Thursday, August 17, 2023

NZ albums of 1996

There was a bit more of a general consensus as to what was popular worldwide this year, Australians were more familiar with rnb and hip hop whilst the kiwis were more familiar with EDM.

This was an even bigger success in NZ than it was in Australia, possibly due to Smashing pumpkins already being mainstream by the time their third album was released over there which also explains how the album managed to spawn several minor hits for them where it only had the one down under.

Peak position #1x1

Hit singles

Bullet with butterfly wings #41
1979 #9
Tonight tonight #2
Zero #3
Thirty three #7

She may not have ever had that chart topper in NZ with any of her singles, however at least Celine Dion was able to find plenty of success with her albums back in the day given how this Grammy award winning album was indeed one of the biggest hits of the decade over there.

Peak position#1x6

Hit singles

Falling into you #21
Because you loved me #3
It's all coming back to me now #8
All by myself #21

Alanis Morrissette really struck a chord with listeners back in the day when she released her first album outside of her native Canada, although it's worth noting that the singles on this album weren't as inescapable in NZ as they were over here save perhaps for the second single which wasn't that big over here.

Peak position #1x11

Hit singles

You oughta know #25
Hand in my pocket #7
Ironic #3
You learn #13
Head over feet #27

It appears the kiwis were too much in love with MJ to allow this greatest hits/studio album hybrid to be a flop this decade much like us Aussies were, regardless of how you feel about his personal antics you can't deny he was an immense talent whose music still manages to resonate with audiences to this day.

Peak position #1x7

Hit singles

Scream #1
You are not alone #1
Earth song #4
They don't care about us #9
Stranger in Moscow #6

These guys had a similar rise to success over in NZ as they did in Australia, although I guess it took slightly longer as they didn't have a Triple J equivalent to crown the lead single of their second album as the best song of 1994 and needed to wait for the song to be a massive chart topper here before it crossed over there.

Peak position #1x4

Hit singles

Zombie #5
Ode to my family #8
I can't be with you #25
Ridiculous thoughts #43

This was a huge success for Oasis over in NZ, so much so that it allowed their debut album to finally became a success there too which is something that wasn't able to happen here in Australia. I guess this means the kiwis were bigger fans of the Gallagher's than we Aussies could ever hope to be.

Peak position #1x8

Hit singles

Roll with it #17
Morning glory #29
Wonderwall #1
Don't look back in anger #20
Champagne supernova #16

It may shock you to learn that Celine Dion wasn't as inescapably successful in NZ as she was throughout the rest of the world, mainly because she never quite had a number one hit over there likely due to being overshadowed by the likes of Mariah Carey and Toni Braxton. That said she was still one of the biggest names of the 90's there both with her singles and especially her albums.

Peak position #2

Hit singles

When I fall in love #22
The power of love #7
Misled #31
Think twice #20

Well, I supposed this albums placement on this list would seem more reasonable compared to its placement on the Australian side of my site, indeed this album was as inescapable over in NZ as it was in the band's native America even if it lacked that huge hit there that it had here.

Peak position #1x4

Hit singles

Hold my hand #37
Let her cry #19
Only wanna be with you #17
Time #35

This wasn't as inescapable over in NZ as it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because there wasn't a farewell concert that the trio performed for the kiwis shortly before its release like the one they gave at the Sydney opera house around this time. Still, it was a massive success over there given how much more popular the trio was there than they were here throughout the decade.

Peak position #1x8

Hit singles

Instinct #17
Not the girl you think you are #41

I'm guessing this was a hit over in NZ due to how inescapable it was in Australia, after all the album didn't have a single song from it to chart over there and its success was half of what it was here. That said it was still a massive success given how half of its success here in Australia is still twice as successful as what most albums can only dream of achieving.

Peak position #1x3

This was POT USA's only successful album in NZ, I'm guessing because they kiwis only fell in love with their sense of humour for one album before getting bored with it for their next album. At least the songs were slightly bigger hits over there compared to how they did here which technically makes this more successful over there.

Peak position #3

Hit singles

Lump #8
Peaches #9
Kitty #30

There were no signs of Mariah Carey slowing down in the industry worldwide, in fact the success of this album was inevitable even before the second single became the longest running Billboard chart topper in existence (at least for the next quarter of a century) given how inexplicably popular she was throughout the 90's.

Peak position #1x1

Hit singles

Fantasy #1
One sweet day #1
Always be my baby #5
Open arms #8
Forever #40

The last time Tracy Chapman troubled the charts anywhere in the world was with her second album from the start of the decade, so to see her back in the mainstream with her fourth album was a bit of a heartwarming success for her given how she would've been deemed as yesterday's news by this point in time. It didn't have that inescapable hit in NZ like it did here in Australia, but otherwise it was just as successful over there.

Peak position #8

Hit singles

Give me one reason #16

Unlike in Australia where this needed the runaway success of the third single for the album to be a success, No doubt had initial success in NZ due to the buzz the lead single created over there. Although once that third single did become a worldwide success, the album was a massive hit over there as well.

Peak position #1x3

Hit singles

Just a girl #9
Spiderwebs #30
Don't speak #1
Excuse me Mr. #11
Sunday morning #42

Well, this proved to be even more of a success for the Fugees in NZ than it was here in Australia, although the fact that this spawned a huge hit worldwide was bound to make it a success everywhere that allowed for hip hop to make it in the mainstream. Who knows if the trio would be able to continue their popularity if they made another album together.

Peak position #4

Hit singles

Fugalee #11
Killing me softly #1
Ready or not #8
No woman no cry #1
Rumble in the jungle #13

Well given how this orchestral album based on renditions of Split Enz's back catalogue was a massive success for the supergroup Enzso here in Australia, it only makes sense that this would be at least somewhat more successful in NZ for the group in their homeland thanks to the star power of the performers on the album.

Peak position #2

Hit singles

Poor boy #29

Vanessa Mae was a Singaporean born British violinist who scored massive worldwide success with this album of hers, it was particularly successful in NZ for her likely due to that being where classical music was at its most popular this decade.

Peak position #2

Unlike in Australia where these guys had some buzz thanks to Triple J heavily promoting them back in the day, they only managed to crossover to NZ purely thanks to them having a surprise hit over in America with "Glycerine" which incidentally was the only song of theirs to chart in NZ back in the day. I think the kiwis know these guys best nowadays for Gavin Rossdale who married Gwen Stefani shortly after this time.

Peak position #2

Hit singles

Glycerine #31

Although "Creep" remains a classic to this day from the band (despite how much they hate that song) it didn't lead to much success for their debut album Pablo honey anywhere in the world. Fortunately for them, their second album was much better received as they moved away from grunge and more towards Britpop which proved to be a big success for the band in NZ and their native UK.

Peak position #8

Hit singles

High and dry #22
Fake plastic trees #22

This was a huge success for George Michael in NZ, I should note that these albums are ranked the same way as I rank the singles which is that I prioritize entries the longer they remained in the upper echelons of the charts rather than their overall success. I bring this up because though it left the upper echelons of the charts quickly in NZ, it stuck around for a fairly long time in the lower half of the charts due to the success of the singles.

Peak position #1x1

Hit singles

Jesus to a child #5
Fastlove #5
The spinning wheel #17

These guys might have appeared on the Australian side of my site with "Shine," however they only became a household name in their native America with this album that became a huge success in NZ a year after its initial release for some reason. I guess these guys weren't too well loved on Triple J which is why this didn't do so well here.

Peak position #1x1

Hit singles

December #34
The world I know #25

This was the first successful album that Ben Harper had anywhere in the world, I'm guessing it was a success due to him becoming the new (then) modern Jimi Hendrix as much like Lenny Kravitz, he two was a musician of colour who was from the hard rock scene from the 90's.

Peak position #7

This was more of a success in NZ this year, I'm guessing because the kiwis didn't feel that the band had lost their magic like most of the world did or simply didn't care that they had changed their sound on this album. These excuses didn't carry over to their next album which was a flop regardless of where in the world you're from.

Peak position #1x1

Hit singles

Salvation #7
Free to decide #19
When you're gone #23

Well, this album being a success in NZ was to be expected given how the lead single was arguably the biggest hit of the decade over there, although it did rebound on the charts once it was released in the UK likely because the Brits had a different album cycle for him over there which resulted in him having different hits throughout Europe that saw minor crossover success in NZ.

Peak position #3

Hit singles

Mysterious girl #1
Get down on it #1
I feel you #40
Only one #5
Flava #8

While it failed to spawn a charting single in NZ like it did here in Australia (likely because the kiwis didn't know who Underworld were) this soundtrack to Trainspotting was nonetheless a success over there likely due to the success of the film which was one of the surprising number of non-Hollywood films to make it big worldwide throughout the 90's.

Peak position #3

This took a while to take off in NZ likely due to the album failing to produce a hit single over there as well as the kiwis lacking a Triple J equivalent to promote it, however once it did, it became a huge success for Garbage likely due to the unique vocals of Shirley Manson which helped add a female touch to the industrial rock crowd.

Peak position #1x1

Hit singles

Vow #41
Queer #37
Stupid girl #32
Only happy when it rains #38
Milk #50

This was a massive hit for the band as opposed to it being a mere modest success here in Australia, again likely due to how much stronger the kiwi's alternative scene was in the 90's than it was for us. Despite this being a massive success overall, it was the band's final album for a while as they would break up after this in order to pursue other projects, most notably Audioslave for Chris Cornell.

Peak position #1x1

Hit singles

Pretty noose #18

This was more of a success over in NZ likely due to how much more popular rock and alternative music was over there than it was over here, I'm not sure how this even happened unless the kiwis had their own equivalent of Triple J which helped them discover these types of artists like we Aussies did.

Peak position #1x4

Hit singles

E bow the letter #32

This was originally released the previous year following the finale of season one for the popular TV show Friends (which I regret to inform the internet the I'm a huge fan of even though I personally prefer Frasier when it comes to 90's sitcoms.) I guess this picked up steam in NZ this year due to the show having several of these tracks play over that season which the kiwis appreciated enough to check out this album.

Peak position #3

Hit singles

I'll be there for you #3

This was a moderate success for Metallica in NZ, mainly for the good will they achieved earlier in the decade with the black album as the singles over there were noticeably less successful than they were here in Australia. People will complain that they sold out here, however it's more their songs were more radio friendly than them selling out entirely.

Peak position #1x2

Hit singles

Until it sleeps #11
Hero of the day #21

This was another album to find more success in NZ than it did here in Australia from an alternative band this year, although it was still a bit of a disappointment over there compared to the band's previous effort likely due to the fact that what they had to say wasn't as compelling on here as what it was on their earlier effort.

Peak position #3

Hit singles

Bulls on parade #22

I think this was one of the earliest signs that the kiwis were ready to incorporate EDM into their mainstream given how it charted higher over there than it did over here back in the day for Robert Miles, true it wasn't quite as big there as it was here, but it was a sign of good things to come for the genre over there.

Peak position #3

Hit singles

Children #4
Fable #20

Their popularity was on the decline in NZ the same as it was here in Australia, although Pearl jam were still able to find success with their albums over there until the end of the decade, just like they were over here.

Peak position #1x2

Hit singles

Who you are #17

There was little doubt this was going to be a success for Simply red in NZ given how it was a massive hit for them here in Australia, although like Australia they didn't find much success over there after this album despite it spawning a hit with one of its bonus tracks.

Peak position #1x2

Hit singles

Angel #11

These guys were fairly successful during both phases of their career at this point, as such it makes sense that this greatest hits package they released around this time would be a huge success for them. They didn't find any further success after this as was the case for most older bands and artists in the 90's.

Peak position #1x1

Hit singles

La la lulu #13

If you thought it was confusing that this album became popular here in Australia the following year, apparently the same thing happened over in NZ this year for what I can only imagine to be similar reasons.

Peak position #3

Following the success of their previous album Broadcast, the Strawpeople were able to continue their dominance in their local music scene with this album that sadly didn't receive any love from Triple J like their previous album did which is why it remains in obscurity outside of their native NZ.

Peak position #4

Hit singles

Taller than god #19
Boxers #44
Spoiler #47

This was a minor success for Oasis in NZ when it came out two years prior, it was given a second chance this year following the success of their earlier entry which resulted in the album finally rising up to the ranks of some of the band's contemporaries at the time of its release. This is essentially what happened here in Australia; however, the kiwis were much kinder to the album hence its higher placement on this list.

Peak position #5

Hit singles

Supersonic #28
Live forever #43

Carl Doy was still able to find success in his homeland this far into the 90's, not bad for a guy first made it big at the end of the previous decade by stealing the success that Richard Clayderman had over there.

Peak position #5

This was so much less successful in NZ than it was here in Australia, in fact after Shepherd moons, Enya's popularity over there was close to non-existent as this only qualified for this list due to it having a rebound early in the year which allowed it to rack up enough points to make it on this list.

Peak position #3

This was originally a flop for Tiny Tina in NZ upon its initial release, in fact I'm not sure if it was the original version or the international release that became a sleeper hit this year for her over there given how this only took off when "Show me heaven" became a massive hit throughout Europe for her (which interestingly wasn't on the original release.) Sadly, this was the full extent of her success with the kiwis.

Peak position #12

Hit singles

Chains #7
Sorrento moon #16
Heaven help my heart #33
Show me heaven #33

You may think that me featuring the debut album from Korn on this side of my site means that they found more success overall in NZ than they did here in Australia, sadly this will be the band's only appearance on this side of my site as their two entries on the Australian side underperformed over there despite debuting at number one on their charts.

Peak position #10

Given how this was the biggest EDM album of the decade in America, I can only assume that its success on Billboard encouraged the kiwis to check out what all of the fuss was about despite it being the only one of these albums that failed to spawn a single hit over there this decade. At least the likes of Culture Beat and Corona scored a few minor hits over there in exchange for those albums underperforming.

Peak position #6

Hit singles

Falling in love #33
Be my lover #44
Sweet dreams #34

Even though it took a while for this album to chart in NZ, it at least was more of a success over there than it was over here even if I don't exactly know why that was the case. I'm guessing it was due to how many American artists found success over there compared to over here where it was rare outside of the indie scene.

Peak position #14

Hit singles

Jealousy #40

It appears that in exchange for the lead single not being a massive success in NZ, Joan Osbourne managed to find more success with the album that spawned her one and only hit worldwide as the kiwis were interested in what else she had to offer compared to us Aussies. It's hard to say why her subsequent follow ups failed to find an audience given how much of a splash this made for her.

Peak position #13

Hit singles

One of us #11
St Teresa #38

This was initially a huge flop for Bone thugs n harmony the previous year in NZ despite the lead single becoming a huge hit for them over there, naturally it reached its peak in popularity this year when the third single became a huge worldwide success for the hip hop quartet as it boosted its sales over there.

Peak position #10

Hit singles

1st of tha month #7
East 1999 #15
Tha crossroads #1

Even though this has a low placement on this side of my site, I should point out that this was more of a sleeper hit for Stone temple pilots in NZ despite entering their charts very high upon its initial release. They didn't find any further success over there which was the same career trajectory they had over here.

Peak position #4

This was the last time Bryan Adams troubled the NZ album charts given how his popularity had dwindled over there to the point where this feels more like a last hurrah for him than anything else. As least he had some better success with his singles right till the end of the decade, although those were pitiful compared to what he achieved down under.

Peak position #13

Hit singles

Have you ever really loved a woman #9
The only thing that looks good on me is you #37
Let's make a night to remember #17

We have another NZ indie band to appear on one of these lists of mine, this time we have an entry from Garageland who briefly made a splash with their debut album only to fizzle out later in the decade as their subsequent follow ups failed to repeat the moderate success of their debut.

Peak position #3

Hit singles

Come back #21
Fingerpops #29
Beelines to heaven #27
I'm looking for what I can't get #37

Much like Australia, this was the only success that Everclear had in NZ even if it was only a sleeper hit over there as opposed to a mainstream success over here. I'm not sure why that's the case considering how much more robust the alternative scene was over there; I'm guessing it's success here was due to heavy promotion from Triple J.

Peak position #20

Hit singles

Santa Monica #27

Although Elton's popularity in NZ wasn't as big as it was over here in Australia by this point in his career, he did nonetheless score massive success with this love themed greatest hits package due to how much nostalgia the kiwis had for his ballads throughout his career.

Peak position #1x3

Well, this albums success in NZ was inevitable, fans weren't ready to say goodbye to Freddie Mercury from earlier in the decade and posthumous albums have always statistically done well in the mainstream over the years.

Peak position #1x3

Hit singles

Heaven for everyone #25

I guess the kiwis weren't as big of fans of Dangerous minds as we Aussies were given how the soundtrack wasn't quite as popular over there as it was over here, this is surprising given how Coolio was already an established rapper by the time his signature track came out from the film in NZ.

Peak position #3

Hit singles

Gangsta's paradise #1
Feel the funk #41
Curiosity #40

I get the feeling this was a success in Australia and NZ due to the success of the spin off band of these guys Green jelly from earlier in the decade, yeah it turns out Maynard James Keenan had multiple projects throughout his career including these two bands and A perfect circle in the new millennium.

Peak position #1x1

Jimmy Barnes had decent success in the 90's over in NZ, as such it makes sense that this greatest hits package of his would do fairly well over there similar to how it did over here to commemorate the twelfth anniversary he broke apart from Cold chisel to embark on his solo career.

Peak position #3

Hit singles

Lover lover #13

This was also Simply red's final successful album in NZ, although I would've thought these guys would retain their popularity going towards the new millennium given how this was a hit upon its immediate release over there as opposed to it needing to rebound on the charts here in Australia.

Peak position #3

Hit singles

Fairground #6
Remembering the first time #30

Roxette really struggled to transition from the 80's to the 90's in NZ which wasn't the case here in Australia, that said, their greatest hits package was a more immediate success over there than it was over here which is why it appears on more than one of these lists despite it being more popular over here in the long run.

Peak position #8

I guess the kiwis weren't as excited for this album which contained (at the time) never before seen songs from the fab four that John Lennon gave the other members his blessing for releasing months before his death fifteen years prior.

Peak position #1x1

Hit singles

Free as a bird #26

This wasn't quite as successful in NZ for Bjork as it was here in Australia, mainly because it didn't spawn that runaway hit for her over there like it did over here which meant that it didn't last as long into the new year when "It's oh so quiet" was taking the alternative scene by storm worldwide. It did rebound a little over there, however it quickly fell off the charts when the song failed to catch on.

Peak position #4

Hit singles

Army of me #26
Isobel #47
It's oh so quiet #28

This was equally as popular in NZ as it was here in Australia for Michael Flateley, I'm slightly confused why though given how the riverdance craze was more of a thing here in Australia than it was over there.

Peak position #6

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