This is a super short one, mainly because in my music library, the rest of the year is filled with singles, box sets, and best-of collections. I suppose in a way that’s a reprieve from my ingesting far too many new releases over the last several months, and it also gave our store a much-needed boost in Q4 sales. I’d like to think we did pretty good that year, considering the music business was about to get hit with a major shake-up in 1998 when the two major distributors PolyGram and Universal decided to merge. A lot of great bands suddenly found themselves without a label (or without any label support); some got dropped and went indie, but several broke up.

On a personal note, however, I think I was doing pretty good at the time. I was further out of debt, I had insurance coverage for the first time in three years, and my writing career was finally off and running. And I made it a point to get outside more often, even if it was just to get in the car and drive somewhere. I’d been stuck at home for too long, and this was my version of personal freedom. And I think that helped not just my mind and spirit but also my creativity, considering my writing definitely improved over the next several months.

The Cure, Galore: The Singles 1987-1997, released 3 November 1997. This could be seen as Standing On a Beach Part 2, I suppose, considering it was another singles-to-date collection. [Alas, the cassette version did not contain any b-sides like Beach did.] It also contains a brand new song, “Wrong Number” which would have fit nicely on Wild Mood Swings. I didn’t listen to this one too much at the time, but it grew on my over the next few years.

Spice Girls, SpiceWorld, released 3 November 1997. The second (and last with the original five-woman lineup) sold pretty well considering the critics were expecting diminishing returns, so frequent with pre-fab pop stars. This one’s interesting in that it’s less stylish and slick and more adventurous and even maybe a bit silly in places, but it’s good fun. “Spice Up Your Life” was a cacophonous mess but a catchy single. It also tied in nicely with their movie of the same name, which I went to see that winter at the newly-built theater at the mall. The movie is actually quite fun and funny and a well-crafted pastiche of A Hard Day’s Night, which I appreciated.

Mixtape, Songs from the Eden Cycle Vol 3, created early November 1997. I think this is the most spiritual of the first four volumes of this series, partly because there are a few tracks from the Invocation collection on here, but mostly because I was looking for music that evoked a more surreal and otherworldly sense of place. That was me experimenting with what Trisanda, the spiritual homeworld of my characters, would look and feel like.

Jonatha Brooke, 10¢ Wings, released 4 November 1997. I was already familiar with Brooke’s work with the folk duo The Story, but this was her first foray into a more alt-rock singer-songwriter spot similar to many other women musicians getting a lot of airplay at the time. I’d hear “Crumbs” on The River a lot and I really liked that track, so much that it’s one of my favorites of the year. It’s a really great album worth checking out.

Black Grape, Stupid Stupid Stupid, released 24 November 1997. Shaun Ryder’s second album with BG wasn’t as baggy-oriented as the first one, which didn’t help much with the critics, but to me it felt like they were trying to expand their sound by going in a more rock direction. “Marbles (Why You Say Yes?)” was the single that got play in the US and it’s a super fun track.

Will Smith, Big Willie Style, released 25 November 1997. I remember when this came out because it was such a huge deal. It was his solo musical debut away from his work with DJ Jazzy Jeff, and also his first after appearing in several popular and successful film and TV productions. Did he still have it musically? Would this even sell, dropping so late in the year where it could get lost in the Q4 noise? Indeed he did, and this was a huge seller with several hit singles from it.

*

…and so the year ends: a cold and wet winter (I seem to remember it snowing quite a bit that season) but very much on the upswing. I was in a good place mentally and emotionally for the first time in years, and I had fully embraced the freedom I’d wanted for so long and now had. To be honest I hadn’t expected any of it, given how low I’d been only a few years before, so this was something new. I’d figured out how to find my own sense of stability, and how not to be so impulsively reactive to every situation, and that was mainly because I’d also learned how not to get so distracted. In retrospect, this was when I finally figured out ‘workarounds’ in personal situations I had issues with and started implementing them. Some I’ve since shed, but some I still utilize.

Musically, 1998 would start off a little slow, but I had hope. After all, I was already convinced that all my deeply-held favorite albums and songs were released in years ending in 2 and 8, after all!