The Great Mix-Tape Throwdown: 1997

In a rather bored state last week, I came up with an idea for a friendly competition. Proposed to and accepted by both Zack and Adam, we've engaged in a Mix-Tape Throwdown. We put 15 playing cards in a pile, assigned each one a year between 1991 and 2006, and took turns drawing cards until only one was left - 1997 - the year this first competition would be based on.

The Rules:
1) All songs MUST be from albums/EPs released in 1997.
2) Mixes MUST be longer than 50 minutes but no longer than 60 minutes.
3) Rereleases, compilations, soundtracks, live albums, etc. are not valid, unless they are the only place a song was ever released.
4) Covers of older songs are not permitted.
5) All year-of-release disputes will be settled via AllMusicGuide [allmusic.com]
6) Contestants have exactly two weeks to put together their mix.

The Judges:
For the first contest, Lacey and Jen volunteered, and Drew was nominated. The three will judge based on flow and overall opinion. Judges will hear the mixes in a randomly determined order, and will not know whose mix they are listening to while judging (unless they're clever and just figure it out).

The Bounty:
The winner will receive one twelve pack of beer of his choice purchased by the losers, as well as a dinner grilled for him by the losers.

Should be fun. We all did agree that 1997's a tough year. I'll post updates with playlists and results later. I've got to get started on a mix...