ICTChris Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 It's 25 years since 1997 so I thought I would start a thread about it. Politically, culturally, socially I think 1997 is a marker year for changes in the history of Scotland and Britain. It also seems a lot closer to us than a quarter of a century - it certainly seems a lot more current now than 1972 did then, although that may be my age talking. Politically, obviously 1997 saw Labour win the election by a landslide and Tony Blair become Prime Minister. Scotland voted for devolution in a two question referendum, as did Wales. It's often forgotten that for the first year or so of his time in office Tony Blair was phenomenally popular. People used to joke that he had higher poll ratings than Saddam Hussein, I'm sure at one point he polled 95% approval. Of course, when he started doing stuff he rapidly became unpopular. Strange as it may seem the Tory party were an irrelevance, if you look back at it they did have the feel of a mad old relative haruanging people who come near them at a family gathering. Socially, the new government were in lockstep with social changes in the UK. I don't think the Blair government caused those changes, I think they reflected them - things like Section 28 (Clasue 2a in Scotland) abolition and the equalising age of homosexual consent were not hugely controversial among the population and if anyone proposed bringing them back now you'd be seen as completely mad. If you want a good marker of how things were on these sorts of questions in the early 1990s and before then there's a good clip in this documentary from the debate on the age of homosexual consent that shows how these things are discussed, from around 6:40 I don't think that anyone, save perhaps some religious groups, talks that way about these things now. I can remember teachers in my school calling pupils "poofters" and things like that, I also remember my Scout leader saying that gay people should be euthanised. These weren't outlying nutcases, they were pretty normal expressions of how people felt about gays. Obviously no-one flicked a switch in 1997 but throughtout the whole 1990s that changed significantly. The whole documentary linked to above is a good watch on the same subject. Another major event in 1997 was the death of Princess Diana. In his book The Abolition of Britain Peter 'Bonkers' Hitchens contrasted the reaction to Diana's funeral to that of Winston Churchills in 1965, with the hysteria of DIana absent as people paid respect to Churchill in a far more dignified and sombre way. It's hard to really get across how completely insane the reaction was. I remember watching the news and Peter Sissons started crying when he was reading it, I have never seen a British newsreader react in that way about anything. It was the first real expression of such emotional openness and really the acceleration of the social trend for memorialising things, flowers and football tops tied to railings etc. Elton John released a quivering reworking of Candle in the Wind that sold about a billion copies. I saw this clip on Twitter today that reminded of this whole subject. I remember it at the time, complete insanity. What are your memories of 1997 and thoughts on the changes before and since? I will add to this thread with more 1990s nostalgia soon. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottsdad Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 For me personally, it was the year I left school and went to university. I got a summer job as a roads surveyor for Stirling council, driving up and down the A84 and A85. Couldn't work in the rain. Lunch on sunny days in Strathyre. It was probably the best job I have ever had, hanging out with friends. I guess for me it was a pivotal year. Turned 18, started visiting pubs legally. Hit the nightclubs. Voted for the very first time. Became a student. Passed my driving test. Bought my first car (a B-reg Vauxhall Nova). Saw U2 at Murrayfield. Looking back it was a busy year for me. And an enjoyable one. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baggio Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 In 1997 I spent the summer in Santa Cruz, CA so thankfully missed all the Diana stuff. We didn't have a tv so all our info came from the World Service. We were still letter writing to keep in touch back home. Then we went to LA for a few days and someone wrote "Di" in the sky with a love heart round it when we were on Rodeo drive.The 1997 election was the first time I took any interest in these things and was the first time I stayed up to watch any of it. So glad I did.I cam back from the States just after the referendum, it was exciting and hopeful times, things were going to change. What did I know... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICTChris Posted January 31, 2022 Author Share Posted January 31, 2022 I appear to have messed up the spoiler tags, what a boomer. Culturally, I think 1997 was a downward year. The mid 1990s in the UK were really exciting in terms of new music but 1997 was kind of the Altamont of that scene. The biggest selling album was Oasis' Be Here Now which was massively hyped, insanely so. When it was released it got rave reviews, everyone almost seemed to want to will it to be good but it was clear it wasn't. The BBC produced a hilarious documentary at the time, really pushing how 'important' it was, looking back it was all very overwrought. Anyway, here's a young Peter Doherty talking about the Umberto Eco view of Oasis. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betting competition Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 Things can only get better! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottsdad Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 2 minutes ago, ICTChris said: I appear to have messed up the spoiler tags, what a boomer. Culturally, I think 1997 was a downward year. The mid 1990s in the UK were really exciting in terms of new music but 1997 was kind of the Altamont of that scene. The biggest selling album was Oasis' Be Here Now which was massively hyped, insanely so. When it was released it got rave reviews, everyone almost seemed to want to will it to be good but it was clear it wasn't. The BBC produced a hilarious documentary at the time, really pushing how 'important' it was, looking back it was all very overwrought. Anyway, here's a young Peter Doherty talking about the Umberto Eco view of Oasis. U2 released Pop! which was the signal that their downward spiral had begun. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotThePars Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 (edited) My abiding memory of Britpop will always be this https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/oct/03/kevin-shields-britpop-pushed-by-government Edited January 31, 2022 by NotThePars 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lofarl Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 I was 16 in 1997. So that was probably my last summer holiday so I would have spent it sleeping late, smoking weed, drinking md2020 in underpasses and mostly wanking. Funny how things stay the same. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coprolite Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 Went back to uni after a sabbatical, working full time, got together with a girl i'd been after. Often off my head on eccies acid beer wine hash speed whisky etc. Good times. Couldn't have given less of a shite about Tony Blair tbh. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICTChris Posted January 31, 2022 Author Share Posted January 31, 2022 The top selling albums that year Be Here Now Oasis 1 1,500,000 2 Urban Hymns The Verve 1 1,315,000[8] 3 Spice Spice Girls 1 1,000,000+ 4 White on Blonde Texas 1 5 Spiceworld Spice Girls 1 1,000,000+ 6 The Fat of the Land The Prodigy 1 7 Let's Talk About Love Celine Dion 1 8 OK Computer Radiohead 1 9 Greatest Hits Eternal 2 550,000 10 The Best of Wham!: If You Were There... Wham! 4 It does show the move from Britpop to more portenous and and experimental music, ie the Verve and Radiohead. I really fucking hated Texas though, utter pap. The Lighthouse Family were number 11, they truly are a forgotten band - massive hits all the time but no-one really harks back them. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betting competition Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 (edited) 14 minutes ago, ICTChris said: I appear to have messed up the spoiler tags, what a boomer. Culturally, I think 1997 was a downward year. The mid 1990s in the UK were really exciting in terms of new music but 1997 was kind of the Altamont of that scene. The biggest selling album was Oasis' Be Here Now which was massively hyped, insanely so. When it was released it got rave reviews, everyone almost seemed to want to will it to be good but it was clear it wasn't. The BBC produced a hilarious documentary at the time, really pushing how 'important' it was, looking back it was all very overwrought. Anyway, here's a young Peter Doherty talking about the Umberto Eco view of Oasis. I thought 1997 was a good year for music especially with Spiritualized, Radiohead, Mogwai, Teenage Fanclub, Daft Punk, The Chemical Brothers, Blur, Bjork, Grandaddy, Eels, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Yo La Tengo, Super Furry Animals, Bentley Rhythm Ace, Wannadies etc. Saying that I was never a fan of Oasis although I suppose if you was then you like the Verve Edited January 31, 2022 by betting competition 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICTChris Posted January 31, 2022 Author Share Posted January 31, 2022 I messed up the spoiler tags on the OP. Open them to watch people buying loads of Elton John and Nicholas Fairbairn giving a rundown of anal sex. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miguel Sanchez Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 Just remember, all those Candle in the Wind CD cases aren't biodegradable, so they're still out there somewhere. That woman buying about thirty still has them. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICTChris Posted January 31, 2022 Author Share Posted January 31, 2022 5 minutes ago, betting competition said: I thought 1997 was a good year for music especially with Spiritualized, Radiohead, Mogwai, Teenage Fanclub, Daft Punk, The Chemical Brothers, Blur, Bjork, Grandaddy, Eels, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Yo La Tengo, Super Furry Animals etc. Saying that I was never a fan of Oasis although I suppose if you was then you like the Verve That's a good point - I'm talking more in terms of what the big sellers tell us about people and country. But yeah, loads of great albums that year, things were better etc. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 F*ck you Sandy Roy 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lofarl Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 Mind how both fans and the media pretended that Be here now was a good album. That charade went on for ages. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Empty It Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 I was 2 years old, remember it like it was yesterday. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunfermline Don Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 I was working on a cruise ship at the time, so out of the UK when all the Diana madness happened. I remember sailing into Southampton the day after the general election and watching the results coming in after a session in the crew bar and being glad seeing all these Tories losing their seats and realising that for the first time in my adult life there would not be a conservative government. There was definitely a feeling of hope for a better future at the time.I do think that the 90s music scene peaked in 97 and a pivotal moment was when that dreadful Elton John song knocked The Verve off number one. For me music has never been the same since. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philpy Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 I was 19 back then. Fucking hell. Cheers for making me feel like an old c**t @ICT_Chris 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
broon-loon Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 The year our (only) Daughter was born. So, yes, as has been posted, 'thanks' for being reminded of being auld.. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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