The Mercury Music Prize launched in 1992, and has always stuck to its guns – in September, a list of the finest albums of the year will be nominated, and then in October a winner is announced. Simple as that. Despite some speculation in recent years that it may have lost its way somewhat, it’s still a good guide to what might be going on in the world of “real” music. Here’s a guide to what happened over its first three years…
Mercury Music Prize 1992
According to The Guardian, the award was devised by Jon Webster, the Managing Director at Virgin Records, who hoped it might become “the Booker Prize of the music industry”, independent of the music industry but with its endorsement. The panel is led by Professor Simon Frith, and chosen by the event’s organiser David Wilkinson.
The prize name, by the way, is purely from the event’s sponsor, the now largely defunct telecoms company Mercury. The first awards took place at The Savoy Hotel, 8th September 1992.
Nominees:
- Barry Adamson – Soul Murder
- Jah Wobble – Rising Above Bedlam
- The Jesus and Mary Chain – Honey’s Dead
- Bheki Mseleku – Celebration
- Primal Scream – Screamadelica
- Saint Etienne – Foxbase Alpha
- Simply Red – Stars
- John Tavener and Steven Isserlis – The Protecting Veil
- U2 – Achtung Baby
- Young Disciples – Road to Freedom
Winner: Primal Scream
Mercury Music Prize 1993
Nominees:
- Apache Indian – No Reservations
- The Auteurs – New Wave
- Gavin Bryars – Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet
- Dina Carroll – So Close
- PJ Harvey – Rid of Me
- New Order – Republic
- Stereo MCs – Connected
- Sting – Ten Summoner’s Tales
- Suede – Suede
- Stan Tracey – Portraits Plus
Winner: Suede
Mercury Music Prize 1994
The 1994 awards were controversial, as nobody actually seemed to like the winners very much. The Independent even suggested that they might have won due to positive discrimination. Took place on 13th September 1994.
Nominees:
- Blur – Parklife
- M People – Elegant Slumming
- Ian McNabb – Head Like a Rock
- Shara Nelson – What Silence Knows
- Michael Nyman – The Piano Concerto / MGV
- The Prodigy – Music for the Jilted Generation
- Pulp – His ‘n’ Hers
- Take That – Everything Changes
- Therapy? – Troublegum
- Paul Weller – Wild Wood
Winner: M People, although Paul Weller thought he should have won
Further information
- Mercury Music Prize on Wikipedia
- The Guardian, 9 Sept 2003: “By the time the list is agreed you wonder whether you like music at all”
- The 1992, 1993, and 1994 Mercury Prize albums at Discogs.com
- The Independent coverage of the 1992 award
- The Independent coverage of the 1994 award
