When I think about late 1997 into early 1998, I’m of course reminded that this was when I worked on the longhand rough draft of The Phoenix Effect, but I’m also reminded that this was right about when I started working more often at my writing nook in my parents’ basement. I’d been transcribing off and on when I had a chance (or more to the point, when I felt like it), but by this point I knew that I had a pretty important novel project that kept me excited, and I’d started thinking about how I could up my game.

It didn’t feel right to me to wait until the longhand draft was finished before I began working on the revision. That’s how I’d always worked in the past (other than True Faith, which was direct to PC with an attempted longhand revision later on), but I was starting to feel, I don’t know…impatient? Like I didn’t want my interest to wane? That had happened to me in the past on several aborted writing projects, and I didn’t want this one to suffer the same fate. And that’s why I started transcribing and revising TPE down in the basement while still writing it longhand before my shift. And thanks to an old boombox of my uncle’s, I could listen to the new CDs I was amassing from work while doing so.

The interesting outcome of this was two-fold. One, the revision I was doing altered a few storylines here and there, so the longhand version goes off in odd directions in the latter half. And two, the longhand version stops cold and without a proper ending, mainly because I’d caught up with the transcription and chose to finish the novel on the PC.

Ivy, Apartment Life, released 6 October 1997. It’s hard to say if this was a Fountains of Wayne side project or a parallel one, considering they both started around the same time. Either way, this was the second album by them that caught the attention of critics and a larger fanbase, and its single “The Best Thing” got considerable play on alternative radio.

Big Wreck, In Loving Memory of…, released 7 October 1997. This Canadian-by-way-of-Boston band sprang up out of nowhere with the instantly catchy and bouncy single “The Oaf” which had considerable Alternative chart success. They were a huge favorite on WFNX and WBCN thanks to their local origins, and several album tracks got significant play during the autumn and winter. This got a ton of play at the store, both on the sales floor and in the back room, and it also got a lot of play during my writing sessions as well.

Various Artists, Invocation, released 7 October 1997. I mentioned this one over at Welcome to Bridgetown a short while ago: this is a sort-of holiday compilation that’s actually spiritually themed, and it contains music from several different genres including World, New Age, Orchestral, Electronic, and Vocal. I’d grabbed a promo of this on a whim, half expecting a New Agey dreamscape, only to discover something much deeper and more personal. I found myself listening to it constantly, enough that it ended up being a very important influence on Phoenix. It also introduced me to Pulusha, who I then found out was a side project of Global Communciation, who also became a major influence.

Various Artists, Lounge-a-Palooza, released 7 October 1997. Meanwhile, this odd little mix took the minor wave of lounge music at the time (thanks to an Esquivel and Stereolab) and went in the most typical Gen-X direction: covering unexpected popular songs in that style. You’ll get Ben Folds Five’s goofy take on The Flaming Lips’ “She Don’t Use Jelly”, a nightmarish version of Was (Not Was)’s “Zaz Turned Blue” by Polly Jean Harvey….and Vegas popsters Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme doing Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun”. A really fun mix worth checking out.

Everclear, So Much for the Afterglow, released 7 October 1997. This album tends to be forgotten in their catalog other than the single “Father of Mine”, but the first single “Everything to Everyone” is an excellent track right up there with their hit “Santa Monica”. I used to hear that one on the way to and from work on the radio and would sing along.

Fantastic Plastic Machine, Fantastic Plastic Machine, released 10 October 1997. I first heard of this one via the above song featured on a CMJ mix cd, and was reminded of the loungey J-Pop I loved from Pizzicato Five. It’s clever album full of fun lightweight groove.

Soundtrack, A Life Less Ordinary, released 14 October 1997. This was an oddball black comedy by Danny Boyle that didn’t do all that well at the box office, but its soundtrack received considerable attention, especially with its lead song by Beck, who was still huge at the time. This one got a lot of play on the sales floor and in the back room as well.

Various Artists, Shaken and Stirred: The David Arnold James Bond Project, released 20 October 1997. This collection was originally created basically because of producer Arnold’s love for the music of John Barry’s 007 work, but Barry was so impressed that he suggested to the Broccoli family that he try out composing for the next in the series, Tomorrow Never Dies. It’s a fascinating collection that remains faithful to the originals yet features them in different styles; Aimee Mann’s take on “Nobody Does It Better” remains one of my top favorite tracks of the year.

Mogwai, Young Team, released 21 October 1997. I believe this is right around the time I’d finally heard what this band was about, even though I wouldn’t be picking anything up from them for a few more years. I remember one of my coworkers really loving the epic “Mogwai Fear Satan” (which would become a calling card of theirs) and would sometimes play it on the sales floor on less busy afternoons.

Recoil, Unsound Methods, released 28 October 1997. Alan Wilder’s ongoing electronic project and his first since leaving Depeche Mode, it’s a much darker affair than his previous work under that name and reveals his desire to create much more experimental sounds than with his former band. It’s an odd listen but there are some really interesting tracks on there.

Roni Size/Reprazent, New Forms, released 28 October 1997 [US version]. I’d had a passing familiarity with the genre of Drum ‘n’ Bass — fast, twitchy, bass-heavy, futuristic, and inherently jazzy — but it wasn’t until I heard the absolutely brilliant single “Brown Paper Bag” that I fell in love with it. It’s an album right up there with DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing in terms of electronic excellence and highly recommended.

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Coming up: wrapping up the year, and looking forward to the next