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March Music Madness

March Music Madness: Best Albums of 1994

March Music Madness: Best Albums of '94
March Music Madness: Best Albums of '94MPR

March 11, 2024

The Current’s March Music Madness is here. This year, we’re celebrating the 30th anniversary of the amazing albums released in 1994.

We’ve identified 64 of the best albums of 1994 to go head-to-head to determine the top record of the year. Between Monday, March 18, and Thursday, March 21, we’re playing songs on-air as part of each daily matchup.

Every day, from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., we’ll open a new matchup for voting every half hour. At the end of the day on Thursday, we’ll announce the top album of 1994, as voted by The Current’s listeners.

To download the March Music Madness bracket below, login to your user profile with The Current.

DOWNLOAD:

Share a photo of your paper bracket predictions using the #MarchMusicMadness hashtag. And enter for a chance to win a Summer at Surly prize pack featuring tickets to Pixies, Modest Mouse, and Cat Power; Black Pumas; Andrew Bird and Nickel Creek; and Mt. Joy.

March Music Madness 2024

March Music Madness 2024 final bracket
Green Day 'Dookie' wins March Music Madness 2024 as the top album of 1994.
MPR

Thursday, March 21

  • Round 3 (Thursday, March 21) 8 a.m.-noon

Matchup 49: Green Day - Dookie (51%) over Stone Temple Pilots - Purple (49%)

Matchup 50: Nirvana - MTV Unplugged in New York (69%) over Dave Matthews Band - Under the Table and Dreaming (31%)

Matchup 51: Oasis - Definitely Maybe (51%) over The Offspring - Smash (49%)

Matchup 52: R.E.M. - Monster (52%) over Beck - Mellow Gold (48%)

Matchup 53: Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album) (52%) over Liz Phair - Whip-Smart (48%)

Matchup 54: Pearl Jam - Vitalogy (51%) over Soundgarden - Superunknown (49%)

Matchup 55: Beastie Boys - Ill Communication (75%) over Ween - Chocolate and Cheese (25%)

Matchup 56: The Cranberries - No Need to Argue (51%) over Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral (49%)

  • Round 4 (Thursday, March 21) 1 p.m.-3 p.m.

Matchup 57: Green Day - Dookie (51%) over Nirvana - MTV Unplugged in New York (49%)

Matchup 58: Oasis - Definitely Maybe (51%) over R.E.M. - Monster (49%)

Matchup 59: Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album) (51%) over Pearl Jam - Vitalogy (49%)

Matchup 60: Beastie Boys - Ill Communication (51%) vs. The Cranberries - No Need to Argue (49%)

  • Final Four (Thursday, March 21) 3 p.m.-4 p.m.

Matchup 61: Green Day - Dookie (52%) over Oasis - Definitely Maybe (48%)

Matchup 62: Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album) (51%) over Beastie Boys - Ill Communication (49%)

  • 3rd Place (Thursday, March 21) 4 p.m.

Matchup 63 (3rd Place): Beastie Boys - Ill Communication (69%) over Oasis - Definitely Maybe (31%)

  • Final (Thursday, March 21) 4:30 p.m.

Matchup 64 (Championship): Green Day - Dookie (51%) over Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album)

Monday, March 18 Results

  • Round 1 Day 1 (Monday, March 18) 8 a.m.-noon; 1 p.m.-5 p.m.

A bracket with band names for March Music Madness 2024
March Music Madness 2024 Day 1 results
MPR
  • Matchup 1: Green Day - Dookie (85%) over Sponge - Rotting Piñata (15%)

  • Matchup 2: Material Issue - Freak City Soundtrack (59%) over Guided by Voices - Bee Thousand (41%)

  • Matchup 3: Blur - Parklife (55%) over Everything But the Girl - Amplified Heart (45%)

  • Matchup 4: Stone Temple Pilots - Purple (64%) over Bush - Sixteen Stone (36%)

  • Matchup 5: Sugar - File Under: Easy Listening (78%) over Run Westy Run - Cockroach Park (22%)

  • Matchup 6: Dave Matthews Band - Under the Table and Dreaming (57%) over Toadies - Rubberneck (43%)

  • Matchup 7: Nirvana - MTV Unplugged in New York (70%) over Live - Throwing Copper (30%)

  • Matchup 8: Luscious Jackson - Natural Ingredients (57%) over Stereolab - Mars Audiac Quintet (43%)

  • Matchup 9: Oasis - Definitely Maybe (73%) over The Stone Roses - Second Coming (27%)

  • Matchup 10: Sonic Youth - Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star (84%) over Jawbox- For Your Own Special Sweetheart (16%)

  • Matchup 11: Jamiroquai - The Return of the Space Cowboy (51%) over Frank Black - Teenager of the Year (49%)

  • Matchup 12: The Offspring - Smash (57%) over Bad Religion - Stranger Than Fiction (43%)

  • Matchup 13: R.E.M. - Monster (75%) over Meat Puppets - Too High to Die (25%)

  • Matchup 14: Portishead - Dummy (83%) over Massive Attack - Protection (17%)

  • Matchup 15: Boyz II Men - II (75%) over Des’ree - I Ain’t Movin’ (25%)

  • Matchup 16: Beck - Mellow Gold (52%) over Cake - Motorcade of Generosity (48%)

Tuesday, March 19 Results

  • Round 1 Day 2 (Tuesday, March 19) 8 a.m.-noon; 1 p.m.-5 p.m.

    A bracket with band names for March Music Madness 2024
    March Music Madness 2024 Day 2 results
    MPR graphic
  • Matchup 17: Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album) (75%) over Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary (25%)

  • Matchup 18: Jeff Buckley - Grace (56%) over Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Let Love In (44%)

  • Matchup 19: Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (75%) over Built to Spill - There’s Nothing Wrong With Love (25%)

  • Matchup 20: Liz Phair - Whip-Smart (50.1%) over Tori Amos - Under the Pink (49.9%)

  • Matchup 21: TLC - Crazysexycool (88%) over Mary J. Blige - My Life (12%)

  • Matchup 22: Soundgarden - Superunknown (62%) over Alice In Chains - Jar Of Flies (38%)

  • Matchup 23: OutKast - Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (51%) over Nas - Illmatic (49%)

  • Matchup 24: Pearl Jam - Vitalogy (70%) over The Tragically Hip - Day for Night (30%)

  • Matchup 25: Beastie Boys - Ill Communication (83%) over Digable Planets - Blowout Comb (17%)

  • Matchup 26: Hole - Live Through This (62%) over Veruca Salt - American Thighs (38%)

  • Matchup 27: Ween - Chocolate and Cheese (81%) over The Wedding Present - Watusi (19%)

  • Matchup 28: The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die (52%) over Warren G - Regulate… G Funk Era (48%)

  • Matchup 29: Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral (79%) over Spearhead - Home (21%)

  • Matchup 30: Tom Petty - Wildflowers (68%) over Johnny Cash - American Recordings (32%)

  • Matchup 31: Soul Coughing - Ruby Vroom (77%) over G. Love and Special Sauce - G. Love and Special Sauce (23%)

  • Matchup 32: The Cranberries - No Need to Argue (91%) over Luna - Bewitched (9%)

Wednesday, March 20 Results

  • Round 2 (Wednesday, March 20) 8 a.m.-noon; 1 p.m.-5 p.m.

A bracket with band names for March Music Madness 2024
March Music Madness 2024: where it stands after day 3
MPR graphic/Natalia Toledo
  • Matchup 33: Green Day - Dookie (80%) over Material Issue - Freak City Soundtrack (20%)

  • Matchup 34: Stone Temple Pilots - Purple (52%) over Blur - Parklife (48%)

  • Matchup 35: Dave Matthews Band - Under the Table and Dreaming (51%) over Sugar - File Under: Easy Listening (49%)

  • Matchup 36: Nirvana - MTV Unplugged in New York (82%) over Luscious Jackson - Natural Ingredients (18%)

  • Matchup 37: Oasis - Definitely Maybe (70%) over Sonic Youth - Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star (30%)

  • Matchup 38: The Offspring - Smash (74%) over Jamiroquai - The Return of the Space Cowboy (26%)

  • Matchup 39: R.E.M. - Monster (51%) over Portishead - Dummy (49%)

  • Matchup 40: Beck - Mellow Gold (51%) over Boyz II Men - II (49%)

  • Matchup 41: Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album) (52%) over Jeff Buckley - Grace (48%)

  • Matchup 42: Liz Phair - Whip-Smart (51%) over Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (49%)

  • Matchup 43: Soundgarden - Superunknown (59%) over TLC - Crazysexycool (41%)

  • Matchup 44: Pearl Jam - Vitalogy (56%) over OutKast - Southernplaylisticadillacmuzik (44%)

  • Matchup 45: Beastie Boys - Ill Communication (53%) over Hole - Live Through This (47%)

  • Matchup 46: Ween - Chocolate and Cheese (51%) over The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die (49%)

  • Matchup 47: Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral (58%) over Tom Petty - Wildflowers (42%)

  • Matchup 48: The Cranberries - No Need to Argue (51%) over Soul Coughing - Ruby Vroom (49%)