10. The Prodigy - Music For The Jilted Generation (1994)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mej5wS7viw Established in 1992 as an alternative to the Brit Awards, the Mercury Prize got off to a steady start in its inaugural year. The judges chose not to rock the boat and gave the £20,000 cheque to Primal Scream, who won for their third album Screamadelica, one of the best releases of the whole decade. In the following year, they continued this trend of choosing wisely, with Suede winning for their eponymous debut, which was also deserved since it's the album often credited with kick-starting the Britpop movement. But in 1994, the judges sat down and apparently stuck the nominees' photos to a wall, got drunk, blindfolded themselves and then threw some darts to pick the winner. That sounds ridiculous but it's the only logical explanation for M People's victory that year. The choice of Heather Small and co is even more baffling when you consider the strength of the shortlist that year. It included several more worthy winners, of which Blur's Parklife is perhaps its most feted. Also on the list was The Prodigy's second album Music For The Jilted Generation, an album that not only became one of dance music's greatest ever releases, but also carried an important political message. Largely a protest at the hugely divisive Criminal Justice Act, it sowed the seeds of the band's rebellious image and future success. That such a forward-thinking and ground-breaking album lost out to one so safe, is quite frankly, a travesty.