ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

1 AIMEE MANN Whatever (Imago)

2 KATE BUSH The Red Shoes (EMI)

3 BJORK Debut (Mother)

4 RADIOHEAD Pablo Honey (Parlophone)

5 AMERICAN MUSIC CLUB Mercury (Virgin)

6 THE REVENANTS Horse of a Different

Colour (Hunter S Records)

7 SUEDE Suede (Nude)

8 U2 Zooropa (Island)

9 THAT PETROL EMOTION Fireproof (Koogat)

10 THE AUTEURS New Wave (Hut)

11 SMASHING PUMPKINS Siamese Dream (Virgin)

12 THE HARVEST MINISTERS

Little Dark Mansion (Sarah)

13 LEMONHEADS Come on Feel The

Lemonheads (Atlantic)

14 THE CRANBERRIES Everybody Else Is

Doing It So Why Can’t We? (Island)

15 THE JULIANA HATFIELD THREE Become What

You Are (Elektra)

16 THE DIVINE COMEDY Liberation (Setanta)

17 US 3 Hand On The Torch (Blue Note)

18 THE BREEDERS Last Splash (4AD)

19 ALTAN Island Angel (Green Linnet)

20 NIRVANA In Utero (Geffen)

21 NEIL YOUNG Unplugged (Reprise)

22 G. W. McLENNAN Fireboy (Beggars Banquet)

23 Tindersticks Tindersticks (This Way Up)

24 BLACK 47 Fire of Freedom (SBK/EMI)

25 MARIA McKEE You Gotta Sin

To Be Saved (Geffen)

26 PALACE BROTHERS There Is No One

What Will Take Care Of You (Big Cat)

27 P. J. HARVEY Rid of Me (Island)

28 NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS

Live Seeds (Mute)

29 CYPRESS HILL Black Sunday (Columbia)

30 GRANT LEE BUFFALO Fuzzy (Slash)

ALSO RECOMMENDED: The Boo Radleys: Giant Steps (Creation); Blur: Modern Life Is Rubbish (Food); Tom Waits: The Black Rider (Island); William Burroughs/The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy: Spare Ass Annie And Other Tales (Island); Zrazy: Give It All Up (Velo); Mercury Rev: Boces (Beggars Banquet); Ice T: Home Invasion (Rhyme Syndicate Records); Marxman: 33 Revolutions Per Minute (Talkin’ Loud); The Waterboys: Dream Harder (Geffen); Bob Dylan: World Gone Wrong (Columbia); The Sultans of Ping: Casual Sex in the Cineplex (Sony).

SINGLES OF THE YEAR

1 THERAPY? SCREAMAGER

(Short Sharp Shock EP) (A&M)

2 ASLAN Crazy World (BMG)

3 SUEDE Animal Nitrate (Nude)

4 U2 Numb (Island)

5 NIRVANA Heart Shaped Box (Geffen)

6 PET SHOP BOYS Go West (Parlophone)

7 BJORK Big Time Sensuality (Mother)

8 REM Everybody Hurts (Warner Bros.)

9 US 3 Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)(Blue Note)

10 SOMETHING HAPPENS

CC Incidentally (Wild Bikini)

11 AMERICAN MUSIC CLUB

Johnny Mathis’ Feet (Virgin)

12 NEW ORDER Regret (London)

13 PM Dawn Looking Through Patient Eyes

(Gee Street)

14 M PEOPLE Movin’ On Up (De Construction)

15 RADIOHEAD Creep (Parlophone)

16 HOUSE OF PAIN Jump AROUND

Top of the Morning To Ya (Warner)

17 CYPRESS HILL Inside In The Brown (Columbia)

18 THE AUTEURS Lenny Valentino (Hut)

19 LEMONHEADS Confetti (Atlantic)

20 SACK Dilettanti EP (Lemon)

21 PULP Razzmatazz (Gift)

22 SMASHING PUMPKINS Today (Hut)

23 TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS

Something In The Air (MCA)

24 ST ETIENNE Hobart Paving (Heavenly)

25 THE PRODIGY One Love (XL)

26 THE BREEDERS Cannonball (4AD)

27 MERCURY REV Something For Joey

(Beggars Banquet)

28 PALACE BROTHERS Ohio River Boat Song

(Dray City/Big Cat)

29 BLINK Going To Nepal (Lime)

30 RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

Killing In The Name (Epic)

Also recommended: Pet Lamb: ‘Spent’ (Blunt); U2: ‘Stay’ (Island); The Wildhearts: ‘Greetings from Shitsville’ (Eastwest); Crowded House: ‘Distant Sun’ (Capitol); An Emotional Fish: ‘Rain’ (Atlantic); Depeche Mode: ‘I Feel You’ (Mute); Utah Saints: ‘New Gold Dream’ (London); Rollerskate Skinny: ‘Trophy’ (Placebo); Annie Lennox ‘Little Bird/Song For A Vampire’ (RCA); Bjork: ‘Venus As A Boy’ (Mother).

Compilations/Re-Issues

Gram Parsons: GP/Grievous Angel (WEA); Elvis Presley: From Nashville To Memphis – The ’60’s Masters (RCA); Elvis Costello: 21/2 Years (Demon); The Beach Boys: Good Vibrations (Capitol); John Cale: Paris 1919 (Reprise); The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced?/Axis Bold As Love/Electric Ladyland (Polydor); The Smiths: Entire Catalogue (Warners); Brian Eno: Vocal/Instrumental (Virgin); Aztec Camera: High Land, Hard Rain (Warners); David Bowie: The Singles Collection (EMI).