Lilith Fair: Top 50 Albums

Lilith Fair: The Top 50 Albums

Lilith Fair wasn’t exactly a genre, but a celebration of female artists in the late 1990s. Discouraged by radio programmers and concert promoters who didn’t think it was commercially viable to have two female artists perform back to back, Sarah McLachlan launched the Lilith Fair festival in the summer of 1997. The concept was to feature only female artists or female-led bands. More than 30 dates featured over 70 performers. The festival was successful enough to spawn follow-ups in 1998 and 1999. This list was generated by taking all those artists who performed (including groups like 10000 Maniacs who didn’t perform, but front woman Natalie Merchant did) from 1997 to 1999 and ranking their albums. It should be noted that albums by 10,000 Maniacs and ‘Til Tuesday have been included in this list even though they weren’t performers. Some performers were excluded from this list. Lilith Fair embraced a wide swath of genres but this list is focused on artists who fall into the alternative rock/folk rock vein. As such, acts more typically defined as R&B, rap, country, or pop were excluded. However, artists who did not perform at Lilith Fair (Alanis Morissette, Melissa Etheridge, etc.) have been included because they fit the alternative rock/folk rock label. They are noted with an asterisk (*). An effort was also made to define the “Lilith Fair” genre as covering a certain era, specifically from the mid-‘80s to the late ‘90s. That means songs before 1985 and after 1999 were excluded. Similarly, artists (such as the Pretenders or Pat Benatar) who performed at Lilith Fair but emerged prior to 1985 have been excluded. Check out other best-of-genre/category lists here. 1. Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill (1995) * 2. Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman (1988) 3. Sinéad O’Connor I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (1990) 4. Tori Amos Little Earthquakes (1992) * 5. Liz Phair Exile in Guyville (1993) 6. Sheryl Crow Tuesday Night Music Club (1993) 7. No Doubt Tragic Kingdom (1995) * 8. Lucinda Williams Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (1998) 9. Bonnie Raitt Nick of Time (1989) 10. Dido No Angel (1999) 11. Sarah McLachlan Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (1993) 12. Jewel Pieces of You (1995) 13. Indigo Girls Indigo Girls (1989) 14. Emmylou Harris Wrecking Ball (1995) 15. Sarah McLachlan Surfacing (1997) 16. The Cranberries No Need to Argue (1994) * 17. Garbage Garbage (1995) * 18. Sheryl Crow Sheryl Crow (1996) 19. k.d. lang Ingénue (1992) * 20. Melissa Etheridge Yes I Am (1993) * 21. Tori Amos Under the Pink (1994) * 22. Mary Chapin Carpenter Come on, Come On (1992) 23. Sheryl Crow The Globe Sessions (1998) 24. Bonnie Raitt Luck of the Draw (1991) 25. Suzanne Vega Solitude Standing (1987) 26. Lucinda Williams Lucinda Williams (1988) 27. Melissa Etheridge Melissa Etheridge (1988) * 28. Shawn Colvin A Few Small Repairs (1996) 29. Tori Amos Boys for Pele (1996) 30. Fiona Apple Tidal (1996) 31. The Cranberries Everybody Else Is Doing It So Why Can’t We? (1993) * 32. 10,000 Maniacs In My Tribe (1987) 33. Bonnie Raitt Longing in Their Hearts (1994) 34. The Breeders Last Splash (1993) * 35. Alanis Morissette Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (1998) * 36. Joan Osborne Relish (1995) 37. Paula Cole This Fire (1996) 38. Cowboy Junkies The Trinity Session (1988) 39. Tori Amos From the Choirgirl Hotel (1998) * 40. Tracy Chapman New Beginning (1995) 41. Natalie Merchant Tigerlily (1995) 42. Fiona Apple When the Pawn… (1999) 43. Sinéad O’Connor The Lion and the Cobra (1987) 44. Shawn Colvin Steady On (1989) 45. Tracy Chapman Crossroads (1989) 46. Aimee Mann Whatever (1993) 47. Edie Brickell & New Bohemians Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars (1988) * 48. Lone Justice Lone Justice (1985) 49. Toni Childs Union (1988) * 50. Indigo Girls Strange Fire (1987) Resources and Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: other best-of-genre lists Dave’s Music Database: “Lilith Fair: Top 100 Songs” Wikipedia: “Lilith Fair” First posted 12/2/2024.