Melody Maker Magazine 16 August 1997 Indie Spice Oasis The Verve Prodigy Placebo NP007

Original Melody Maker Magazine dated 16 August 1997, featuring the distinctive “Introducing Indie Spice” cover story.

The main cover is dominated by the “Indie Spice” feature, with the large headline:

“Introducing INDIE SPICE”

and cover lines referencing a mixture of fame, drugs, politics and relationships, presenting a tongue-in-cheek alternative-music take on the huge “Spice” phenomenon of the period.

This is a particularly strong snapshot of British music culture in the summer of 1997, with several of the era’s biggest bands and releases prominently advertised.

Major cover features include:

• Oasis – their album reviewed, promoted with “Right ‘ere! Right ‘now!”
• The Verve – live coverage under the headline “Sweet as a nut!”
• The Prodigy
• Placebo
• Foo Fighters
• Dodgy
• V97 Festival – substantial preview coverage
• Dannii Minogue – reviewing the singles
• Mel C – “A Night on the Town” feature
• Urusei Yatsura

The bottom of the cover prominently promotes a “Massive V97 Preview”, starring The Prodigy, Placebo, Foo Fighters and Dodgy, making the issue particularly relevant to collectors of 1990s festival memorabilia as well as Britpop and alternative music.

The top of the cover also advertises a competition to win Reading Festival tickets, while the upper-right section promotes the magazine’s expanded Gig Guide.

With Oasis, The Verve, The Prodigy, Placebo and Foo Fighters all appearing prominently, this is a very representative summer 1997 Melody Maker issue covering Britpop, indie, alternative rock and festival culture.

Magazine / Item Details

• Publication: Melody Maker
• Item Type: Magazine
• Full Date: 16 August 1997
• Main Cover Feature: “Indie Spice”
• Major Cover Features: Oasis, The Verve, The Prodigy, Placebo
• Additional Artists: Foo Fighters, Dodgy, Urusei Yatsura
• Other Names Featured: Dannii Minogue, Mel C
• Festival Coverage: V97 preview
• Competition: Reading Festival tickets
• Other Feature: Melody Maker Gig Guide
• Cover Price: 85p
• Era: 1990s
• Music Focus: Britpop, indie, alternative rock and festival music
• SKU: NP007

Condition

Pre-owned vintage condition with visible age-related handling and storage wear.

The front cover shows some creasing, surface waviness and light wrinkling, particularly around the outer margins and lower section.

The left-hand edge/spine area has visible compression and some light creasing from handling.

The right-hand edge is slightly uneven and wavy, with mild roughness consistent with the thin paper stock.

The bottom edge shows some light waviness and small bends, including a visible minor crease around the lower central area.

The corners are softened and show light bending from age and storage.

There is some age-related toning/discolouration to the pale outer borders, together with minor handling marks and surface wear.

The main cover photograph, colours and printed text remain clear and readable.

No obvious major tears, heavy staining or writing are visible in the supplied photograph.

Condition assessment is based on the single supplied image, so the interior pages and back cover cannot be fully assessed.

Packaging & Postage

The magazine will be carefully and safely folded and packed inside a protective cardboard box for posting.

It will be packed securely to help reduce the risk of bending, crushing and general transit damage while on its way to the buyer.