BBC Radio 2 announces the Official Most Streamed 90s Albums Chart for National Album Day

The UK's Official Top 40 most streamed albums of the 90s have been revealed by BBC Radio 2.

Turning back the clock to celebrate the 2023 National Album Day on 14th October with a full schedule of throwback shows centred around the year's theme of the 1990s, Radio 2's programming centrepiece is the Official Most Streamed 90s Albums Chart, presented by Steve Wright and compiled by Official Charts. The programme is available now on BBC Sounds and will be broadcast on Radio 2 on National Album Day from 1pm.

Flying in at Number 1 and Number 2 are none other than legendary Britpop band Oasis, with (Whats The Story) Morning Glory? taking the lead, and Definitely Maybe securing second place.

“I'm thrilled, but I wouldn't say I was that surprised that (What’s The Story) Morning Glory has been voted the most streamed album of the 90s" said Noel Gallagher about the news. "I still do have my faith in the taste of people in this country. I mean if you’ve got Wonderwall and Don’t Look Back In Anger on an album, you’re gonna be all right aren’t ya…

"For certain people, it’ll be bringing back memories of their youth in the 90s and that brilliantly amazing decade we all lived through and then for the young people coming to it now, the songs deal with just the universal truths of life, and they will always be timeless... You know, of love and loss and heartbreak and friendship and the weather. All the universal things that we that we live through on a day-to-day basis that we don't really notice. So thanks to everybody.”

In the show Liam Gallagher comments, "All right, this is Liam G and I’m here to congratulate Definitely Maybe for being the second most streamed album of the 90s. Love that record, without it god knows where I’d be and god knows where we’d all be! I’ll be celebrating it in my own way next year by doing some gigs, so stay tuned and listen out for details in a bit.”

The chart is filled with classics and fan favourites which have stood the test of time, spanning a spectrum of the biggest genres of the decade. Expect Dr Dre, Shania Twain, Westlife, Nirvana, Spice Girls, Metallica, Destiny's Child and more.

Host Steve Wright says, “the joy of this chart is that it shows which 90s albums have truly endured. And that's because they're all really memorable, really influential, or just really well-loved. It's a great mix, with all the albums you'd expect to be in there and some that, maybe, you wouldn't...” 

Martin Talbot, Chief Executive of Official Charts added: “We are delighted to be collaborating with Radio 2 on this fantastic National Album Day chart, in celebration of the great studio albums of the Nineties. This fascinating rundown is a superb reminder of what an eclectic decade it was, dominated by Britpop and hip-hop, country and soul, metal and grunge, plus (of course) plenty of pop. What a decade it was.” 

The Official Most Streamed Albums of the 90s chart features the Top 40 most-streamed albums from the decade, based on UK streams, as compiled exclusively by the Official Charts Company for National Album Day. 

The Official Top 40 Most Streamed albums of the 90s

© 2023 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.

BBC Radio 2's National Album Day collection goes live on Monday 9th October and will be rolled out through the week. Search ‘Radio 2 90s’ to listen.
On NAD itself, Radio 2 will feature 90s tracks within its shows across the day, plus music from special NAD record releases.

Now in its sixth year, National Album Day celebrates the creativity and artistry which goes into making an album, and the continuing cultural and social importance of this much-loved music format.