The #99 Album of All-Time in the Rock Era--"Millennium" by Backstreet Boys

The #99 album of the rock era was an eagerly awaited follow-up to the debut album by the Backstreet Boys.  It was released on May 18, 1999 with the group making an appearance to mark the occasion on the MTV show Total Request Live. 



Millennium spent 10 weeks at #1 on the album chart and has sold 13 million copies to date.  Millennium holds the record for the most albums shipped in one year--11 million.  The album not only topped the album chart but displayed good longevity, something that is very important when you're either considering whether to buy an album or analyzing how strong the album is and how well it stands the test of time.  It an album has its moment of glory and then tumbles off the charts, this is akin to people who purchased the album telling others it's not worth getting.  The fact that this album spent 37 weeks in the Top 10, 52 in the Top 40 and 93 on the chart is testament to its staying power.


The Track Rating of 8.58 that I apply to each album considered was one of the lowest in the Top 100, but the statistics above are what earned the group a spot.  In short, the music-buying public is responsible for getting the Backstreet Boys in the list--other lists of this nature will give you their opinions (The Rolling Stones' list was compiled with the help of Britney Spears).  This list is largely based on the opinions of the public at large, which is what ultimately counts.







Another factor in favor of Millennium--it was nominated for five Grammy nominations including Album of the Year and won an American Music Award for Favorite Group of the Year.  "I Want it That Way" was nominated for Record and Song of the Year and Best Performance by a Duo or Group at the Grammies.  Another factor was the tremendous airplay, generated for four big hits.  The album was #1 in 17 countries, a factor that is not included in this list because these albums are the top albums in the United States only.  I will do a later list for the top albums in the world, which will include the above statistic.

1. "Larger than Life" (Max Martin, Kristian Lundin, Brian Littrell) – 3:52
2. "I Want it That Way" (Max Martin, Andreas Carlsson) – 3:33
3. "Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely" (Max Martin, Herbert Crichlow) – 3:54
4. "It's Gotta Be You" (Max Martin, Robert John "Mutt" Lange) 2:56
5. "I Need You Tonight" (Andrew Fromm) – 4:23
6. "Don't Want You Back" (Max Martin) – 3:25
7. "Don't Wanna Lose You Now" (Max Martin) – 3:54
8. "The One" (Max Martin, Brian Littrell) – 3:46
9. "Back to Your Heart" (Gary Baker, Jason Blume, Kevin Richardson) – 4:21
10. "Spanish Eyes" (Andrew Fromm, Sandy Linzer) – 3:53
11. "No One Else Comes Close" (Gary Baker, Wayne Perry, Joe Thomas) – 3:42
12. "The Perfect Fan" (Brian Littrell, Thomas Smith) – 4:13

The album was recorded from October of 1998 to March of 1999 at Battery Studios in New York City, Parc Studios in Orlando, Florida and Cheiron Studios and Polar Studios in Stockholm, Sweden.  Several people combined to produce the album--Robert John Lange, Max Martin, Kristian Lundin, Rami, Stephen Lipson, Mattias Gustafsson, Timmy Allen, Edwin "Tony" Nicholas and Eric Foster White.   The album was mastered at Sterling Sound in New York, one of the best, by Tom Coyne.  Jackie Murphy and Nick Gamma provided art design.


Coming in at #99--Millennium, from the Backstreet Boys.