The Year in Music

The music consumer is a giant monster that eats itself. We tend to fill up on something—say an all-women concert series like Lilith—and half an hour later we're hungry for something else. Strong music did come along this year—from deejays in clubs and Fugee power to the new kings of swing. But will they last? Each has put something together out of scraps. Each has tapped into older forms and recycled them into something new. The hottest concert ticket was Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan—who would have guessed a year ago? Or that the Stones could replay the States for up to $300 a ticket on a tour that lasted for more than a year?

Although rap is still a surprisingly powerful medium of expression, our readers seem to be looking for something with a melody—witness Aretha Franklin, Boys II Men and Mariah Carey, winners in the R&B–Rap category. Will Smith, another winner, takes us to the optimistic side of rap. But stay focused on Jay-Z, Outkast, Missy Elliott, Method Man, Bizzy Bone, Lauryn Hill and the Beastie Boys for an edgier, denser sound. Notice, too, that women are coming on strong in hip-hop. Will there be a Lilith Fair for them?

Country was all Garth all the time. After he conquered New York, he did coast-to-coast live TV and sold millions of CDs. Shania Twain, his female counterpart on the fast track, won our poll with both vocalist and country album of the year. The album, Come On Over, has gone platinum on the charts six times over. News we liked in country this year was the hatching of the Dixie Chicks. These adorable Country Music Association award winners gave Brooks & Dunn a serious run for our country group award.

The last days of 1998 were a buying bonanza—U2, R.E.M., Alanis, Jewel, Beck and the Black Crowes were just some of the heavy hitters whose albums came out in November and December. Would any of these artists release the rock album worth waiting for? And if they did, would it matter? (Dave Marsh tackled this question on page 116 in They Can't Kill Rock and Roll.) These artists were up against the shock value of Marilyn Manson, ongoing Seventies nostalgia, a quartet of great singles—from Chumbawamba (Tubthumping), Barenaked Ladies (One Week), Offspring (Pretty Fly for a White Guy) and Fatboy Slim (The Rockafeller Skank)—and soundtracks that are better than radio. The real money is in pop: the diva power of Whitney, Celine and Mariah. But 20 years from now, will we still need them, will we still feed them, like we have those four lovely boys from Liverpool? I doubt it.

Jazzsters cried and celebrated this year. When Francis Albert, the Chairman of the Board, died, 60 years of American popular music was stilled. At the same time, we tickled the ivories in honor of George Gershwin's 100th birthday. Louis Prima's swing music was borrowed by the Gap. The Cherry Poppin' Daddies had a Zoot Suit Riot on the charts and in our poll. Brian Setzer's Orchestra sounded like the real deal. Herbie Hancock, our poll winner for best jazz instrumentalist, had a chart winner with his renditions of Gershwin's World. But if you want to catch the next wave, Joe Lovano's CD Trio Fascination and anything with a Latin or Cuban beat is the spot to trot.

The message from the summer concert extravaganzas is that they need to be a great show as well as a value. Most didn't sell out or well. The Guinness Fleadh, a great show, fell apart when it left New York City. In Chicago, there wasn't enough food and water, and then—to top it off—we had to pay $10 for a copy of the lineup. On the other hand, people shelled out with no complaints for the Stones and Jimmy Buffett, and arenas filled for Korn's tour, Dave Matthews and Phish.

MTV heard the grumbling, and returned to music programming. VH1 produced new editions of Behind the Music and the Storytellers series, saturating that channel with sound. Network TV used pop songs on shows such as Dawson's Creek and Party of Five, while Fox just broke down and called its new hit That '70s Show. The ratings for the NBC Temptations miniseries during the November sweeps and the 15th anniversary rerelease of The Big Chill served as potent reminders that boomers love to revisit their past.

With technology changing rapidly, our Hall of Fame winner, Prince, has been putting his music out through the Internet and keeping the profits. More bands will eventually sell their CDs and merchandise on a home page and keep their fans feeling connected.

Damn the expense, it was boxed-set heaven. This year saw the release of Yoko's John Lennon, of Hank Williams, Bruce Springsteen, Randy Newman, and Ray Charles' country cuts. And thanks to Rhino, the goofiest one of the year was Nuggets, a love song to garage bands from the psychedelic era 1965–1968.

Our favorite moments this year range far and wide, from Ginger Spice remade into Geri Halliwell, UN goodwill ambassador, to Jay-Z's Annie sample, Hard Knock Life. We watched Joni Mitchell get her propers and Bob Dylan become a concert draw. Metallica played a few tunes at a party at the Mansion and glam rock had a revival at the movies and onstage. We rediscovered Stevie Nicks on VH1 and bought her album. We laughed at Mick Jagger's serious hour on A&E's Biography. We were thrilled to see the Kingsmen win ownership of Louie Louie in court. We want music to reinvent itself every year. It's a bummer when radio is mediocre, concerts are too expensive and record companies are cynical. So we wait for the next big thing, even if it's small. We check the clubs, the Internet, college radio, the back bins at the record store. We keep an eye on technology. All we want is to be all shook up.

It was a year when expectations didn't always pan out. Record sales were unpredictable: Jewel and R. Kelly went platinum in less than four weeks, while neither Alanis Morissette nor Whitney Houston kept pace with their releases.