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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiator_(album)

Of course, I wanted to keep it 15. But the high quality of the 'exceptions' shows just what an awesome year it was.

and Radiator. Good year.

'97 was a fantastic year. I was travelling around Australia and Asia with 3 mates. We all had walkmans and cassettes (now that makes me feel old). I bought Vanishing Point and Fat Of The Land whilst away. Vanishing Point was an astonishing listen in the fragrant alleyways of Jakarta and there was no hiding from those Prodigy singles in Australia, people went nuts for them.
Blur is my favourite Blur album and was a regular listen on that year away (Country Sad Ballad Man, On Your Own). Dig Your Own Hole too (memories of a pool hall jukebox in Sydney, blasting out It Doesn't Matter, up a mountain with the Private Psychedelic Reel soundtracking the sunrise).
Yep, great year and a great shout for listing all these with your memories......except for Vanishing Point that is. No excuses for leaving that one off.

I read the reviews, I bought the album (on cassette, no less, from Eastleigh WH Smith). And I played it a lot in the car - I passed at 17, and ferried my mum to and from the nearest supermarket with Kowalski et al in the tinny speakers.

But.

It's not one I have gone back to much since - probably because I only had it on cassette, so it never made the step from physical collection to iTunes. If it had, I expect it might've made this list. Perhaps I should get me a copy of it again.

I mean, this is proper amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xBzYsE4y1k&ob=av2e

Yes, everyone's pointed out the absence of Radiator and Vanishing Point, but there are a few others I'd name: The Boatman's Call by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, Tindersticks completed their exceptional trilogy of albums with Curtains, and I would like to put in a word for The Divine Comedy's majestic A Short Album About Love.

I was 10 at the time!

As such whenever I heard Radiohead on the radio I dismissed them as miserable and dismissed Prodigy and Chemicals as just noise. Though I do remember liking some Supergrass and so on that was on a Smash Hts compilation so I guess there were signs of hope for me! Plus for some reason Wide Open Space by Mansun sticks in my mind too.

Retrospectively I obviously love OK Computer and the other stuff that I had dismissed but I think my favourite from that year has to be Radiator, which I wasn't to listen to until about 10 years after its release. Still sounds amazing.

for teeth like God's shoeshine alone :)

Aside of 'Ok Computer' the biggest album for me that year was Built to Spill's 'Perfect From Now On' which is probably the only other release from 1997 that would genuinley be in with a shout of making my top 10 ever list. Yo La Tengo's sprawling 'I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One' came out that year too. Seem to think I heard the first Godspeed LP in 97 as well. Good times.

Not a sausage. Philistines.

Just kidding. Fantastic piece Mike, brought back a lot of memories. Was 18 in 1997 and was buying music for the first time with my first proper job. I remember it was James' 'Whiplash' and Supergrass' 'In It For The Money' that set me on my way. Got half of the albums above, but it was 'Vanishing Point' that was the game changer. (Oh and the Kenickie album - that was the sound of the summer...)

Despite always trying to find new music, I realised reading this piece that I'll be banging on about 1997 to my kids in the same way that baby-boomers bang on about 1967.

1997 - my eldest daughter was one year old. I was walking half dazed through day and night trying to make things work. She wasn't sleeping at night and I was working full time. No internet, no music except as someone mentioned dreadful stuff on the radio like All Saints and such.

I'm glad though I can appreciate what I missed .. and now I'm listening to music as if it was 1997.
In a way, not much loss. :)
Great article though.

Especially when you consider the list of albums people have included here which didn't make the cut, a truly mind-boggling array of brilliant albums across all genres. The album which stands out most for me though is Perfect From Now On by Built To Spill; for me, it's the definitive indie-guitar record. And then you've also got The Lonesome Crowded West by Modest Mouse.

A couple that haven't been mentioned
Yo La Tengo - I can hear the heart beating as one
Amon Tobin - Bricolage

Excellent list. God, 1997 was a good year to sweat through GCSEs in. Though yeah, SFA's 'Radiator' shoulda been on there.

...but no Roni Size "New Forms"? Incredible album (Brown Paper Bag still blares from my headphones regularly) and was my gateway to d'n'b and bass music.

Good work.

I loved 95/96 at the time, so when I turned 11 in 97 thought it was mainly a bit shit(except the Verve & Blur albums, and also bits of my brother's copies of Homework and Fat of The Land). Bit of a different view of 97 nowadays. I'll still always fondly look back on 95-96 though..

My Own Summer is still a rock club classic...groan.

Makes me feel nostalgic too. My musical epiphany came in 92 with nirvana and sonic youth but this was the first year that I really started buying in to album hype and spending more than I should have on albums. I bought nearly all of those and being my first/second year at uni most of them are bound up with good memories. Dots and loops, radiator, brighten the corners and boatmans call were my favourite albums of that year

As others have said, my favourite albums of that year were dots and loops by stereolab, radiator and boatmans call. The verve breaking through was also a massive deal back then.

...with the best album of 1997...

Teenage Fanclub - Songs From Northern Britain