6. Robbie Williams - Life Thru A Lens (1998)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSCqeuaP3Lo On a list that included The Verve's Urban Hymns, Pulp's This Is Hardcore, Massive Attack's Mezzanine and eventual winner Gomez's Bring It On, it might seem foolish to say that the winner should have been a former boy band member's debut solo album. But that's exactly what we're going to do here. Because Robbie Williams' Life Thru A Lens is one of those rare things - a solo album reinvention that actually works startlingly well. Williams had left Take That in 1995, after his bandmates had become increasingly disillusioned with his drug use and confrontational behaviour. Shortly afterwards he was seen partying with Oasis at Glastonbury festival, and rumours that he would work with the Gallaghers in some way started to abound. This never materialised, and after a protracted legal dispute with Take That's manager Nigel Martin-Smith, he eventually released his debut solo album in September 1997. Heavily influenced by Oasis and Britpop, it initially sold slowly, but took a rapid upturn after its fourth single Angels became a mega-hit. Ironically, Angels is one of the least representative songs on the album, as Williams had made a rock-tinged pop album of rare quality for a former boyband member. NME even called it "smart, sharp and prickling with personality far beyond the call of teenpop duty". They were bang on.