From: "JAYSMITH.US.ORACLE.COM" <JAYSMITH AT us.oracle.com>
Date: 20 Jan 98 23:04:39 -0800

Well, I'm not even close to closing the books on the year (there are 
'97 records by Brutal Truth, Michael Gordon, Fred Frith, and the Judas 
Iscariot that I bet are at least as good as the MF Doom single, but I 
haven't heard 'em yet).  Still, these are 19 pretty good records, in 
approximate declining order of pretty-goodness. 
 
(doug: I'm not sure what's "hard to find", exactly, but I've tried to 
include URLs for labels/mail-order-sources for some non-US-major-label 
releases.  Feel free to mark 'em up or delete 'em.) 
 
Carlinhos Brown, _Alfagamabetizado_ (Metro Blue) 
Hanson, "Mmmbop" (Polygram) 
Aphex Twin, _Richard D. James_ (Sire) 
_Greg Bendian's Interzone_ (Eremite 
(http://www.forcedexposure.com/labels/eremite.html)) 
_The Lord Weird Slough Feg_ (Beef Rock 
(http://www.sirius.com/~slay/Slough_Feg.html))  
5uu's, _Crisis In Clay_ (ReR (Wayside's the best US source: 
http://members.aol.com/Cuneiform2/cuneiform.html) 
Lateef & Lyrics Born, _Latyrx: The Album_ (Solesides 
(http://www.massive.com/solesides)) 
_Jurassic 5_ EP (Rumble/Pickininny 
(http://sandbox.pair.com/abstract/j0001.html, at least for now) 
Emperor, "The Loss and Curse of Reverence" (Century Black/Candlelight) 
Erykah Badu, "On & On" (Kedar) 
Nels Cline Trio, _Chest_ (Little Brother 
(http://www.littlebrotherrecords.com/)) 
Run On, _Sit Down_ (Matador (UK)) 
White Town, "Your Woman" (Chrysalis) 
Henry Threadgill & Make a Move, _Where's Your Cup?_ (Columbia) 
Lemzo Diamano, _Marimbalax_ (Stern's) 
Silkworm, _Developer_ (Matador) 
Arto Lindsay, _Mundo Civilizado_ (Bar None) 
Joel R. L. Phelps, _The Downer Trio_ (PacifiCo) 
MF Doom, "Dead Bent" (Fondle 'Em (http://www.sandbox.pair.com/fondle/)) 
 
Aw, hell, make it 20: 
 
Puff Daddy and the Family, "It's All About the Benjamins" (Bad Boy) 
 
 
(I don't know of a good web link for the Phelps, but I bet Aquarius 
(http://aquarius.bianca.com), among other folks, would love to sell one 
to you.  And Stern's doesn't seem to have a web presence at all, but  
their US address is: 
 
Stern's 
598 Broadway 
New York, NY 10012 
)