Ben Folds Five "Whatever and Ever Amen" cassette tape

1997 was a year when the fumes of Alternative Rock were still in the air but people were more interested in melodic Rock from guys who seemed nice and normal. So we got Fastball and Semisonic alongside Smashing Pumpkins and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. In between those two poles was a guy from North Carolina who played piano and wore glasses and didn’t have a guitar in his band but had a clarinet on his album. Suffice it to say, Ben Folds had his moment in 97, with “Brick” and "Battle of Who Could Care Less.” He went on to have a wonderful career, but this was his “moment.”