Best Selling Albums Of All Time
Updated: 21/4/2012
Ever wondered what the highest selling albums of all time are? Look no further! If you like this post, explore my site or check out my others –
- Highest Selling Artists Of All Time
- Best Selling Movie Soundtracks
- ARIA Number 1s 1940 – 2011
- Official UK Number 1 Singles Chart: 1952 – 2011
- US Number 1 Singles Chart 1940 – 2011
- Longest Song in History
- Shortest Song in History
Come check out the directory for the rest of my projects and post series!
| Artist | Album | Year Released | Sales (Millions) |
| Michael Jackson | Thriller | 1982 | 70-110 |
| Pink Floyd | The Dark Side of the Moon | 1973 | 50 |
| AC/DC | Back in Black | 1980 | 49 |
| Whitney Houston / Various artists | The Bodyguard | 1992 | 44 |
| Meat Loaf | Bat Out of Hell | 1977 | 43 |
| Eagles | Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) | 1976 | 42 |
| Various artists | Dirty Dancing | 1987 | 42 |
| Backstreet Boys | Millennium | 1999 | 40 |
| Bee Gees / Various artists | Saturday Night Fever | 1977 | 40 |
| Fleetwood Mac | Rumours | 1977 | 40 |
| Shania Twain | Come On Over | 1997 | 39 |
| Led Zeppelin | Led Zeppelin IV | 1971 | 37 |
| Alanis Morissette | Jagged Little Pill | 1995 | 33 |
| The Beatles | Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band | 1967 | 32 |
| Celine Dion | Falling into You | 1996 | 32 |
| Mariah Carey | Music Box | 1993 | 32 |
| Michael Jackson | Dangerous | 1991 | 32 |
| The Beatles | 1 | 2000 | 31 |
| Celine Dion | Let’s Talk About Love | 1997 | 31 |
| Elton John | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | 1973 | 31 |
| Bee Gees | Spirits Having Flown | 1979 | 30 |
| Bruce Springsteen | Born in the U.S.A. | 1984 | 30 |
| Dire Straits | Brothers in Arms | 1985 | 30 |
| James Horner | Titanic | 1997 | 30 |
| Madonna | The Immaculate Collection | 1990 | 30 |
| Michael Jackson | Bad | 1987 | 30 |
| Pink Floyd | The Wall | 1979 | 30 |
| Nirvana | Nevermind | 1991 | 26 |
| ABBA | ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits | 1992 | 28 |
| Backstreet Boys | Backstreet’s Back | 1997 | 28 |
| Bon Jovi | Slippery When Wet | 1986 | 28 |
| Guns N’ Roses | Appetite for Destruction | 1987 | 28 |
| Various artists | Grease | 1978 | 28 |
| Spice Girls | Spice | 1996 | 28 |
| Santana | Supernatural | 1999 | 27 |
| Britney Spears | …Baby One More Time | 1999 | 26 |
| Carole King | Tapestry | 1971 | 25 |
| Iron Butterfly | In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida | 1968 | 25 |
| Mariah Carey | Daydream | 1995 | 25 |
| Queen | Greatest Hits | 1981 | 25 |
| Simon & Garfunkel | Bridge over Troubled Water | 1970 | 25 |
| U2 | The Joshua Tree | 1987 | 25 |
| Whitney Houston | Whitney Houston | 1985 | 25 |
| Metallica | Metallica | 1991 | 25 |
| Backstreet Boys | Black & Blue | 2000 | 24 |
| Linkin Park | Hybrid Theory | 2000 | 24 |
| Madonna | True Blue | 1986 | 24 |
| Ace of Base | Happy Nation/The Sign | 1994 | 23 |
| Oasis | (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? | 1995 | 22 |
| Dido | No Angel | 1999 | 21 |
| Madonna | Like a Virgin | 1984 | 21 |
| Adele | 21 | 2011 | 20 |
| Billy Ray Cyrus | Some Gave All | 1992 | 20 |
| Bob Marley & The Wailers | Legend: The Best of Bob Marley & The Wailers | 1984 | 20 |
| Blondie | Parallel Lines | 1978 | 20 |
| Bon Jovi | Cross Road | 1994 | 20 |
| Britney Spears | Oops!…I Did It Again | 2000 | 20 |
| Céline Dion | The Colour of My Love | 1993 | 20 |
| Cher | Believe | 1999 | 20 |
| Def Leppard | Hysteria | 1987 | 20 |
| George Michael | Faith | 1987 | 20 |
| Janet Jackson | janet. | 1993 | 20 |
| Madonna | Ray of Light | 1998 | 20 |
| Michael Jackson | HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I | 1995 | 20 |
| Michael Jackson | Off the Wall | 1979 | 20 |
| Norah Jones | Come Away with Me | 2002 | 20 |
| Prince & The Revolution | Purple Rain | 1984 | 20 |
| Spice Girls | Spiceworld | 1997 | 20 |
| Tina Turner | Private Dancer | 1984 | 20 |
| Usher | Confessions | 2004 | 20 |
| Eminem | The Eminem Show | 2002 | 20 |
| Shania Twain | Up! | 2002 | 20 |
| Andrea Bocelli | Romanza | 1997 | 20 |
| Shania Twain | The Woman In Me | 1995 | 20 |
| Whitney Houston | Whitney | 1987 | 20 |
| Barbra Streisand | Guilty | 1980 | 20 |
| Boston | Boston | 1976 | 20 |
It’s interesting, there hasn’t been an album that has sold over 20 million copies since Usher in 2004. (Adele has finally broken the curse!) This I think can be down to two things:
1. There are many more bands that can infiltrate the music business now, as anyone can now upload their own tracks online, use recording software to record and burn to CD….the market is getting flooded. This means that radio stations have much, much more music to choose from, making songs have less of an impact as listeners will hear a much wider variety of songs (well, if they choose to play them) and so the fixation on a particular band/album is not as strong as it once was.
2. I think this is MUCH MUCH more likely to be the reason – illegal downloading. It’s gotten to the point where people are just downloading whatever they can get their hands on. Doesn’t matter that they will never listen to it, let alone take enough time to appreciate the effort that has gone into making the album. What I find very sad is that younger kids these days are beginning to believe that this is the only way to obtain music. Very odd, and if it keeps up, who knows what will happen to the music industry. Sure, if you want to find more music, you don’t want to buy it if you have no idea if you will like it, but if you do like it, and listen to it, you should support that artist. It would be like going to work, working all week then not being paid.
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Submeg
music
SUBMEG 
Album sales haven’t sold highly since ushers 2004 simply due to 1 fact, illegal downloading!!!!!!
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I hear you! It sucks that people think that just because it’s possible,that they should.The album wasn’t made for free and just because you can download it, that you should. Seriously, if you download an album and find you like it, go buy it! Support the people that make the music, if they aren’t paid eventually they won’t be around
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