[rts] 1998, Part I
Nov. 9th, 2012 10:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jon_chaissonI just realized I don't have an RTS playlist for 1998! Quite surprised at that, considering I think of that as a banner year for a lot of what was going on in my life. I was at a job I loved (record store), I was writing my first major SF novel (The Phoenix Effect), I'd moved on and disconnected from a lot of negative stuff, I was going on many roadtrips back to Boston, and I was getting a lot of work done down in the Belfry. It was the start of a nice string of five or six years of consistent writing work.
So let's see what awesomeness I can uncover for this year...?
Mono, "Life in Mono" from the Great Expectations OST, rel. 1/6/98
This was one of those songs where I heard it once and thought oh, my store HAS to sell this. It's one of a few tracks from that era that samples the theme from The Ipcress File. It's got that delicate, sexy, sixties-French thing going, and it's great. Also from that soundtrack is Chris Cornell's brilliant "Sunshower" and Duncan Sheik's gorgeous "Wishful Thinking".
Air, "Sexy Boy" from Moon Safari, rel. 1/16/98
Air is one of my favorite bands from this period, since their sound captures the 70s Gary Wright synth style so amazingly well. They know how to capture that mood and have done so repeatedly. I thought they were the perfect choice to score Sofia Coppola's The Virgin Suicides a few years later. One of the many cds I'd be listening to down in the Belfry that year.
Propellerheads, "History Repeating" (featuring Shirley Bassey) from decksandrumsandrockandroll, rel. 1/26/98
This song is absolutely brilliant, and the video is a spot-on pastiche of 60s UK "light entertainment" shows. What's great is this song sounds nothing like the rest of the album, which is more electronica-based...you'd probably recognize "Spybreak!" from the lobby scene in The Matrix.
Pearl Jam, "Do the Evolution" from Yield, rel. 2/3/98
After almost six years without making a video, Pearl Jam got together with Todd McFarlane (of Spawn fame) and made this insane video which premiered that August. Personally my favorite track from the album is "Given to Fly", but I couldn't pass up sharing the visuals of this track.
Loreena McKennitt, "The Mummer's Dance" single version rel. 2/17/98
I sort of followed that whole wave of Celtic/New Age/Riverdance music in the late 90s, as it was great mood music for what I was writing at the time, especially when I was doing a bit of spiritual soulsearching as well.
theaudience, "A Pessimist is Never Disappointed" from theaudience, rel. 2/23/98
This band should have been so much bigger than they were, but alas, they broke up soon after, and the singer (Sophie Ellis Bextor) became a big dance chanteuse in the UK after that. One of my favorite albums from this year. Catchy, fun UK pop.
Madonna, "Ray of Light" from Ray of Light, rel. 3/3/98
I still think this is Madonna's best album--not only is she playing her age, but the songs are absolutely stellar here, thanks to producer William Orbit. It's a pity she never quite hit this high since then.
Bran Van 3000, "Drinking in LA" from Glee, rel. 3/17/98
It's a stupid song, but it's a catchy one! I can't help but think this would be me, had I moved to LA like most of my fellow Emersonians did when they went in search of filmmaking...thinking about writing but getting jack shit done, but it's all good. ;)
Semisonic, "Secret Smile" from Feeling Strangely Fine, rel. 3/24/98
I didn't really get into Semisonic until![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
emmalyon foisted them upon me, but I did have this album, which sold quite well at the store. Everyone knows "Closing Time", but I always liked this track as well.
Superdrag, "I'm Expanding My Mind" from Head Trip in Every Key, rel. 3/24/98
Go, NOW, and buy this album. It was criminally undersold, and Elektra didn't think well of it at all (they wanted another album full of "Sucked Out"), but I think it has some of the band's best stuff, extremely well produced and smartly written. Another repeat player for writing sessions in the Belfry that year.
Sully, "15" from I Have Much to Report, rel. 3/24/98
Another album I love that one one else seems to remember, to the point that this is the only instance of a fan made video I can find. Like I said on Twitter recently, the new TKTTSM album reminds me a lot of Sully, especially with the spacey guitars and the girly vocals. This album is very weird and atmospheric, but excellent nonetheless.
God Lives Underwater, "Vapors" from Life in the So-Called Space Age, rel. 3/24/98
Yet another great album released on this date! This one got a LOT of plays during Belfry sessions...some might dismiss GLU as NIN-lite, but they had some great melodies and production. Bonus points on this song for leaving a hilarious gaffe in the recording at around 2:45 when it breaks down (you kinda have to turn it up a bit to hear it).
Scott Weiland, "Barbarella" from 12 Bar Blues, rel. 3/31/98
Ah, Scott. Only you would give your debut solo album a pun of a name, given your background. And only you would write a song about a so-bad-it's-good Jane Fonda movie. And make a video for it based on David Bowie's The Man Who Fell to Earth.
Alanis Morisette, "Uninvited" from the City of Angels OST, rel. 3/31/98
I'm not the biggest Alanis fan, nor was I a big fan of this movie (it's essentially a Hollywood remake of the vastly superior Wings of Desire), but this is a great atmospheric track.
Pulp, "This Is Hardcore" from This Is Hardcore, rel. 3/31/98
I want to take a shower after this song, it's so skeezy. But only Jarvis Cocker could pull off something like this. I'll just leave it at that.
Harvey Danger, "Carlotta Valdez" from Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone?, rel. 3/31/98
Everyone knows the big hit single, but this one's my favorite from the album, especially now that I'm living in San Francisco. :)
Stabbing Westward, "Save Yourself" from Darkest Days, rel. 4/7/98
I've always liked this band, even if they weren't all that huge. I liked their spin on the metal/industrial sound and wall of guitars. One of the loudest bands I'd ever seen live.
Massive Attack, "Risingson" from Mezzanine, rel. 4/20/98
I could have posted "Teardrop" (the one everyone knows due to House), but thought I'd post this instead. The entire album is a trip hop masterpiece, well worth owning.
Bernard Butler, "Stay" from People Move On, rel. 4/21/98
A great single from the debut solo album of the former Suede guitarist. I'm not the biggest fan of the album, but this track is one of my favorites. Definitely one of those quiet --> loud tracks I like so much. :)
Francis Dunnery, "My Own Reality" from Let's Go Do What Happens, rel. 4/28/98
Another album that no one's heard of that ended up being a favorite. Some might know him for his production with Ian Brown and others, some might remember him being in It Bites, but he's got a list of solo albums out as well. This album is wonderfully quirky and creative. Another album that got a lot of play in the Belfry.
VAST, "Touched" from Visual Audio Sensory Theater, rel. 4/28/98
I very nearly wrote VAST off as a NIN wannabe because of his lyrics, but this album really grew on me. I love the drumwork in this song, as well as the strong, soaring vocals.
Coming up: May to August 1998
So let's see what awesomeness I can uncover for this year...?
Mono, "Life in Mono" from the Great Expectations OST, rel. 1/6/98
This was one of those songs where I heard it once and thought oh, my store HAS to sell this. It's one of a few tracks from that era that samples the theme from The Ipcress File. It's got that delicate, sexy, sixties-French thing going, and it's great. Also from that soundtrack is Chris Cornell's brilliant "Sunshower" and Duncan Sheik's gorgeous "Wishful Thinking".
Air, "Sexy Boy" from Moon Safari, rel. 1/16/98
Air is one of my favorite bands from this period, since their sound captures the 70s Gary Wright synth style so amazingly well. They know how to capture that mood and have done so repeatedly. I thought they were the perfect choice to score Sofia Coppola's The Virgin Suicides a few years later. One of the many cds I'd be listening to down in the Belfry that year.
Propellerheads, "History Repeating" (featuring Shirley Bassey) from decksandrumsandrockandroll, rel. 1/26/98
This song is absolutely brilliant, and the video is a spot-on pastiche of 60s UK "light entertainment" shows. What's great is this song sounds nothing like the rest of the album, which is more electronica-based...you'd probably recognize "Spybreak!" from the lobby scene in The Matrix.
Pearl Jam, "Do the Evolution" from Yield, rel. 2/3/98
After almost six years without making a video, Pearl Jam got together with Todd McFarlane (of Spawn fame) and made this insane video which premiered that August. Personally my favorite track from the album is "Given to Fly", but I couldn't pass up sharing the visuals of this track.
Loreena McKennitt, "The Mummer's Dance" single version rel. 2/17/98
I sort of followed that whole wave of Celtic/New Age/Riverdance music in the late 90s, as it was great mood music for what I was writing at the time, especially when I was doing a bit of spiritual soulsearching as well.
theaudience, "A Pessimist is Never Disappointed" from theaudience, rel. 2/23/98
This band should have been so much bigger than they were, but alas, they broke up soon after, and the singer (Sophie Ellis Bextor) became a big dance chanteuse in the UK after that. One of my favorite albums from this year. Catchy, fun UK pop.
Madonna, "Ray of Light" from Ray of Light, rel. 3/3/98
I still think this is Madonna's best album--not only is she playing her age, but the songs are absolutely stellar here, thanks to producer William Orbit. It's a pity she never quite hit this high since then.
Bran Van 3000, "Drinking in LA" from Glee, rel. 3/17/98
It's a stupid song, but it's a catchy one! I can't help but think this would be me, had I moved to LA like most of my fellow Emersonians did when they went in search of filmmaking...thinking about writing but getting jack shit done, but it's all good. ;)
Semisonic, "Secret Smile" from Feeling Strangely Fine, rel. 3/24/98
I didn't really get into Semisonic until
emmalyon foisted them upon me, but I did have this album, which sold quite well at the store. Everyone knows "Closing Time", but I always liked this track as well.Superdrag, "I'm Expanding My Mind" from Head Trip in Every Key, rel. 3/24/98
Go, NOW, and buy this album. It was criminally undersold, and Elektra didn't think well of it at all (they wanted another album full of "Sucked Out"), but I think it has some of the band's best stuff, extremely well produced and smartly written. Another repeat player for writing sessions in the Belfry that year.
Sully, "15" from I Have Much to Report, rel. 3/24/98
Another album I love that one one else seems to remember, to the point that this is the only instance of a fan made video I can find. Like I said on Twitter recently, the new TKTTSM album reminds me a lot of Sully, especially with the spacey guitars and the girly vocals. This album is very weird and atmospheric, but excellent nonetheless.
God Lives Underwater, "Vapors" from Life in the So-Called Space Age, rel. 3/24/98
Yet another great album released on this date! This one got a LOT of plays during Belfry sessions...some might dismiss GLU as NIN-lite, but they had some great melodies and production. Bonus points on this song for leaving a hilarious gaffe in the recording at around 2:45 when it breaks down (you kinda have to turn it up a bit to hear it).
Scott Weiland, "Barbarella" from 12 Bar Blues, rel. 3/31/98
Ah, Scott. Only you would give your debut solo album a pun of a name, given your background. And only you would write a song about a so-bad-it's-good Jane Fonda movie. And make a video for it based on David Bowie's The Man Who Fell to Earth.
Alanis Morisette, "Uninvited" from the City of Angels OST, rel. 3/31/98
I'm not the biggest Alanis fan, nor was I a big fan of this movie (it's essentially a Hollywood remake of the vastly superior Wings of Desire), but this is a great atmospheric track.
Pulp, "This Is Hardcore" from This Is Hardcore, rel. 3/31/98
I want to take a shower after this song, it's so skeezy. But only Jarvis Cocker could pull off something like this. I'll just leave it at that.
Harvey Danger, "Carlotta Valdez" from Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone?, rel. 3/31/98
Everyone knows the big hit single, but this one's my favorite from the album, especially now that I'm living in San Francisco. :)
Stabbing Westward, "Save Yourself" from Darkest Days, rel. 4/7/98
I've always liked this band, even if they weren't all that huge. I liked their spin on the metal/industrial sound and wall of guitars. One of the loudest bands I'd ever seen live.
Massive Attack, "Risingson" from Mezzanine, rel. 4/20/98
I could have posted "Teardrop" (the one everyone knows due to House), but thought I'd post this instead. The entire album is a trip hop masterpiece, well worth owning.
Bernard Butler, "Stay" from People Move On, rel. 4/21/98
A great single from the debut solo album of the former Suede guitarist. I'm not the biggest fan of the album, but this track is one of my favorites. Definitely one of those quiet --> loud tracks I like so much. :)
Francis Dunnery, "My Own Reality" from Let's Go Do What Happens, rel. 4/28/98
Another album that no one's heard of that ended up being a favorite. Some might know him for his production with Ian Brown and others, some might remember him being in It Bites, but he's got a list of solo albums out as well. This album is wonderfully quirky and creative. Another album that got a lot of play in the Belfry.
VAST, "Touched" from Visual Audio Sensory Theater, rel. 4/28/98
I very nearly wrote VAST off as a NIN wannabe because of his lyrics, but this album really grew on me. I love the drumwork in this song, as well as the strong, soaring vocals.
Coming up: May to August 1998
