DEAM Posted March 11, 2003 Share Posted March 11, 2003 Top-Selling Record Albums of All Time Recording Industry Association of America's Diamond Awards The RIAA certifies recordings that sell 10,000,000 or more copies as diamond. 27 Million Their Greatest Hits 19711975, Eagles (Elektra) 26 Million Thriller, Michael Jackson (Epic) 23 Million The Wall, Pink Floyd (Columbia) 22 Million Led Zeppelin IV, Led Zeppelin (Swan Song) 21 Million Greatest Hits Volumes I & II, Billy Joel (Columbia) 19 Million Back in Black, AC/DC (Elektra) The Beatles, The Beatles (Capitol) 18 Million Come On Over, Shania Twain (Mercury Nashville) Rumours, Fleetwood Mac (Warner Bros.) 17 Million The Bodyguard (Soundtrack), Whitney Houston (Arista) 16 Million Boston, Boston (Epic) Cracked Rear View, Hootie & the Blowfish (Atlantic) Hotel California, Eagles (Elektra) Jagged Little Pill, Alanis Morissette (Maverick) No Fences, Garth Brooks (Capitol Nashville) The Beatles 19671970, The Beatles (Capitol) 15 Million Appetite for Destruction, Guns 'N Roses (Geffen) Born in the U.S.A., Bruce Springsteen (Columbia) Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd (Capitol) Greatest Hits, Elton John (Rocket) Physical Graffiti, Led Zeppelin (Swan Song) Saturday Night Fever (Soundtrack), Bee Gees (Polydor/Atlas) The Beatles 19621966, The Beatles (Capitol) 14 Million Backstreet Boys, Backstreet Boys (Jive) Bat Out of Hell, Meat Loaf (Epic) Double Live, Garth Brooks (Capitol Nashville) Ropin' the Wind, Garth Brooks (Capitol Nashville) Supernatural, Santana (Arista) 13 Million . . .Baby One More Time, Britney Spears (Jive) Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band Live 19751985 (Box set), Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band (Columbia) Millennium, Backstreet Boys (Jive) Purple Rain (Soundtrack), Prince and the Revolution (Warner Bros.) Simon & Garfunkel's Greatest Hits, Simon & Garfunkel (Columbia) Whitney Houston, Whitney Houston (Arista) 12 Million Abbey Road, The Beatles (Capitol) Breathless, Kenny G (Arista) Forrest Gump (Soundtrack) (Epic) Hysteria, Def Leppard (Mercury) II, Boyz II Men (Motown) Kenny Rogers' Greatest Hits, Kenny Rogers (Capitol Nashville) Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin (Atlantic) Metallica, Metallica (Elektra) No Jacket Required, Phil Collins (Atlantic) Slippery When Wet, Bon Jovi (Mercury) The Woman in Me, Shania Twain (Mercury Nashville) Yourself or Someone Like You, matchbox twenty (Atlantic) 11 Million Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Look Tonight (Single), Elton John (Rocket) CrazySexyCool, TLC (LaFace) Dirty Dancing (Soundtrack) (RCA) Houses of the Holy, Led Zeppelin (Atlantic) James Taylor's Greatest Hits, James Taylor (Warner Bros.) No Strings Attached, 'N Sync (Jive) Pieces of You, Jewel (Atlantic) Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles (Capitol) Ten, Pearl Jam (Epic) Titanic (Soundtrack) (Sony Classical) Wide Open Spaces, Dixie Chicks (Monument) 10 Million 1984 (MCMLXXXIV), Van Halen (Warner Bros.) Aerosmith's Greatest Hits, Aerosmith (Columbia) Best of the Doobies, Doobie Brothers (Warner Bros.) Can't Slow Down, Lionel Richie (Motown) Daydream, Mariah Carey (Columbia) Devil Without a Cause, Kid Rock (Lava) Dookie, Green Day (Reprise) Eagles Greatest Hits, Vol. II, Eagles (Elektra) Eliminator, ZZ Top (Warner Bros.) Faith, George Michael (Columbia) Falling into You, Celine Dion (550 Music) Human Clay, Creed (Wind-Up Records) Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin (Atlantic) Legend, Bob Marley & the Wailers (Island) Let's Talk About Love, Celine Dion (550 Music/Epic) Life After Death, Notorious B.I.G. (Bad Boy/Arista) Like a Virgin, Madonna (Sire) Music Box, Mariah Carey (Columbia) 'N Sync, 'N Sync (RCA) Nevermind, Nirvana (DGC) Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em, Hammer (Capitol) Tapestry, Carole King (Ode) The Hits, Garth Brooks (Capitol Nashville) The Immaculate Collection, Madonna (Warner Bros.) The Joshua Tree, U2 (Island) The Lion King (Soundtrack) (Walt Disney) Tragic Kingdom, No Doubt (Trauma/Interscope) Unplugged, Eric Clapton (Reprise) Van Halen, Van Halen (Warner Bros.) *Through 11/14/2001. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted March 11, 2003 Share Posted March 11, 2003 Interesting that out of all those listed, I only have a couple of them "Pink Floyd - Darkside of the Moon and The Wall as well as AC/DC Back in Black". Interesting nothing by Rush is up there, or even Styx. I guess it also shows that my music tastes tends to be more eclectic and tends to be outside of the "mainstream". Not surprising to me since I consider so much of that "mainstream" stuff so uninspired and boring (and having the radio keep playing some of that same stuff over and over and over again). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin_tx_16 Posted March 11, 2003 Share Posted March 11, 2003 interesting list, however, it should be posted, but don't move it now, double posts stink, to the music/dvd forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenratboy Posted March 11, 2003 Share Posted March 11, 2003 Wow, thats a lot of crap on it (not the list itself, the music on it) I am glad all my music is not on there L-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruinsrme Posted March 11, 2003 Share Posted March 11, 2003 What about Darkside of the Moon A mere 28.000.000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted March 11, 2003 Share Posted March 11, 2003 ---------------- On 3/11/2003 3:27:56 PM skonopa wrote: Interesting that out of all those listed, I only have a couple of them "Pink Floyd - Darkside of the Moon and The Wall as well as AC/DC Back in Black". Interesting nothing by Rush is up there, or even Styx. I guess it also shows that my music tastes tends to be more eclectic and tends to be outside of the "mainstream". Not surprising to me since I consider so much of that "mainstream" stuff so uninspired and boring (and having the radio keep playing some of that same stuff over and over and over again). ---------------- skonopa's right on target (I also have what he has, and agree; no Styx or Rush?)...but no Kansas: Point of Know return, or anything by Queen, Foreigner, Journey, Heart, The Who, or the Police? Dammit, that list sucks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted March 11, 2003 Share Posted March 11, 2003 ---------------- On 3/11/2003 6:30:45 PM jt1stcav wrote: skonopa's right on target (I also have what he has, and agree; no Styx or Rush?)...but no Kansas: Point of Know return, or anything by Queen, Foreigner, Journey, Heart, The Who, or the Police? Dammit, that list sucks! ---------------- Oh yeah, I am a big fan of alot of those other bands/acts. I have that Kansas "Two-on-one" cassette tape (Point of Know Return on one side and Leftoverture on the other). I literally wore that thing out due to listening to it so much! I'll have to get both of those albums on CD (I thought of just downloading the MP3s off the 'net, since I do "legally" own a copy of the music (Oh no, the Record Nazis, ahem, the RIAA, would not like that at all!), but I do want the actual CDs, though). To add to the list: Asia, The Cars, Yes, Peter Gabrial. Not even Bush or Stabbing Westward! Of course, getting more eclectic: Stratovarious, Deadsy, 30 Seconds To Mars, to name a few. Hey, at least Def Leppard made the list! Looking through that list again, I do see some decent stuff, such as The Eagles (at least it is not Eminem at the top - yech). Lots of Led Zepplin and The Beatles on there also. Sure is a lot of crap in there also, such as Backstreet Girls, N'Stynk, Celine Dion, and Britany Spears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnm Posted March 11, 2003 Share Posted March 11, 2003 This type of list must always be taken with a grain of salt. They are frequently interesting but not always accurate. The soundtrack from Oh Brother Where Art Thou does not appear anywhere on that list even though it is the largest selling movie soundtrack in history and to date has sold something in excess of 12,000,000 copies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ant_killer2 Posted March 11, 2003 Share Posted March 11, 2003 lynnm, this may be the case or not- on the bottom of the list it says *through 11/14/01. im not really sure when the movie/soundtrack came out, but this may be why it does not have o brother where art thou on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted March 11, 2003 Share Posted March 11, 2003 ---------------- On 3/11/2003 8:27:28 PM lynnm wrote: This type of list must always be taken with a grain of salt. They are frequently interesting but not always accurate. ---------------- Not accurate according to our tastes, but of the average schmuck/consumer. For instance, Shania Twain beat out Fleetwood Mac by a million records? Ya gotta be kiddin'! And what about ELO, Chicago, and Rolling Stones? What's the world of music lovers today coming to? 'N Sync? Notorious B.I.G.? Why Spears? Damn kids today don't know what good music is anymore! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted March 11, 2003 Share Posted March 11, 2003 It is interesting to me in that it shows I'm not too much of an old fogie; if recordings are a figure of merit. Perhaps it is not. I've owned, worn out, or lost a fair number over the years. It is interesting to consider how many of these albums or performers "have legs." I followed DSotM for some time on Billboard's survey of top 100 albums. It was on that chart for more than 500 weeks, roughly 10 years. It might have benefitted from being available when CD players came on line. Perfect software for the new hardware. Also, some "greatest of" reflect ongoing popularity of the groups. For example, no one Beatle album reached near the top of this list. Yet as a whole, the Fab Four must hold some record for recordings sold. Then we have the issue of sales of individual song titles. Yesterday used to vie with White Christmas. We also do not see classical works. Beethoven's 9th and 5th may well eclipse many of the pop items. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolly Roger Posted March 11, 2003 Share Posted March 11, 2003 I would like to point out that this is just US sales.I know Thriller has sold over 50 million copies worldwide... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djk Posted March 12, 2003 Share Posted March 12, 2003 I love '10' lists, you know the kind: 10 best, 10 worst. For movies: 7 of the 10 best never made it to town, and 7 of the 10 worst are still playing. To retain what little is left of my sanity, I quit listening to music on the radio so long ago I can't remember the date. I dumpstered the TV earlier, around '74 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Garrison Posted March 12, 2003 Share Posted March 12, 2003 The caption says "Top Selling Record Albums of All Time" Does that mean these are *RECORD* sales, which would not include CD releases, or *ALBUM* sales, which would (I suppose) include records, cassettes, 8 track, and CD? (Listed in order of relative fidelity... ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted March 12, 2003 Share Posted March 12, 2003 Back in the late 1980's, it was noted that the largest volume selling 45rpm record of all time WORLDWIDE was not only a "pop" tune, but was it was also not even originally released on 45 rpm in STEREO! The song on it that made it the largest selling 45 rpm record of all time was ALSO not even written by members of the band who recorded it!! The songriter was Bob Dylan The band was The Byrds The song was "Mr. Tambourine Man" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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