I was a poor kid when MCIS came out, and didn’t have either a CD player or much disposable income. So between October of 95 and November of 96, I purchased the cassette singles as they were released. I grew to love not just the singles, but also the b-sides like Believe, Rotten Apples, and Transformer. 

Christmas of 1996, my brothers and I received some off-brand discmans (discmen) and I received Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Beyond just listening to this epic, I also took the lyrics booklet to school, where I committed to memorizing the words between classes. It’s still in my regular rotation.