In 1997, the band released a compilation album, My Body, The Hand Grenade, which featured material from the band's earliest recordings in 1989 up until 1995, and, in September 1998, released their third studio album, Celebrity Skin, which featured a stark power pop sound as opposed to the group's earlier punk rock influences.

Gary Smith, who produced the Pixies ' first recording, Come On Pilgrim, commented on the band's influence on alternative rock and their legacy in 1997:

At the same time, Damon Albarn sought to distance Blur from Britpop with the band's fifth album, Blur ( 1997 ).

The result was Blur, the band's fifth studio album, released in February 1997.

The band's 1997 and 1998 tour featured only a few pieces from the album, but mostly concentrated on earlier material.

The year 1997 also saw the release of the band's sophomore album, Much Afraid, which was produced by Stephen Lipson.

1997 also saw lineup changes ; bassist Victor Damiani and guitarist Greg Brown both left, prompting speculation about the band's survival ; McCrea noted that " Musically, there was a really great symbiosis and I really felt that it ( their departures, especially Brown's ) was the most stupid thing in the world ", and said that he had considered dissolving the band.

The result was Blur, the band's fifth studio album, released in February 1997.

Some established acts continued to enjoy commercial success, such as Aerosmith, with their number one multi-platinum albums: Get a Grip ( 1993 ), which produced four Top 40 singles and became the band's best-selling album worldwide ( going on to sell over 20 million copies ), and Nine Lives ( 1997 ).

During the supposed hiatus, Hole released two retrospective albums: firstly, their second EP, titled The First Session ( 1997 ), which was composed of a complete version of the band's first recording session at Rudy's Rising Star in Los Angeles in March 1990, some of which had been bootlegged widely years prior.

Although it remained the band's most obscure release for a several years, the title track became somewhat famous when it was covered by No Doubt in 1997.

The band's commercial breakthrough was the 1997 album Urban Hymns, one of the best-selling albums in UK Chart history, and the single " Bitter Sweet Symphony ", which became a worldwide hit.

Although most of the band's music was recorded in the 1980s, they have occasionally reformed to record and perform since then, playing their first ever live concerts in 1997.

A greatest hits compilation, Prime Cuts, was released in 1997, apparently against the band's will.

The band's support tour included a summer stint with the 1997 Furthur Festival, along with Ratdog, Bruce Hornsby and others.

The album was recorded live in Cambridge, Massachusetts at The Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub during the band's annual end-of-the-year Hometown Throwdown from 1997.

This success was credited variously to a unique marketing campaign, the early Internet leak of the album, and anticipation after the band's 1997 album, OK Computer.

The Swedish metal band Lake of Tears also recorded a song called " Raistlin and the Rose " on their 1997 album Crimson Cosmos, while the German group Blind Guardian wrote " The Soulforged ", another song inspired by Raistlin's story, which appeared on the band's 2002 album A Night at the Opera.

1997 saw the release of the band's first EP, Sundials.

Fry resurrected the band's name in 1997 for the album Skyscraping, an homage to several of his musical heroes, including David Bowie, Roxy Music, and The Sex Pistols.

The 1997 album, The Lonesome Crowded West, ( also recorded at Moon Studios, by Scott Swayze ) turned out to serve as the band's breakthrough.

During the production of the band's third album, OK Computer ( 1997 ), all five members had differing opinions and equal production roles, with Yorke having " the loudest voice ", according to guitarist Ed O ' Brien.

In 1997, Sub Pop began pressing Enigk and Hoerner about the possibility of releasing a " rarities " record of Sunny Day Real Estate material, including the band's early 7-inch releases and otherwise unreleased songs, such as the band's unused contribution to The Crow: City of Angels soundtrack.

* The Damned-Damned Damned Damned, a limited number of which were deliberately printed with a photo of Eddie and the Hot Rods on the back of the cover, rather than The Damned playing at The Roxy Club, and with an erratum sticker apologising for this " mistake ", and on the front of the LP, on top of the original shrinkwrap, a red food-fight sticker saying ' Damned Damned ', thus completing the LP's title when read underneath the band's name ;

During the recordings for the band's second LP, Wood left the band taking cellist McDowell and horn player Hunt with him to form Wizzard.

The following month, on 21 April 1980, the band's second LP, Hypnotised was released.

Interest in the song saw the US album re-pressed with " Dear God " included and the new version of the LP sold 250, 000 copies in the USA, reviving the band's commercial fortunes and earning critical accolades.

In 1987, The Cure released the double LP Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, which reached number six in the UK, the Top 10 in several countries and was the band's first entry into the U. S. Top 40 at number 35 ( where it was certified platinum ), due to the combination of the band's rising popularity and the success of lead single, " Why Can't I Be You ?".

The band's third LP, After Bathing at Baxter's, was released on November 27, 1967 and eventually peaked in the charts at No. 17.

It is also commonly known as " The White Album " as it has no graphics or text other than the band's name embossed ( and, on the early LP and CD releases, a serial number ) on its plain white sleeve.

Additionally, during the taping of their first LP Brian fought for, and won, the right to be in charge of the production-though his first acknowledged liner notes production credit did not come until the band's third album Surfer Girl, in 1963.

Metal Box was originally released as three untitled 45-rpm 12-inch ( 30-cm ) records packaged in a metal box resembling a film canister with an embossed PIL logo on the lid ( it was later reissued in more conventional packaging as a double LP set, Second Edition ), and features the band's trademark hypnotic dub reggae bass lines, glassy, arpeggiated guitar, and bleak, paranoid, stream of consciousness vocals.

The material was released in the United Kingdom on 8 December 1967 as a six-track double EP on the Parlophone label ; in the United States the record, released on 27 November 1967, was an eleven-track LP created by Capitol Records, adding the band's 1967 single releases.

Initially disliked by many Elevators fans, it has found a substantial fan-base today, with some even rating it the band's best LP.

The band's third LP was The Decline and Fall of Heavenly ( 1994 ).

The band's debut LP, Searching for the Young Soul Rebels, was released in July 1980.

The EP was re-released by Time Bomb Recordings in 1989 as a CD that also included the band's first LP, When in Rome Do as the Vandals.

Much of the song-writing on this LP was much more sensitive than the band's earlier records.

Cool to Be You was released in both CD and LP formats, with a cover illustration drawn by Chris Shary depicting the band's Milo caricature drawn on graph paper.

This breakup somewhat informed the band's final album, 1988's Everything's Different Now, particularly in the song " J for Jules ", though Mann insisted that not every song on the LP was about the relationship.

Perhaps more noteworthy, however, is the fact that every member of the group has contributed at least two songs per album, with only the following exceptions: On 1992's debut LP, Smeared, Scott and Pentland are credited with just one song each, while on 2003's Action Pact, Scott has no songs, for according to Eye Weekly, that album's producer, Tom Rothrock, essentially randomly selected tracks out of the band's submissions in the interest of creating a more streamlined sound.

re-issue, though reclaiming the original title of the band's debut LP, contained all of the same material as the previously issued 80 – 85 compilation, including their first EP, the Public Service EP ( with different versions of the songs Bad Religion, Slaves, and Drastic Actions than the self-titled EP ) and the " Back To The Known " EP.

Produced by Tony Platt, the band's third LP, Don't Know How to Party contained a cover of Stiff Little Fingers ' song " Tin Soldiers " as well as a vocal appearance by Daryl Jennifer of Bad Brains.

The Elektra tracks were released on the 1966 various artists compilation LP What's Shakin ' after the band's success on Kama Sutra.

The band's second LP Ars Longa Vita Brevis featured an arrangement of the Intermezzo from the Karelia Suite by Jean Sibelius and the album's second side was a suite which included an arrangement of a movement from J. S.

The band's sound began to evolve beyond its early garage roots with their second ( nine minute long ) LP, Toolin ' For A Warm Teabag, which saw the band drifting towards a more truculent punk rock sound, influenced by GG Allin.

The following LP, 1993's Painful was also the beginning of the band's fruitful creative partnership with producer Roger Moutenot, who has produced all of their subsequent albums.