List of best-selling albums: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Undid revision 244798634 by 24.61.115.137 (talk)
Line 12: Line 12:
! Artist !! Album !! Released !! Genre !! Sales (millions) !! Source
! Artist !! Album !! Released !! Genre !! Sales (millions) !! Source
|-
|-
| align="center" | [[Led Zeppelin ]] || align="center" | ''[[Led Zeppelin iv(album)|Thriller]]'' || align="center" | 1982 || align="center" | [[Pop music|Pop]] / [[R&B]] || align="center" | 100–108 || align="center" |<ref name="108 thriller"/><ref name="showbuzz cbsnews">{{cite web|url=http://www.showbuzz.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/06/music/main3461884.shtml??source=RSS&attr=_3461884|title=Michael Jackson Opens Up|date=6 Nov 2007|publisher=CBS Interactive, Inc.|accessdate=2008-05-03}}</ref><ref name="mtv uk">{{cite web |url=http://www.mtv.co.uk/channel/mtvuk/news/16112006/jackos_back |title=Jacko's Back! |accessdate=2006-11-19 |format= |publisher =MTV Networks|date=[[November 16]] [[2006]] }}</ref><ref name="telegraph">{{cite web|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/02/07/bmthriller107.xml|title=Michael Jackson's Thriller|last=McNulty|first=Bernadette |date=07 Feb 2008|publisher=Telegraph Media Group, Ltd.|accessdate=2008-05-03}}</ref><ref name="mirror">{{cite web|url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/showbiz/entertainment/music/2008/02/08/review-michael-jackson-thriller-25th-anniversary-edition-89520-20311945/|title=Michael Jackson - Thriller 25th Anniversary Edition|date=02 Feb 2008|accessdate=2008-05-03}}</ref><ref name="Reuters press release">{{cite web |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS163423+11-Feb-2008+PRN20080211 |title='XM THRILLER: The Music of Michael Jackson' to Launch March 1 on XM |publisher=Reuters |date=[[2008-02-11]]|accessdate=2008-05-05}}</ref>
| align="center" | [[Michael Jackson]] || align="center" | ''[[Thriller (album)|Thriller]]'' || align="center" | 1982 || align="center" | [[Pop music|Pop]] / [[R&B]] || align="center" | 100–108 || align="center" |<ref name="108 thriller"/><ref name="showbuzz cbsnews">{{cite web|url=http://www.showbuzz.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/06/music/main3461884.shtml??source=RSS&attr=_3461884|title=Michael Jackson Opens Up|date=6 Nov 2007|publisher=CBS Interactive, Inc.|accessdate=2008-05-03}}</ref><ref name="mtv uk">{{cite web |url=http://www.mtv.co.uk/channel/mtvuk/news/16112006/jackos_back |title=Jacko's Back! |accessdate=2006-11-19 |format= |publisher =MTV Networks|date=[[November 16]] [[2006]] }}</ref><ref name="telegraph">{{cite web|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/02/07/bmthriller107.xml|title=Michael Jackson's Thriller|last=McNulty|first=Bernadette |date=07 Feb 2008|publisher=Telegraph Media Group, Ltd.|accessdate=2008-05-03}}</ref><ref name="mirror">{{cite web|url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/showbiz/entertainment/music/2008/02/08/review-michael-jackson-thriller-25th-anniversary-edition-89520-20311945/|title=Michael Jackson - Thriller 25th Anniversary Edition|date=02 Feb 2008|accessdate=2008-05-03}}</ref><ref name="Reuters press release">{{cite web |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS163423+11-Feb-2008+PRN20080211 |title='XM THRILLER: The Music of Michael Jackson' to Launch March 1 on XM |publisher=Reuters |date=[[2008-02-11]]|accessdate=2008-05-05}}</ref>
|}
|}


Revision as of 16:31, 12 October 2008

This is a list of the world's best-selling albums. The criteria are that the figure must have been published by a reliable source and the album must have sold at least 20 million copies worldwide. The highest sales figure reported for an album is added to the list. Groupings are based on different sales benchmarks, the highest being for claims of at least 100 million copies, and the lowest being for claims of 20–25 million copies. Albums are listed in order of number of copies sold and there-after by the artist's first name. This list contains any type of album, including studio, greatest hits, compilation, various artists, soundtrack and remix.

A number of issues make exact figures difficult to calculate, historical data before the 1980s and from developing countries are also incomplete. Additionally fans, record companies and the media are prone to exaggerating sales figures to boost the image of the relevant act.

Thriller is the best selling album of all time, though sales figures for the album vary between different sources the album is cited as selling between 45 million and 108 million copies worldwide.[1][2] The Guinness Book of World Records lists it as 65 million copies sold as of 2007.[3]

Over 100 million copies

Artist Album Released Genre Sales (millions) Source
Michael Jackson Thriller 1982 Pop / R&B 100–108 [2][4][5][6][7][8]

40–49 million copies

Artist Album Released Genre Sales (millions) Source
AC/DC Back in Black 1980 Rock 42 [9]
Whitney Houston / Various artists The Bodyguard 1992 Pop / R&B 42 [10]
Eagles Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) 1976 Country 41 [9]
Bee Gees / Various artists Saturday Night Fever 1977 Disco 40 [9]
Pink Floyd The Dark Side of the Moon 1973 Rock 40 [11]

31–39 million copies

Artist Album Released Genre Sales (millions) Source
Meat Loaf Bat out of Hell 1977 Rock 37 [9]
Shania Twain Come on Over 1997 Country / Pop 36 [12]
Backstreet Boys Millennium 1999 Pop 35 [13]
The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 1967 Rock 32 [9]
Celine Dion Falling into You 1996 Pop 32 [14]
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV 1971 Rock 32 [14]
Mariah Carey Music Box 1993 Pop / R&B 32 [15]
Various artists Dirty Dancing 1987 Dance / Pop 32 [9]
Celine Dion Let's Talk About Love 1997 Pop 31 [16]

26–30 million copies

Artist Album Released Genre Sales (millions) Source
Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill 1995 Pop 30 [17]
The Beatles 1 2000 Rock 30 [14]
The Beatles Abbey Road 1969 Rock 30 [14]
Bee Gees Spirits Having Flown 1979 Disco / Pop 30 [18]
James Horner Titanic 1997 Pop 30 [19]
Dire Straits Brothers in Arms 1985 Rock 30 [20]
Fleetwood Mac Rumours 1977 Rock 30 [21]
Michael Jackson Dangerous 1991 Pop / R&B/ New Jack Swing 30 [22]
Michael Jackson Bad 1987 Pop / R&B 29 [14]
Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys 1997 Pop 28 [23]
Bon Jovi Slippery When Wet 1986 Rock 28 [24]
ABBA ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits 1992 Pop 26 [25]
Nirvana Nevermind 1991 Grunge 26 [26]

20–25 million copies

Artist Album Released Genre Sales (millions) Source
Britney Spears ...Baby One More Time 1999 Pop 25 [27]
Guns N' Roses Appetite for Destruction 1987 Rock 25 [28]
Iron Butterfly In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida 1968 Rock 25 [29]
Queen Greatest Hits 1981 Rock 25 [30]
Santana Supernatural 1999 Rock 25 [31]
Whitney Houston Whitney Houston 1985 Pop / R&B 25 [10]
Ace of Base The Sign 1994 Pop 24 [32]
Carole King Tapestry 1971 Pop 24 [33]
Linkin Park Hybrid Theory 2000 Rock 24 [34]
Michael Crawford / Sarah Brightman The Phantom of the Opera 1986 Broadway 24 [35]
Spice Girls Spice 1996 Pop 23 [36]
Madonna The Immaculate Collection 1990 Pop 22 [37]
Metallica Metallica 1991 Heavy metal 22 [38]
Dido No Angel 1999 Pop 21 [39]
Blondie Parallel Lines 1978 New Wave 20 [40]
Bruce Springsteen Born in the U.S.A. 1984 Rock 20 [41]
Celine Dion All the Way… A Decade of Song 1999 Pop 20 [16]
Celine Dion The Colour of My Love 1993 Pop 20 [42]
Cher Believe 1999 Dance / Pop 20 [43]
George Michael Faith 1987 Pop / Soul 20 [44]
Lionel Richie Can't Slow Down 1983 R&B 20 [45]
Madonna True Blue 1986 Pop 20 [46]
Norah Jones Come Away with Me 2002 Jazz 20 [47]
Oasis (What's the Story) Morning Glory? 1995 Rock 20 [48]
Tina Turner Private Dancer 1984 R&B / Rock 20 [49]
U2 The Joshua Tree 1987 Rock 20 [50]
Various artists Grease 1978 Pop 20 [51]
Spice Girls Spiceworld 1997 Pop 20 [52]

See also

References

  1. ^ Huey, Steve. "Biography - Michael Jackson". Macrovision Corp. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  2. ^ a b White, Jim (12 March 2007). "Michael Jackson's Thriller is old hat". Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 2008-05-10.
  3. ^ Winterman, Denise. "Thrills and spills and record breaks". BBC. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  4. ^ "Michael Jackson Opens Up". CBS Interactive, Inc. 6 Nov 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  5. ^ "Jacko's Back!". MTV Networks. November 16 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ McNulty, Bernadette (07 Feb 2008). "Michael Jackson's Thriller". Telegraph Media Group, Ltd. Retrieved 2008-05-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "Michael Jackson - Thriller 25th Anniversary Edition". 02 Feb 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "'XM THRILLER: The Music of Michael Jackson' to Launch March 1 on XM". Reuters. 2008-02-11. Retrieved 2008-05-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ a b c d e f "World's Top Selling Music Albums". TIMEFM.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  10. ^ a b "Whitney Houston". Music Fix, MSN. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
  11. ^ Werde, Bill (05 May 2006). "Floyd's 'Dark Side' Celebrates Chart Milestone". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 2008-05-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ "Shania Twain". A&E Television Networks. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  13. ^ "The boys are back". Windsor Star. 2008-08-07. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
  14. ^ a b c d e "Record-Breakers and Trivia - Albums". Everyhit.com. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  15. ^ Cashmere, Paul (24 April 2008). "Mariah Carey Has the Right Energy in E=MC2". Undercover Pty., Ltd. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  16. ^ a b "The Celine Dion Picture Pages". SuperiorPics.com. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
  17. ^ Fromm, Emily (13 June 2005). "Celeb Spotlight: Alanis Morissette". Time Inc. Retrieved 2008-05-03. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ "The Bee Gees on MSN Music". Microsoft. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  19. ^ "Celine Dion". Hello!. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  20. ^ "Mark Knopfler hurt in crash". BBC. 18 Mar 2003. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  21. ^ Easlea, Daryl (14 Dec 2007). "Fleetwood Mac, Rumours". BBC. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  22. ^ Carter, Kelley L. (2008-08-11). "New jack swing". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
  23. ^ "Backstreet Boys to conquer web". BBC. 25 January 2000. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  24. ^ "On a steel horse Bon Jovi rides to top of the charts". Daily Telegraph. 2008-01-29. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
  25. ^ "ABBA: The Mamma Mia Story". The Irish Independent. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
  26. ^ Thomas, Lou (23 April 2007). "Nirvana, Nevermind". BBC. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  27. ^ "Britney Spears' Biography". FOX News Network, LLC. 04 Feb 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ O' Dell, Dennis (19 March 2008). "Guns N' Roses, Appetite for Destruction". BBC. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  29. ^ Stetz, Michael (2006-04-02). "Iron Butterfly's in an IRA ad? Bummer". Sign on Sandiego. Retrieved 2008-05-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  30. ^ "Photo Gallary - 50 years of pop". BBC. 2002. Retrieved 2008-05-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  31. ^ "Matchbox twenty". vh1. 2002-12-02. Retrieved 2008-05-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  32. ^ "Ace of Base Biography". music city. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  33. ^ "They probably think this book is about them". Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2008-06-02.
  34. ^ "Linkin Park headlines Live Earth Tokyo". Live Earth, LLC. 25 May 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  35. ^ "Phantom of the Opera". 2008 Sony BMG Music Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
  36. ^ "Spice Girls Timeline". BBC. 2007-02-19. Retrieved 2008-05-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  37. ^ "Madonna - Ghv2: Greatest Hits Volume 2". HMV. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
  38. ^ "Nonpoint Singer: I'm Ready to Rock". Vindy.com. 1 Nov 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
  39. ^ "Music to watch girls by". Times Newspapers, Ltd. 25 March 2005. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
  40. ^ "BLONDIE Parallel Lines 30th Anniversary Tour". The Cape Cod Melody Tent. 20 June 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-10.
  41. ^ Walker, Johnny. "Born in the USA". BBC. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  42. ^ "Celine Dion - The French". Unionsquaremusic. Retrieved 2008-05-18.
  43. ^ "Don't Call it a Comeback". Rolling Stone. 23 Jan 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  44. ^ "George Micahel at HP Pavilion at San Jose". Yahoo Inc. 24 Mar 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  45. ^ Collins, Simon (2007-12-17). "Ladies' night and the feeling was right". The West Australian. Retrieved 2008-05-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  46. ^ Pitman, Joanna. "Bloomsbury Auther". Bloomsbury. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
  47. ^ "Global Track Chart". Media Traffic. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  48. ^ "ABC Digital Music Service". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
  49. ^ "Tina Turner Biography". A&E Television Networks. 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  50. ^ "U2". Universal Music Canada. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  51. ^ DeLapp, Bill. "1978 Grease". Celebritywonder.com. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  52. ^ Sinclair, David. "The Prefab Five are back. Are you ready?". The Times. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_best-selling_albums&oldid=244799298"