The Time Machine treks backward to 1997 this time, the year Blur taught us that all you need for a stadium anthem was some raucous guitar and a few "woo-hoos"! Radiohead made their most adventurous album yet, and their fans loved it! Foo Fighters released their second album, though it was their first as a band; the debut was essentially a Dave Grohl solo album.

Groups like Squirrel Nut Zippers brought back the swingin’ sounds of yesteryear. Punk rockers Green Day went mellow for their biggest hit yet. One of the most exciting things in music was the film and album Buena Vista Social Club, where many of us discovered the sounds of Cuba. Erykah Badu issued one of the big debuts of the year. Sarah McLachlan was building a mystery.

Princess Diana died in a car crash in Paris, and Elton John rewrote his 1973 single in memory of Lady Di. The Simpsons surpassed The Flintstones as the longest-running prime-time animated series. And Bill Clinton began his second term as President. It’s all 1997, our year on this episode of Time Machine from The Current.

Program playlist