List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 1990s

thumb|British band [[Simply Red spent 19 weeks at the top of the UK Albums Chart during the 1990s, longer than any other act.|alt=Colour photograph of Simply Red performing live onstage in 2009.]]

The UK Albums Chart is a weekly record chart based on album sales from Sunday to Saturday in the United Kingdom; during the 1990s, a total of 216 albums reached number one. Until 1 February 1994, the chart was compiled each week by Gallup – after this date, it was managed by Millward Brown, who expanded the number of sales figures sampled, and extended the use of electronic point of sale machines. From July 1998 onwards, compilation of the chart was overseen by the Chart Information Network, jointly operated by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and the British Association of Record Dealers.

The most successful artist of the 1990s was British band Simply Red, who topped the UK Albums Chart for 19 weeks with four different albums. Stars, their fourth studio album, sold 3.29 million copies in total, and was the biggest-selling album of both 1991 and 1992. Stars was the second biggest-selling album of the decade; it was outsold by Manchester band Oasis's second album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory?,

The first number-one album of the 1990s was ...But Seriously by Phil Collins – released in 1989, ...But Seriously first reached number one in December of that year, and remained at the top for eight weeks. Like ...But Seriously, Come on Over remained at number one into the following decade, In chart terms, the most successful album of the nineties was Spice, the debut album from the Spice Girls, which spent 15 weeks at number one over five separate runs.

Number ones

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="font-size:90%;"

|+Key

!scope=col|

|nth album to top the UK Albums Chart

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|re

|Return of an album to number one

|align=right|Silver

|Silver certification (60,000 units)

|align=right|Gold

|Gold certification (100,000 units)

|align=right|Platinum

|Platinum certification (300,000 units)

|bgcolor=#FFFF99 align=center|

|Best-selling album of the year

|bgcolor=lightblue align=center|

|Best-selling album of the decade

{|id=toc class=toc summary=Contents

|align=center|← 1980s19901991199219931994199519961997199819992000s →

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

!scope=col|

!scope=col|Artist

!scope=col|Album|group=lower-alpha

!scope=col|Reached number one (for the week ending)|group=lower-alpha

|-class=unsortable

!scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=7|

|-bgcolor=#FFFF99

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|402

|Virgin

|align=center|8

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|403

|Colour

|Island

|align=center|1

|align=right|

|-bgcolor=#FFFF99

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|Virgin

|align=center|7

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|404

|I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got

|Ensign

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|405

|Changesbowie

|EMI

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|406

|Only Yesterday: Richard and Karen Carpenter's Greatest Hits

|A&M

|align=center|2

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|407

|Fleetwood Mac

|Behind the Mask

|Warner Bros.

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|Only Yesterday: Richard and Karen Carpenter's Greatest Hits

|A&M

|align=center|5

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|408

|Soul II Soul

|Vol. II: 1990 – A New Decade

|10

|align=center|3

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|409

|Decca

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|410

|New Kids on the Block

|Step by Step

|CBS

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|Decca

|align=center|3

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|411

|Sleeping with the Past

|Rocket

|align=center|5

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|412

|Prince

|Graffiti Bridge

|Paisley Park

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|413

|In Concert

|Decca

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|414

|Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1

|Epic

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|In Concert

|Decca

|align=center|4

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|415

|Some Friendly

|Situation Two

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|416

|Warner Bros.

|align=center|2

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|417

|Rocket

|align=center|2

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|418

|Madonna

|Sire

|align=center|9

|align=right|

|-class=unsortable

!scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=7|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|419

|Enigma

|MCMXC a.D.

|Virgin

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|420

|Sting

|A&M

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|421

|Jesus Jones

|Doubt

|Food

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|422

|Queen

|Innuendo

|Parlophone

|align=center|2

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|423

|Circle of One

|Fontana

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|424

|Auberge

|East West

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|425

|Spartacus

|Produce

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|426

|R.E.M.

|Out of Time

|Warner Bros.

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|427

|Eurythmics

|Greatest Hits

|RCA

|align=center|9

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|428

|Evita

|Warner Bros.

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|563

|Reef

|Glow

|Sony S2

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|564

|Texas

|White on Blonde

|Mercury

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|565

|Blur

|Food

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|566

|Mansun

|Attack of the Grey Lantern

|Parlophone

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|Spice Girls

|Spice

|Virgin

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|567

|U2

|Pop

|Island

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|Spice Girls

|Spice

|Virgin

|align=center|4

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|568

|Dig Your Own Hole

|Virgin

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|569

|Depeche Mode

|Ultra

|Mute

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|570

|Tellin' Stories

|Beggars Banquet

|align=center|2

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|Spice Girls

|Spice

|Virgin

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|571

|Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix

|Epic

|align=center|2

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|572

|Open Road

|RCA

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|573

|Wu-Tang Clan

|Wu-Tang Forever

|Loud

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|574

|Hanson

|Middle of Nowhere

|Mercury

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|575

|Radiohead

|OK Computer

|Parlophone

|align=center|2

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|576

|XL

|align=center|6

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|Texas

|White on Blonde

|Mercury

|align=center|1

|align=right|

|-bgcolor=#FFFF99

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|577

|Oasis

|Be Here Now

|Creation

|align=center|4

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|578

|Ocean Colour Scene

|Marchin' Already

|MCA

|align=center|1

|align=right|

|-bgcolor=#FFFF99

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|Oasis

|Be Here Now

|Creation

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|579

|Urban Hymns

|Hut

|align=center|5

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|580

|Spice Girls

|Spiceworld

|Virgin

|align=center|2

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|581

|Let's Talk About Love

|Epic

|align=center|2

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|Spice Girls

|Spiceworld

|Virgin

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|Let's Talk About Love

|Epic

|align=center|2

|align=right|

|-class=unsortable

!scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=7|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|Urban Hymns

|Hut

|align=center|6

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|582

|Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture

|Sony Classical

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|Urban Hymns

|Hut

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture

|Sony Classical

|align=center|2

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|583

|Madonna

|Ray of Light

|Maverick

|align=center|2

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|Let's Talk About Love

|Epic

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|584

|James

|Fontana

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|585

|Pulp

|This Is Hardcore

|Island

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|586

|Life thru a Lens

|Chrysalis

|align=center|2

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|587

|Massive Attack

|Mezzanine

|Circa

|align=center|2

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|588

|Catatonia

|International Velvet

|Blanco y Negro

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|589

|Garbage

|Version 2.0

|Mushroom

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|590

|Simply Red

|Blue

|East West

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|591

|Boyzone

|Where We Belong

|Polydor

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|Simply Red

|Blue

|East West

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|592

|Embrace

|Hut

|align=center|1

|align=right|

|-bgcolor=#FFFF99

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|593

|Talk on Corners

|Atlantic

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|594

|Five

|RCA

|align=center|1

|align=right|

|-bgcolor=#FFFF99

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|Talk on Corners

|Atlantic

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|595

|Beastie Boys

|Hello Nasty

|Grand Royal

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|596

|Jane McDonald

|Focus Music International

|align=center|3

|align=right|

|-bgcolor=#FFFF99

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|Talk on Corners

|Atlantic

|align=center|3

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|Boyzone

|Where We Belong

|Polydor

|align=center|2

|align=right|

|-bgcolor=#FFFF99

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|Talk on Corners

|Atlantic

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|597

|Manic Street Preachers

|This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours

|Epic

|align=center|3

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|598

|Hits

|Virgin

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|599

|Quench

|Go! Discs

|align=center|2

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|600

|I've Been Expecting You

|Chrysalis

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|601

|U2

|Island

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|602

|Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael

|Epic

|align=center|8

|align=right|

|-class=unsortable

!scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=7|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|I've Been Expecting You

|Chrysalis

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|603

|Fatboy Slim

|You've Come a Long Way, Baby

|Skint

|align=center|4

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|I've Been Expecting You

|Chrysalis

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|Talk on Corners

|Atlantic

|align=center|3

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|604

|Stereophonics

|Performance and Cocktails

|V2

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|605

|Blur

|13

|Food

|align=center|2

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|Talk on Corners

|Atlantic

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|ABBA

|Gold: Greatest Hits

|Polydor

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|606

|Catatonia

|Equally Cursed and Blessed

|Blanco y Negro

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|ABBA

|Gold: Greatest Hits

|Polydor

|align=center|2

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|607

|Suede

|Head Music

|Nude

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|608

|Texas

|Mercury

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|ABBA

|Gold: Greatest Hits

|Polydor

|align=center|2

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|609

|Boyzone

|By Request

|Polydor

|align=center|2

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|610

|Jamiroquai

|Synkronized

|S2

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|611

|Surrender

|Virgin

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|Boyzone

|By Request

|Polydor

|align=center|7

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|612

|Travis

|Independiente

|align=center|2

|align=right|

|-bgcolor=#FFFF99

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|613

|Come On Over

|Mercury

|align=center|3

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|614

|Leftfield

|Rhythm and Stealth

|Hard Hands

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|615

|Reload

|Gut

|align=center|1

|align=right|

|-bgcolor=#FFFF99

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|Come On Over

|Mercury

|align=center|3

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|616

|Steps

|Steptacular

|EBUL

|align=center|3

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|617

|All the Way... A Decade of Song

|Epic

|align=center|1

|align=right|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|Steps

|Steptacular

|EBUL

|align=center|1

|align=right|

|-bgcolor=#FFFF99

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|

|Come On Over

|Mercury

|align=center|5

|align=right|

{|id=toc class=toc summary=Contents

|align=center|← 1980s19901991199219931994199519961997199819992000s →

By artist

thumb|180px|The [[Spice Girls' debut, Spice, spent a total of 15 weeks at number one on the UK Albums Chart during the 1990s, longer than any other album.|alt=Colour photograph of the Spice Girls standing in a line onstage in 2008.]]

thumb|180px|[[(What's the Story) Morning Glory? by Oasis was the biggest-selling album of the decade.|alt=Colour photograph of Liam and Noel Gallagher performing live in 2005.]]

thumb|180px|Irish group [[Boyzone topped the albums chart with four different releases this decade.|alt=Colour photograph of all five members of Boyzone performing in concert in 2009. They are suspended from the ceiling by wires.]]

thumb|180px|Canadian singer [[Celine Dion achieved four number-one albums during the 1990s.|alt=Head-and-shoulders colour photograph of Celine Dion in 2008.]]

Eight artists spent 12 weeks or more at number one on the album chart during the 1990s.

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

!scope=col|Artist

!scope=col|Number ones

!scope=col|Weeks at number one

!scope=col class=unsortable|Albums

!scope=row|Simply Red

|align=center|4

|align=center|19

Stars (1991–92, twelve weeks at number one)

Life (1995, three weeks)

Greatest Hits (1996, two weeks)

Blue (1998, two weeks)

!scope=row|Spice Girls

|align=center|2

|align=center|18

Spice (1996–97, fifteen weeks at number one)

Spiceworld (1997, three weeks)

!scope=row|Oasis

|align=center|3

|align=center|16

Definitely Maybe (1994, one week at number one)

(What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995–96, ten weeks)

Be Here Now (1997, five weeks)

!scope=row|Boyzone

|align=center|4

|align=center|14

Said and Done (1995, one week at number one)

A Different Beat (1996, one week)

Where We Belong (1998, three weeks)

By Request (1997, nine weeks)

!scope=row|

|align=center|4

|align=center|14

The Colour of My Love (1995, seven weeks at number one)

Falling into You (1996, one week)

Let's Talk About Love (1997–8, five weeks)

All the Way... A Decade of Song (1999, one week)

!scope=row|Cher

|align=center|2

|align=center|13

Love Hurts (1991, six weeks at number one)

Greatest Hits: 1965–1992 (1992–93, seven weeks)

!scope=row|

|align=center|4

|align=center|12

The Essential Pavarotti (1990, four weeks at number one)

In Concert (1990, five weeks)

Essential Pavarotti II (1991, two weeks)

The Three Tenors in Concert 1994 (1994, one week)

!scope=row|

|align=center|3

|align=center|12

Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 (1990, one week at number one)

Older (1996, three weeks)

Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael (1998–99, eight weeks)

By record label

Six record labels spent 20 weeks or more at number one on the album chart during the 1990s.

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

!scope=col|Record label

!scope=col|Number-one albums

!scope=col|Weeks at number one

!scope=row|Virgin Records

|align=center|19

|align=center|62

!scope=row|RCA Records

|align=center|10

|align=center|32

!scope=row|Epic Records

|align=center|10

|align=center|30

!scope=row|Polydor Records

|align=center|8

|align=center|24

!scope=row|Mercury Records

|align=center|7

|align=center|24

!scope=row|East West Records

|align=center|6

|align=center|21

Christmas number ones

thumb|180px|[[Cher's greatest hits album 1965–1992 was the 1992 Christmas number-one album.|alt=Head-and-shoulders colour photograph of Cher in 2011.]]

In the UK, Christmas number one albums are those that are at the top of the UK Albums Chart on Christmas Day. Typically, this will refer to the album that was announced as number one on the Sunday before 25 December—when Christmas Day falls on a Sunday itself, the official number one is considered by the OCC to be the one announced on that day's chart. During the 1990s, the following albums were Christmas number ones.

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

!scope=col|Year

!scope=col|Artist

!scope=col|Album

!scope=col|Record label

!scope=col|Weeks at number one

!scope=col class=unsortable|Ref.

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|1990

|Madonna

|Sire

|align=center|9

|align=center|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|1991

|Queen

|Greatest Hits II

|Parlophone

|align=center|5

|align=center|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|1992

|Cher

|Greatest Hits: 1965–1992

|Geffen

|align=center|7

|align=center|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|1993

|Meat Loaf

|Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell

|Virgin

|align=center|11

|align=center|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|1994

|Carry On up the Charts

|Go! Discs

|align=center|7

|align=center|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|1995

|Robson & Jerome

|RCA

|align=center|7

|align=center|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|1996

|Spice Girls

|Spice

|Virgin

|align=center|15

|align=center|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|1997

|Let's Talk About Love

|Epic

|align=center|5

|align=center|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|1998

|Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael

|Epic

|align=center|8

|align=center|

!scope=row style="text-align:center;"|1999

|Come On Over

|Mercury

|align=center|11

|align=center|

Notes

References

External links

The Official UK Top 40 Albums Chart at BBC Radio 1