The UK Albums Chart is one of many music charts compiled by the Official Charts Company that calculates the best-selling albums of the week in the United Kingdom. Before 2004, the chart was only based on the sales of physical albums. This list shows albums that peaked in the Top 10 of the UK Albums Chart during 1990, as well as albums which peaked in 1989 and 1991 but were in the top 10 in 1990. The entry date is when the album appeared in the top 10 for the first time (week ending, as published by the Official Charts Company, which is six days after the chart is announced).
One-hundred and nineteen albums were in the top ten this year. Fourteen albums from 1989 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year, or re-entered during the year, while I'm Your Baby Tonight by Whitney Houston and The Singles Collection 1984/1990 by Jimmy Somerville were both released in 1990 but did not reach their peak until 1991. Forever Your Girl by Paula Abdul, Hangin' Tough by New Kids on the Block, Journeyman by Eric Clapton, Labour of Love II by UB40 and Sleeping with the Past by Elton John were the albums from 1989 to reach their peak in 1990. Eleven artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1990. Alannah Miles, Betty Boo, The Charlatans and The Sundays were among the many artists who achieved their first UK charting top 10 album in 1990.
The 1989 Christmas number-one album, ...But Seriously by Phil Collins, remained at number-one for the first 3 weeks of 1990. The first new number-one album of the year was Colour by The Christians. Overall, seventeen different albums peaked at number-one in 1990, with Luciano Pavarotti (2) having the most albums hit that position.
Background Multiple entries One-hundred and nineteen albums charted in the top 10 in 1990, with one-hundred and three albums reaching their peak this year.
Eleven artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1990. Top-ten albums Key SymbolMeaning‡Album peaked in 1989 but still in chart in 1990.♦Album released in 1990 but peaked in 1991.(#)Year-end top ten album position and rankEnteredThe date that the album first appeared in the chart.PeakHighest position that the song reached in the UK Albums Chart.
Entered (week ending)Weeksintop10 Single ArtistPeak Peakreached (week ending)WeeksatpeakAlbums in 1989 17The Raw & the Cooked ‡Fine Young Cannibals 1 1 12Like a Prayer ‡Madonna 1 2 6Forever Your GirlPaula Abdul 3 1 17Club Classics Vol. One ‡Soul II Soul 1 1 29Ten Good Reasons ‡Jason Donovan 1 4 17Sleeping with the Past Elton John 1 5 18Foreign Affair ‡Tina Turner 1 1 16Enjoy Yourself ‡Kylie Minogue 1 1 20The Road to Hell ‡Chris Rea 1 3 7Holding Back the River ‡Wet Wet Wet 2 1 9JourneymanEric Clapton 2 2 11The Best of Rod Stewart ‡Rod Stewart 3 1 42...But Seriously ‡Phil Collins 1 15 16Affection ‡Lisa Stansfield 2 2 7Jive Bunny: The Album ‡Jive Bunny 2 5 9Hangin' ToughNew Kids on the Block 2 1 12Labour of Love IIUB40 3 1Albums in 1990 3Colour 1 1 1Reading, Writing and Arithmetic 4 1 1The Love SongsDionne Warwick 6 1 4The Very Best of Cat StevensCat Stevens 4 1 1A Bit of What You Fancy 2 1 2The Sweet KeeperTanita Tikaram 3 1 1Vigil in a Wilderness of MirrorsFish 5 1 6Pump Up the JamTechnotronic 2 1 1Carved in Sand 7 1 4Heart of StoneCher 7 2 1The Language of LifeEverything But the Girl 10 1 1Miss SaigonOriginal London Cast 4 1 1Waking HoursDel Amitri 6 1 1Running Free/Sanctuary (The First Ten Years)Iron Maiden 10 1 1Women in Uniform/Twilight Zone (The First Ten Years) 10 1 1Purgatory/Maiden Japan (The First Ten Years) 5 1 1The House of Love 8 1 2Missing...Presumed Having a Good Time 2 1 1Run to the Hills/The Number of the Beast (The First Ten Years)Iron Maiden 3 1 10Vivaldi: The Four SeasonsNigel Kennedy and the English Chamber Orchestra 3 1 23Soul ProviderMichael Bolton 4 1 4I Do Not Want What I Haven't GotSinéad O'Connor 1 1 6ChangesbowieDavid Bowie 1 1 1Flight of Icarus/The Trooper (The First Ten Years)Iron Maiden 7 1 14The Essential PavarottiLuciano Pavarotti 1 4 3ViolatorDepeche Mode 2 1 13Only Yesterday – Richard & Karen Carpenter's Greatest Hits 1 7 2Cosmic Thing 8 1 3The Best of Van MorrisonVan Morrison 4 2 1Running Free/Run to the Hills (The First Ten Years)Iron Maiden 9 1 4BrigadeHeart 3 1 1Wasted Years/Stranger in a Strange Land (The First Ten Years)Iron Maiden 9 1 6Behind the MaskFleetwood Mac 1 1 3AbsolutelyABC 7 1 1Can I Play with Madness/The Evil That Men Do (The First Ten Years)Iron Maiden 10 1 5Alannah MylesAlannah Myles 3 1 1Fear of a Black PlanetPublic Enemy 4 1 1Days of Open HandSuzanne Vega 7 1 3LifeInspiral Carpets 2 1 2Everybody KnowsSonia 7 1 2A Pocketful of DreamsBig Fun 7 1 5Through a Big Country: Greatest HitsBig Country 2 1 7Vol. II: 1990 – A New DecadeSoul II Soul 1 3 8I'm Breathless: Music from and Inspired by the Film "Dick Tracy"Madonna 2 2 1Passion and WarfareSteve Vai 8 1 7Between the LinesJason Donovan 2 2 5Natural History: The Very Best of Talk TalkTalk Talk 3 1 1Other VoicesPaul Young 4 1 1HomeHothouse Flowers 5 1 10Summer Dreams 2 1 8Greatest Hits 4 1 12Step by StepNew Kids on the Block 1 1 4Wilson PhillipsWilson Phillips 7 1 7Hot Rocks 1964-1971 3 1 1CompositionsAnita Baker 7 1 3Flesh and BloodPoison 3 1 1Goodnight L.A.Magnum 9 1 4Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'EmMC Hammer 8 2 2Craig McLachlan & Check 1-2Craig McLachlan & Check 1-2 10 2 2Lovegod 7 1 4Young Guns II: Blaze of GloryJon Bon Jovi 2 1 2BossanovaPixies 3 1 2Graffiti BridgePrince 1 1 22Carreras Domingo Pavarotti in ConcertJosé Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti 1 5 1LibertyDuran Duran 8 1 5Look SharpRoxette 4 1 1Jordan: The ComebackPrefab Sprout 7 1 19Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1George Michael 1 1 3Mariah CareyMariah Carey 6 1 2Stepping Out: The Very Best of Joe JacksonJoe Jackson 7 1 4Ooh Las VegasDeacon Blue 3 2 4BoomaniaBetty Boo 4 2 2Room to Roam 5 1 1Heaven or Las VegasCocteau Twins 7 1 3XINXS 2 1 1The Razors EdgeAC/DC 4 1 1Rust in PeaceMegadeth 8 1 2No Prayer for the DyingIron Maiden 2 1 5Reflection 5 1 1Doctor Adamski's Musical PharmacyAdamski 8 1 2Some Friendly 1 1 9Rocking All Over the YearsStatus Quo 2 2 1EnlightenmentVan Morrison 5 1 10The Rhythm of the SaintsPaul Simon 1 2 1RecyclerZZ Top 8 1 1Bona DragMorrissey 9 1 2Led Zeppelin RemastersLed Zeppelin 10 2 2BehaviourPet Shop Boys 2 1 2Cornerstones: 1967–1970Jimi Hendrix 5 1 1New Kids on the BlockNew Kids on the Block 6 1 2Trip on This: The RemixesTechnotronic 7 1 20The Very Best of Elton JohnElton John 1 2 3Choke 2 1 12Serious Hits... Live!Phil Collins 2 1 1Pills 'n' Thrills and BellyachesHappy Mondays 4 1 10I'm Your Baby Tonight ♦Whitney Houston 4 1 1Mixed Up 8 1 8From a Distance: The EventCliff Richard 3 1 27The Immaculate CollectionMadonna 1 9 9The Singles Collection 1984/1990 ♦Jimmy Somerville 4 1 1Rhythm of LoveKylie Minogue 9 1 4The Very Best of the Bee GeesBee Gees 8 2
Entries by artist The following table shows artists who achieved two or more top 10 entries in 1990, including albums that reached their peak in 1989. The figures only include main artists, with featured artists and appearances on compilation albums not counted individually for each artist. The total number of weeks an artist spent in the top ten in 1990 is also shown.
Entries Artist Weeks Albums9Iron Maiden10Can I Play with Madness/The Evil That Men Do (The First Ten Years), Flight of Icarus/The Trooper (The First Ten Years), No Prayer for the Dying, Purgatory/Maiden Japan (The First Ten Years), Run to the Hills/The Number of the Beast (The First Ten Years), Running Free/Run to the Hills (The First Ten Years), Running Free/Sanctuary (The First Ten Years), Wasted Years/Stranger in a Strange Land (The First Ten Years), Women in Uniform/Twilight Zone (The First Ten Years)
Notes
Foreign Affair re-entered the top 10 at number 8 on 3 March 1990 (week ending) for 5 weeks. The Road to Hell re-entered the top 10 at number 8 on 17 February 1990 (week ending) for 7 weeks. Hangin' Tough re-entered the top 10 at number 8 on 6 January 1990 (week ending) for 6 weeks and at number 9 on 19 May 1990 (week ending) for 2 weeks. Like a Prayer re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 6 January 1990 (week ending) for 2 weeks. Club Classics Volume One re-entered the top 10 at number 8 on 20 January 1990 (week ending). The Best of Rod Stewart re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 20 January 1990 (week ending), at number 10 on 3 February 1990 (week ending) and at number 6 on 3 March 1990 (week ending) for 3 weeks. Journeyman re-entered the top 10 at number 7 on 27 January 1990 (week ending) for 7 weeks. The First Ten Years was a collection released to celebrate Iron Maiden's tenth anniversary. It combined various singles as double EPs which charted individually. The Raw and the Cooked re-entered the top 10 at number 9 on 3 March 1990 (week ending). Vivaldi - The Four Seasons re-entered the top 10 at number 5 on 5 May 1990 (week ending) for 4 weeks. Soul Provider re-entered the top 10 at number 9 on 26 May 1990 (week ending) for 3 weeks, at number 10 on 25 August 1990 (week ending) for 10 weeks and at number 10 on 1 December 1990 (week ending) for 8 weeks. The Essential Pavarotti re-entered the top 10 at number 8 on 16 June 1990 (week ending) for 11 weeks. Labour of Love II re-entered the top 10 at number 8 on 14 April 1990 (week ending) for 10 weeks and at number 9 on 23 June 1990 (week ending) for 2 weeks. Forever Your Girl re-entered the top 10 at number 3 on 12 May 1990 (week ending) for 4 weeks. I'm Breathless re-entered the top 10 at number 5 on 28 July 1990 (week ending) for 5 weeks. Cosmic Thing re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 2 June 1990 (week ending) for 2 weeks. Between the Lines re-entered the top 10 at number 7 on 21 July 1990 (week ending) for 2 weeks. Natural History: The Very Best of Talk Talk re-entered the top 10 at number 6 on 14 July 1990 (week ending). Wilson Phillips re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 8 September 1990 (week ending) and at number 10 on 22 September 1990 (week ending). Sleeping with the Past re-entered the top 10 at number 2 on 7 July 1990 (week ending) for 16 weeks. Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 26 January 1991 (week ending). Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 29 December 1990 (week ending) for 4 weeks, at number 3 on 23 February 1991 (week ending) for 5 weeks and at number 7 on 30 March 1991 (week ending) for 2 weeks. The Very Best of Elton John re-entered the top 10 at number 9 on 6 April 1991 (week ending). I'm Your Baby Tonight re-entered the top 10 at number 8 on 22 December 1990 (week ending) for 8 weeks and at number 9 on 23 February 1991 (week ending). The Immaculate Collection re-entered the top 10 at number 7 on 23 March 1991 (week ending) for 3 weeks, at number 10 on 20 April 1991 (week ending) and at number 3 on 3 August 1991 (week ending) for 7 weeks. Figure includes album that peaked in 1989. Figure includes album that first charted in 1989 but peaked in 1990.
See also 1990 in British music List of number-one albums from the 1990s (UK)
References General
Specific
External links 1990 album chart archive at the Official Charts Company (click on relevant week)