From: "Soren F. Petersen" <soren AT teleport.com>
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 1998 21:33:59 -0800 (PST)


     
 I feel quite a bit better about this year than I have about the last 
 couple.  For the first time in quite a while, I've had to work to cut 
 down.
     
 I find I have very little patience for anything "experimental" this 
 year (I hope this isn't a sign of incipient old-fartdom), and I didn't 
 find any electronica of interest (granted, I didn't look very 
 hard--but nothing stood out like *Entroducing...* or *Songs of a Dead 
 Dreamer* did last year.  Further, I didn't find much new hard rock of 
 interest (the Great Unravelling and Satisfact didn't quite make the 
 cut).  I find this last very disturbing--I am NOT looking forward to 
 the ever more inevitable Twisted Sister revival.
     
 Props to Masaki Batoh's *Collected Works 1995-1996*, and Syrup USA's 
 *All Over the Land* for having several terrific songs apiece, but not 
 maintaining best-of-year quality over the whole album.  Props also to
 Some Velvet Sidewalk who *still* haven't made a great album, but came
 quite a bit closer with *generate!*.
     
 Props also to the Marbles, for making the sort of really nice, 
 friendly relaxing album that it wouldn't occur to me to put on a 
 best-of-year list.  If *Fun Trick Noisemaker* is *Today!*, and *Tone 
 Soul Evolution* is *Pet Sounds* (or vice versa?), then *"Pyramid 
 Landing" & Other Favorites* is *Wild Honey*.  (Which would make 
 *Science Faire* *Best of Volume I*, or maybe *Endless Summer* (and 
 this whole analogy REALLY stupid...)).



 Anyway, on with the list...

-------------------------

Ghost *Lama Rabi Rabi*
Troublefunk *Early Singles*
White Town *Women in Technology*
Nuyorican Soul  s/t
Santana *Live at the Fillmore '68*
Who *Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970* 
V/A *Alms:  a benefit for Ptolomaic Terrascope*
Swoon 23 *The Legendary Ether Pony*
Eric Matthews *The Lateness of the Hour*
Wellwater Conspiracy *Declaration of Conformity*
Apples in Stereo *Tone Soul Evolution*
Jessamine *Another Fictionalized History* 
Helium *The Magic City* 
Belle and Sebastian *If you're feeling sinister*
Joy Division *Heart and Soul*
Built to Spill *Perfect from Now On*
Soundgarden *A-Sides*
Barbara Manning *1212*
Jam *Direction Reaction Creation*
Green Pajamas *Indian Winter*

     
     

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Soren F. Petersen    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++    soren AT teleport.com