The nominations for this year's Mercury Music Prize were announced on Tuesday - with Coldplay and Radiohead leading the shortlist. The award is given to a UK or Ireland artist for the album of the year - but, in its 12th year, do winners stand the test of time?
 Primal Scream's Screamadelica was the first Mercury winner |
1992
Winner - Primal Scream, Screamadelica
In the award's first year, the judges gave it to a band with both wide commercial appeal and independent credibility. Judges said it was ''sleazy, decadent and compulsive" and it was a popular choice.
Losers
U2's Achtung Baby was nominated but lost out, and is regarded by many as the band's high point. The favourite had been Simply Red's Stars, one of the biggest-selling albums of the decade, while other releases included the Manic Street Preachers' explosive debut Generation Terrorists.
1993
Winner - Suede, Suede
The debut album from the glam indie rockers heralded the emergence of the most exciting British group for years. Brimming with sex and attitude, it was seen as opening the door for Britpop, although it was soon overshadowed by others who followed.
Losers
The year's biggest contributions were breakthrough early releases from Radiohead, Blur and The Prodigy.
 M People were up against Blur, Pulp and Take That |
1994
Winner - M People, Elegant Slumming
Although disco, soul and deep house all went into Elegant Slumming, pop dominated the album. Many critics derided the choice and the album is now seen as a period piece rather than a timeless classic.
Losers
Britpop was building a head of steam and Blur's landmark album, Parklife, was among the losing nominees. As was Pulp's His and Hers, which shot them to stardom after 15 years of trying.
1995
Winner - Portishead, Dummy
In one of the most fertile years for British music in years, Bristol group Portishead won for breaking the mould. They remain unsurpassed in their particular genre of blended jazz, blues and rock that became known as trip-hop.
Losers
There should have been several winners in 1995 because the shortlist also included Oasis' clarion call Definitely Maybe and Tricky's dark masterpiece Maxinquaye, among others. But somehow left off the shortlist were Radiohead's The Bends and Massive Attack's Protection.
 Jarvis Cocker has struggled to live up to the standard of A Different Class |
1996
Winner - Pulp, Different Class
Jarvis Cocker and co hit their peak with Different Class and, in particular, Britpop anthem Common People. The album succinctly summed up a slightly addled, restless generation and, as such, now sounds slightly dated.
Losers
History has been kind to Oasis' What's the Story Morning Glory, mainly because it includes Wonderwall, which will go down as a classic. The Manic Street Preachers completed an unlikely comeback with the majestic Everything Must Go.
1997
Winner - Roni Size and Reprazent, New Forms
New Forms was a ground-breaking opus that helped bring a new, British musical style - jungle - to the fore. Size was rewarded for innovation - but the album now sounds a little primitive given the speed of change and the fact that his achievements were built on by other artists.
Losers
The album that made Radiohead one of the biggest bands in the world, OK Computer, was on the shortlist - but lost out. It is now seen as one of the best rock albums of recent times. Also released in that year were hits from The Prodigy, the Chemical Brothers, the Spice Girls and Jamiroquai.
1998
Winner - Gomez, Bring It On
The creativity in British music was beginning to dry up and, although it was an accomplished and appealing blues-rock album, Bring It On was not a world-beater. The win failed to put them in the top division.
Losers
For many, The Verve's Urban Hymns was a modern masterpiece and Bittersweet Symphony an elegy for Britpop. It was also the year that Robbie Williams became the UK's favourite male singer - a status he still enjoys - with the album Life Thru A Lens, which included hit Angels.
 Talvin Singh: Added Asian sounds to dance culture |
1999
Winner - Talvin Singh, OK
Another award for innovation from a relatively bare shortlist, Singh combined Indian sounds with cutting-edge dance beats. It was a fair soundtrack to an urban, multicultural millennial Britain - but has disappeared from most coffee tables now.
Losers
Albums by two of the biggest artists of the time were not even on the shortlist. Travis' The Man Who made them one of the biggest groups in Britain while Fatboy Slim's crazy beats came of age in You've Come A Long Way Baby.
 Badly Drawn Boy has had more critical than commercial success |
2000
Winner - Badly Drawn Boy, The Hour of the Bewilderbeast
The idiosyncratic Badly Drawn Boy was unearthed as one of the biggest singer-songwriting talents for years. The album had bittersweet songs - but not quite enough power to earn a place in the rock annals.
Losers
It was another lean year - but one album that stands out from the shortlist is Coldplay's Parachutes, which established them as rock heavyweights both in the UK and around the world.
2001
Winner - PJ Harvey, Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
With this album, Harvey - who had been plugging away for the last decade - punched through to the mainstream consciousness. It contained a winning formula of strong, passionate tunes and individual, slightly eccentric personality.
Losers
A very different female singer-songwriter, Dido, came into her own and her debut solo album, No Angel, became the biggest-selling album of the year.
 Ms Dynamite: Hoping to build on her UK success in the United States |
2002
Winner - Ms Dynamite, A Little Deeper
Ms Dynamite was forging new ground in British urban hip-hop, soul and R&B - and was generally regarded as the UK's brightest new talent.
Losers
Ms Dynamite narrowly pipped the alternative voice of UK hip-hop, The Streets, while The Coral's charmingly eclectic rock debut looks set to be the foundation for greater success.
What do you think of the past Mercury winners? Have the judges chosen the best albums - or have the modern classics been overlooked? We asked BBC News Online users for their views.
 |  I can't quite believe that one of the biggest artists of this era has been overlooked - not a single nomination for Robbie Williams  |
Some great bands like Radiohead, Blur and Oasis have been overlooked. I can't understand how they can overlook OK Computer in 1997, that's a very strange one to me as this particular album was ground breaking.
Darrell Croston, England The Mercury prize is held in high esteem because it consistently rewards a variety of talented artists. There have been controversial decisions in the past, who would disagree that Radiohead should have won in '97. Having said that I think they'll lose out again this year, my money's on Dizzee Rascal.
markie, P'boro UK
Of course great albums have been overlooked. That is in the nature of a committee vote but there is still confusion over whether this award rewards art or commercial success. And, more to the point, too much worrying over what won last year and how people might perceive two vaguely similar records wining two years running. Thus in the mid nineties, which were arguably the Britpop years, producing albums that were both aesthetically and commercially successful, there is only one winner in that category. So this year can't be a woman (two years on the trot already). Unlikely to be Dizzee Rascal who has made easily the most innovative album on the list but is garage and garage won last year.
And another thing: why must we continue with the pretence of the jazz/classical/world nominations. Dear old Eliza. A visitor to the country studying the nominations over the years might conclude that she was one of our most cherished artists. Anyway, as long as The Darkness don't win, I will be happy. It's only a bit of fun, after all.
David Laurie, UK
The only stinker that sticks out is M People, every other album justifys its merit in some way. And to say that Roni Size now sounds dated is a poor judgement on what is a still loved album. I think the writing by Ian Youngs is incredibly fickle. Hey they could always go for the populists choice every year, but then people wouldn't have ever learnt anything by listening to new music. Praise be to its wacky choices as winners!
Dan Tappin, UK
These types of awards are all a bit pretentious aren't they ? Look at some of the bands mentioned here, Radiohead have to be one of the dullest bands ever - and the lead singer needs singing lessons.
Dean Osborn, UK
The Mercury shortlist is always a pretty safe selection of albums. Rarely do they go out on a limb to showcase new, exciting music. There are of course always the 'token' records that appear on the shortlist representing more diverse styles, but the winner is always somewhere near the middle of the road. The odd exception has thrown up a couple of modern classics but on the whole I think the judges choose the easy option.
Stuart Bradley, UK
All the albums that have been chosen in the past are interesting and genre defining albums. I think it is frankly ridiculous to judge these albums on commercial (ie chart success) because that is exactly what the Mercury Prize is against. Badly Drawn Boy, for example, is one of the best live draws in the UK and is without doubt one of the most talented artists in the world. Does it matter if his albums don't break the million mark and his exploits are not regularly featured in the daily tabloids? Unlike the Brits which celebrates those artists who have gained enormous commercial success, the Mercury Prize should be concentrating on the 'art'. That's why all those commercial successes which, rightly so, are also regarded as modern classics, should be overlooked when it comes to the Mercury Music Prize. All the previous winners deserve their victories.
Chris Higgins, England
I think that overall the prize has got it right, we have the Brit Awards to reward the more popular choices. I think that it serves it's purpose as a way to get different less well known artists heard by people who otherwise wouldn't even know they existed.
Andy Hawkins, England
I find the Mercury Music Prize a strange phenomenon... nowhere can I find out how the nominees are chosen (not on the MMP website) - how would an independent artist have their work considered - some of the greatest albums of all time (my opinion of course) have been obscure independent releases which i assume would never be in the running
jon, UK
As an aside... I still think New Forms sounds as full of energy as back in 97, maybe that is because i can remember seeing and hearing Roni Size play beach parties that summer...perhaps we should consider the music within context, rather than constantly seeking the next coffee table cladding.
andrew, holland
I can't quite believe that one of the biggest artists of this era has been overlooked - not a single nomination for Robbie Williams.
Samantha, UK
My only real gripe is that I feel that The Auteurs' New Wave would've made great winners rather than the criminally over-rated Suede debut disc (Coming Up is a classic, but the judges seem to have a one win each rule! See also Vanishing Point by Primal Scream)
Nick Twine, UK
I don't think the Mercury Prize does itself any favours by having a relatively weak shortlist. There's many artists producing awesome albums throughout the year, but they get overlooked for more commercial LPs.
Chris Gissing, UK
All in all, I think the prize has been awarded to a good mix of artists - though the absence of Radiohead when they've been nominated time and time again looks rather odd. Perhaps this is the year from them?
Chikara, London, England
The quality of the shortlists reflects the quality of British musicianship and criticism in this past decade of abject decline, where once proud England finally fell behind the rest of the world. Excepting the occasional flash of good taste - the Ms. Dynamite, Talvin Singh and M People albums aren't bad, and Screamadelica is a rightly acclaimed classic - the Mercury shortlists over the years reflect the entirely historyless focus on anaemic, pretentious white-boy indie (and yes, I include Roni Size in that category!) that seemed to be the only way forward in the britpop nineties. It's a dark day indeed when the critics start to listen and like absolute non-pop garbage like Blur, Radiohead and Coldplay...
Johan Palme, Sweden
Maybe the Mercury Prize should be treated like the best new artist grammy, avoided at all costs if the artist ever wants to succeed. This award looks like the kiss of death for most of the prize winners. All those that are nominated seem to go on to better things, ie early Radiohead and Blur, those that win seem to keep at the same standard they were at, ie M People. But we should be disappointed that the Spice Girls never won, it might have killed their career earlier.
Karen, NZ
As someone who thinks that Radiohead are mind-numbingly dull, Oasis are essentially a Beatles tribute band and Robbie Williams is in serious need of singing lessons, I am all in favour of The Mercury Prize. I always scan the shortlist and look for new stuff to add to my CD collection.
Steve, UK
The Mercury Prize is, unfortunately, too good at rewarding those artists that are already well rewarded with Brits, Grammy's etc. Isn't it about time the 'token' folk artist, they always seem to include, was given the main prize, instead of the usual run of trendy bands. If this was to happen, Eliza Carthy would win this year and the criminally overlooked Kate Rusby would not have been overlooked in favour of the frankly rubbish Talvin Singh.
Ben Christie, UK
We could argue for ever about who actually deserves it but I don't think this prize was ever about finding "the best album", but more about encouraging the next "big thing" in music. One of the joys of music is spotting the next trend, and while the Mercury "muserati" don't always get it right they do make a good effort, opening our minds to sounds that don't generally fit into the mainstream. So, as far as Radiohead are concerned perhaps the current album is sufficiently out of the "bell jar" to deserve something, but I still think they should give it to someone new.
Ben , uk
Success is easily measured by album sales, and this is a prize in itself. The Mercury prize for me is about ingenuity and creating ground breaking new music. This success is measured in the amount of music that is inspired by it. Radiohead inspire more bands than any of the prizewinners since the beginning. Worst choice must go to Ms Dynamite.
Paul Pizzey, UK
In terms of staying power, these awards seem to have the same effect as the board of a football club announcing a vote of confidence in its manager. Look at the winners for each year and see how they have disappeared off the radar while some of the losers are still with us (not sure to be thankful or not)
Brian, Ireland
Different Class slightly dated? Classic songs, clever and accurate lyrics in what way is it slightly dated? It is one of the few albums that I can still play all the way through and get excited about.
Anthony James, England
Where is Four Tet? I can't believe it. Everyone from Musicweek to the Evening Standard have been trumpeting him as the eventual winner and Kieran isn't even on the list. Even Radiohead call him their current inspiration. Can anyone help me here?
Tom Adeyoola, UK
It is clearly a marketing tool to hype up certain albums during a quite sales period... and why not, if it gives people a chance to discover something they may have missed?
Adrian, Wales
The idea for a prize for the best album of the year is fine a long as you don't take it too seriously. I rarely agree with who wins but some of the worthy yet less obvious winners have got a good leg-up from it. But the jazz/world/classical entries seem to be just tokenism and there always seems to be one completely duff mega-seller thrown in, presumably to please the cheap seats.
Liam, Scotland
This list should make salutory reading for the currant music industry. Imagine a two year period (95-96) in which Glory Box, Maxinquaye, Protection, Definately Maybe and Whats the Story Morning Glory, Everything Must Go and The Bends were released. And thats just the stuff on the list, with no room for the Chemical Brothers, Black Grape or Leftfield. Puts todays rock revival and often derivative garage scene into perspective. And I'm a fan of both genres.
Charlie, UK
The Mercury prize is a fantastic award to win for any artist. Personally I was really pleased to see Roni Size bag the prize back in 97. No way is it dated, still as fresh as the first day I heard it.
Peter Carey, England
Awards ceremonies are nonsense and everyone knows it. This year's prize will go to whichever album can be described by the most obscure adjectives that music critics love - e.g. "eclectic", "quirky", "retrospecive/introspective", "idiosyncratic" or "kooky".
Tim, UK
The best thing I can find to say about the Mercury Music Prize is that its judges have at least had the sense never to award it to the grotesquely overrated Radiohead. Over here at Obscure London Funk HQ, I am personally mourning their failure to even nominate Galliano's "The Plot Thickens" in 1994, or the Ballsitic Brothers' "London Hooligan Soul" in 1995. Sob sob.
Jim Washer, London
The Mercury Music prize got lucky in it's first year - Screamadelica was and still is a great album, which would never have won an award at the music industry love-in that is the Brits. So the Mercury achieved credibility early on. Since then history has not been kind to its choices- probably only Pulp and PJ Harvey have the only winners whose albums will stand up to time. This year's nominations look very weak, although it is hard to think of many albums that should have been included but are not. British Sea Power, possibly. To have the likes of Athlete and The Darkness on the list is an indicator of how weak the field is. They'll probably go the Oscar route and give it to Radiohead, as a guilty acknowledgement that they should probably have given them an award for one of their earlier, better albums instead of the rather tired Hail to the Thief.
wyldman, UK
The purpose of this award is clear to me and to its instigators. It is for �Art� not for the trendsetters or the commercially viable. The excellence of Art as seen at that particular moment in time. Nothing more, nothing less.
Paul Perkins, England
Unless you go out and genuinely attempt to find music you like, you will always listen to average music. The best of what's put in front of you. To call Radiohead 'ground breaking' is a joke, strip away a few token 'beeps' and what you have is a plain old rock band. It's not a bad thing, but it's certainly not ground breaking.
Matthew, England
Why oh why must they keep nominating Radiohead? A friend of mine lent me OK Computer - it was the same droning, boring, rubbish from start to finish. Why are people so outraged that they never won anything? I agree that it should not be based on the most commerically successful albums, but A Little Deeper by Ms. Dynamite - which was very successful - is one of the greatest albums ever made. There is no point in giving the award to some unknown band that aren't very good when the best things are there but people just happen to have bought them.
Layra Watson, glasgow
I enjoy music, various types of music, but I honestly haven't heard of a lot of these people! I don't see (or rather hear) what is so special about Badly Drawn Boy or Radiohead to discuss a couple. I don't mind a couple of their tracks, but what is so wonderful? Sorry, I, and obviously a lot more people, don't see it? I wondered if it was lyrics, but then, who the heck can make out half of them? I think you should hand out awards for people who can master the art of comprehending their lyrics - love Coldplay tho!
Gillian, Edinburgh, Scotland
Sad to say, but the majority of important albums over the past 10-15 years haven't been from the UK/Ireland. The spoon-fed pap we get in the charts is spilling over into British music in general and the standard has fallen considerably. I'll bet we could find far more significant groups and albums from America in the same timespan - which you wouldn't have been able to say during the 60s, 70s and 80s.
Dave, England
Does anyone really care about it apart from the record companies?
James Jacob, london,england
Primal Scream - One of the greatest albums ever made, all the other albums - no matter how good will never be as fine. Get down baby
Nick, UK
A lot of these bands wouldn't have made it into the national consciousness had it not been for the adventurousness of Mercury. The Brits can award the chart breakers but Mercury is there for something different but good. As for Radiohead, they are inspiring admittedly, but only inspiring the use of razor blades on vital arteries.
Alan Jones, UK
There seems to be a habit of recognising genres rather than individual artist's acheivements. Nobody in the garage or drum & bass scenes thinks Roni Size or Ms. Dynamite dropped "classic" albums. Roni's album is way too long and the Ms. Dynamite one drags badly by the time you hit side 2. At least they got it right when they gave the Trip Hop Mercury to Portishead.
Padraig, UK
In my opinion Coldplay are far away the best band around,there's no other band with as much variety and that includes the media hyped American bands. It makes me laugh when people bitch about the 'commercial LP's', like if you sell more than a thousand records, your not cool anymore. Judging by the past winners of the Mercury Prize, Coldplay shouldn't be on the list, their records won't be on sale in bargain bins for under a fiver in a couple of years time. The Mercury Awards seem to be for obscure acts that haven't a chance of the major prizes, not unlike the Intertoto Cup!(No bad thing I suppose)
Byron Kendle, Wales
The fact that so many losing acts have shown that they, rather than the winners, are the ones who succeed just goes to show that these prizes are pointless.
John, UK
No awards ceremony will ever satisfy everybody. This one gets pretty close, but in most years when you've got several contenders it's impossible to pick one which everyone can embrace as the best. Having said that, Gomez winning over The Verve is an absolute stinker.
James W, UK
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