Category Archives: personal

(Almost) Thirty Years On: October 1997

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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

(Almost) Thirty Years On: September 1997

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Looking back on it, I think that road trip to Ohio was a key moment in my wanting to go out on my own a lot more. By this time I was still heading up to Toadstool Books in Keene on the weekends, but instead of heading back home afterwards I would sometimes expand on it by driving down to Leominster and stopping at the Barnes & Noble afterwards. I was driving into Boston on an almost monthly basis now, visiting my old haunts.

But I was also starting to take longer drives home from work as well. Sometimes I’d stop at that B&N on the way back, or maybe see a movie at the nearby Sony Theatre I used to work at (the multiplex at my mall was still under construction at this time, I believe). I started reminding myself that I had the ability to do this now that I had the paycheck and the transportation.

I’m not sure, but I think it was also around this time that I started taking the long drive to Amherst from my mall in Marlborough — a sixty-mile, ninety-minute trek mostly on Route 9. I’d restarted my comic book collecting, at first catching up on my favorite titles like Cerebus and Strangers in Paradise then discovering more titles that caught my interest, including several manga and indie releases. I probably only went once or twice a month on Wednesdays then, but eventually the trip would become a weekly habit that I’d hold until I left the store in 2000. [I’d continue the Wednesday runs until 2005 of course, though with a much shorter drive from Deerfield.] My family thought it was a peculiar thing to do, but I enjoyed the trip as it gave me time to think about my writing while listening to music or NPR. It was all part of my soaking up new ideas, inspirations and influences.

Joe Jackson & Friends, Heaven & Hell, released 2 September 1997. While Jackson wasn’t as prolific as he once was back in the 80s and early 90s, he used that extra time to conjure up even more eclectic music that never fails to surprise. This, for instance, is a thematic album based on the seven deadly sins, with guest singers like Suzanne Vega, Brad Roberts (from Crash Test Dummies) and Dawn Upshaw voicing them. It’s a peculiar album, but it’s also surprisingly enjoyable.

Travis, Good Feeling, released 8 September 1997. I remember the UK music magazines singing the praises of this Glaswegian band and how they were so different from the rest of the city’s scene by leaning heavy on the songwriting and dynamic sounds. They knocked it out of the park with the single “All I Want to Do Is Rock” (the song that got them signed by Sony). I was an instant fan and have been picking up their work ever since.

Cornershop, When I Was Born for the 7th Time, released 9 September 1997. You couldn’t escape “Brimful of Asha” during the late summer, the song was just everywhere. It’s a simple three-chord riff about famed Indian playback singer Asha Bhosle that gets stuck in your head for days. I remember liking it, getting sick of it, then liking it again after a while!

Forest for the Trees, Forest for the Trees, released 9 September 1997. This was a one-off project of Beck-adjacent musician Carl Stephenson that had a surprise minor favorite with the weird yet groovy “Dream”. I used to listen to this one in the back room of the store quite a bit.

Tanya Donelly, Lovesongs for Underdogs, released 9 September 1997. After the breakup of Belly, Donelly quickly started her solo career with this lovely record that features some of her musical friends like Pixies’ David Lovering and Throwing Muses’ David Narcizo.

Love Spit Love, Trysome Eatone, released 9 September 1997. The second and final album from Richard Butler (while The Psychedelic Furs were on hiatus) feels less cluttered and intense than the self-titled first, so much so that it sometimes feels like this is what the Psych Furs would have sounded like had they kept going. The second single “Fall On Tears” remains one of my top favorite songs of the year, especially with its quiet-progressively-louder format.

Death in Vegas, Dead Elvis, released 16 September 1997. The store was starting to see all kinds of oddball electronic (and semi-electronic) bands coming out of the woodwork by this time, and DiV is one of those where you’re not sure if they’re electronic, goth, punk, or something in between. The crunchy single “Dirt” got a lot of play on WFNX, partly thanks to its rigorous sampling of a famous Woodstock quote.

Stereolab, Dots and Loops, released 22 September 1997. This band continued to play its signature style of music that feels like it’s from another time and place, this time having success with the single “Miss Modular” which got a lot of play on a lot of alternative stations. One of my coworkers really liked this album and used to play it on the floor during his shift.

Dubstar, Goodbye, released 22 September 1997. I absolutely fell in love with the single “Stars” which kicks off the US version of this album. [It was originally on their first UK album from 1995.] Their lovely autumnal Britpop sound deeply appealed to me; it felt relaxing and took me to a different time and place whenever I put it on in the stockroom. It would soon be on frequent repeat at my writing nook soon after, earning its MU Legacy Soundtrack badge. I highly recommend this one!

Various Artists, A Very Special Christmas 3, released 23 September 1997. The start of Q4 always meant the new Christmas albums would be trickling in soon, and this third volume from the Very Special Christmas (the first in five years) was an instant hit, featuring performances by Sting, Smashing Pumpkins, No Doubt (their silly but fun “Oi! to the World” got considerable play on WFNX) and more. My favorite of course was Eleven doing their version of Schubert’s ‘Ave Maria’ with breathtaking vocals by Chris Cornell.

Information Society, Don’t Be Afraid, released 23 September 1997. After a five year hiatus, Kurt Harland was the sole member and rights-holder of the IS name, and chose to take an altogether different route for this fourth album. Fully embracing goth, industrial and darkwave sounds this time out (not to mention themes of paranoia, heartbreak and distrust), it’s a grim record but also a fascinating listen. I played this one a hell of a lot over the next few years, earning its MU Legacy Soundtrack badge.

Bjork, Homogenic, released 23 September 1997. Just when you think Bjork couldn’t get any weirder, she comes out with an album that explores the stranger edges of electronica. It itches, twitches and slides all over the place and keeps you guessing. I wasn’t the biggest fan at first but it grew on me the more I listened to it.

The Sundays, Static & Silence, released 23 September 1997. Their third and last record was completely unexpected, having been written off as an early-90s pop band, and yet they had a hit with the excellent “Summertime” track that still gets a lot of play.

Chumbawamba, Tubthumper, released 23 September 1997. I do love the fact that this band of self-described anarchists (in the full-on contrarian sense) chose to write and release their most pop-influenced record and even embraced their one-hit-wonder status with the “Tubthumping” single, mainly because it gave them an infusion of money to move forward with their otherwise ongoing DIY-ethos style. It’s actually a surprisingly good record with gems like “Amnesia” and “The Good Ship Lifestyle”.

Portishead, Portishead, released 29 September 1997. While Dummy is considered one of trip-hop’s best and most important albums, this follow-up felt like a deliberate move towards the more experimental edges of it. It shifts between feeling like a nightmarish spaghetti western and a disturbing fever dream with only a few quiet moments of calm like the dreamy “Mourning Air”.

The Verve, Urban Hymns, released 29 September 1997. This was an instant hit right from the get-go thanks to the “Bitter Sweet Symphony” single, but the follow up single “Lucky Man” also got considerable play on the local alternative stations, and still does to this day. At this point they’d dropped the dreamlike almost-psychedelic sound of their first two albums and full-on embraced a more guitar-oriented Britpop sound here.

Loreena McKennitt, The Book of Secrets, released 30 September 1997. This Canadian singer seemed like an open secret for the longest time, writing (or arranging) and singing folk with a curious blend of Celtic, New Age and Middle Eastern elements added. She was a big seller for the store in that genre, and this was her major breakthrough. So much so that the track “The Mummers’ Dance” got a major remix by DNA (yes, the same who remixed Suzanne Vega) that enjoyed chart success. This was a perfect soundtrack for The Phoenix Effect, so it too gets an MU Legacy Soundtrack badge.

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Coming up: The store preps for Q4 with best-ofs, box sets, and soundtracks.

(Almost) Thirty Years On: August 1997

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After that long-distance road trip out to Ohio, I came back refreshed (and very sunburnt on my left arm due to my then habit of resting my arm on the open window) and ready to start working on The Phoenix Effect again. While it took me a little bit longer to get into the intended ‘write every day’ goal, the story was resonating with me even more as the days went on. My listening habits in the back room of the record store started evolving at the time, moving away from merely sampling a little of everything to the music that really caught my attention, enough that I felt I could use it as a writing soundtrack. These became the CDs I’d be playing on my little cheapo boombox down in the basement of my house while I started transcribing and revising what I’d written over the last few days. Pretty soon every album I brought home — whether a promo, bought or dubbed — became a potential soundtrack specifically for this project of mine.

311, Transistor, released 5 August 1997. An unexpected double album project for them with a staggering twenty-one tracks, they chose to squeeze it onto one disc to ensure fans could afford it. It is a bit of a beast, but it’s also a slight change-up from their then longstanding style of inserting rap into nearly all their tracks. “Beautiful Disaster” was the big single from this that got considerable play.

Jen Trynin, Gun Shy Trigger Happy, released 12 August 1997. Trynin’s second and final solo album was just as great as her first (1994’s Cockamamie) though it definitely has a more adult and autumnal sound that fit the playlists of the local AOR stations like The River. I loved the moodiness of the single “Getaway (February)” even though it sadly got overlooked by the label.

Mixtape, Songs from the Eden Cycle Vol 2, created mid-August 1997. I had so much fun creating the first mix that I knew I’d have to make more in the series, considering I was getting better and more consistent with my writing by then. But while the first volume holds a little more oomph, this one feels a lot moodier and introspective. There are a lot of songs about interpersonal tension and trying to fight for what you believe in.

Jesus Jones, Already, released 18 August 1997. It took them a surprisingly long four years to follow up from 1993’s Perverse, mainly due to their UK label being unhappy with that album’s underperformance and singer Mike Edwards’ increasing frustration about that. It took a while but after a few false starts they came out with what was a strong if sadly unnoticed record.

Mono, Formica Blues, released 25 August 1997 (UK). The first time I heard “Life in Mono” I was driving home from work when a local AOR station played it, and my mind was blown. It was such a spot-on Serge Gainsbourg riff that I went in the very next shift looking to see if I could order it for the store. It wouldn’t be released for another couple of months in the States (and by that time it had been featured on the Great Expectations soundtrack), but I immediately grabbed the import for myself. The album definitely has that trip-hop vibe but with an unexpected French-pop twist, and it’s one of my favorites from the 90s. It definitely earned its MU Legacy Soundtrack badge.

Stereophonics, Word Gets Around, released 26 August 1997. I don’t remember who introduced me to this Welsh band, but I somehow got a hold of the promo for this and I was hooked. They were British indie with a distinctive folky flavor to it, and I’ve been a fan ever since.

Oasis, Be Here Now, released 26 August 1997. Yeah, this album is definitely as bloated and drug-fueled as all the reviews say it is. The problem was that the Gallaghers wanted to top the brilliant Morning Glory and chose to do that by making everything about the new album BIG. The (admittedly great) first single “D’you Know What I Mean” tops seven minutes and the hippiefest third single “All Around the World” goes past nine. And the production is so crowded with sound (it being the peak of the Loudness Wars, of course) that it feels claustrophobic. Don’t get me wrong, though…it’s a really good album, it’s just a hell of a lot to take in. They’d learn their lesson and rein it in with the follow-ups.

Olive, Extra Virgin, released 26 August 1997. “You’re Not Alone” might be a one-hit wonder, but it’s a hell of a lovely song that shows up on several dance compilations, and the rest of the album is just as strong. This is a great example of that mid-90s/early 00s run of chillwave, electronic music that might sound great on the dance floor, but it’s just as wonderful hanging out at home enjoying the calm. It sold relatively well and we played this album quite a bit on the salesfloor.

Shaï nO Shaï, Human Condition, released 26 August 1997. I hardly know anything about this French band other than that this was their one album. They’re a fascinating listen, as they’re not quite Celtic folk yet not quite experimental indie either. I got this as a promo and I was fascinated by their sound, enough that it got repeat plays in the back room at the store and later during writing sessions. Another MU Legacy Soundtrack.

The Crystal Method, Vegas, released 26 August 1997. This techno band did in fact originate in Las Vegas and this debut was an instant hit with the local alternative stations with its blistering singles “Busy Child” and “Keep Hope Alive”. The original version of “Trip Like I Do” is here, but the US editions also added the version they did with Filter for the Spawn soundtrack that became a favorite that year.

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Coming up: Q4 brings not just more favorites but more road trips

(Almost) Thirty Years On: July 1997

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It had been ages since I actually had a paid vacation and given that I’d be here at HMV for the long term, I was able to accrue enough hours to finally get one! And so it happened that my inaugural vacation would be a roadtrip….to Ohio! My high school friend was living in Columbus with his wife at the time and as we hadn’t seen each other in quite a long time, it was planned that I’d spend the week there. [Side note, the only reason I remember exactly when this trip took place is because it was the same week Contact came out in theaters and I really wanted to go see it.]

It was also the first lengthy road trip I’d be taking with my own car, which excited me to no end. My four-year-old Cavalier still ran pretty good at the time (although I somehow kept forgetting to get oil changes for a while there), and I set about preparing for it. As I did not yet have a tape deck in said car, I’d be bringing my boombox to listen to any cassettes. And it also meant making mixtapes! I’ll be honest, I’d started making the first Songs from the Eden Cycle mix partly for this reason, and my sister made me a driving-themed one that’s mentioned below.

Did I do any writing? Well, actually no. I’m surprised I didn’t, but at the same time I wasn’t anywhere near the write every single day habit I’d eventually reach. This was more a time to soak in the ideas and let them steep in my head for a while so I could come out with something strong and exciting. Instead I would read what I had so far and make a few mental notes of how I could move forward. I did manage to write one scene when I stopped at a hotel in Wilkes-Barre PA on the drive home, and it’s a scene that made it into the rewrite as A Division of Souls, where Nehalé witnesses an attack on a church.

If anything, this weeklong road trip inspired me to go out driving a lot more often in the future. While I wouldn’t do any further long-distance or overnight ones like that (at least not until I went to my first science fiction convention in 2001), it would inspire me to head to my favorite places in Boston and elsewhere with more frequency, and would also inspire my soon-to-be-weekly drive across most of the state for Wednesday comic book runs after work.

The Prodigy, The Fat of the Land, released 1 July 1997. Very much like the Chemical Brothers, this was a long-awaited album after a hugely successful teaser single (in this case, “Firestarter”). It was an instant hit at the store and ended up on the year-end best-of wall. Interestingly I’d known of the band previously as one that played more blissed-out electronica, and this new more punk direction worked perfectly for them. Several of the tracks still get a lot of play on alternative radio these days.

Limp Bizkit, Three Dollar Bill, Yall$, released 1 July 1997. The kings of meathead metal rap rock, they were a band I wanted to hate and yet somehow they managed to surprise me with halfway decent songs every now and again, especially this goofy yet fun cover of George Michael’s hit. This was their first breakthrough, and would get even bigger with their next album.

Mixtape, Trust in My Tires, Faith in My Chrome, created July 1997. My sister provided me with this collection of driving songs across several different genres — alternative, country, folk, classic rock, and so on — and I did give it a few plays during my Ohio road trip. The first track, fittingly, was Pretenders’ “My City Was Gone”.

Primal Scream, Vanishing Point, released 7 July 1997. Just when I thought PM was firmly entrenched in their Stonesy style they’d perfected on their previous record, they went in a completely different direction and recorded what would be the first of three albums that explored the darker edges of their sound. I really liked this one, especially the single “Kowalski”. This one recently got a brand new expanded edition just last week!

Smash Mouth, Fush Yu Mang, released 8 July 1997. I remember the first time I’d heard “Walkin’ On the Sun”: I was on Route 80 through Pennsylvania when a local alternative station played it. It sounded so different from what was being played at the time: both 60s retro and 90s pop-punk, didn’t take itself too seriously yet contained smart lyrics, and had one hell of a great hook. I made a mental note to ensure that my store ordered enough copies of this when I got back to the store, as I knew it would be big. They’d be a favorite of mine ever since.

Sarah McLachlan, Surfacing, released 15 July 1997. While Fumbling Towards Ecstasy had some success with the sublime yet creepy “Possession” and the quietly intense “Hold On”, it was this album that broke her wide open with several singles like “Sweet Surrender”, “Building a Mystery”, “Adia” and “Angel”. She’d come a long way from her quirky early 90s beginnings, that’s for sure. She’d follow this up by hosting the massively successful Lilith Fair festival.

Lauren Christy, Breed, released 22 July 1997. You might know her now as part of the songwriting/production team The Matrix (known for their hits for pop singers like Avril Lavigne, Christina Aguilera, Jason Mraz and more), but she started out as a quirky alt-rock singer, and her second album was a minor favorite thanks to the title track featuring on the Batman & Robin soundtrack. The slower and moodier ‘Reprise’ version of that track would show up on a future Eden Cycle mixtape.

Land of the Loops, Bundle of Joy, released 22 July 1997. This Boston musician was known for his quirky homespun lo-fi electronic music, and the catchy single “Multi-Family Garage Sale” got a lot of play on local radio, partly thanks to the clever use of samples from The Brave Little Toaster but also its use in a Miller Genuine Draft commercial. The album isn’t anything amazing but it’s enjoyable and fun in its own way.

Catherine Wheel, Adam and Eve, released 29 July 1997. Their fourth album tends to be forgotten due to its lack of huge hits, but it’s also their moodiest and most introspective. There’s the slick sounds of “Delicious” but also the lovely “Ma Solituda” that both got a lot of radio play at the time. It’s well worth checking out.

The Dambuilders, Against the Stars, released 29 July 1997. The final album from this Boston band sadly got overlooked partly because of the overwhelming success of Radiohead’s OK Computer, but they were always a fun indie rock band that got a lot of play from WFNX and WBCN. “Burn This Bridge” was a local favorite and quite possibly their most sucessful song.

Soundtrack, Spawn: The Album, released 29 July 1997. This was another movie that could have been great but alas ended up a box office bomb, and yet its soundtrack was a major success. Like 1993’s Judgement Night soundtrack it gathered rock bands and paired them with electronica groups. While some were rather…odd (Moby with Butthole Surfers, Marilyn Manson and Sneaker Pimps), there were also excellent pairings like Filter and The Crystal Method’s “(Can’t You) Trip Like I Do” which got a ton of airplay. It’s definitely a mixed bag like the movie, but it’s worth checking out.

Whiskeytown, Stranger’s Almanac, released 29 July 1997. Despite the band splintering at the seams and singer Ryan Adams being a hot mess both onstage and off, they managed to release a fantastic second album of alt-country goodness full of amazing songs and moods. “Yesterday’s News” was a favorite on WFNX and The River at the time, and my personal favorite was the high-lonesome closer “Not Home Anymore”.

Various Artists, Urbal Beats: The Definitive Guide to Electronic Music, released 29 July 1997. There had been several electronica compilations by this point, but this one was a major success thanks to containing several amazing songs by The Chemical Brothers, Orbital, The Prodigy, The Orb, Portishead, Roni Size, and more. [It also helped that it was released by a major distributor, PolyGram.] Of note was a breathtaking track by Rabbit in the Moon called “Out of Body Experience”, originally a single from 1993 and perfectly reshaping a lengthy Tori Amos sample of “Precious Things” into a torrent of chillwave goodness. [It was renamed the more simple “O.B.E.” here.] This mix sold considerably in our store and became an employee favorite, and it also spawned a sequel in 1998. It eventually became an MU Legacy Soundtrack as well.

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Coming up: In which almost everything I listen to suddenly becomes a writing soundtrack.

(Almost) Thirty Years On: April 1997

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There’s something to be said about finally finding your groove. So much stress and anxiety finally recedes into the background where you don’t need to constantly worry that it’ll come back to bite you in the ass when you’re not paying attention. HMV was the first job in ages where I wasn’t jumping ship, getting axed or finding it’s a terrible fit after six months, which meant that I could finally focus on what I wanted to focus on and not worry as much about the bills. It meant that I could allow myself a deeper focus on the writing and a calmer approach to life. Hell, I’d even started assisting in the ordering of stock by then, as my boss trusted me and appreciated my input. It was the first time in years where I didn’t feel like I was scrambling and flailing.

And I think one can see the difference in what I wrote at the time. While still a rough draft, it’s so much better than the work I was doing on my previous now-trunked works. I’d stumbled upon a style that resonated with me and I wanted to see how far I could go with it, and now I had the ability to make that happen.

Our Lady Peace, Clumsy, released 2 April 1997. The Canadian band’s second album was a huge hit in their own country but also a surprise hit here in the States with the two major singles, the snaky “Superman’s Dead” and the ballad “Clumsy”. It was a big seller at my store and even made it to the best-of wall at the end of the year. This one got a lot of play during my writing sessions as well.

The Chemical Brothers, Dig Your Own Hole, released 7 April 1997. It took forever, but when the new album dropped it was HUGE. You heard the new single “Block Rockin’ Beats” everywhere, all the time, to the point that maybe it was a little oversaturated, but it was such an amazing record it surpassed Exit Planet Dust in terms of popularity. The duo seemed to have found their niche, cleverly mixing electronic and analog sounds, and occasionally providing guest vocals, and the fans ate it up. It ended up on several year-end lists and still remains one of their most popular albums.

Sleater-Kinney, Dig Me Out, released 8 April 1997. Their first for the Kill Rock Stars label and the first with drummer Janet Weiss, you can tell that they went all out for this one. Loud, raucous, and full of heartbreak, it was a highly successful release for the college and alternative stations. This was one of my boss’ favorite albums of the year and he’d often play it out on the sales floor.

Depeche Mode, Ultra, released 14 April 1997. After a tumultuous couple of years, the band came back with an album that channeled both their old-school dark-themed style and their newer heavier sound. It’s a perfect fit and the record is one of my all-time favorites of theirs. This is one of the first albums I added to the ‘MU Legacy Soundtrack’ list — albums that I’d frequently come back to throughout my writing of the trilogy and its various versions over the years. It’s still my favorite of the 90s DM albums, even more so than Violator.

Soundtrack, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, released 15 April 1997. I went to this movie thinking that it was either going to be really funny or painfully repetitious and unfunny (as SNL skits tend to be for me), but I was pleasantly surprised by its ability to absolutely nail it as a loving pastiche of mid-60s Mod, yet still be absurdly silly at the same time. The end-credits music video of Austin’s band Ming Tea (Mike Myers, Suzanna Hoffs and Matthew Sweet) was a perfect way to cap it all off.

Supergrass, In It for the Money, released 21 April 1997. It took me a while to grow into this album, as I’d only been a passing fan of their debut I Should Coco, but once I did, I was a fan thereafter. I’m pretty sure it was the lovely and Beatlesque “Late in the Day” (and its clever video) that caught my attention in the first place. It has a very autumnal sound, quieter and calmer than their debut and far more adventurous. This was another album that my boss loved and pushed on the sales floor.

Scud Mountain Boys, The Early Year, released 21 April 1997. I knew about this local (Northampton) band from listening to WAMH in the mid 90s, and this was a reissue of their first two albums that dropped in 1995. Their quiet alt-country sound fit in perfectly not only with the indie crowd but seemed to capture the sound of woodsy midwestern Massachusetts as well. Their cover of “Wichita Lineman” is absolutely stunning and is my favorite version of the song. This was another album that got a lot of play in the back room as well as during my writing sessions.

Delerium, Karma, released 22 April 1997. A side project of Rhys Fulber of Front Line Assembly, this band could have been just another Enigma copycat yet somehow broke through on the chillwave circuit with the gloriously lovely “Silence” single with Sarah McLachlan on vocals. The rest of the album is just as wonderful and ended up on my year-end favorites list; it was also another MU Legacy Soundtrack that got a lot of play over the next several years.

Future Bible Heroes, Memories of Love, released 29 April 1997. I remember first hearing the song “Lonely Days” on The River, an Adult Alternative station out of Andover MA, while driving home from work one night and immediately falling in love with its not-quite-retro sound. One of several side projects of Stephin Merritt (he of The Magnetic Fields among other things) and including vocalist Claudia Gonson and ex-Figures On a Beach musician Chris Ewen, Their indie pop sound manages to capture that early 80s synthpop style with oddball self-conscious lyricism (a Merritt hallmark) and catchy melodies. This would get a lot of play as well, and is of course an MU Legacy Soundtrack.

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Coming Up: In which a new writing project finally gets its own mixtape

(Almost) Thirty Years On: February 1997

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I spent most of the next month or so taking my time thinking about how to approach the futuristic sci-fi story idea I’d had in my head for the last couple of years. While True Faith was a step in the right direction, there were two things wrong with it. One, it felt like a swing and a miss; it had its moments but it felt too derivative and weak, like I wasn’t allowing myself to expand on the ideas and push boundaries. And two, now that I was no longer on speaking terms with its co-author, it was probably for the best that I start over from scratch.

So because of this, I had to approach the project from two different directions: I wanted it to be original and 100% from me, and I wanted to force myself out of my old writing styles and crutches and try something utterly new. And it was a single of a re-recorded track that became the spark that started it all.

Depeche Mode, “Barrel of a Gun” single, released 3 February 1997. The last couple of years had not been good for the band, considering they’d lost key member Alan Wilder after their last tour and almost lost lead singer Dave Gahan to drugs. We weren’t quite sure what to expect of the band, especially when they dropped this heavy and unsettling teaser track. And yet it was less a downward spiral and more of a hard road out of hell, a song of redemption that signaled a new sound and style for the band.

Texas, White On Blonde, released 3 February 1997. “Say What You Want” is one of those oh, THAT song! tracks that pops up on the radio now and again and you forget you really like it. This Scottish band dropped a fine single that got a lot of play both on MTV and on AOR stations, and the album was a moderate success for them. Some time later, the song would be re-released as a completely unexpected yet fascinating duet with the Wu-Tang Clan. I remember my boss really liking this album and giving it a lot of play out on the floor.

U2, “Discothéque” single, released 4 February 1997. At this point this band had settled into the well-trodden path of ‘release brilliant album –> put on an amazing live show –> how the hell do they follow this up?’, and this time they put out…a dance song? It took a lot of people by surprise. Instead of getting another rocker like “Zooropa” we got another discofied “Lemon”. [And let’s face it, the Passengers side project was met with headscratching and an ‘okay fine you’ve done your experimental thing, give us another rocker now’.] There were already rumors that the upcoming album was half-baked and incomplete, an utter mess and even more into their own navels than usual. And yet…somehow this became a huge hit despite all that.

Silverchair, Freak Show, released 4 February 1997. After the impressive and popular debut Frogstomp, this trio surprised everyone by coming out with something that was less peppy Pearl Jam and more swampy Alice in Chains. It’s a much darker and grungier album, prefaced by the snotty single “Freak” and followed up with the sludgy “Abuse Me”. I found this abrupt change intriguing enough that this album got quite a bit of play at the time.

The Offspring, Ixnay On the Hombre, released 4 February 1997. It took this punk band almost three years to follow up from the hugely successful Smash album, and when it finally dropped it was a much darker and more polished affair on a major label. It’s not quite as brash as its predecessor, and its songs feel a bit gloomier in comparison, especially the major hit “Gone Away”. It’s not a terrible album, but it’s definitely a step in a different direction that took time to get used to, and one they’d use to considerable success over the next several years.

Blur, Blur, released 10 February 1997. Another band in need of a change, this UK favorite felt like they’d overstayed their quirky ‘Cool Britannia’ moment and needed to adjust course away from Britpop if they wanted to keep going. And in the process, they wrote and recorded a guitar-heavy record that reveals their unexpected angular post-punk side that works perfectly. From the blistering favorite “Song 2” to the Bowie riff “MOR” to the twitchy “On Your Own”, it’s so different from the snarky Parklife and the glossy The Great Escape that its fans were utterly blown away by it. It remains a fan favorite to this day.

Veruca Salt, Eight Arms to Hold You, released 11 February 1997. A few years after their wonderfully poppy American Thighs with its catchy singles “Seether” and “Number One Blind”, they released their second album (its title a nod to the Beatles, of course) along with the equally catchy “Volcano Girls” that got a lot of play on alternative radio.

Poe, “Hello” single, released 11 February 1997. The song itself dates back to her 1995 debut, but it’s this full-band reimagining that contained the venom and power the original sorely lacked, and it became a radio favorite almost immediately. It’s also this version of the track that was the spark I needed to restart my sci-fi novel project. The lyrics are an obvious nod to the literary cyberpunk genre — so much so that it feels like a direct reference to the 1995 movie Johnny Mnemonic — and suddenly I had an idea: what if the soul can be shifted into a different body? Between that and a quick reread of the original Ghost in the Shell manga, I was off and running. And the rest is (a rather long) history.

Soundtrack, Lost Highway, released 18 February 1997. Even though my interest in David Lynch’s work had fallen by the wayside by this point, this soundtrack fascinated me with its heady mix of creepy instrumentals and intense industrial noise. I absolutely loved the Nine Inch Nails single “The Perfect Drug”, but also the Smashing Pumpkins track “Eye” which also got a considerable amount of play on WFNX.

Live, Secret Samadhi, released 18 February 1997. Another band that took its time working on the follow-up to a groundbreaking album, this was yet another one that detoured into a much darker realm. There’s the chunky-riff single “Lakini’s Juice”, the tender ballad “Turn My Head”, the weird “Freaks” and the gritty opener “Rattlesnakes”. It wasn’t as huge a hit as Throwing Copper was, but it did reasonably well.

Sneaker Pimps, Becoming X (US Edition), released 25 February 1997. I’d been waiting on this one since I’d first heard “6 Underground” at the end of last year, and had even talked the boss into ordering a few import copies beforehand, but when it finally landed in the US, it took off like a shot and became a huge favorite of the alternative crowd, especially those who were enamored of that dark and grimy trip-hop sound they’d heard from Tricky and Portishead. It’s a great album, sometimes unsettling and weird but always keeping your interest from start to finish. This also got a lot of repeat play for my writing sessions!

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Coming Up: In which I finally begin a new writing project that will keep me busy for the next two decades.

(Almost) Thirty Years On: January 1997

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As mentioned previously, I’m continuing with 1997 as it’s the first full year of my stay at HMV. Even though I’d technically started in late September 1996, I kind of consider those first couple of months a trial run, getting myself used to the job while at the same time dealing with a lot of personal change. Once that disconnect from the recent past was made permanent, I had a clean slate to work with, and I wasn’t going to squander it. I was still thinking about what my next writing project would be, yet I kept coming back to the original Vigil idea that intrigued me back in 1993. I let that stew for a little while, as first I had to work on something else: getting myself started in the first place!

I knew that the best way for me to kickstart my writing again was to use the motto I’d come up with during the summer of 1995: Just shut the f*ck up and DO it already. I’d already been writing lyrics and poetry, something I’d returned to during my stay at the radio station, and thought it was time for me to start lugging a few notebooks with me to work. I started heading in a half hour earlier than normal just so I could sit in the food court. At the start, I’d put on my headphones and listened to a few albums while writing a few lyrics and poems here and there, and it was right around the end of January that I felt it finally reconnected with me. [I remember it was a poem about the mall walkers I’d see every morning that finally pushed me across the line.]

Riverdance, released sometime in 1995-96, depending on which edition. I add this here at this time mainly because this had been such a huge thing on PBS over the Christmas season. It was their go-to for their fundraising drives and the soundtrack ended up getting some serious sales in the process. It was a go-to for the overhead speakers during the quieter mornings. The 1996 edition came out right during the height of the new-age/Celtic folk mini-boom, one that I’d dabbled in for a bit and was an inspiration and influence on True Faith and The Phoenix Effect.

Bjork, Telegram, released 14 January 1997. As a follow-up to her genre-bending second album Post, she dropped a remix collection that didn’t quite hit the same heights but did feature a re-recording of the single “I Miss You”, complete with a bonkers music video animated by John Krikfalusi of Ren & Stimpy fame. She’d follow up later in the year with a proper third album that, once again, defied expectations.

Jamiroquai, Travelling Without Moving, released 14 January 1997. Yes, that video, the one Jay Kay has just recently and humorously riffed on for a Beefeaters Gin advertisement. “Virtual Insanity” was a huge breakout single for his brand of Stevie Wonder-inspired funk, and the rest of the album is just as brilliant and amazing. Further singles “Cosmic Girl” and “Alright” were just as popular, and the closer “Do You Know Where You’re Coming From” — officially a drum-n-bass track by M-Beat with Jay Kay on vocals — is a stunner. This one got a ton of play in the back room of the store and also got some heavy spins during my writing sessions throughout the year. It’s one of my favorites of the year.

Daft Punk, Homework, released 17 January 1997. It took me a little while to get into Daft Punk as the first I’d heard of them was the single “Da Funk” which didn’t resonate with me at all. However, upon watching the highly creative and amusing Michel Gondry video for “Around the World”, I was finally won over. It would take a little while longer for me to finally add them to my collection, however!

The Verve Pipe, “The Freshmen” single, released 27 January 1997. This is the one Verve Pipe song everyone knows, considering it was so saturated on rock radio at this point, but thankfully it gave the excellent Villains album a second boost in sales. They’ll still happily roll this track out these days when they’re playing live…not bad for what was originally a deep cut on their 1992 indie debut!

Built to Spill, Perfect from Now On, released 28 January 1997. This indie band had been around for a few years by this point, but it was this record, their first for a major label, that caught everyone else’s attention. And it’s quite interesting in that it was a deliberate move away from their original sound, leaning more on sprawling melodies and experimentation.

David Bowie, Earthling, released 30 January 1997. This one interestingly polarizes fans, considering it’s his foray into electronic music. There’s a lot of drum-n-bass, industrial and house going on here, and I think that’s why it appealed to me. I’d been a passive fan but never went out of my way to pick up his back catalogue (other than a greatest hits collection or two), but this one fascinated the hell out of me and became one of my favorite albums of the year. It too got a lot of backroom play as well as being a writing soundtrack.

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Coming up: In which several new releases give me an unexpected creative spark.

Thirty Years On: November/December 1996

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The last few months of 1996 were infinitely better than that of the previous year…but at the same time there were still some massive bumps in the road that desperately needed repaving. The signs had become obvious in November when I’d begged off hanging out with certain friends simply out of exhaustion. I was still getting used to the fifty-mile commute and literally doing a ton of heavy lifting of boxes for the store, and had told them I’d been too tired to go out on the town. That seemed innocuous on its own, but somehow it ended up being one of many issues they’d had with me at the time. Now, mind you, I admitted I wasn’t perfect and still had a lot of growing up to do, but I had no idea how they felt about me primarily because they never told me in the first place. What I had assumed was a relatively decent friendship had somehow deteriorated to the point that they’d rather I not be around.

And to be brutally honest in retrospect, maybe they had a point and I did have my bad moments that I’m not proud of at all, but the fact remained that they said nothing, no context at all, and left me wondering what the hell I might have done wrong. Sure, it’s totally up to them whether or not they wanted to give me an explanation, and I’ve done the same before and since, but at some sign long before it got that bad would have been appreciated.

Anyway, it all came to a head at the start of the year — on my birthday, no less — that two separate phone calls devolved into arguments and finally into a “we’re done here”. And we’ve never crossed paths since.

On my way to work the next day, the local classic rock station chose to play Supertramp’s “Goodbye Stranger”. I found it extremely fitting, really. What could have been a sad ending and a possible spiral now felt like freedom to me. I’d been forced to disconnect with a deeply unhappy past, and now I had no more obstacles.

It was time to move on.

Three months later, I started writing The Phoenix Effect, kickstarting a project that would define my writing and self-publishing career.

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Mixtape, Untitled VII, created November 1996. I’d started this mix a few months earlier while working at my mom’s bank and finished it up at the store. The mix contains several songs from the 1995-96 era from Radiohead, Stabbing Westward, Cake, Ben Folds Five, Seal, Spacehog, The Verve Pipe, a few track from the Beatles’ Anthology volumes, and even the US version of the Sailor Moon theme song. It’s a three-cassette mix and it actually contains a few songs from early 1997 to fill out the back end. It’s an extremely solid mix and it got a lot of play over the next couple of years.

The Presidents of the United States of America, The Presidents of the United States of America II, released 5 November 1996. Their second album didn’t nearly hit the same heights as their bonkers debut, but it was no less silly and fun. I named my car the Mach 5 after this song and not after Speed Racer!

BT, 今 ima, released 5 November 1996. I first heard of BT via the single “Blue Skies” which featured Tori Amos on vocals, which got a lot of play on WFNX at the time. I still wasn’t completely on board with techno yet, but I remember the store playing this one on the speakers quite a bit at the time and selling relatively well. I’d become a fan in another few years and have followed him since.

The Lightning Seeds, Dizzy Heights, released 11 November 1996. If I recall, this was only available on import at first, and my boss Tom was a big fan of Ian Broudie’s work so we carried it. I thought his cover of The Turtles’ “You Showed Me” was absolutely great.

Tricky, Pre-Millennium Tension, released 11 November 1996. I’d heard of Tricky due to his previous album Maxinquaye, but I didn’t really pay much attention until this album came into the back room. I was absolutely floored by how dark and unsettling yet intriguing and creative this album was, and became a huge fan thereafter. It even got a bit of play during my writing sessions!

Belle and Sebastian, If You’re Feeling Sinister, released 18 November 1996. This Glaswegian collective drops a second album a mere five months after their debut, and by this time the American college radio stations were paying attention and playing several tracks off both.

DJ Shadow, Endtroducing…, released 19 November 1996. I remember this being huge at the store as well, because it blew so many minds. It was unlike any electronic album you’d heard before, created out of a basement full of obscure records and seamlessly stitched together to sound original. It’s not quite trip-hop, not quite techno, not quite jazz, but everything in between. Highly recommended.

Bush, Razorblade Suitcase, released 19 November 1996. Their follow-up to the massively popular Sixteen Stone seemed to suffer not from the sophomore slump but because it’s a much darker and angrier record. It’s less grunge and more heavy rock and sounds nothing like their previous hits (well, the single “Swallowed” kinda comes close). It didn’t do so well at the store, but I always really enjoyed it.

Barenaked Ladies, Rock Spectacle, released 19 November 1996. This was their second minor breakthrough, especially with the live version of “Brian Wilson” which got a lot of play on alternative and AOR stations at the time. It’s a great record that proves that they’ve always been a fun and stellar live band.

Enigma, Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!, released 20 November 1996. The new-agey electronic project’s third album did reasonably well with the single “Beyond the Invisible” and it of course got a lot of play during my writing sessions. The track “Why!…” caught my attention whenever it played out on the floor.

The Bloodhound Gang, One Fierce Beer Coaster, released 3 December 1996. The meathead rap-rock band’s second album could have been seen as their one-hit wonder with the goofy “Fire Water Burn”, deadpanning the titular Funkadelic lyrics and silly lines like “I’m not black like Barry White, no I am white like Frank Black is”, it got a lot of play on WFNX and WAAF and became a minor favorite. I remember some drunk guy coming up back looking for this album and I had to gently shoo him back out on the floor with CD in hand.

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…and so ended my first full year back in the hometown. Like I said, a bit of a bumpy road, but in all honesty it was a much-needed respite that allowed me to change for the better. Those disintegrating friendships did hurt, but it ended up clearing the way for me to follow my desires without distraction and perhaps also do a bit of overdue growing up. I chose to continue focusing on my writing, slowly figuring out where I wanted to go with it and moving forward the best way I could.

Coming Up: Yes, I’ve decided that I’m going to continue this series with 1997, mainly because the two years are interconnected in various ways. The start of my writing career, the start-over of my life, and so many great records that served as a soundtrack for it all. See you next week for it!

Thirty Years On: October 1996

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I’d say for the first month or so of this new job of mine, I took the same somewhat longer route to work as that was the easiest. That would change within a few months of course, once I got used to the area and learned several of the backroads. I also remember briefly contemplating finding a place closer to the store. Mind you, that was mostly a lingering itch to head back out on my own that I didn’t take entirely all that seriously, knowing that it was more important for me to continue getting out of debt, ensuring this job stayed permanent, and that I could perhaps save up more.

Mind you, when your position is the lone shipping/receiving clerk for the entire store and every single CD, cassette, import and box set goes through your hands, the temptation to spend said money on new releases is pretty damn high, I can tell you that. Thankfully I did get an associate discount of 30% off (basically buying it at cost) and the promos coming into the store were plentiful. This was back when there were six major distributors (I can still rattle them off: UNI (Universal), EMD (EMI), BMG, Sony, PGD (PolyGram), and WEA (Warner/Elektra/Atlantic), and UNI and PGD would merge in 1998), and I got to know their sales reps really well over the course of my stay there. Not only did I acquire several promos, I’d also get free tickets to shows! I pretty much owned that back room, having laid it out for ease of access for both me and my coworkers, and I got to know the UPS driver really well with all his daily visits.

It’s funny, really, how such a simple thing as a job I truly enjoyed would lift my spirits so much. Until then, I had no idea that could ever happen. I was still feeling out of place, caught between friendships that were slowly fading into obscurity, a crowded house with little privacy, a past I was trying to move on from, and writing projects that I was losing interest in. Yet I now had this bit of personal freedom that I could explore for the first time now that I had the time, money and impetus to do so. I found myself escaping more and more, even if it was just for a few hours, whether it was one of those backroad trips or a visit to Boston or to the Pioneer Valley. I had to do get out there and do something. And I had the perfect soundtrack for it now.

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Fountains of Wayne, Fountains of Wayne, released 1 October 1996. This band from New Jersey (named after an actual store in Wayne NJ that sold fountains) featured none other than songwriter Adam Schlesinger, who we’d met previously as the writer for The Wonders’ “That Thing You Do”. “Radiation Vibe” got a lot of airplay on WHMP and WFNX and became their calling card until a some years later when the hugely popular “Stacy’s Mom” dropped. Their smart and clever pop sound is super infectious and they’re well worth checking out.

Republica, Republica, released 5 October 1996. This was the very first CD I bought at my own store via a gift certificate I’d won during an employee meeting for knowing way too much music trivia, heh. “Ready to Go” was a monster hit for the band and got played everywhere, both on alternative and commercial radio, and the vertigo-inducing video got a ton of play on MTV as well. It’s a super fun album that isn’t just great for partying but playing super loud.

Sneaker Pimps, “6 Underground” single, released 7 October 1996. Sometimes you hear a song on the radio and you literally stop in your tracks to say “what the hell am I hearing…??” This was one of them, and it was extremely popular on WFNX. The band offers up its own version of trip hop on this track from their debut album Becoming X that was originally released on 19 August in the UK, but wouldn’t be released in the States until the following February. It’s one of my top favorite tracks of the 90s and the album is highly recommended.

Elysian Fields, Bleed Your Cedar, released 8 October 1996. This was a promo I picked up purely out of curiosity as the sales rep had enjoyed it. They were like sultry and stylish slowcore, more noirish than Low but not quite leaping into goth grimness either. “Jack in the Box” was the single featured on WNFX but it was the swampy “Lady in the Lake” that became my favorite track. Singer Jennifer Charles would soon show up on several albums over the years as a guest vocalist, including Tweaker, Lovage, John Zorn, Foetus, Live, and more.

They Might Be Giants, Factory Showroom, released 8 October 1996. This band kind of fell by the wayside for me for a few years, partly because of their foray into much more serious music with 1994’s John Henry and their hiatus while John L and John F worked on solo projects. This, however, was a fine return to form with the funky single “S-E-X-X-Y”. This was another promo I picked up early on.

The Heads, No Talking Just Head, released 8 October 1996. This was an odd project by the now Byrne-less Talking Heads, recording an album full of guest singers like Johnette Napolitano, Debbie Harry, Shaun Ryder, Andy Partridge and more. It was apparently a sort of experiment to see if they could still carry on as a trio, yet nothing further came out of it.

Spice Girls, Spice, released 9 October 1996. I’ll admit I was not a fan of “Wannabe” partly because I could not escape the damn song. And yet somehow I found myself intrigued not by their sort of manufactured public image but their surprisingly catchy songs. The single “Say You’ll Be There” is a breezy and fun track full of soul, and the ballad “2 Become 1” (yes, it’s what you think it’s about) is actually quite a lovely production. It was so ridiculously popular at the store that I don’t think we ever returned any unsold copies for at least a couple years.

Phish, Billy Breathes, released 15 October 1996. I was of course familiar with this Vermont jam band via my college years, but I’d never actually gone out of my way to pick them up as that kind of thing wasn’t, well, my jam at the time. Although getting this as a promo changed that when I kept hearing the track “Free” on the radio. It’s a surprisingly catchy track that pulled me in. I was finally hooked and I’ve been a fan since. This album became a favorite during my writing sessions in the next few years.

The Lemonheads, Car Button Cloth, released 15 October 1996. This, on the other hand, wasn’t nearly the big hit they’d hoped it would be, and while it had a minor alt-rock radio hit with the single “If I Could Talk I’d Tell You”, it received mixed reviews and didn’t really do much afterwards. He’d put the band aside for the next several years and not resurface until 2006’s self-titled record.

The Monkees, Justus, released 15 October 1996. After their highly successful 1986 reunion and the occasional tours (often minus Mike Nesmith) thereafter, they decided to reunite once more for a full-on multimedia event celebrating their 30th anniversary, with not only an album of new tracks but also a TV special played up very similar to their old show of yore.

Paula Cole, This Fire, released 15 October 1996. You will of course know this album from its two huge singles “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone” and the theme from Dawson’s Creek, “I Don’t Want to Wait”, but it’s a surprisingly deep and varied record that’s worth checking out, such as with the spooky “Mississippi” (my favorite track off the album) and the sexy “Feelin’ Love”. Later in 1997 when I went to the Lilith Fair concert, she ended up being one of my favorite performers that night. She’s put out several other great records since.

Beth Orton, Trailer Park, released 21 October 1996. Another singer-songwriter that got a lot of radio play on WFNX and other alternative and AOR stations, the dreamlike and delicate “She Cries Your Name” is a lovely track and one of my favorites of that year. It’s an intriguing record that seamlessly marries electronica and folk in a way that no one expected, and it works amazingly well. Highly recommended.

The Beatles, Anthology 3, released 28 October 1996. The third and final volume alas did not feature a third “new” song, with its opening track instead being a George Martin overture that was originally written as an intro to Ringo’s “Don’t Pass Me By”, but instead showed up as incidental music near the start of the Yellow Submarine film. The rest of the album features both the well known and the obscure (and much bootlegged) from the White Album and the Abbey Road projects.

The Rutles, Archaeology, released 29 October 1996. Meanwhile, Neil Innes’ spot-on Beatles pastiche project riffs not only on the band but the reunion with tracks once again sounding almost but not quite like the original. The Pre-Fab Four’s music is a treat.

Wilco, Being There, released 29 October 1996. While their debut AM did capture the interest of the fans of their former band Uncle Tupelo, it was this unexpected double-disc project that brought them a much wider audience. They’d remain an alt-country band with a heavy Big Star influence, but they’d remain a huge favorite with every release.

Luscious Jackson, Fever In Fever Out, released 29 October 1996. I used to hear the “Naked Eye” track on WFNX all the time on the drive to work, and by this time they’d become a band to be reckoned with. They still had that inner city groove they’d created with the In Search of Manny EP only they’d become glossier and poppier in the process. This was a favorite at my store and we’d play it over the system quite often.

Soundtrack, William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet, released 29 October 1996. I’ll admit I’m not the biggest Baz Luhrmann fan, as I find most of his movies cloying and over the top, but I’ll admit that he hit paydirt with this version of the Shakespeare play. He managed to be clever about it in several ways, and the soundtrack is full of favorite radio hits like The Cardigans’ “Lovefool” and the peppy “You and Me Song” by the Wannadies. But it was the Garbage deep cut “#1 Crush” (originally the b-side of the “Vow” single) that caught my interest — it’s a seriously sexy track even though the lyrics get progressively more unsettling as it goes on.

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Coming Up: Ending the year on a slightly curious and strange note, and looking forward

Thirty Years On: September 1996

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The answer to my job frustrations lay in a newspaper want-ad my mom saw in the Sunday paper in the early half of September. A new record store was opening in the recently opened new mall in Marlborough — out in the middle of nowhere yet perfectly placed where I-280 and Route 495 meet, two major highways in the state. Solomon Pond Mall had been built earlier in the year and was still bringing in new tenants when the HMV chain chose to open one there. They’ve long been a UK institution yet began expanding in the US in the early 90s. I’d gone to the one in Harvard Square in Cambridge a few times during my time in Boston. And their selection was excellent: they weren’t afraid to carry titles that weren’t on the national charts, and many music nerds like me loved that.

Me? Work at a record store? I mean, come on. Have you met me??

Especially since I had both retail and shipping/receiving experience, which they were looking for. I sent in a resume immediately. They responded back quickly with interest, first with a quick phone pre-interview and then a second in-person interview later on with the manager. That would take place in the food court of the mall, and by the end of it I believed I was a shoo-in. They would call about a week later with an offer, which I of course accepted!

And then came the next problem to be solved: how the hell do I get there? That was also answered by my mom who knew a few car dealership owners due to her job and asked around. In short order, so we found a beater for me: a 1992 blue Chevy Cavalier for $2000. Paperwork signed and filed, I was ready to go on my first day, which was 23 September.

How do I know this date without looking it up? Because my first day was actually getting training at the Harvard Square store the day before Sheryl Crow’s self-titled second album came out. That was the first CD I ever processed, tagged and price-stickered for the company. I’d start the very next day at the Solomon Pond Mall store.

The next four years were going to be interesting. And my finances were definitely going to suffer damage if I wasn’t careful with my purchases. Thank heavens for promo copies, then!

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The London Suede, Coming Up, released 2 September 1996. I’d loved their first album but felt the second was a bit too out there for me, but this third album hit the sweet spot: the glam rock of the first album, the quirkiness of the second, and some stellar songwriting. This is fascinating, considering this was the first without their original guitarist Bernard Butler. It’s my second favorite album of theirs right after the first one.

REM, New Adventures in Hi-Fi, released 10 September 1996. This band, on the other hand, had fallen from my obsession radar by the time this album came out. While I did like Out of Time, I thought Automatic for the People was merely okay and Monster was a noisy mess. This album was a head-scratcher for me then, a collection of songs written and recorded during long and grueling tours fraught with health issues and whatnot. It’s not necessarily bad, but it’s patchy and contains a lot of filler. And yet this is the one that a lot of latter-era fans think is one of their best, and critics couldn’t say enough great things about it.

Billy Bragg, William Bloke, released 10 September 1996. Bragg hadn’t had a radio hit in a while and this one suffers from not really having one on it. He was a new dad now and he’d temporarily backed away from his overtly political lyrics in the process, making this one sound rather calm and sedate. It’s got some great deep cuts on it, however, including the lovely “Sugardaddy”.

Kula Shaker, K, released 16 September 1996. I first heard this band when WHMP played the “Tattva” single and I was immediately hooked by their 60s psychedelic pop sound that was less a caricature and more a loving nod to the style. I was also taken by the brilliant album cover created by comic artist Dave Gibbons (known for his work on Watchmen at the time). It’s pure psych-out bliss and one of my favorite albums of the 90s. They’d break up a few years later, but would reunite in the 00s, and their latest (this year’s Wormslayer) is another favorite I often revisit.

Space, Spiders, released 16 September 1996. Yet another one-hit wonder, at least on this side of the Atlantic, with the 60s inspired single “Female of the Species”, which would end up on the soundtrack for the first Austin Powers film. But it’s catchy as hell and worth checking out the rest of the album. It’s good 90s fun.

Tool, Ænima, released 17 September 1996. After three long years, the revered alt-metal band that stormed MTV with its weird-ass Brothers Quay/Jan Svankmajer-inspired videos finally returned with its second record that won over fans (and gained new ones) immediately. I wasn’t the biggest fan but I appreciated them enough to listen to this one now and again while at work. I even had a promo tee-shirt for this album!

Cake, Fashion Nugget, released 17 September 1996. I’d known about this band for a while, but it was the excellent single “The Distance” that got me hooked. [It was also the hilarious one-note guitar solo for their cover of “I Will Survive” that sold me.] I’d borrow the store copy and listen to it up back quite frequently, eventually getting my own copy which I still visit every now and again. It’s a really fun album full of quirky alt-rock melodies that get stuck in your head.

Various Artists, Hang the DJ: Modern Rock 1986, 1987 and 1988, released 17 September 1996. Most compilations revisiting the 80s tended to not be all that daring, staying safe with the same Soft Cell, Thomas Dolby, ABC and Berlin songs you expect. The track list for these three titles, on the other hand, looked like something I would have made back in the day! [In fact, the 1988 volume contains quite a few of the same tracks as my year-end Does Truth Dance? Does Truth Sing? mix.] I found these at the record store and immediately picked up all of them on cassette where they got a lot of play over the next couple of years.

Moby, Animal Rights, released 23 September 1996. Moby took an unexpected left turn far away from his well-known and well-loved electronic music by putting out a hardcore rock album that confused almost every fan of his. He did, however, release a surprisingly decent cover of the classic Mission of Burma song “That’s When I Reach for My Revolver” which got a lot of play on WFNX of course. [Sadly, the MTV version would take all the sting out of the song with the alternate line “that’s when I realize it’s over”, which still makes me wince.]

Fatboy Slim, Better Living Through Chemistry, released 23 September 1996. Before songs like “Praise You” and “Rockafeller Skank” permeated the airwaves and wouldn’t go away, he dropped a more sedate and lighthearted album that laid down the path he’d take on his electronic music career. The Who-sampled single “Going Out of My Head” got a significant amount of radio play at the time.

John Parish & Polly Jean Harvey, Dance Hall at Louse Point, released 23 September 1996. This one took me a while to get used to, as it’s not the sound of PJ Harvey that you’d expect. Parish was a former bandmate of hers, and they’d reconvened to put out what would basically be experimental torch songs, including a cover of the Leiber-Stoller song “Is That All There Is?” It was a critic favorite at the time, and I’ve eventually come around on it.

Weezer, Pinkerton, released 24 September 1996. I remember this one dividing fans and critics alike with its crunchier and heaver sound. Those who were expecting light pop gems like “Buddy Holly” and “Undone” instead got weird things like “El Scorcho” and “Pink Triangle”. I for one loved it, and would remain a fan ever since.

Soundtrack, That Thing You Do! released 24 September 1996. I knew this was going to be a pastiche on 60s pop with expected nods to the Beatles, but Tom Hanks pulls it off by making it a spot-on homage to the scene instead of a comic riff. It’s a really well-made film and one of my favorites of the decade. Even the music was bang on, with Adam Schlesinger’s excellent take on jangle pop as well as solo crooners and even jazz. This was one of the first promo CDs I’d get from the store!

Morcheeba, Who Can You Trust? released 24 September 1996. This band’s first album came out of nowhere and captured the attention of both critics and fans of trip-hop and chillwave electronic music with the great single “Trigger Hippie” that got a lot of play on WFNX at the time. I’d be a fan almost from the start.

Lamb, Lamb, released 30 September 1996. Believe it or not, I missed the boat the first time around on this band, though I’d finally catch on a short time later when my coworker Doug introduced me to the absolutely brilliant single “Gorecki”. [Yes, the character of Christine in the Bridgetown Trilogy is indeed named after this song.] By 1998 I was a big fan and they’d be on my “I’ll buy anything they release” shopping list. They’d also have pride of place on the Official Trilogy Soundtrack. Highly recommended.

The Chemical Brothers, “Setting Sun” single, released 30 September 1996. This duo had become a critic and fan favorite with their debut, 1995’s Exit Planet Dust, but they’d become even bigger with this teaser single that’s an obvious nod to the Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows” and also such a noisefest that you can’t help but blast it out of your car’s speakers. It would be another eight months before the follow-up record appeared, but at that point they’d become an MTV staple in the late 90s.

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Coming Up: The beginnings of a deeper (and more expensive) immersion