Best of 1994 - The Album List

In the music world, the year 1994 is mostly remembered for the tragic death of Kurt Cobain, who committed suicide on April 5th. Cobain's death marked a pivotal moment for the grunge movement, which had dominated the early '90s. With his passing, grunge reached its peak but also began to slowly dissolve.

During this time, punk rock experienced a resurgence, thanks in large part to bands like Green Day and The Offspring. Green Day's album Dookie and The Offspring's Smash brought punk energy back into the mainstream with a new twist, most notable as skate punk and pop punk.

Across the Atlantic, the Britpop movement was in full swing, with bands like Oasis, Blur, and Pulp leading the charge. Oasis released their debut album Definitely Maybe, which sold 100,000 copies within just four days of release, earning them the record for the fastest-selling debut album in British history.

Best of 1992 - The Album List

Following Freddie Mercury's death in November 1991, one of the significant events of 1992 was his tribute concert held five months later. Tickets for the event sold out within three hours of going on sale, despite no performers being announced apart from the remaining members of Queen. A star-studded lineup including Elton John, George Michael, Axl Rose, Metallica, Annie Lennox, and many others paid tribute to the late Freddie Mercury. 

In the same year, Kylie Minogue ended her longstanding collaboration with Stock Aitken Waterman, with whom she had been recording music since 1987. Meanwhile, George Michael took on a different battle with Sony, filing a lawsuit against them for allegedly failing to promote his album Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1. However, he would ultimately lose the case in June 1994. 

In November of 1992, Factory Records was declared bankrupt. The label, founded in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus, boasted releases by iconic acts such as Joy Division, New Order, OMD, and others from the 80s. Their catalogue was subsequently sold to London Records. On the UK charts, "Bohemian Rhapsody" made a return to the hit list in January. Shakespeare's Sister enjoyed the longest-running number one with "Stay," topping the charts for eight weeks. Additionally, Eurodance had a standout year, with Snap's "Rhythm is a Dancer" holding the top spot for six weeks. Erasure also made a comeback in 1992 with their Abba tribute, topping the charts for five weeks in June with their "Abba-esque" EP, featuring the hit "Take a Chance on Me."

01. R.E.M. - Automatic for the People
02. Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes
03. Sade - Love Deluxe
04. The Cure - Wish
05. Madonna - Erotica
06. Ride - Going Blank Again
07. Alice in Chains - Dirt
08. Shakespear's Sister - Hormonally Yours
09. Annie Lennox - Why
10.The Jesus and Mary Chain - Honey's Dead
11.The Boo Radley's - Everything's Alright Forever
12. Bel Canto - Shimmering, Warm & Bright 
13. The House of Love - Babe Rainbow
14. Stereolab - Peng!
15. Swans - Love of Life
16. Stereo MCs - Connected
17. The Lightning Seeds - Sense
18. The Sundays - Blind
19. Pulp - Separations
20. The Shamen - Boss Drum
21. Lush - Spooky
22. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Henry's Dream
23. Snap! - Madman's Return
24. En Vogue - Funky Divas

25. Roxette - Tourism

Best of 1990 - The Singles List

The year 1990 has been one of the most exciting years ever, maybe due to the fact that it was between the two decades when music styles shifted and the songs were influenced by the past decade but also looking into the future with new technologies. For some artists it was a clear career peaks when they released their best selling albums and/or singles. This year belonged to Depeche Mode, Madonna, Sinead O'Connor, but at the same time Euro dance and Brit pop exploded.

Over the next month we will feature the best singles from the 1990 that comes as a result of the Singles poll that was up this summer. Stay tuned!

01. Depeche Mode  - Enjoy The Silence

02. Madonna - Vogue

03. Sinéad O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2U

04. Pet Shop Boys - Being Boring

05. George Michael - Freedom

06. The Cure - Pictures of You

07. Julee Cruise - Falling

08. Depeche Mode - Policy of Truth

09. Cocteau Twins - Heaven or Las Vegas

10. Madonna - Justify My Love

11. The Charlatans - The Only One I Know

12. The House of Love- Shine On

13. St Etienne - Only Love Can Break Your Heart

14. Deee-Lite - Groove Is In The Heart

15. The KLF - Last Train to Trancentral

16. George Michael - Praying For Time

17. The Beautiful South - A Little Time

18. The Sundays - Here's Where The Story Ends

19. Technotronic - Get Up

20. INXS - Suicide Blonde