get me a ticket for the PFF tour and not to worry about getting a ticket.

They didn't!
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