Charting 1997: Album chart 1st March

As the album chart seems to be going the way of the singles chart, we get another change at the top with Blur surprisingly losing the top spot after only one week - and to labelmates too. I can't now remember why the barrage of "classic" re-entries low in the chart.

01.(NE) Mansun - Attack of the Grey Lantern (Spotify) (Amazon)
The unusual debut album from the cult prog revivalists was a bit of a surprising Number One, even after four hit singles. It's a pseudo-concept album with all the tracks running into each other (although as I bought it on vinyl, my copy still stops every two or three songs). They were always an easy band to dislike but buried beneath wanky song titles like 'Mansun's Only Love Song' are some good tunes.
02. (5) The Smurfs - The Smurfs Hits 97 Vol 1
03. (3) Spice Girls - Spice
04. (1) Blur - Blur
05. (9) No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom
06. (2) Texas - White On Blonde
07. (4) Original Soundtrack - Evita
08.(NE) Gene - Drawn To The Deep End (Spotify) (Amazon)
Ah, now we're talking. Followers of my various online activities may already be aware that I root for Gene as one of the most underrated indie acts of this era, and whilst there have been some signs of reassessment in the last couple of years much of the fuss still seems to be about their first and most successful album Olympian. I like that one too, but for me this is the masterpiece, the meticulously-arranged songs about Martin Rossiter's depression did a lot for me at the time. Conventional wisdom suggests that the first side of the album is much better than the second, and I do tend to agree but there are some subtly brilliant overlooked tracks there too, including 'The Accidental'.
09. (8) Lighthouse Family - Ocean Drive
10. (6) The Beautiful South - Blue is the colour
11.(NE) Jean Michel Jarre - Oxygene 7-13
A sequel to the original Oxygene album, which I could never be bothered with. Apparently the last record he made in this style.
12. (7) Reef - Glow
13.(21) Backstreet Boys - Backstreet Boys
14.(30) Space - Spiders
15.(NE) Adiemus - Adiemus II Cantata Mundi
And to add to the diversity of the chart, the second album from Karl Jenkins and his classical/world music project thing. I've never listened to them, please let me know if I'm missing out.
16.(16) Skunk Anansie - Stoosh
17.(11) Celine Dion - Falling Into You
18.(14) Toni Braxton - Secrets
19.(17) Jamiroquai - Travelling Without Moving
20.(24) Kula Shaker - K
21.(10) George Michael - Older
22.(15) Placebo - Placebo
23.(RE) LL Cool J - All World
24.(22) Manic Street Preachers - Everything must go
25.(NE) Nuyorican Soul - Nuyorican Soul
A nice bit of smooth disco soul from Kenny "Dope" Gonzales, "Little" Louis Vega and their guest stars.
26.(12) Suede - Coming Up
27.(18) Gabrielle - Gabrielle
28.(34) Bush - Razorblade Suitcase
29.(26) Robert Miles - Dreamland
30.(29) Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory?
31.(25) Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill
32.(20) Simply Red - Greatest Hits
33.(32) Sheryl Crow - Sheryl Crow
34.(31) Crowded House - Recurring Dream - The Very Best of
35.(13) The Divine Comedy - A Short Album About Love
36.(33) Fugees - The Score
37.(28) The Lightning Seeds - Dizzy Heights
38.(19) Rod Stewart - If We Fall In Love Tonight
39.(RE) Maxwell - Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite
40.(RE) The Commitments - The Commitments (OST)

43.(RE) Robson And Jerome - Robson & Jerome
53.(RE) Toni Braxton - Toni Braxton
54.(RE) Seal - Seal
59.(RE) Guns N' Roses - Use Your Illusion I
60.(RE) M People - Elegant Slumming
61.(RE) Guns N' Roses - Use Your Illusion II
62.(RE) Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman
66.(RE) Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction
70.(NE) Erykah Badu - Baduizm
74.(RE) Dodgy - Homegrown (Amazon)
One of the other classic albums of Britpop.

75.(RE) kd Lang - Ingenue