The success of the Fugees was really impressive, they really sold disproportionately well for a hip hop act in the UK. I'd be intrigued to know whether any other hip hop act came close to matching them.

I never really got into the album aside from the singles really, I bought it and then realised that it wasn't totally my thing after all. Lauryn's solo album was something I loved though, it took a while to grow on me but it did and I ended up really liking every track on it - and Ex Factor is one of the best soul tracks of the decade <3

NO 26- BLUR (2,532,300)

21 UK TOP 40 HITS

BIGGEST SELLER: COUNTRY HOUSE (645,000)

 

There was little doubt that Blur would come off second best to Oasis on this survey as so it proves. Despite releasing more singles and getting more top 10 hits, 11 in total. The group first made the top 10 back in 1991 with “There’s No Other Way”, but it wasn’t until 1994 when sustained top 20 hits started to happen as the album “Parklife” and the Brit Pop movement took off. The following year they reached their peak singles sales wise with the big battle with Oasis was won and Blur shifted 770K singles...

NO 25- QUEEN (2,543,300)

14 UK TOP 40 HITS

BIGGEST HIT: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY/ THESE ARE THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES (973,000)

 

Why let a small thing like the death of your lead single stop your career. Queen kept on selling singles and mining that legacy mercilessly post Mercury’s death having a good run, 7 top 10 hits including a trio of chart toppers, more than they got in any other decade of their career. “Bohemian Rhapsody” sold almost a million again in the wake of Mercury’s death and individually 91 was their best year when only Bryan Adams outsold them singles wise...

NO 24 B*WITCHED (2,651,800)

7 UK TOP 40 HITS

BIGGEST HIT: C’EST LA VIE (850,000)

 

Bet no-one thought B*Witched would end up so high! They sold 2.6 million with only 7 singles, including four chart toppers. They were the 4th biggest sellers of 1998 and kept a top 20 place for the 99 equivalent, yet their chart career lasted in total under 2 years, but they made their money in those 24 months. They outstripped all but 23 acts of the entire decade, and all girl groups except two, I’m sure you can guess which ones they are......

Wow B*Witched at over 2.6 million really surprises me!

bewitched outselling all saints !!!

2 minutes ago, vibe said:

bewitched outselling all saints !!!

Yeah I didn't even think about that... To think the whole All Saints vs Spice Girls rivalry mixed up by the media, and B*Witched were closer rivals it seems.

Although to be fair, All Saints had the album sales too with the 1.5 million All Saints challenging the 1.6 million Spiceworld. They turned the tables in 2000 though with Saints and Sinners selling 600k compared to Spice Girls 300k!

Final three acts to miss the top 20 tomorrow including two that I suspect most would expect in the top 20!

Backstreet Boys did well, and again due to a lot of hits rather than individual massive sellers, unlike Fugees who would be way way down without Killiing Me Softly (one time!), but they were good for 12 months. B*witched well there's a surprise I know they had a couple of big sellers but that is unexpected being so high. Put it down to Boyzone/Westlife-factor but not as consistent. Queen so high is also a surprise, despite the near-million for BoRap, I wonder if back catalogue sales contributed to singles sales. Blur is the happiest and most-deserved of those listed here, they were just consistently good, varied and classy.

NO 23- ETERNAL (2,655,200)

15 UK TOP 40 HITS

BIGGEST SELLER: I WANNA BE THE ONLY ONE (600,000)

 

On paper this should be the biggest girl group on our rundown. Every one of their 15 releases made the top 20 with twelve of them hitting the top 10 yet they only just sneak No 2  on the girl group list. They made the top 100 best-selling acts every year 93-97 with 1997 proving to be their most lucrative year when they sold over a million to be the 10th best act of the year. Despite an ever-diminishing number of group members the group managed to roll on into 1999 when they finally gave up the ghost.....

NO 22- AQUA (2,808,000)

5 UK TOP 40 HITS

BEST SELLER: BARBIE GIRL (1,720,000)

 

Aqua went the same way as Abba did 20 years prior when relationships within the group fell apart causing the group to disintegrate in 2001. All of this was to come though, and back in 1997 the group exploded onto the music scene with “Barbie Girl” which sold a million and was the first of three chart toppers in a row.

  

They sold a million copies in both 97 & 98 meaning they finished in the top 10 best selling acts of both years, but their second album in 2000 met with a much more lukewarm reaction and matching sales. The band reunited in 2007 and are recording again but the UK remains unimpressed with the exception of “Barbie World” from the “Barbie” film in 2023, ironic as Mattel had of course sued Aqua unsuccessfully back in the 90s for infringement of the brand….

NO 21- ROBBIE WILLIAMS (2,833,000)

10 UK TOP 40 HITS

BIGGEST HIT: ANGELS (842,000)

 

When he walked out of Take That in 95 the future was far from certain but by the decade end Williams was established as a solo artist. 1997’s “South Of The Border” proved the only blip in his string of top 10 hits that lasted until 2006, and not surprisingly he is the only member of Take That to make this list as a soloist. His strongest year was 1998 when he sold 1.3 million singles to be the 8th biggest act of the year thanks in the main to both “Angels” and “Millennium” his first chart topping single....

Recap time

NO 50- M PEOPLE (1,801,500)

NO 49- ERASURE (1,806,100)

NO 48- KYLIE MINOGUE (1,834,500)

NO 47- THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH (1,834,500)

NO 46- PUFF DADDY (1,903,600)

NO 45- PETER ANDRE (1,910,000)

NO 44- U2 (1,968,800)

NO 43- FIVE (1,979,600)

NO 42- COOLIO (1,989,600)

NO 41- GABRIELLE (1,990,400)

 

NO 40- 2 UNLIMITED (1,995,300)

NO 39- ACE OF BASE (2,014,400)

NO 38- BON JOVI (2,043,600)

NO 37- CLIFF RICHARD (2,069,900)

NO 36- THE VENGABOYS (2,079,500)

NO 35- LIGHTNING SEEDS (2,110,900)

NO 34 -SASH! (2,120,800)

NO 33- BRITNEY SPEARS (2,128,000)

NO 32- SIMPLY RED (2,148,900)

NO 31- SNAP! (2,220,300)

 

NO 30- ALL SAINTS (2,268,800)

NO 29- BACKSTREET BOYS (2,349,000)

NO 28- THE FUGEES/ REFUGEE ALLSTARZ (2,390,000)

NO 27- R KELLY (2,451,100)

NO 26- BLUR (2,532,300)

NO 25- QUEEN (2,543,300)

NO 24- B*WITCHED (2,651,800)

NO 23- ETERNAL (2,655,200)

NO 22- AQUA (2,808,000)

NO 21- ROBBIE WILLIAMS (2,833,000)

Some huge names, lower than I expected them to be, Britney (but of course she was the very end of the 90s), Robbie in particular. Then others a lot higher than I would have thought B*Witched for instance and Eternal!

I'm guessing this means Steps are top 20 which also blows my mind a bit, as I knew they were successful but not top 20 best selling singles act of the 90s successful! 🤯 They really get snubbed when it comes to band / group ratings considering their success back then and also continued success albums wise since coming back in 2017!

I can also confirm that we hit 3 million sales tomorrow....