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Like You Do – Best Of The Lightning Seeds



Year Released: 1997

Label: Epic

Year Bought: 1997 (cassette) - not sure about this CD 

This album is so 90s. I had it on cassette when it came out and played it to death. Literally, it broke. I loved it. It reminds me of playing football in the park, Euro 96, hours on Championship Manager. Glorious youth.

I'm not sure when I bought the CD but I do know that when my car was broken into in Colchester in 2010 the thieves took the CD player but removed this from it first and left it on the seat. Everyone's a critic, aren't they.

It's a collection I still listen to and it takes me back to my early teenage years every time. 

'Life of Riley' will always be the Goal of the Month soundtrack, 'Sugar Coated Iceberg' is still delightful, and 'Three Lions' is the best football song ever made.

Ok, some of it is a bit too candy floss. 'Brain Drain' has nursery rhyme-level lyrics in the chorus, and the extra long intro to 'Marvellous' kills the pace a bit, but whatever. 

'Ready or Not' – which kicked off Side 2 on the cassette – is criminally forgotten as one of the great 90s indie pop tunes, and 'Pure' is a lovely love song.

There's even lyrics from the Manic's Nicky Wire on 'Waiting For Today To Happen (97 Version)'. I'm a pretty big Manics fan but I have no idea how that came about. Probably through bonding over Echo and the Bunnymen. 

To younger ears it probably sounds as dated as a scratchy old blues record, but to me it sounds Perfect and Marvellous.

9/10


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