What are your favourite albums from 1997 ?

Back in 1997, I was a social awkward 19-year-old who thought I was making a statement by only listening to Scott Walker and archive 1969-1980 David Bowie. I’ve a feeling the only new albums I got were Blur’s eponymous effort and Maladjusted by Morrissey (I didn’t get Earthl1ng then for some reason and hours... put me of David Bowie for a few years so I’ve never gotten around to plugging that particular gap I my collection). Over the years, I’ve found a few favourite albums from ‘97 but I still think that, on balance, I made the right decision to retreat into the past.

1. Voyage to the bottom of the road; Half Man Half Biscuit
2. Brighten The Corners; Pavement
3. Time out of mind Bob Dylan
4. blue s/t

And, for me, that’s probably it.

 

The Beach Boys Pet Sounds Sessions
Paul McCartney Flaming Pie
Sleeper Pleased To Meet You
Teenage Fanclub Songs From Northern Britain
Bob Dylan Time Out Of Mind
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds The Boatman's Call
Ben Folds Five Whatever And Ever Amen
David Bowie Eart hl i ng
Led Zeppelin BBC Sessions
Nanci Griffith Blue Roses From The Moon

 

Long Stretch of Lonesome - Patty Loveless
The Color and the Shape - Foo Fighters
BBC Sessions- Led Zeppelin
El Corazon - Steve Earle
Under the Covers - Dwight Yoakam
Lennon Legend: The Very Best Of - John Lennon
South Saturn Delta - Jimi Hendrix
Terra Incognito - Chris Whitley
Lee Ann Womack
Talk on Corners - The Corrs

In that order, although ftr one and two are neck and neck. Both excellent albums I still listen to with great pleasure. The Ledsters' release is also exceptional and essential to their collection. Steve Earle's release that year was imo the last one I really thought was great. Dwight's also is exceptional but one or two versions are a bit off. The Lennon compilation could have been the best but I had some issues with some of the choices. the Hendrix compilation is mostly excellent but suffers from inclusion of some off work. Whitley's release was not as good as his previous two. Nice debut from the excellent Lee Ann Womack, and the Corrs release was almost too MOR and poppy to make this list, but it somehow worked. Haven't heard it in awhile, though.

 

Bob Dylan - Time Out Of Mind
Flaming Lips - Zaireeka
Roni Size/Reprazent - New Forms
Grandaddy - Under The Western Freeway
Elliot Smith - Either/Or
Super Furry Animals - Radiator
KRS One - I Got Next
Daft Punk - Homework
The Verve - Urban Hymns
Death in Vegas - Dead Elvis

 

A Half Man, half biscuit album would normally be in with a shout of getting on my list, but I was way too serious that year!

 

Ocean Colour Scene ‎– Marchin' Already
Blur ‎– Blur
The Verve ‎– Urban Hymns
Paul Weller ‎– Heavy Soul
Paul Weller ‎– Live From The Roof Of The Hayward Gallery, London

 

Ween - The Mollusk
raison d'être - In Sadness, Silence And Solitude
Sarah McLachlan - Surfacing
Super Furry Animals - Radiator
Björk - Homogenic
Bob Dylan - Time Out of Mind
16 Horsepower - Low Estate
Steve Roach - On This Planet
Forrest Fang - The Blind Messenger
The Orb - Orblivion

 

1995 and 1997 are two my favorite years for music, probably my two favorites of the 90s based on the number of titles on my computer, I'll leave out a few of my favorites to get it down to top 15 ...

Björk - Homogenic
Bob Dylan - Time Out Of Mind
Built To Spill - Perfect From Now On
Laika - Sounds of the Satellites
Michael Head & The Strands - The Magical World of The Strands
Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West
OP8 - Slush
Paul K & the Weathermen - Love Is A Gas
Radiohead - OK Computer
Red Red Meat - There's A Star Above The Manger Tonight
Richard Buckner - Devotion + Doubt
Sixteen Horsepower - Low Estate
Spiritualized - Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
Stereolab - Dots And Loops
Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One

 

Lunachicks - Pretty Ugly
Old '97s - Too Far To Care
Cheap Trick - Cheap Trick
Electric Frankenstein - Sick Songs
Murder City Devils - Murder City Devils
Lazy Cowgirls - A Little Sex and Death
Whiskeytown - Strangers Almanac
Led Zeppelin - BBC Sessions
Supersuckers - Must've Been High
The Replacements - All For Nothing/Nothing For All

 

Baile de los Locos - Voodoo Glow Skulls

 

Here are a couple of favorites from 1997.

The Hate Bombs - Here Comes Treble
The Hi-Fives - And A Whole Lotta You

 

Elliott Smith — Either/Or
Built to Spill — Perfect from Now On
Mogwai — Young Team
Portishead — Portishead
Sleater-Kinney — Dig Me Out
Polvo — Shapes
Bardo Pond — Lapsed
Radiohead — OK Computer

 

Buena Vista Social Club
Time Out Of Mind
Portisihead

 

OK Computer - Radiohead
The Boatman's Call - Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
Life After Death - Notorious BIG
Brighten The Corners - Pavement
Vanishing Point - Primal Scream
Whatever & Ever Amen - Ben Folds Five
Blur
Album Of The Year - Faith No More
Earthling - David Bowie
Three Dollar Bill, Y'all$ - Limp Bizkit (yeah, that's right.)

 

For me, the '90s were all about metal, so...

Windir - Sóknardalr
Emperor - Anthems to the welkin at dusk
Absu - The third storm of Cythraul
Dismal Euphony - Autumn leaves
Old Man's Child - The pagan prosperity
Enslaved - Eld

These are almost the only albums I have from 1997.

 

1. Radiohead - OK Computer
2. Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds – The Boatman’s Call
   
3. Björk - Homogenic
4. Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club
5. Spiritualized - Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
6. Super Furry Animals - Radiator
7. Michael Head & The Strands - The Magical World Of The Strands
8. Built To Spill - Perfect From Now On
9. Cornershop – When I Was Born For The 7th Time
10. Bob Dylan - Time Out Of Mind
    
11. Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out
    
12. Primal Scream - Vanishing Point
13. Portishead - Portishead
14. Mogwai - Mogwai Young Team
15. The Verve - Urban Hymns
16. Mansun - Attack Of The Grey Lantern
    
17. Blur - Blur
    
18. Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One
    
19. Pavement - Brighten The Corners
20. Daft Punk – Homework

What an incredible year 1997 was. I'm not even including 'Either/Or' as it came out in 1998 in the UK. Otherwise, it would be at number 2.

 

It was the first year in a while that UK acts weren't just as popular as US, but also more interesting, IMHO. Beck didn't release an album that year, I suppose.

 

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds The Boatman's Call
Cotton Mather Kon Tiki
Depeche Mode Ultra
Ben Folds Five Whatever and Ever Amen
Grandaddy Under the Western Freeway
The Jayhawks Sound of Lies
Mansun Attack of the Grey Lantern
Radiohead OK Computer
Matthew Sweet Blue Sky on Mars
Teenage Fanclub Songs from Northern Britain

 

Guided By Voices - Mag Earwhig!
Whiskeytown - Strangers Almanac
Spacehog - The Chinese Album
Supergrass - In It For The Money
The Hellacopters - Payin' The Dues
The Hives - Barely Legal
Radiohead - OK Computer
Foo Fighters - The Colour And The Shape

 

That was my sentiment when I posted that album. Like, "Yeah, I said it." lol It was good for a few songs anyway, right? lol again

 

Favorites picked up that year that I still enjoy
Depeche Mode-Ultra
Erasure-Cowboy
Anything Box-Dance CD5 <--- took me decades to track that one down
Michael Penn-Resigned
KMFDM-Symbols
Third Eye Blind-S/T
Black Lab-Your Body Above Me
Echo and The Bunnymen-Evergreen
The Replacements-All For Nothing Comp
Clan of Xymox-Hidden Faces
Treble Charger-Maybe It's Me
Monaco-Music For Pleasure
Lightning Seeds-Like You Do Comp
James-Whiplash

 

Fave albums from 1997:

Daft Punk - Homework
Texas - White on Blonde
Blur - Blur
Supergrass - In It For The Money
Paul Weller - Heavy Soul
Primal Scream - Vanishing Point
Cornelius - Fantasma
Hall and Oates - Marigold Sky
The Verve - Urban Hymns
Portishead - Portishead
Black Grape - Stupid Stupid Stupid

 

I forgot

GAS - Zauberberg
Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear
DM - Ultra
Built To Spill - Perfect From Now On
Sleater Kinney - Dig Me Out
Bowery Electric - Beat
Laika - Sound Of The Satellites

 

1997 was like a magical year for me. I was 21 and suddenly I found myself liking just about everything when it came to new music. Even artists I never had interest in before like Bjork and U2 were suddenly speaking my language. Of course, by 1998 I was back to normal, but it sure felt good to be in sync with the world around me for once. I even went to the HORDE Festival!

1. Radiohead - OK Computer
2. Bob Dylan - Time Out Of Mind
3. Ben Folds Five - Whatever & Ever Amen
4. U2 - POP
5. Portishead - Portishead
6. David Bowie - Earthling
7. Spiritualized - Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space
8. The Rolling Stones - Bridges to Babylon
9. Faith No More - Album of the Year
10. Paul McCartney - Flaming Pie

 

1. Royal Trux - Singles Live Unreleased
2. The Flaming Lips - Zaireeka
3. Swell - Too Many Days Without Thinking
4. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - f♯a♯∞
5. Spiritualized - Ladies & Gentlemen We are Floating in Space
6. Built to Spill - Perfect From Now On
7. Stereolab - Dots & Loops
8. Maurizio - MCD
9. Radiohead - OK Computer
10. Royal Trux - Sweet Sixteen

hm : Roni Size - New Forms