More on the world of popular music in 1997,
courtesy of the Grip staff
and our distinguished panel of
area musicologists. . .
Isn't It All About Songs?
(A Sampling of Some Essential 1997 tracks)
"Seeing Other People" / "The Boy Done Wrong Again"-- Belle & Sebastian (If You're Feeling Sinister, Enclave); "Prescription Beats"-- Chemical Brothers (12", Astralwerks); "Brimful of Asia" Cornershop (When I Was Born For The 7th Time, Luaka Bop); "Highlands" / "Cold Irons Bound"-- Bob Dylan (Time Out of Mind, Columbia); "Dream Too Real To Hold" Greg Garing (Alone, Revolution); "Sweetest Thing" Grifters (Full Blown Posession, SubPop); "Think About It" / "Poor Little Fish" Jayhawks (Sound of Lies, American); "Your Face My Ass" Lampchop (Thriller, Merge); "You Don't Seem To Miss Me"-- Patty Loveless (45, Epic); "Fuzzy Wuzzy"-- Luna (Pup Tent, Elektra); "Comet Scar" Grant McClennan (In Your Bright Ray, Beggars Banquet); "Good Morning World"-- Momus (20 Vodka Jellies, Le Grande Magistry); "Dynamite"-- Stina Nordenstam (45, Telegram); "Airbag" / "Electioneering" Radiohead (OK Computer, Capitol); "Stereo" Pavement (Brighten The Corners, Matador); "Another Song, Another Satan"-- Red Krayola (Hazel, Drag City); "Black Ice" / "Losers Weepers" Rock-A-Teens (Cry, Daemon); "G Turns to D" / "400 Metres" Sloan (One Chord To Another, EMI); "Miss Modular" Stereolab (Dots & Loops, Elektra); "Endless Summer" Stereolab w/ Microstoria (12", Thrill Jockey); "Christine" / "Little Black Egg" Tarnation (Mirador, Reprise); "Don't Let The Devil Ride"-- Sonny Treadway (Sacred Steel, Arhoolie); "R U Coping with Me?"-- True Love Always (45, Teenbeat); "Bitterweet Symphony"-- The Verve (Virgin); "Green"-- Windy & Carl (45, Burnt Hair); "We Are Trying to Stay Alive"-- Wyclef Jean (The Carnival, Ruffhouse); "Stockholm Syndrome" / "Autumn Sweater" Yo La Tengo (I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One, Matador)
-- Staff and voter picks
Best Box Sets
Various Artists Anthology of American Folk Music (Folkways)
Beach Boys
Pet Sounds Sessions (Capitol)
Various Artists
Cuba I am Time (Blue Jacket)
The ZombiesZombies Heaven (Ace / Big Beat)
Tony Conrad Early Minimalism (Table of the Elements)
Beg, Scream & Shout Big O'l Box of '60's Soul (Rhino)
Best in Rap,
Dance,
Hip-Hop
& Trip-Hop
Prince Paul Psychoanalysis (Tommy Boy)
DJ Shadow Preemptive Strike (Mo Wax)
Missy Elliot Supa Dupa (Eastwest)
Common One Day It'll All Make Sense (Relativity)
Soul Whirling Somewhere Pyewackit (Projekt)
Kid Koala ScratchHappyLand (Ninja Tunes)
Chemical Brothers Dig Your Own Hole (Astralwerks)
Wyclef Jean The Carnival (Ruffhouse)
Various Artists Soundbombing (Rawkus)
Talvin Singh-- Anouka Soundz of the Asian Underground (Island)
Various Artists Shake The Nations (Wordsong)
DJ Krush Holonic (Sony Japan)
Various Artists Dimensions in Ambience (Quango)
Moodswings Psychedelicatessan (Arista)
Various Artists Metamorphose (Phillips)
Voice of Kwahn Peninsular Enclosure (Swarf Finger)
from selected votes
A few of the MANY noteworthy
Archival Reissues & Oldies Compilations
The Byrds Notorious Byrd Brothers & Sweetheart of the Rodeo (Columbia-Legacy); Karen Dalton-- It's So Hard To Tell Who's Going To Love You The Best (Koch); The Hollies-- Dear Eloise / King Midas In Reverse (Sundazed); Mike Hurley-- First Songs (Folkways); Michael Hurley-- Snockgrass (Rounder); Dick Hyman & the Electric Eclectics Moog! (Varese Saraband); Bryan MacLean-- ifyoubelievein (Sundazed); monks-- black monk time (Infinite Zero); Buck Owens & Buckaroos-- Roll Out The Red Carpet & Together Again (Sundazed); Prince Paul Psychoanalysis (Tommy Boy); Charlie Rich-- The Essential Charlie Rich (RCA Essential); Shocking Blue-- Singles A & B (Repertoire); Silver Apples-- Silver Apples / Contact (MCA); Huey "Piano" Smith & the Clowns-- Havin' A Good Time (Westside import); Hank Snow-- The Essential Hank Snow (RCA Essential); Squirrel Bait Squirrel Bait & Skag Heaven (Dexters Cigar); Dwight Twilley Band Sincerely (EMI);
-- selected listgivers
Best Annoying Good Song of 1997
Freak Nasty
"Da Dip"
- Sam McDonald
Most Useless Regional Boycott of 1997
The City of Richmond vs. Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson's on-and-off-and-then-on-again show at the Richmond Coliseum was a backfiring publicity bonanza for the ludicrous Alice Cooper-ripoff Manson. First the City of Richmond tried to cancel the show, citing "community standards" (getting a thumbs up from the Richmond Times-Dispatch editorial page for that), but they then had to retrench after a swarm of publicity, including a suburb full of white kids who just love that Marilyn, and the ACLU, went on the offensive. The show went on, of course, and Manson was as popular with the under-16's as ever before
practically a free-speech folk hero.
The question goes begged Does no one over 30 liberal City managers and conservative editorial writers alike, especially get it yet? Your opposition to "unacceptable" music and "decadent" theatre just makes the kids like it more!!! It was true in Jerry Lee Lewis' day and it's true now.
If Marilyn Manson's fame extends beyond its unnatural freshness day in the trendy pop frozen turkey section, you can look to publicity like the City of Richmond's ineffectual boycott and know exactly who to thank the unholy brotherhood of Liberal city managers and right-wing pundits.
--- Eds.
Most Unfair Musical Boycott
96X vs.Mindset
Isn't it hard enough for local bands to make it these days without having to play idiotic radio station politics? Hampton Roads' own "modern rock alternative," 96X took the Virginia Beach-based Mindset off their rotation earlier this year, simply because the band played opened a show at Norfolk's Boathouse that was co-sponsored by the "X"'s rock radio rival FM-99.
Considering the paucity of Tidewater bands on national labels (Mindset is on a Caroline-distributed indie), you'd think that the"X" could allow what few do make it through to form their own decisions on how to best promote themselves, especially in a market where live rock venues, and radio stations to play regional artists, can be few and far between.
--- Eds.
Least Favorite Trend
Gratuitous Big Drum Production
"It's hardly a new trend, but it's getting worse by the year. Perhaps this is an issue only a drummer could care about, but some types of music don't necessarily benefit from having drums that sound like small explosions. I guess it's a question of personal taste, except it's really become industry standard for modern rock music. It's just too bad because I think that drums can sound good natural and quiet."
Matt Datesman, True Love Always, Flin Flon
Best in Soundtracks 1997
Various Artists Boogie Nights (Capitol)
Various Artists-- Zabriskie Point (Rykodisc)
Ry Cooder The End of Violence (Outpost)
Orig. Soundtrack-- Planet Of The Apes (Rhino)
Ralf Hildenbeutal Hommage a Noir (Zero Hour)
Various Artists Jackie Brown (Maverick)
- selected voters
"This year we lost of our gems. Renee Crist Sheffield was a smart, funny and almost always-right observer of the local scene, my favorite DJ on WTJU and my friend. The Softies will never sound the same again."
---Erin McFarland
Best in Rock 'n' Roll 1997
(Descending order of staff picks and votes received)
Yo La Tengo
I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One (Matador)
Pavement Brighten The Corners (Matador)
Cornershop When I Was Born For The 7th Time (Luaka Bop)
Labradford-- Mi Media Naranja (Kranky)
Belle & Sebastian If You're Feeling Sinister (Enclave)
Radiohead OK Computer (Capitol)
Stereolab Dots & Loops (Elektra)
Sleater-Kinney Dig Me Out (Kill Rock Stars)
The Sea & The Cake The Fawn (Thrill Jockey)
Silkworm Developer (Matador)
Luna-- Pup Tent (Elektra)
GOOD news for Music Lovers
"What has impressed me most this year (actually, the last two years) is the consistently good material coming from certain labels. Six in particular World Circuit, Tinder, Northside, Alula, Thirsty Ear and Tim Kerr Records have been responsible for many of my favorite CDs. A number of other pop, country and world music labels have maintained that level of consistency the RCA Essential Series (mostly classic country reissues) is also exceptional; good transfers of great music. And, finally, not enough can be said about The Harry Smith Anthology of American Folk Music on Smithsonian-Folkways. This 6-CD set, along with selected installments of the 100-CD collection of Alan Lomax' field recordings, constitute the history of our country through its folk music"
-- Chuck Taylor
Best in Jazz
Aaron Binder This Side of Jazz (BCD)
Jackie Terasson & Cassandra Wilson Rendezvous (Blue Note)
Rabih Abou-Khalil-- Odd Times (Enja)
Doc Cheatham & Nicolas Payton (Verve)
Charles Mingus-- Passion Of A Man
(Atlantic / Rhino)
--- selected listgivers
A Sellout Move To Love
Luscious Jackson's lusty X-Mas TV commercial, performing "Let It Snow," for the Gap clothing chain.
A Commercial Sellout Move to Loathe
David Bowie's lending of "Heroes" to plug Nike shoes.
What's next, Thin White?
"Golden Years" for Metamusil. . . Ziggy Starburst?"
--eds.
Fashion Fad of the Year
How Almost Everyone Young is Suddenly Beautiful.
"No dumb haircuts or makeup or leggins or nothing. Baggy clothes, rough hair, plainly beautiful faces, cool walks, lots of hats. Normal. Somehow pudgy people in baggy jeans and a striped sweater look as nice as raving supermodels and even the guys out there just look cool and alive. Maybe I'm just getting old." Kyle Hogg
Best in Country and Folk
Various Artists
The Harry Smith Anthology of American Folk Music (Smithsonian-Folkways)
Charlie Rich The Essential Charlie Rich (RCA Essential)
Steve Earle El Corizon (Warner Brothers)
Patty Loveless-- "You Don't Seem To Miss Me" (Epic)
Butch Hancock You Could'a Walked Around the World (Rainlight)
Utah Phillips Loafer's Glory (Red House)
Johnny Dowd Wrong Side of Memphis (Checkered Past)
Buck Owens & Buckaroos--
Roll Out The Red Carpet & Together Again (Sundazed)
Ingrid Karklin & Backbone Red Hand (Willow)
John Stewart & Buffy Ford Live At The Turf (Folk Era )
from selected votes
Most Pathetic Artists of 1997
Haven't the insufferable Rolling Stones made enough money off Bored Baby boomer Nation? When you compare the 1997 Stones with the recent achievements of their elder contemporaries like Bob Dylan, it becomes even more obvious that the geratric badboys of rock should've hung it up a long time ago.
To compound the mediocrity, Keith Richards had the nerve to dis "new music" in the press ("I prefer Mozart, man" the former hedonistic Eighth Wonder of the World said, echoing the staid and anal reactions that his youthful antics once inspired in out-of-touch grandfathers and entrenched show biz phonies 30 years ago). No problem if that's Keith's informed opinion. . . and if he's been listening to the kind of "new rock" programmed by BUZZ-type stations, he might even have a point. But Keith had just put his name on a half-baked new Stones release (Bridges to Babylon, easily their worst studio album EVER and, yes, we are counting Undercover of the Night and Metamorphosis) which was hastily compiled so that the Stones could have "product" to plug during their upteenth, high ticket, dinosaur farewell tour.
The band's money-grubbing didn't stop there. The best song to boast a Jagger / Richard copyright in years, the Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony," wasn't written by the Stones at all. The Verve appropriated a brief sample from an old Andrew Loog Oldham album of Stones covers and turned it into a tearful technological masterpiece; one of the best singles of the year. The Stones' management made the Verve give up FULL copyright on the song for the use of the snippet. Good thing Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf (and the family of Robert Johnson) didn't have snaky lawyers back in the Stones blues-plagarizing heyday of 1965-1971, eh?
The most embarrassing moment of a VERY embarrassing year for the (Gall)Stones was the band's craggy, geriatric performance on the MTV Fashion Awards telecast, where Keith was regulated to mere background vocal duty!!!
Give it up, zillionaires. Enough is enough.
--- eds.
Best in Gospel 1997
Various Artists Sacred Steel (Arhoolie)
Sonny Treadway Jesus Will Fix It (Arhoolie)
The Campbell Brothers Pass Me Not (Arhoolie)
Zion Harmonizers God Promised Me
Various Artists-- Jubiliation Vol. 1 & 2 (Rhino)
Chuck Taylor / Don Harrison
Worst No-Trend of 1997 "Women in Rock"
"No offense, ladies, but 1997 was not the banner year in women's music that the Lilith Fair portended. While there were the usual bevy of excellent femme-led bands like Portishead, The Geraldine Fibbers, Tarnation and Stereolab out there, as well as solo artists like Beth Orton and Ann Rigby earning raves in the indie margins, it was a mediocre solo crop of overexposed mooncalfs (Fiona Apple, Jewel), post-Alanis screech-queens (Meredith Brooks ) and bubblegum sex objects (Spice World is opening at a theatre near you) that somehow got credit, and front page hype, on the cover of Newsweek and Rolling Stain, for starting some sort of Big Movement.
HEY! Since when have there NOT been women in rock? Beyond a few more best-sellers than usual, what's so special about this mediocre crop?
If it's revolutionary women's music, Millenium-style, that you want, proceed directly to the Soul / Rap section and linger over Badu, Erikah. . . Elliot, Missy. . . Blige, Mary J., etc. etc."
---eds.
See you next year. . .
1. Best in
music poll pt. 1
2. Best in music poll
pt. 2
3. More on the '90's
4. More on 1999