860. ...The Dandy Warhols Come Down

...The Dandy Warhols Come Down
The Dandy Warhols
1997

Tracks
1. Be-In
2. Boys Better
3. Minnesoter
4. Orange
5. I Love You
6. Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth
7. Every Day Should Be A Holiday
8. Good Morning
9. Whipping Tree
10. Green
11. Cool As Kim Deal
12. Hard On For Jesus
13. Pete International Airport
14. The Creep Out

I was really excited about listening to this album. The Dandy Warhols perform the theme song to one of my favorite shows, Veronica Mars (Kristin Bell is America's sweetheart; don't @ me). But I wasn't really familiar with their other work.

Not every song is remarkable, but there are some really good tracks that make the entire album worth listening to. The standout is "Not If You Were The Last Junkie on Earth," which Courtney Taylor-Taylor wrote about his girlfriend who was a heroin addict. "I never thought you'd be a junkie, because heroin is so passe" is a great line.  It's an interesting stance for a rock band to take.

Actually, this entire album is surprisingly wholesome. There's even a song called "Hard On For Jesus."

RATING: 4/5

859. Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space

Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space
Spiritualized
1997

Tracks
1. Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space
2. Come Together
3. I Think I'm in Love
4. All of My Thoughts
5. Stay with Me
6. Electricity
7. Home of the Brave
8. The Individual
9. Broken Heart
10. No God Only Religion
11. Cool Waves
12. Cop Shoot Cop...

I'm not a big fan of space rock in general, so an hour and a half of this was a little hard to swallow.

That being said, there were a few tracks I liked, like "Home of the Brave" and "Broken Heart." But I get the sense this is designed to be consumed with drugs. Otherwise it's not very interesting.

We had a previous Spacemen 3 album on the List, and I guess they've evolved into this. It doesn't sound that different to me. You can take the space out of the man...or something to that effect.

RATING: 3/5

858. Urban Hymns

Urban Hymns
The Verve
1997

Tracks
1. Bitter Sweet Symphony
2. Sonnet
3. The Rolling People
4. The Drugs Don't Work
5. Catching The Butterfly
6. Neon Wilderness
7. Space And Time
8. Weeping Willow
9. Lucky Man
10. One Day
11. This Time
12. Velvet Morning
13. Come On
14. Deep Freeze

We have only had one Verve album on the List so far, and I remember thinking they were like Oasis with a little more of an edge. Still true.

There were some really good standout tracks in this album. "Lucky Man" and "Bittersweet Symphony" in particular were brilliant. The rest of the album isn't quite so memorable, but the songs never dipped below "pretty good" in quality.

I also really like the main vocals, which were thankfully devoid of whininess. 

RATING: 4/5

857. Either/Or

Either/Or
Elliott Smith
1997

Tracks
1. Speed Trials
2. Alameda
3. Ballad of Big Nothing
4. Between the Bars
5. Pictures of Me
6. No Name No. 5
7. Rose Parade
8. Punch and Judy
9. Angeles
10. Cupid's Trick
11. 2:45 A.M.
12. Say Yes

In my non fiction writing class in college, somebody chose to do their senior project on Elliott Smith. Specifically, it focused on the fact Smith had no hesitation wounds. As is tradition in writing workshops, we tore him to shreds. 

His death is enough to gain him cult status, even if his music wasn't good. But this is actually brilliantly depressing. Nice, simple arrangements with strong lyrics. And it didn't have to drag on for hours either.

The sheer emotional range displayed here was impressive. It's heartbreaking; he could have done so much more. Oh, and he was definitely murdered.

RATING: 4/5

856. New Forms

New Forms
Roni Size & Reprazent
1997

Tracks
1. Railings
2. Brown Paper Bag
3. New Forms
4. Let's Get It On
5. Digital
6. Matter Of Fact
7. Mad Cat
8. Heroes
9. Share The Fall
10. Watching Windows
11. Beatbox
12. Morse Code
13. Destination
14. Intro
15. Hi Potent
16. Trust Me
17. Change My Life
18. Share The Fall (2)
19. Down
20. Jazz
21. Ballet Dance

I had this album on while I worked this morning. I think that is the only way to consume this sort of music. I would imagine even fans of this style would tire of it after two hours. Yes, this album is over two hours.

I suppose this album is designed to be background music, so I guess it fulfills its function well enough. Although that kind of conflicts with what my idea of art is.

So another wordless album that is drawn out for the sake of being drawn out. Definitely skippable.

RATING: 2/5

855. Time Out of Mind

Time Out of Mind
Bob Dylan
1997

Tracks
1. Love Sick
2. Dirt Road Blues
3. Standing In The Doorway
4. Million Miles
5. Trying To Get To Heaven
6. 'Til I Fell In Love With You
7. Not Dark Yet
8. Cold Irons Bound
9. Make You Feel My Love
10. Can't Wait
11. Highlands

Well, long time, no see. We haven't had a Bob Dylan album on here for about 500 albums. I think 1997 might have taken Dylan hostage; it was not very impressive up until this point (with the exceptions of the recent Supergrass album and Nick Cave). 

I didn't like Dylan before, but I really enjoyed this. Either he's changed or I have. My favorites were "Make You Feel My Love" and "Not Dark Yet" but "Can't Wait" was pretty great too. He's really embraced his blues side. 

It's actually depressing enough to be an excellent companion piece to The Boatman's Call. That is, if you are emotionally stable enough to handle it. I probs am not. 

RATING: 4/5

854. In It For the Money

In It For the Money
Supergrass
1997

Tracks
1. In It For The Money
2. Richard III
3. Tonight
4. Late In The Day
5. G Song
6. Sun Hits The Sky
7. Going Out
8. It's Not Me
9. Cheapskate
10. You Can See Me
11. Hollow Little Reign
12. Sometimes I Make You Sad

It wasn't that long ago that I was reviewing If I Should Coco, which I admired for its youthful enthusiasm and fresh take on a somewhat tired genre. You can tell from this album that the band has matured considerably. They are a little less wide-eyed here.

Which is pretty amazing, because If I Should Coco was released only two years before this. It's impressive how much they've grown in a short period, and they were pretty impressive to begin with. I do wonder if I would have enjoyed this as much, had we not just had a Mariah Carey album. Anything is sure to sound spectacular after that experience.

Disappointing that this is the last Supergrass album on the List, but I can't imagine them topping this one. 

RATING: 4/5

 

853. Butterfly

Butterfly
Mariah Carey
1997

Tracks
1. Honey
2. Butterfly
3. My All
4. Roof
5. Fourth Of July
6. Breakdown
7. Babydoll
8. Close My Eyes
9. Whenever You Call
10. Fly Away
11. Beautiful Ones
12. Outside

I wasn't really familiar with Mariah Carey's music, only her diva persona and tendency to throw shade. I don't think I was missing much.

I won't deny that she has amazing range, but does she have to demonstrate it with every word she sings? It's extremely grating to listen to after, say, track number three. I could barely understand what the actual lyrics were over all the vocal runs. 

First Robbie Williams, then Mariah Carey. I guess 1997 was a tough year on the Listmakers.

RATING:  2/5

852. Life Thru a Lens

Life Thru a Lens
Robbie Williams
1997

Tracks
1. Lazy Days
2. Life Thru A Lens
3. Ego A Go Go
4. Angels
5. South Of The Border
6. Old Before I Die
7. One Of God's Better People
8. Let Me Entertain You
9. Killing Me
10. Clean
11. Baby Girl Window

This is a slight lyrical improvement from Oasis, but you can still tell that the album was heavily influenced by the band. This, in my opinion, is a somewhat dubious source for inspiration.

But I suppose britpop is a fairly derivative genre anyway, so it's not a shock that this comes across as an imitation. Some of the songs were a little cheesy, but overall it was a pretty fun, sometimes mindless, album.

So in the end a rather mediocre entry, although I did enjoy "Clean" quite a bit.

RATING: 3/5

851. Homework

Homework
Daft Punk
1997

Tracks
1. Daftendirekt
2. Wdpk 837 Fm
3. Revolution 909
4. Da Funk
5. Phoenix
6. Fresh
7. Around The World
8. Rollin' & Scratchin'
9. Teachers
10. High Fidelity
11. Rock'n Roll
12. Oh Yeah
13. Burnin'
14. Indo Silver Club
15. Alive
16. Funk Ad

And yet another electronica album. Unlike some of the other techno artists on this list, I had actually hear of Daft Punk, so I was expecting something new or different.

And to me, this just seemed as tedious as the other electronica albums on this List. I cannot get into this style of music, this is not my cup of tea, etc. It's just boring to me; it seems boring to them as well. Why else would they call their album Homework? 

By the way, only 150 albums to go!

RATING: 2/5

850. When I Was Born for the 7th Time

When I Was Born for the 7th Time
Cornershop
1997

Tracks
1. Sleep On The Left Side
2. Brimful Of Asha
3. Butter The Soul
4. Chocolat
5. We're In Your Corner
6. Funky Days Are Back Again
7. What Is Happening?
8. When The Light Appears Boy
9. Coming Up
10. Good Shit
11. Good To Be On The Road Back Home Again
12. It's Indian Tobacco My Friend
13. Candyman
14. State Troopers
15. Norwegian Wood

850! I've been unsure if I can reach my insane goal of finishing the List in 2020, but it looks like I'm on track. This was a good album to celebrate the milestone with. You have to love an album with a Norwegian Wood cover.

Okay, so there is a little too much electronica for my taste. But thankfully, they were able to make up for it in other ways. I thought they had a clever take on "Norwegian Wood" and there was enough variation in the songs to keep me interested for the entirety of the album's runtime. 

Accessible yet uncompromising. 

RATING: 3/5

849. A Short Album About Love

A Short Album About Love
The Divine Comedy
1997

Tracks
1. In Pursuit of Happiness
2. Everybody Knows (except you)
3. Someone
4. If...
5. If I Were You (i'd Be Through With Me)
6. Timewatching
7. I'm All You Need

I guess not a lot of people have heard of The Divine Comedy, which is a shame, because they are better than many of the better known artists on this List. 

The title of this album is fairly self explanatory. It's a short album, clocking in at only 30 minutes. But it does a lot in that time period. Maybe it's not the most memorable album, but the songs are catchy and enjoyable.

It reminds me of a Scott Walker album on the List many moons ago, Pretty good, and doesn't overstay its welcome.

RATING: 4/5

848. The Boatman's Call

The Boatman's Call
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
1997

Tracks
1. Into My Arms
2. Lime Tree Arbour
3. People Ain't No Good
4. Brompton Oratory
5. There Is A Kingdom
6. Are You The One That I've Been Waiting For?
7. Where Do We Go Now But Nowhere
8. West Country Girl
9. Black Hair
10. Idiot Prayer
11. Far From Me
12. Green Eyes

Goddamnit, Nick Caves makes me feel things. I was not ready for this on a Sunday morning. He wrote this after his break up with PJ Harvey, and the album's entire tone reflects it. 

This is completely different than Murder Ballads, but just as haunting. It's incredible how versatile Nick Cave is. Oh, and is there a more depressing song in the universe than "Where Do We Go Now But Nowhere?" If there is, I am not emotionally stable enough to hear it. 

Amazing vocals, arrangements, and lyrics. Heartbreakingly beautiful.

RATING: 5/5

847. Buena Vista Social Club

Buena Vista Social Club
Buena Vista Social Club
1997

Tracks
1. Chan Chan
2. De Camino a la Vereda
3. El Cuarto de Tula
4. Pueblo Nuevo
5. Dos Gardenias
6. ¿Y Tú Qué Has Hecho?
7. Veinte Anos
8. El Carretero
9. Candela
10. Amor de Loca Juventud
11. Orgullecida
12. Murmullo
13. Buena Vista Social Club
14. La Bayamesa

I think the list makers often miss the mark with their world music picks. It seems like they choose albums that have managed to make their way to Western audiences. Because of this, I don't always feel like we are getting the most authentic sound from whatever country is being featured.  More often than not, it's some sort of compromise that doesn't quite capture the authentic style of the region. Obviously, I am not an expert in the matter, but that's been my impression so far.

But this was a solid choice. Again, not an expert, but I really felt transported to another place with this music, which is no easy thing in 2020. I liked the arrangements and thought it remained interesting throughout.

A nice introduction to Cuban music.

RATING: 4/5

846. Fat of the Land

Fat of the Land
The Prodigy
1997

Tracks
1. Smack My Bitch Up
2. Breathe
3. Diesel Power
4. Funky Shit
5. Serial Thrilla
6. Mindfields
7. Narayan
8. Firestarter
9. Climbatize
10. Fuel My Fire

Well, I knew from the title of the first track that this album and I were fated to be fast friends. 

The difficult thing about willing yourself to write a post about every album on this List is that you really run out of things to say about genres you don't like. I can't express in any other way that I don't like electronic music. In words anyway. I am currently working on a scathing interpretive dance. 

Last Prodigy album had endurable stretches, this one really didn't.

RATING: 2/5

845. Dig Me Out

Dig Me Out
Sleater Kinney
1997

Tracks
1. Dig Me Out
2. One More Hour
3. Turn It On
4. Drama You've Been Craving
5. Heart Factory
6. Words And Guitar
7. It's Enough
8. Little Babies
9. Not What You Want
10. Buy Her Candy
11. Things You Say
12. Dance Song '97
13. Jenny

I was hoping an album would come along to end the monotony of middling music. Lo and behold, Sleater Kinney shows up. Goddesses bless you, Sleater Kinney, for not being techno music.

Sleater Kinney blends pop and punk sounds with this album. Unlike our reggae/trip hop experiment from a couple days ago, this is actually an excellent combination. The pop elements make the music accessible, and the punk elements keep it edgy. 

And after this, we will once again be subjected to electronica.  

RATING: 4/5

844. Let's Get Killed

Let's Get Killed
David Holmes
1997

Tracks
1. Listen
2. My Mate Paul
3. Let's Get Killed
4. Gritty Shaker
5. Head Rush On Lafayette
6. Rodney Yates
7. Radio 7
8. The Parcus & Madder Show
9. Slashers Revenge
10. Freaknik
11. Caddell Returns
12. Don't Die Just Yet
13. For You

We are really in a stretch of unimpressive albums lately. I see there is a Nick Cave album on the horizon, which sounds promising. Hopefully it won't take that long for things to turn around.

So some rather boring electronica here, although I enjoy a James Bond homage as much as the next old guy. Actually, that was pretty much the only part of the album I enjoyed.

Not terrible, but another yawn.

RATING: 2/5

843. Shleep

Shleep
Robert Wyatt
1997

Tracks
1. Heaps Of Sheeps
2. Duchess
3. Maryan
4. Was A Friend
5. Free Will And Testament
6. September The Ninth
7. Alien
8. Out Of Season
9. Sunday In Madrid
10. Blues In Bob Minor
11. Whole Point Of No Return

This album almost made me forget what decade we are in. It sounded like something that Brian Eno would have come out with in the late 70s. 

Of course, I admire Mr. Eno, but I don't typically enjoy experimental jazz music on the reg. I gather that this isn't the most well-known album as I had minor difficulty tracking it down. 

So it is fairly out of place in terms of what else was being churned out in 1997. For that, I suppose it's worthy of its place on the List.

RATING: 2/5

842. Vanishing Point

Vanishing Point
Primal Scream
1997

Tracks
1. Burning Wheel
2. Get Duffy
3. Kowalski
4. Star
5. If They Move, Kill 'Em
6. Out of the Void
7. Stuka
8. Medication
9. Motorhead
10. Trainspotting
11. Long Life

I remember being mildly surprised that I enjoyed the previous Primal Scream album on the List, Screamadelica, based on the name alone. 

It still didn't blow me away by any means, some of the lyrics are pretty inane. Maybe I liked it because I go in with such low expectations. Still I did think the instrumentals sounded very fresh, despite the retro vibes of the album. 

I wouldn't label this one essential listening, but I wouldn't mind hearing it again.

RATING: 3/5

841. Dig Your Own Hole

Dig Your Own Hole
The Chemical Brothers
1997

Tracks
1. Block Rockin' Beats
2. Dig Your Own Hole
3. Elektrobank
4. Piku
5. Setting Sun
6. It Doesn't Matter
7. Don't Stop The Rock
8. Get Up On It Like This
9. Lost In The K Hole
10. Where Do I Begin
11. The Private Psychedelic Reel

I have been able to endure the occasional electronica album, but this was something else. Forget "Wannabe." "Elektrobank" has to be the most obnoxious song ever created.

It consists of somebody saying "Who is dis doin' this synthetic type of alpha beta psychedelic funkin'?" so many times, that it broke me. I am not being too hard on myself, I think it would have broken most people. 

I'll be generous and say that I could perhaps see how this music might be mildly tolerable if it was played in a club setting. But it's 2020, so no chance of that happening.

RATING: 1/5