help! possible blown manifold gasket?

my 1988 LX just started doing this yesterday... revving in neutral, there's a lot of popping and stuttering on the downrev, which i'm assuming is the manifold gasket because it does the same thing idling just less noticable and less often... but now 1st, 2nd, and 3rd and obnoxiously loud when accelerating. it sounds to me like it's still a serious exhaust leak but my boy was telling me it might be something a bit more of a pain in the ass so i figured i'd get some opinions off you. i just dont understand how it's so damn loud in 1,2,3 and completely silent in 4,5.

sounds like you have two different things going on.
1) exhaust leak, doubtfull if it is the mainfold itself but it could be the emmision tube going into it. Your engine is not laboring as much after third gear so that may explain the difference in sound.
2) choke problem, your fast idle is not pulling off and or the choke is not fully coming off after it warms up. Look for vacuum lines off or rotted, spray some wd40 aorund the outside of the carb on the linkages for the choke mechanism. While you have the air breather off make sure the large tube on the drivers side is connected to the breather housing, if that came off it makes some gurgling exhaust type sounds too.