Readers choose best CDs of '97
by Seth Rogovoy

(WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., Jan. 9, 1998) -- It's hard to draw any generalizations from the unscientific poll of readers who responded to the annual call to send in lists of their favorite CDs of the past year. This hasn't always been the case. In the late-'80s, the list was dominated by pop-metal bands, and in the early-'90s, grunge-rockers clogged the poll's pores. The variety of responses and the lack of any clear-cut consensus this year could well be an indication of a healthy music scene, where no single trend dominates but rather where listeners are free to seek out and find their personal niches. Otherwise, the most remarkable trend is the geographical range of the respondents, a direct consequence of the Internet.

Pioneer Valley-based artists The Nields ("Gotta Get Over Greta") and Dar Williams ("End of the Summer") topped the list of Windsor native Natasha Zebrowski, now at Mt. Holyoke College in South Hadley. Zebrowski also liked Ani DiFranco's live CD, "Living in Clip," as well as new music by Moxy Fruvous, Richard Shindell, Sarah McLachlan, Jonatha Brooke, Catie Curtis, Deb Pasternak, June Rich and Indigo Girls.

Chip Joffe-Halpern, of Williamstown, favored Natalie MacMaster's "No Boundaries," writing, "This young fiddler from Cape Breton will thrill you. You heard it here first, not from that Rogovoy guy." He also liked Paul Simon's "Songs from `Capeman'."

Andre Duguay, an indie record-label honcho in Los Angeles ("Nothing beats it -- not even 10 inches of Berkshire snow," writes the Dalton native), put Chumbawamba's popular "Tubthumping" at the top of his year-end list, followed by disks by the Queers ("Beach Boys-flavored punk from New Hampshire"), the Muffs, the Cheifs and several other bands no one has ever heard of.

We also heard from indie-label honcho Ronald Ehmke, of Ani DiFranco's Righteous Babe Records in Buffalo, N.Y. Ehmke, who bears the colorful title "Minister of Communications," sidestepped any of his own label's releases to tout overlooked CDs by the likes of Kate and Anna McGarrigle ("Matapedia"), Dar Williams ("End of the Summer") and a Linda Thompson retrospective ("Dreams Fly Away").

Ehmke also liked Orquestra Was's "Forever's A Long, Long Time," a Don Was-produced, multi-media jazz/funk/R&B tribute to Hank Williams, soundtracks to "Traveller" and "Star Maps," electronica oddities by Aphex Twin and Tranquility Bass, and the "Heritage" American roots-music tribute produced by Darol Anger. He paired a reissue of Yoko Ono's "Plastic Ono Band" and Atari Teenage Riot's "Burn, Berlin, Burn!" as "uneasy listening, then and now," and confessed to the guilty pleasure of enjoying Hanson's "Mmmbop." Presumably he keeps that enthusiasm a secret from DiFranco.

Jonatha Brooke's "10-Cent Wings" was the best CD of the year according to Jill Charvat of Portland, Ore. "If I had any doubts about her ability to get along post-The Story, I don't any more," wrote Charvat.

New York City's Ira Transport echoed this critic's choice of Bob Dylan's "Time Out of Mind" as the best of the year. "This is as good as anything he has ever done," wrote Transport, "and it is the album I've been waiting for from him for the last few years." Transport also liked the Dylan-produced Jimmie Rodgers tribute, the Smithsonian's "Anthology of Folk Music," the Jerry Garcia Band's "How Sweet It Is," and "Peace and Noise" by Patti Smith.

Al Groves, of Adams, also liked Dar Williams' "End of the Summer," along with new works by Bikini Kill, the Waco Brothers and Sally Timms, and tributes to Jimmie Rodgers and Johnny Cash.

Martha Coons of Williamstown is a stalwart fan of neo-Americana, as evidenced by her list topped by "Straightaways" by alt-country demigods Son Volt -- "a lovely, moving, soulful album," she calls it. Other favorites of '97 included CDs by Richard Buckner, Tom Leach, Parlor James, The Buck Fifty Boys, Steve Earle and Old 97s.

Reader's poll veteran Andy Finkelstein deserves a column of his own, such is the length and depth of his annual, year-end analysis. Alas, this distillation of the North Adams native's thoughts will have to suffice for now. "Troublizing" by Ric Ocasek, the founder of the Cars, topped Finkelstein's list. He calls it Ocasek's "most Cars-sounding solo work to date....a perfect trip down memory lane, back to one of my favorite bands of all time." Close behind Ocasek's new effort was the "Nothing For All" portion of the two-disk Replacements compilation, this side gathering previously unreleased outtakes and live cuts by the "remarkable" '80s band. Finkelstein also liked new works by the Offspring, Joe Jackson, David Bowie, Ben Folds Five, Pat DiNizio, Everclear, Helmet and Morphine.

Matthew Nixon, of Pittsfield, called Radiohead's much-touted "OK Computer" CD "one of the year's spookiest." He also liked Belle and Sebastian's "If You're Feeling Sinister," which he called "mellow and melancholy," as well as new music by Depeche Mode, Mansun, Verve, Cornershop, BT, Beth Horton and Supergrass.

Ken Swiatek hosts a weekly folk-music program on MCLA's radio station WJJW in North Adams. Swiatek's year-end playlist consisted of new CDs by Dan Bern, Dar Williams, Moxy Fruvous, William Pint and Felicia Dale, Brooks Williams, John Stewart, P.F. Sloan, Johnny Cunningham, Pat MacDonald, Richard Shindell, Patty Larkin, Mary Gauthier and Eliza Gilkyson.

Thanks to all who participated in this year's poll. We couldn't have done it without you.

[This column originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on Jan. 9, 1998. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1998. All rights reserved.]