Editor's Summary of 1997.
In the annals of music history, it is doubtful 1997 will appear as more than a blip on the radar. Most writers for Consumable echoed similar sentiments - the music that landed out there and caught our ear, for the most part, didn't sell gadzillions of albums, and the artists didn't meet with the royal family. Staffer Scott Slonaker may have summed it up best when he noted that 1997 was more carried by singles than albums - not in terms of quantity sold, but in terms of quality.
We can look back at 1997 as a year when a band which formerly said "Fuck E.M.I." was signed - outside the United States - to EMI, and landed a worldwide hit with "Tubthumping". Who'd have thunk the anarchists would have a song that would be played right alongside Gary Glitter and KC & The Sunshine Band at sporting events?
It also was kiss-up time to major artists such as U2. Pop was released to international acclaim and fanfare by the media, but that quickly fizzled as people realised that it just wasn't anything that spectacular.
R.E.M. became a three-legged dog with the departure of their drummer; Prodigy had a huge multi-album signing (due to the media's realization that electronica is 'the next big thing') to Madonna's label, Maverick; a somewhat rushed Oasis record wound up being overshadowed in many circles by the band the Gallaghers helped bring back to life, the Verve; the Wu-Tang Clan dominated clothing racks and record charts without a loss of integrity. Ska gained a much larger fan base due to Reel Big Fish, Buck O'Nine, Sublime and veterans Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and finally, the Jackson 5 were somewhat re-incarnated as a white trio from the Midwest known as Hanson.
Those are some of the events which helped shape 1997. But rather than merely skim through the big events, we've included a brief mention by each writer of their top 5 albums of the year - and why those records made their top 5 list. Take a look, see which ones you haven't listened to in 6 months (or those that you haven't heard at all!), and remember...we'll do it all again next year.
Thanks to all our loyal readers and staff members for supporting the Internet's oldest music reviews publication, Consumable Online. - Bob Gajarsky, Editor In Chief.
Consumable Online's Top 5 of 1997:
1) Radiohead, OK Computer
2) Verve, Urbal Hymns
3) Prodigy, Fat Of The Land
4) Bjork, Homogenic
5) Ben Folds Five, Whatever And Ever Amen