1996 – my year in music
What could be more ridiculous than trying to rank the thousands of singles and albums you’ve bought and heard over a lifetime? Here we go …
I ranked these albums and singles in December 2024 as I didn’t do it at the time.
| Top albums of 1996 | ||
| 1 | Cardigans | First Band On The Moon |
| 2 | Divine Comedy | Casanova |
| 3 | Republica | Republica |
| 4 | Sleeper | The It Girl |
| 5 | Marion | This World And Body |
| 6 | Sultans of Ping FC | Good Year For Trouble |
| 7 | Catatonia | Way Beyond Blue |
| 8 | Longpigs | The Sun Is Often Out |
| 9 | Stereolab | Emperor Tomato Ketchup |
| 10 | Lush | Lovelife |
| 11 | Moog Cookbook | The Moog Cookbook |
| 12 | Dodgy | Free Peace Sweet |
| 13 | Earl Brutus | Your Majesty ... We Are Here |
| 14 | Mike Flowers Pops | A Groovy Place |
| 15 | Shed Seven | A Maximum High |
| 16 | Space | Spiders |
| 17 | Frogpond | Count To Ten |
| 18 | LB | Pop Artificielle |
| 19 | Geoff Parnell | The Britpop Years |
| 20 | Barry Adamson | Oedipus Schmoedipus |
The albums I played to death:
| These aren’t necessarily the same as my favourite albums now, but the ones I remember buying on release and playing over and over and over again. | ||
| 25/01/96 | Marion | This World And Body |
| 18/03/96 | Stereolab | Emperor Tomato Ketchup |
| 29/04/96 | Divine Comedy | Casanova |
| 01/05/96 | Various Artists | Test Card Classics: The Girl The Doll The Music |
| 04/05/96 | Sleeper | The It Girl |
| 01/06/96 | Various Artists | Sushi 3003 - A Spectacular Collection of Japanese Clubpop |
| 30/06/96 | Republica | Republica |
| 06/07/96 | Moog Cookbook | The Moog Cookbook |
| 12/08/96 | Cardigans | First Band On The Moon |
| Top tracks of 1996 | ||
| 1 | Kenickie | In Your Car |
| 2 | Frank and Walters | Indian Ocean |
| 3 | Suede | Trash |
| 4 | Cardigans | Lovefool |
| 5 | Divine Comedy | Something For The Weekend |
| 6 | Marion | Sleep |
| 7 | Catatonia | Sweet Catatonia |
| 8 | Nada Surf | Popular |
| 9 | Gorky's Zygotic Mynci | Patio Song |
| 10 | Pizzicato Five | A Message Song |
| 11 | Stereolab | Cybele's Reverie |
| 12 | Barry Adamson feat Jarvis Cocker | Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Pelvis |
| 13 | Republica | Holly (Full Mix) |
| 14 | Jamiroquai | Virtual Insanity |
| 15 | Beck | The New Pollution |
| 16 | Sleeper | Statuesque |
| 17 | Frank and Walters | Colours |
| 18 | Suede | Beautiful Ones |
| 19 | Republica | Out Of The Darkness |
| 20 | Catatonia | Lost Cat |
| 21 | Marion | I Stopped Dancing |
| 22 | Prodigy | Firestarter |
| 23 | Republica | Ready To Go (original mix) |
| 24 | Sleeper | Nice Guy Eddie |
| 25 | Shed Seven | Getting Better |
| 26 | Cardigans | Happy Meal II |
| 27 | Longpigs | Lost Myself |
| 28 | Sleeper | Sale of The Century |
| 29 | Super Furry Animals | Hometown Unicorn |
| 30 | Catatonia | You've Got A Lot To Answer For |
| 31 | Marion | Fallen Through |
| 32 | Mansun | Take It Easy Chicken |
| 33 | Stereolab | Percolator |
| 34 | Cardigans | Been It |
| 35 | Prodigy | Breathe |
| 36 | Super Furry Animals | The Man Don't Give A Fuck |
| 37 | Lush | Ladykillers |
| 38 | Manic Street Preachers | A Design for Life |
| 39 | Foil | Reviver Gene |
| 40 | Cardigans | Heartbreaker |
| 41 | Sultans of Ping FC | Mescaline |
| 42 | Salad | I Want You |
| 43 | Sleeper | Lie Detector |
| 44 | Republica | Drop Dead Gorgeous |
| 45 | Earl Brutus | Navyhead |
| 46 | Jamiroquai | Cosmic Girl |
| 47 | Marion | Time |
| 48 | Mansun | Stripper Vicar |
| 49 | Cardigans | Choke |
| 50 | Super Furry Animals | Something 4 The Weekend |
| 51 | Lush | Single Girl |
| 52 | Manic Street Preachers | Kevin Carter |
| 53 | Smashing Pumpkins | 1979 |
| 54 | China Drum | Wuthering Heights |
| 55 | Cardigans | Never Recover |
| 56 | Longpigs | She Said |
| 57 | Sleeper | What Do I Do Now |
| 58 | Super Furry Animals | God! Show Me Magic |
| 59 | Sultans of Ping FC | Five Years |
| 60 | Indian Vibes | Mathar |
| 61 | Cardigans | Great Divide |
| 62 | Lush | 500 (Shake Baby Shake) |
| 63 | Dodgy | In A Room |
| 64 | Supernaturals | Smile |
| 65 | Ash | Goldfinger |
| 66 | Octopus | Saved |
| 67 | Republica | Bloke |
| 68 | Bennet | Mum's Gone To Iceland |
| 69 | Ocean Colour Scene | The Riverboat Song |
| 70 | Salad | Ugly Fashion Town |
| 71 | Collapsed Lung | Eat My Goal |
| 72 | Broadcast | The Book Lovers |
| 73 | Tasmin Archer | One More Good Night With The Boys |
| 74 | Cardigans | Iron Man |
| 75 | 60ft Dolls | Talk To Me |
| 76 | Kenickie | Killing Fantasy |
| 77 | Audioweb | Bankrobber |
| 78 | Cake | The Distance |
| 79 | Ash | Girl From Mars |
| 80 | Salad | Decade of The Brain |
| 81 | Dreadzone | Little Britain |
| 82 | Catatonia | Way Beyond Blue |
| 83 | Radiohead | Talk Show Host |
| 84 | Mike Flowers Pops | Venus As A Boy |
| 85 | Cibo Matto | Sugar Water |
| 86 | Bis | Kandy Pop |
| 87 | Divine Comedy | Becoming More Like Alfie |
| 88 | Cardigans | Lovefool |
| 89 | Ash | Angel Interceptor |
| 90 | Beck | Where It's At |
| 91 | Marion | Let's All Go Together |
| 92 | Dodgy | Good Enough |
| 93 | Cardigans | Your New Cuckoo |
| 94 | My Life Story | 17 Reasons Why I Love Her |
| 95 | Bis | This Is Fake DIY |
| 96 | Divine Comedy | In And Out Of Paris And London |
| 97 | Catatonia | Bleed |
| 98 | Beck | Deadweight |
| 99 | Bluetones | Marblehead Johnson |
| 100 | Kula Shaker | Hey Dude |
| 101 | Suede | Europe Is Our Playground |
| 102 | Booth And The Bad Angel | I Believe |
| 103 | Fiona Apple | Criminal |
| 104 | Marion | Toys For Boys |
| 105 | Divine Comedy | Through A Long And Sleepless Night |
| 106 | Bluetones | Cut Some Rug |
| 107 | Manic Street Preachers | Australia |
| 108 | Shed Seven | On Standby |
| 109 | Lush | Ciao! |
| 110 | Longpigs | Jesus Christ |
| 111 | Kula Shaker | Grateful When You're Dead |
| 112 | Gin Blossoms | Follow You Down |
| 113 | Manic Street Preachers | Everything Must Go |
| 114 | Kula Shaker | Tattva |
| 115 | Mansun | Wide Open Space |
| 116 | Sleeper | Dress Like Your Mother |
| 117 | Shed Seven | Where Have You Been Tonight |
| 118 | Gene | Fighting Fit |
| 119 | Sleeper | Good Luck Mr Gorsky |
| 120 | Suede | Sam |
| 121 | Fluffy | Husband |
| 122 | Space | Me & You vs The World |
| 123 | Sleeper | Glue Ears |
| 124 | Jolt | Sex And Cheques |
| 125 | Sultans of Ping FC | Scar On My Face |
| 126 | Frogpond | Count To Ten |
| 127 | Goldbug | Whole Lotta Love |
| 128 | Space | Neighbourhood |
| 129 | Garageland | Fingerpops |
| 130 | Space | Mister Psycho |
| 131 | Lilys | A Nanny in Manhattan |
| 132 | Space | The Female of The Species |
| 133 | Fuzzy | Girl Don't Tell Me [Remix] |
| 134 | Bloodhound Gang | Fire Water Burn |
| My favourite cover versions of 1996 | ||
| 1 | China Drum | Wuthering Heights |
| 2 | Sultans of Ping FC | Five Years |
| 3 | Cardigans | Iron Man |
| 4 | Mike Flowers Pops | Venus As A Boy |
| 5 | Goldbug | Whole Lotta Love |
Tuesday 31 December 1996, 70 views
Next post: 1997 – my year in music Previous post: Frank and Walters – 1996 interview
Blog index
- Josef Lada – A Fight In A Tavern (1943)
- ChatGPT not quite as indie as me
- Tjernobyl Dödar – Titta Bort
- The bands I’ve seen the most
- Got any grapes?
- Love Is All – The Beatles song that never was
- Dagelijkse Misère – new self-titled album
- As far as melon scratchers go, this is a honey doodle
- Like Father, Like Son
- Awst – Afallon
- Swearing in Welsh
- It’s the little details that count
- The Popes Of Chillitown – Crashmat
- Blur – Modern Life Is Rubbish
- Ceefax – bringing rugger news to Orcney in 1972
- Frogpond – Talk To Me
- Catch – Bingo
- Is this a piece of your brain?
- Worker & Parasite – The Silent Majority
- Wunderhorse – Girl Behind The Glass
- dEUS – Must Have Been New
- Rogue Jones – Triongl Dyfed
- Parrot steals reporter’s earphone live on air
- Whatever happened to …?
- Vero – Heather
- Best of Twitter – September
- Thousand Yard Stare – Espirit du Corps
- Adwaith – Eto (live at Maes B)
- Jesus Jones: master criminals
- Snow Coats – Anyway
- Salad – Plank
- Sink – Drainpipe Jane
- Looks legit
- Iskaa and the Red Cars – Desire
- The cost of electric living
- Okay, this made me laugh
- Beabadoobee – Here’s Where The Story Ends
- The Tudors, Football Manager and 25% for moving a chair
- Three wishes
- Is this burning an eternal flame?
- New Gorillaz, New Beck
- On the scoresheet at last
- The Otford Solar System
- Steve Davis’s Spitting Image Puppet
- The Machiguenga Experiment
- 2015 – my year in music
- 2014 – my year in music
- 2013 – my year in music
- The amazing paper drop …
- 2012 – my year in music
- Barcelona v Getafe
- Greensted church
- 2011 – my year in music
- My day out at Nene Park
- 2010 – my year in music
- XFM’s “greatest” 100 songs ever
- 2009 – my year in music
- The most played songs of the noughties …
- 2008 – my year in music
- RIP Nick Sanderson
- 2007 – my year in music
- 2006 – my year in music
- Sultans of Ping FC – 2006 interview
- 2005 – my year in music
- The Others – 2005 interview
- 2004 – my year in music
- 2003 – my year in music
- 2002 – my year in music
- 2001 – my year in music
- 2000 – my year in music
- 1999 – my year in music
- Abdoujaparov – 1999 interview
- 1998 – my year in music
- 1997 – my year in music
- 1996 – my year in music
- Frank and Walters – 1996 interview
- 1995 – my year in music
- 1994 – my year in music
- 1993 – my year in music
- 1992 – my year in music
- 1991 – my year in music
- 1990 – my year in music
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