Best Album on OUR Favourite Albums of......1997 PART ONE

Ulver or Biosphere. Likely the former.

And as I said on that other thread, we'll do the 00's as a full albums and tracks ballot poll once this series is done

Sounds good.

I'll get started on a classical poll series as soon as I can btw. It's bound to be secondary anyway, so it won't steal anyone's thunder.

Of the poll options, these were my favorites back then:

Built To Spill - Perfect From Now On
Grandaddy – Under The Western Freeway
Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West
Trans Am - Surrender To The Night

Trans Am album still getting regular play over here, it's so great (and a good one for the road as well, especially at night!). Never heard the Modest Mouse album.

These all blew my mind for different reasons in '97, and they've completely held up:

Bardo Pond - Lapsed,
Biosphere - Substrata
Blonde Redhead - Fake Can Be Just as Good
Godspeed You Black Emperor! - F♯A♯∞
Labradford - Mi Media Naranja
Low - Songs for a Dead Pilot
Mouse on Mars - Autoditacker
Oneida - A Place Called El Shaddai's
Pan•American s/t
Salaryman - Salaryman
Smog - Red Apple Falls
The Third Eye Foundation - Ghost
Today Is The Day - Temple Of The Morning Star
Trans Am - Surrender To The Night

I'd have voted Fushitsusha's double whammy of the year, two of my all time fave records, if they were listed. I'm voting GY!BE.

Some good choices here, I'll give my vote to Nothing Feels Good.

The Modest Mouse album came out of left field for me, I'd never heard of the band. My brother caught them opening for Built To Spill, was completely blown away and came back with both albums they were selling after the gig. I taped them (one of the last tapes I recorded before switching to lol minidisc) and wore the tape out playing it on my walkman. I doubt it'll have a similar impact on you LBI, but I'd still recommend it. When I bought the cd years later the record store clerk asked me what it was. It ended up winning him over, too :)

Minidisc, ahh, sweet nostalgia :) I'm going to give it a try, thanks!

i haven't heard most of these records

nothing feels good

I love the Modest Mouse and Built To Spill albums on this list but I didnt hear of them until maybe 5 or 6 years later. Zero exposure for both those bands on this side of the pond at the time.

I've heard two of these. Voting Death in Vegas, roughly my 75th favourite album of the year.

I'll get started on a classical poll series as soon as I can btw. 

Now this is intriguing. By date of composition or specific recordings, or...

I'll stick to recordings or else it would become a full-time job. I'm thinking of starting in 1983, which marks the beginning of the CD era. Somewhat arbitrary, I know, but I'll likely make up for it by including a few reissues.

Sounds cool!

And as I said on that other thread, we'll do the 00's as a full albums and tracks ballot poll once this series is done

― imago, Wednesday, 14 August 2019 11:23

Are you in the big ballot poll queue? They wont take kindly if you jump their queue and might not participate.
That's why the 60s poll stirmonster and I were going to do never happened.

i haven't heard most of these records

― american bradass (BradNelson), Wednesday, 14 August 2019 13:36

you should try some

Sounds cool!

Thanks, I'll get started on it as soon as I can, hopefully by the end of the month.

b is for Bethlehem where jesus was a fisherman.
i know he starts and finishes men but I don't know why!

Autoditacker is the only one of these I still listen today, but I'm gonna vote for Modest Mouse, cuz that album really did mean a lot to me on college. Lots of brilliant music and Isaac Brock was the Drunk Asshole King, which is kind of endearing when you're 20. Plus they reminded me a lot of Can which I was way into back then. Granted by this time "Float On" had already come out so Modest Mouse was the sort of band that played well anywhere...I probably heard them more than anything else for a couple years.

What the UK press was covering in 1997

1997 NME Albums

1. Spiritualized – Ladies And Gentleman We Are Floating In Space
2. Radiohead – Ok Computer
3. The Verve – Urban Hymns
4. Primal Scream – Vanishing Point
5. Super Furry Animals – Radiator
6. Cornershop – When I Was Born For The 7th Time
7. Mogwai – Mogwai Young Team
8. Teenage Fanclub – Songs From Northern Britain
9. Bentley Rhythm Ace – Bentley Rhythm Ace
10. Supergrass – In It For The Money
11. Daft Punk – Homework
12. The Chemical Brothers – Dig Your Own Hole
13. Blur – Blur
14. The Charlatans – Tellin’ Stories
15. Bjork – Homogenic
16. Death In Vegas – Dead Elvis
17. Prodigy – The Fat Of The Land
18. Wu-Tang Clan – Wu-Tang Forever
19. Yo La Tengo – I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One
20. Gravediggaz – The Pick, The Sickle And The Shovel
21. Black Grape – Stupid Stupid Stupid
22. The Divine Comedy – A Short Album About Love
23. Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds – The Boatman’s Call
24. Pavement – Brighten In The Corners
25. Oasis – Be Here Now
26. Stereolab – Dots And Loops
27. Grandaddy – Under The Western Freeway
28. Roni Size & Reprazent – New Forms
29. Travis – Good Feeling
30. Mick Head Introducing The Strands – The Magical World Of The Strands
31. Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci – Barafundle
32. Portishead – Portishead
33. Eels – Beautiful Freak
34. Squarepusher – Hard Normal Daddy
35. Jonathan Fire Eater – Tremble Under Boom Lights
36. Prolapse – The Italian Flag
37. Wilco – Being There
38. Missy ‘Misdemeanor’ Elliot – Supa Dupa Fly
39. Photek – Modus Operandi
40. David Holmes – Lets Get Killed
41. Echo And The Bunnymen – Evergreen
42. Finley Quaye – Maverick A Strike
43. Tindersticks – Curtains
44. Manson – Attack Of They Grey Lantern
45. Scarfo – Luxury Plane Crash
46. Foo Fighters – The Colour And The Shape
47. Howie B – Turn The Dark Off
48. Robert Wyatt – Shleep
49. Silver Sun – Silver Sun
50. The Wannadies – Bagsy Me

Melody Maker End Of Year Critic Lists - 1997

Albums

1. The Verve – Urban Hymns
2. Radiohead – Ok Computer
3. Super Furry Animals – Radiator
4. The Charlatans – Tellin’ Stories
5. Spiritualized – Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
6. Black Grape – Stupid Stupid Stupid
7. Roni Size – New Forms
8. Oasis – Be Here Now
9. Supergrass – In It For The Money
10. Kenickie – At The Club
11. Cornershop – When I Was Born For The 7th Time
12. Mansun – Attack Of The Grey Lantern
13. Prodigy – The Fat Of The Land
14. Blur – Blur
15. Echo And The Bunneymen – Evergreen
16. Primal Scream – Vanishing Point
17. Daft Punk – Homework
18. Portishead – Portishead
19. Travis – Good Feeling
20. Orlando – Passive Soul
21. Foo Fighters – The Colour And The Shape
22. Chemical Brothers – Dig Your Own Hole
23. Bentley Rhythm Ace – Bentley Rhythm Ace
24. David Holmes – Let’s Get Killed
25. Stereophonics – Word Gets Around
26. Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds – The Boatman’s Call
27. Geneva – Further
28. Wu-Tang Clan – Wu-Tang Forever
29. Finley Quaye – Maverick A Strike
30. Laika – Sounds Of The Satellites
31. Death In Vegas – Dead Elvis
32. Santa Cruz – Way Out
33. Bjork – Homogenic
34. Tindersticks – Curtains
35. My Life Story – The Golden Mile
36. Hurricane #1 – Hurricane # 1
37. Spice Girls – Spice World
38. Stereolab – Dots And Loops
39. The Divine Comedy – A Short Album About Love
40. Mogwai – Mogwai Young Team
41. Teenage Fanclub – Songs From Northern Britain
42. Primal Scream – Echo Deck
43. Eels – Beautiful Freak
44. Silver Sun – Silver Sun
45. Erykah Badu – Baduism
46. Labradford – Me Media Naranjo
47. Republica – Republica
48. Billy Mackenzie – Beyond The Sun
49. Mono – Formica Blues
50. Hanson – Middle Of Nowhere

Jonathan Fire Eater – Tremble Under Boom Lights is a good little album, hardly earth shattering but pretty rocking

This is the best year for albums I've ever experienced in the 30+ years of being an active record buyer.

Select End Of Year Lists Albums 1997

1. Radiohead – OK Computer
2. Spiritualized – Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
3. Primal Scream – Vanishing Point
4. The Verve – Urban Hymns
5. Cornershop – When I Was Born For The 7th Time
6. Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds – The Boatman’s Call
7. Pavement – Brighten In The Corners
8. Prodigy – The Fat Of The Land
9. Blur – Blur
10. Etienne De Crecy – Super Discount
11. The Chemical Brothers – Dig Your Own Hole
12. Supergrass – In It For The Money
13. Stereolab – Dots And Loops
14. Oasis – Be Here Now
15. Edwin Collins I’m Not Following You
16. Roni Size Reprazent – New Forms
17. Bentley Rhythm Ace – Bentley Rhythm Ace
18. Travis – Good Feeling
19. Daft Punk – Homework
20. Teenage Fanclub – Songs From Northern Britain
21. David Holms – Let’s Get Killed
22. Wu-Tang Clan – Wu-Tang Forever
23. Super Furry Animals – Radiator
24. Death In Vegas – Dead Elvis
25. Salaryman – Salaryman
26. Various – Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas
27. Missy ‘Misdemeanour – Supa Dupa Fly
28. Eels – Beautiful Freak
29. Jimi Tenor – Intervision
30. The Charlatans – Tellin’ Stories

This is the best year for albums I've ever experienced in the 30+ years of being an active record buyer.

― kornrulez6969,

at last someone is happy!

I must admit though at the time it didn't feel great and a lot of the albums on this list i heard in the few years after, esp once napster hit.

Mainly because it was hard to get US import stuff and even then only after a trip into Glasgow and i got lucky finding it

Its funny seeing both those Oasis and The Prodigy albums highly placed in those lists. Easily their worst albums up to that point. "Urban Hymns" hasnt held up well either.

IMO the big omission on both these is The Mollusk by Ween, which I think has held up incredibly well over the years. That and Fantasma are my 2 favorites from this year.

in retrospect this was a pretty insane year for a lot of genres. every year from '95 to '98 has a dozen or so albums I still love.

some other 1997 albums I've rated highly

BT - ESCM: I would guess this one sounds a bit dated today but BT put so much effort into his production that I bet it's still a good listen. Unfortunately all that trance stuff has sort of been swept away lately...I thought this album was a big deal at the time but you don't really hear it mentioned anymore.

IQ - Subterranea: in my opinion IQ is the best neo-prog band (not saying much, I know) and this is sort of their attempt to do a Lamb-style concept album. felt a bit monochrome on the first few listens but I'm slowly starting to really like it

Motorpsycho - Angels & Daemons at Play: much like Autechre there's pretty much always gonna be a Motorpsycho album somewhere on my list

P-Model - Enola: Here's a group that just got more and more bonkers over time. Big computer panic atmosphere about this one that sounds very rooted in the late 90s but I think they nailed the industrial technopop sound. The track "Layer Green" still sounds incredible
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ-ILbhRyig

Denki Groove - A: so long as we're talking big name electronic albums by the likes of Daft Punk, The Chemical Bros., The Prodigy, etc., I think this deserves a mention, it's sort of Japan's answer to all that and beyond. they managed a major hit simply by adding lyrics to Silvetti's "Spring Rain" which I still think is a stroke of genius.

Daler Mehndi - Ho Jayegi Balle Balle: apparently I rated this 4.5 on RYM!?? I don't remember why, probably just for this track
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=powwfM5vwPA

"Urban Hymns" hasnt held up well either

'Catching the Butterfly' tho.

Motorpsycho - Angels & Daemons at Play

Good call, great album. Idk if this is correct, but I've the feeling Motorpsycho - at the time - was already big in some parts of Europe, but not the UK?

unknown here, dont think ive ever knowingly heard them

lonesome crowded west

I think i first heard that in 1998 as I read about it in an american import mag and found it in hmv in Glasgow

I am in the bug ballot queue yes. I've been saying I'll do this for the last year. Get on with 1998 and 1999, then it'll be time!

Big ballot, even

Moths
Woodlice
Butterflies
Beetles
etc

Its going to be a different system to your 90s poll, yes?

Yeah, it'll be the traditional EOY format

How many of these albums have you heard?

that Ulver album is the only thing in my collection I'm actually a bit scared to listen to, it's like its specifically designed to give you tinnitus

yeah it's wonderful, prob gonna be my vote

Emperor. Easily

Substrata has not aged one day. So that’s my pick

I recommended that one to Mike as I was surprised he didn't know it.

I've listened to it since. Its pretty good but I dont know what elevates it over countless other competently decent ambient albums.

I thought it was one of the best

Village Voice - Pazz & Jop Lists

Albums - 1997

1. Bob Dylan - Time Out Of Mind Columbia
2. Radiohead - Ok Computer Capitol
3. Cornershop - When I Was Born For The 7th Time Luaka Bop/Warner Bros.
4. Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out Kill Rock Stars
5. Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One Matador
6. Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott - Supa Dupa Fly The Gold Mind, Inc./Eastwest
7. Erykah Badu - Baduizm Universal
8. Belle And Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister The Enclave
9. Bjork - Homogenic Elektra
10. Pavement - Brighten The Corners Matador
11. Steve Earle - El Corazon Warner Bros.
12. The Notorious B.I.G. - Life After Death Bad Boy
13. Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole Astralwerks
14. Portishead - Portishead Go! Beat/London
15. Roni Size/Reprazent - New Forms Talkin' Loud/Mercury
16. Wyclef Jean Featuring Refugee Allstars - Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival Featuring Refugee Allstars Ruffhouse/Columbia
17. Spiritualized - Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space Arista
18. The Verve - Urban Hymns Virgin
19. Beth Orton - Trailer Park Heavenly
20. Elliott Smith - Either/Or Kill Rock Stars
21. Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club World Circuit
22. Geraldine Fibbers - Butch Virgin
23. Whiskey Town Strangers - Almanac Outpost
24. Janet Jackson - The Velvet Rope Virgin
25. Wu-Tang Clan - Wu-Tang Forever Loud
26. Richard Buckner - Devotion + Doubt Mca
27. Ben Folds Five - Whatever And Ever Amen 550 Music
28. Stereolab - Dots And Loops Elektra
29. Patti Smith - Peace And Noise Arista
30. Prodigy -The Fat Of The Land Maverick/Warner Bros.
31. U2 - Pop Island
32. Built To Spill - Perfect From Now On Warner Bros.
33. Ron Sexsmith - Other Songs Interscope
34. John Fogerty - Blue Moon Swamp Warner Bros.
35. Fiona Apple - Tidal Work
36. Daft Punk - Homework Virgin
37. Supergrass - In It For The Money Capitol
38. Blur - Blur Virgin
39. Jayhawks - Sound Of Lies American
40. Primal Scream - Vanishing Point Reprise

Bad year IMO

did you like anything from this year?

I stand by my list and think 97 was good. Sure, I had to dig a bit more and didn't hear some albums til much later, but I admit that I was wrong in the actual year to think it was a bad year.

Ah yes, the bowling shirt aesthetic of the late 90s

the what?

Spin End Of Year Lists 1997

1. Cornershop - When I Was Born For The 7th Time
2. Radiohead - OK Computer
3. Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out
4. Björk - Homogenic
5. Bob Dylan - Time Out Of Mind
6. Portishead - Portishead
7. The Notorious B.I.G. - Life After Death
8. Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One
9. Missy "Misdemeanour" Elliott - Supa Dupa Fly
10. The Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole
11. Pavement - Brighten The Corners
12. Erykah Badu - Baduizm
13. Roni Size/Reprazent - New Forms
14. Various Artists - Return Of The D.J. Vol.II
15. Janet Jackson - The Velvet Rope
16. Daft Punk - Homework
17. Geraldine Fibbers - Butch
18. Belle And Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister
19. Wu-Tang Clan - Wu-Tang Forever
20. Prodigy - The Fat Of The Land

wait how did you get through the late 90s and not notice/deal with the bowling shirt aesthetic, it was literally everywhere

hah, I remember liking i think their 1st single but everything else was rotten, especially that song that The Sun used in adverts. The singer was a real mouthy twat that you can find in most Scottish pubs.

Wasn't he the guy from Ride?

My eye went right to this:

Readers' Picks Albums

1. U2 - Achtung Baby
2. Pearl Jam - Ten
3. R.E.M. - Achtung Baby

my favorite R.E.M. album

Guitarist was from Ride, not the singer

xp

thanks to mods for deleting my post.

Made sure I paste it correctly thistime!

Rolling Stone 1997 Critics

Albums

1. Bob Dylan - Time Out Of Mind
2. Radiohead - OK Computer
3. Pavement - Brighten The Corners
4. Cornershop - When I Was Born For The 7th Time
5. Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out
6. Missy Misdemeanor Elliott - Supa Dupa Fly
7. The Verve - Urban Hymns
8. Björk - Homogenic
9. The Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole
10. Beth Orton - Trailer Park

Singles

1. The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony
2. Hanson - Mmmbop
3. The Chemical Brothers - Block Rockin' Beats
4. Chumbawamba - Tubthumping
5. Missy Misdemeanor Elliott - The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)

Readers' Picks Albums

1. Oasis - Be Here Now
2. Radiohead - OK Computer
3. Prodigy - The Fat Of The Land

Singles

1. Fiona Apple - Criminal
2. Blur - Song 2
3. Radiohead - Paranoid Android

Surprised at the readers albums picks

10. Beth Orton - Trailer Park

I forgot about this one. I used to dug it at the time

I used to like that Bentley Rhythm Ace album but fairly sure I've not listened to it once in the last 21 years. (see also Propellerheads)

I didn't like big beat much

write in for young team.

imagine no even including this seminal scottish album recorded in fucking hamilton ffs

young team is in the other poll

Best Album on OUR Favourite Albums of......1997 Part Two

I'll still stand by that Bentley Rhythm Ace album, its good fun. Their FSUK mix from '98 is brilliant too.

oof, am a dafty.

:)

you are from Bothwell tbf ;)

Gonna mention it here as I'm playing the fuck out to it today and it's from 1997...the Oblivians album Play Nine Songs With Mr Quintron. A little ripper. Hellfire and booze, gospel and guitars, sounding like it was recorded on a bootleg in 1958 if they'd discovered punk by then

― imago, Friday, August 16, 2019 11:13 AM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

Hell yeah, would definitely be my vote if it was on the list.

never heard of it

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Did anyone check out albums they hadn't heard?

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

least amount of votes in these polls by far

A lesser known electronic music cd I really like from '97 is "Contra La Puerta" by Phylr.

Not surprised Red Apple Falls only got one vote. I can’t stand how the drummer speeds up on “Inspirational.”

not too surprised built to spill got so many votes, though i never quite found what i wanted to in that record. some of the songs are really great, 'randy described eternity', and 'velvet waltz' stand up well... but it's way long, cluttered, poorly engineered (maybe since that was the third time around they recorded it), just spirals into meandering and lethargic guitar at times. keep it like a secret was way more cohesive.

It felt like kind of a bummer that they followed up There’s Nothing Wrong With Love with such a turgid, ponderous album (and I listened to it a good deal). It’s like they could have gone a few different ways as a band, and they chose the worst one. I guess the obvious joke is that the record teased at the end of Nothing Wrong... would have been preferable...

There are other LPs on these 1997 polls that effectively killed my interest in the respective artists (such as Homogenic and I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One). These aren’t even bad albums, but they had the effect of: “ok, I’m done.”

Yeah I liked Perfect From Now On at the time, but it sounds more disappointing in hindsight, especially after Keep It Like A Secret came out, which became the one I always reach for.

I've only just finally gotten around to digging into Bardo Pond this year & been liking it but havent got around to Lapsed yet. Lots of stuff I havent heard in this one actually. Didnt get a chance to vote but probably would have gone w/Lambchop.

I would have probably voted for it if I'd voted. The BtS album I've listened to most. 1997 was largely when I tuned out, though; never listened to most of these.

perfect from now on is the best BTS

Best Album on OUR Favourite Albums of......1998 Part One

Best Album on OUR Favourite Albums of......1998 Part Two

Possibly the best BTS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmE9f-TEutc

that video has 488 million views what in the world