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30 albums turning 25 in 2022
Some of the key - and very big - releases from 25 years ago
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1997 was a watershed year for British music. Not only had several Britpop-associated acts seen an upturn in their fortunes, with a wide range of guitar-based turns scoring chart-toppers, there was the arrival of some influential new voices, a bunch of great new pop acts and a massive crossover for dance music. Let’s have a look at a few of them…
30 albums turning 25 in 2022
All Saints – All Saints
Official Chart peak: 1
UK chart sales: 1.48m
A classic debut stacked full of hits with three Number 1 singles for the combat-trousered quartet.
Baduizm – Erykah Badu
Official Chart peak: 17
UK chart sales: 309k
The arrival of a new voice in nu-soul, Baduizm is a modern-day classic.
Be Here Now – Oasis
Official Chart peak: 1
UK chart sales: 1.97m
Recorded to be as colossal as possible, this third album by Oasis sold 663,389 copies in its first week becoming the fastest-selling album in the UK.
Blur – Blur
Official Chart peak: 1
UK chart sales: 560k
Scarred by the whole Britpop kerfuffle, Blur returned with a noisier, more experimental fifth album featuring the deathless classic Song 2. All together now: WOO-HOO!
Butterfly – Mariah Carey
Official Chart peak: 2
UK chart sales: 305k
Mariah’s sixth album and what she claims is her ‘magnum opus’ is a record of emancipation and long-sought freedom tooled with heaven-sent melisma and a more urban-leaning edge.
Dig Your Own Hole – The Chemical Brothers
Official Chart peak: 1
UK chart sales: 382k
The Brothers’ second album, and widely regarded as one of the greatest dance albums of all time, with two Number 1 singles (Setting Sun and Block Rockin’ Beats).
Homework – Daft Punk
Official Chart peak: 8
UK chart sales: 381k
The French duo’s debut helped kick off a gallic disco explosion and is one of the most influential dance records of the 90s.
Homogenic – Bjork
Official Chart peak: 4
UK chart sales: 216k
The third album by Bjork saw her morph away from a left-of-centre pop star into a full-blown arthouse auteur.
In It For The Money – Supergrass
Official Chart peak: 2
UK chart sales: 328k
Second album by the indie herberts came packed with crackers.
Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space – Spiritualized
Official Chart peak: 4
UK chart sales: 209k
Game-changing third album for Jason Pierce and friends, initially packaged like a box of tablets.
Left Of The Middle – Natalie Imbruglia
Official Chart peak: 5
UK chart sales: 1.2m
Natalie’s debut featuring the classic Torn, which saw her fight against pre-conceived notions of what kind of pop star a former Australian soap star should be.
Let’s Talk About Love – Celine Dion
Official Chart peak: 1
UK chart sales: 2m
Celine’s fifth English-language album sold millions thanks to a certain theme from a little movie called Titanic. Maybe you've heard of it?
Life Thru A Lens – Robbie Williams
Official Chart peak: 1
UK chart sales: 2.1m
Robbie’s debut didn’t too badly at first, but once Angels was released it set his rise to superstardom in motion.
New Forms – Roni Size / Reprazent
Official Chart peak: 8
UK chart sales: 337k
The winner of the 1997 Mercury Music Prize.
OK Computer – Radiohead
Official Chart peak: 1
UK chart sales: 1.5m
Often cited as one of the greatest albums ever made, Radiohead's obsession with a consumerist society slowly being suffocated by technology makes it an essential listen to anyone wanting to explore the anxieties prevalent in the 21st century.
Pop – U2
Official Chart peak: 1
UK chart sales: 480k
Not considered one of U2’s greatest, Pop was Bono and chums letting loose and having a laugh.
Portishead – Portishead
Official Chart peak: 2
UK chart sales: 341k
Following up one of the key albums of the 90s was a tough task, but Portishead just about managed it.
Postcards From Heaven – Lighthouse Family
Official Chart peak: 2
UK chart sales: 1.4m
The second million-selling album from the Newcastle-based duo.
Radiator – Super Furry Animals
Official Chart peak: 8
UK chart sales: 104k
Fantastic technicolour acid-fried pop magic from the Welsh wizards.
Spiceworld – Spice Girls
Official Chart peak: 1
UK chart sales: 1.6m
World domination continued with the second blockbusting album from the famous five, which would become their final album to feature input from Ginger Spice.
Supa Dupa Fly – Missy Elliott
Official Chart peak: -
UK chart sales: 73k
One of the great debuts announcing one of the most influential artists of all time, Missy Misdemeanour Elliott set the tempo for female rap artists to come - from Megan Thee Stallion, Azealia Banks and Cardi B.
Talk On Corners – The Corrs
Official Chart peak: 1
UK chart sales: 2.97m
Breakthrough second album from the Irish family band, selling shedloads around the world.
Tellin’ Stories – The Charlatans
Official Chart peak: 1
UK chart sales: 344k
Chart-topping classic from Tim and the boys, recovering after tragically losing keyboardist Rob Collins the year before.
The Colour And The Shape – Foo Fighters
Official Chart peak: 3
UK chart sales: 638k
It may’ve been the second Foo Fighters album, but seeing as Dave Grohl had all but made the debut by himself, it was their first as an actual band.
The Fat Of The Land – The Prodigy
Official Chart peak: 1
UK chart sales: 1.5m
The Prodigy went massive in the mid-90s with Number 1 smashes Firestarter and Breathe. This third album topped the album charts literally everywhere!
Urban Hymns – The Verve
Official Chart peak: 1
UK chart sales: 3.4m
Another third album that was literally everywhere by the end of the year was this, aided by singles Bitter Sweet Symphony and The Drugs Don’t Work.
Vanishing Point – Primal Scream
Official Chart peak: 2
UK chart sales: 184k
Screamadelica may get all the ‘best album ever’ plaudits but we reckon Vanishing Point is just as good.
When I Was Born For The Seventh Time – Cornershop
Official Chart peak: 17
UK chart sales: 147k
Breakthrough album by Tjinder and Ben which contained the single Brimful Of Asha.
White On Blonde – Texas
Official Chart peak: 1
UK chart sales: 1.7m
A major case of back. Back. BACK for Sharleen Spiteri and her boys, retrieving them from the dumper
Word Gets Around – Stereophonics
Official Chart peak: 6
UK chart sales: 955k
The Welsh trio’s debut
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