I didn’t have to think too hard about this one. The context in which I first heard the song was very different from how I listen today, but Belfast by Orbital remains beautiful and uplifting: a modern hymn, cresting on a sample of medieval plainsong from Hildegard of Bingen’s O Euchari, before dissolving into a warm wave of swaying, squelching electronica.
Music
Chapters
Chapters group records in my collection into distinct periods marked by significant life events, linking them to related people, places, and events.
-
Where gentle hills roll
words and melody comfort
he is not alone-
Summer days fade out
colour and sound flood the night
barriers dissolve-
In a piece of time
Bristolian bands play as
lifelong friends converge-
Britpop echoes wane
but London is ours until
the sliding doors close-
Capital dreams bloom
new bands soundtrack adventures
with Nordic friends-
Their collections merge
as the girl from Manchester
arrives in his life-
Market fortunes fall
as we settle in our home
high upon the hill-
Small paws gently pad
his name might be Ziggy but
he doesn't play guitar-
The needle drops as
a new phase begins in the
the city of bees-
Revolutions slow
when apple scruffs reach halfway
and start looking back
Liner Notes
These notes were originally written in response to prompts on Crucial Tracks, reflecting on songs that have personal meaning to me.
Favourites
CD
Vinyl
Events
Teenage Fanclub
- Date
- Location
- Manchester Academy
- Type
- Concert
Teenage Fanclub
- Date
- Location
- Manchester Academy
- Type
- Concert
Teenage Fanclub
- Date
- Location
- Manchester Academy
- Type
- Concert
The Breeders
- Date
- Location
- Ritz Manchester
- Type
- Concert
Track Record
| Artist | Total |
|---|---|
| Various | 18 |
| Blur | 11 |
| Beastie Boys | 7 |
| Genre | Total |
|---|---|
| Rock | 392 |
| Electronic | 129 |
| Pop | 48 |
| Year | Total |
|---|---|
| 1994 | 33 |
| 1993 | 27 |
| 1997 | 27 |
About this collection
This archive doesn't include any music I have owned on Cassette or MiniDisc (sadly now lost) or listened to on streaming services. I collected CDs from 1991 to 2015, often buying music having only heard a few tracks on the radio in the pre-streaming days. In 2017, I bought a turntable with the (lofty) aim of building a canonical music collection that only included releases I really cared about. Events I've attended are based on memory and verified using online sources like setlist.fm.