The UK's biggest studio albums of all time

To mark the first ever National Album Day, Official Charts reveals the UK's biggest studio albums of all time.
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The Beatles’ classic record Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band has been crowned the British public’s all-time favourite studio album, according to a brand new chart due to be counted down on BBC Radio 2 today (Saturday, October 13).

The ground-breaking 1967 LP strides home with 5.34 million combined sales at the top of the all-time Official Studio Albums Chart, which has been compiled by the Official Charts Company to mark today’s National Album Day celebrations.

The confirmation further cements the position of Sir Paul McCartney as the most successful albums artist in UK chart history, racking up 22 Number 1 albums across his illustrious career (15 with The Beatles, 2 with Wings, 4 solo and 1 with Linda McCartney).

The news was confirmed on Saturday, October 13 when the brand new all-time studio albums chart was counted down during a special National Album Day edition of Pick Of The Pops hosted by Paul Gambaccini will be broadcast by BBC Radio 2 from 1-3pm. The full Top 40 is posted below.

Celebrating the incredible feat, Sir Paul McCartney told OfficialCharts.com: "This is really great news. Especially as at the time we were being told, 'You’re gonna lose all your fans with this one.' Before the release some people would say that we had dried up but we knew we had something special - we were having an explosion of creative forces.



"I’ve always been a fan of the album format and with my latest album, Egypt Station, I approached the creation of it as a more traditional ‘album' album. More like a concept to work around.  All the songs didn't need to be hits.  I selected the songs I liked the best with an idea that it was going to be an entity. Pepper was actually an influence on this album.  I remember going to the studio with Greg (Kurstin) saying I’d seen this programme, and I thought on ‘Penny Lane’ it was just one piano that I played but it turns out it was eight! It inspires you and makes you think you can go anywhere.

"To still have Sgt Pepper celebrated after all this time feels like a major achievement and is a huge thrill, something we can be very proud of.  Thanks to everyone who has ever enjoyed it."

The chart - which ranks albums by combining physical sales, downloads and streams in the UK - reflects album sales of 135 million across more than 60 years.

It is topped by an eclectic Top 5 which accounts for approaching 25 million sales on its own, reflecting the music from five different decades. Snapping at The Beatles’ toes are Adele’s 2011 album 21 in second place (5.11m), followed by 1995’s (What’s The Story) Morning Glory by Oasis (4.94m). In fourth place comes Pink Floyd’s 1973 classic Dark Side Of The Moon (4.47m), just ahead of Michael Jackson’s 1982 album Thriller (4.47m).

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (to give it it’s full name) is the only album from the Sixties to make the list, along with six albums from the Seventies, six from the Eighties and eight from the Nineties. The first decade of the new Millennium (2000s) claims most places, with 14 albums, while five albums from the current decade made the list.

The act with most albums in the Top 40 list is Coldplay, with A Rush Of Blood To The Head at 27, X&Y at 32 and Parachutes at 40. Five acts claim two albums in the list – Adele, Dido, Ed Sheeran, Michael Buble and Michael Jackson. In total 33 different acts are represented in the chart.


Rex/Shutterstock

The 40 albums have, between them, notched 343 weeks at Number 1 in the Official Albums Chart, with Simon & Garfunkel’s 1970 classic Bridge Over Troubled Water claiming the longest spell, a total of 33 weeks. Sgt. Pepper’s follows just behind with 28 weeks, ahead of Adele’s 21 on 23 weeks.

The highest ranking album not to reach the number 1 spot is Pink Floyd’s 1973 titles Dark Side Of The Moon (peaked at 2) – it is one of three albums in the rundown which never claimed the top spot, along with Meat Loaf’s Bat Out Of Hell (peaked at 9) and Jeff Wayne’s 1978 album War Of The Worlds (peaked at 5).

Some 25 of the Top 40 are accounted for by British acts, 8 are by US artists, 4 by Canadian acts and 2 by Irish acts; the remaining album is by the US/UK band Fleetwood Mac.

Across the list, 18 are credited to bands, 12 to male artists and 10 to females.

Official Studio Albums Chart - all-time 

POS TITLE TITLE ARTIST YEAR PEAK WKS AT #1 SALES   ACT
1

SGT PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND

BEATLES BEATLES 1967 1 28 5,34M UK BAND
2 21 ADELE ADELE 2011 1 23 5,11M UK FEMALE
3 WHAT'S THE STORY MORNING GLORY OASIS OASIS 1995 1 10 4,94M UK BAND
4 THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON PINK FLOYD PINK FLOYD 1973 2 0 4,47M UK BAND
5 THRILLER MICHAEL JACKSON MICHAEL JACKSON 1982 1 8 4,47M US MALE
6 BROTHERS IN ARMS DIRE STRAITS DIRE STRAITS 1985 1 14 4,35M UK BAND
7 BAD MICHAEL JACKSON MICHAEL JACKSON 1987 1 5 4,14M US MALE
8 RUMOURS FLEETWOOD MAC FLEETWOOD MAC 1977 1 1 4,09M UK / US BAND
9 BACK TO BLACK AMY WINEHOUSE AMY WINEHOUSE 2006 1 6 3,93M UK FEMALE
10 25 ADELE ADELE 2015 1 13 3,50M UK FEMALE
11 STARS SIMPLY RED SIMPLY RED 1991 1 12 3,45M UK BAND
12 COME ON OVER SHANIA TWAIN SHANIA TWAIN 1997 1 11 3,43M CAN FEMALE
13 X ED SHEERAN ED SHEERAN 2014 1 13 3,38M UK MALE
14 BAT OUT OF HELL MEAT LOAF MEAT LOAF 1977 9 0 3,37M US MALE
15 BACK TO BEDLAM JAMES BLUNT JAMES BLUNT 2004 1 10 3,36M UK MALE
16 URBAN HYMNS VERVE VERVE 1997 1 12 3,34M UK BAND
17 BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER SIMON & GARFUNKEL SIMON & GARFUNKEL 1970 1 33 3,26M US BAND
18 SPIRIT LEONA LEWIS LEONA LEWIS 2007 1 8 3,17M UK FEMALE
19 CRAZY LOVE MICHAEL BUBLE MICHAEL BUBLE 2009 1 1 3,13M CAN MALE
20 DIVIDE ED SHEERAN ED SHEERAN 2017 1 20 3,10M UK MALE
21 NO ANGEL DIDO DIDO 2000 1 7 3,09M UK FEMALE
22 WHITE LADDER DAVID GRAY DAVID GRAY 1998 1 2 3,02M UK MALE
23 THE FAME LADY GAGA LADY GAGA 2008 1 7 2,99M US FEMALE
24 ONLY BY THE NIGHT KINGS OF LEON KINGS OF LEON 2008 1 4 2,98M US BAND
25 TALK ON CORNERS CORRS CORRS 1997 1 10 2,96M IRE BAND
26 A RUSH OF BLOOD TO THE HEAD COLDPLAY COLDPLAY 2002 1 3 2,96M UK BAND
27 SPICE SPICE GIRLS SPICE GIRLS 1996 1 15 2,96M UK BAND
28 LIFE FOR RENT DIDO DIDO 2003 1 10 2,90M UK FEMALE
29 THE JOSHUA TREE U2 U2 1987 1 2 2,88M IRE BAND
30 BEAUTIFUL WORLD TAKE THAT TAKE THAT 2006 1 8 2,88M UK BAND
31 HOPES AND FEARS KEANE KEANE 2004 1 5 2,86M UK BAND
32 THE WAR OF THE WORLDS JEFF WAYNE JEFF WAYNE 1978 5 0 2,80M UK MALE
33 X&Y COLDPLAY COLDPLAY 2005 1 4 2,79M UK BAND
34 JAGGED LITTLE PILL ALANIS MORISSETTE ALANIS MORISSETTE 1995 1 11 2,78M CAN FEMALE
35 SCISSOR SISTERS SCISSOR SISTERS SCISSOR SISTERS 2004 1 4 2,76M US BAND
36 TUBULAR BELLS MIKE OLDFIELD MIKE OLDFIELD 1973 1 1 2,76M UK MALE
37 BUT SERIOUSLY PHIL COLLINS PHIL COLLINS 1989 1 15 2,75M UK MALE
38 CHRISTMAS MICHAEL BUBLE MICHAEL BUBLE 2011 1 3 2,75M CAN MALE
39 TRACY CHAPMAN TRACY CHAPMAN TRACY CHAPMAN 1988 1 3 2,71M US FEMALE
40 PARACHUTES COLDPLAY COLDPLAY 2000 1 1 2,71M UK BAND

©2018 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.
Chart is based on album sales and streams from 1956 to wk 39, 2018.

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Peter

2

The amount of Coldplay in this...

Where's Madonna?

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Spitfire

0

Guys you look but do not see...The list is only for Official "STUDIO" Albums..

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Jon Kitching

0

Surely Music Box Mariah, early Whitney, Kylie Minogue Kylie, Abba Gold and Celine Dion should be in there?? Possibly Babs Streisand yes

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BrixTom

1

No ABBA, no MARIAH, no WHITNEY, no CELINE, not even STREISAND in the Top 40? Where are my gays? (Joan RIvers quote). Well, Britain has always been a Pirate nation, so whatever they hear on holidays in Costa Brava or The Canaries, is what they ultimately consume. Sigh!

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jools pirog

1

It says UK albums my friend. Hope this helps

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BrixTom

0

Yes, the UK is very weird in its musical tastes: I cannot forgive them Brexit or the fact they gave a lap dancer (J-) more #1s than MARIAH!!!

NN

Nu No

0

It's not just UK. All Europe countries have very different taste in music from US and the ones with a taste closer to US are UK and Ireland (so just imagine much different the charts are in the other big markets like Germany, France, Italy or Spain)

Mariah had a big problem in European charts. In US she got to #01 many times selling cd-singles at $0.49 and using payola that increases her radio airplay. Sometimes even with both things she stalled at Billboard Hot 100 #02.

UK charts (and all European charts) were always pure sales so her airplay increase (that also existed) wouldn't be refflected in the charts directly but would certainly help singles and albums to sell. Also if new released singles were selling for less than £1,99 they would not be elligible to chart so all songs would be priced at least that (and most were even selling for £2.99 or more). Despite always having her singles at bottom price and having lots of airplay she was not always able to have good chart places. What she achieved was already incredible when you think about it. She was never the European cup of tea vibe as during the 90's Europe was much more into Techo, Dance Music or Pop Ballads and not so much into R&B or Hip Hop vibes (sure some things of all genres did good but looking at the charts during the 90's you can really see that).

We can see that since the start her carreer. Her first single "Vision of Love" was already #02 in European airplay chart (its peak position) and none knew who she was or her song but the single was not even a TOP 40 Hit yet (Payola was certainly involved here). It did eventually helped the single climb and peak #14 in Eurochart Hot 100 ( but still only peaked #09 in UK after 7 weeks climbing and being one of the most played songs in the radio - without such a huge radio support the song would most probably not even peak TOP 20). Still UK is Mariah better market in Europe chartswise and bigger market when it comes to record sales as well.

TF

Thomas Farmer

0

Wow. How very technical and lengthy reply, thank you! Yes I get that, that MARIAH wasn't promoted properly in Europe in the beginning of her career, that is why it took her until the 3rd album MUSIC BOX to break through. I on the other hand, (despite still living in Austria at the time) would listen to Kasey Kasem on a Sunday evening when they repeated the US Billboard Top 40 and or Adult Contemporary Charts (a genre that has almost died out by now). When I heard VISION OF LOVE for the very first time, I knew instantly (just like when I heard ADELE singing CHASING PAVEMENTS) knew that this was a pivotal moment in my life. This was going to be a MASSIVE global superstar just like Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, etc......and time proved me right. What really irritates me is that most people say she cannot sing (anymore) or that her music is boring, when she clearly has been setting the bar exceptionally high ever since 1990. The Golden Trilogy of female pop singers (in the 90ies) was WHITNEY, MARIAH, CELINE for a reason.......

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Spectrum

0

Not surprised really. The Beatles, in my opinion, are the gold standard other artists measure themselves by. The quality of their music is demonstrated by its longevity - forty eight years after their breakup, and they STILL top the all time popularity chart. They were / are unique.

I'm a Baby Boomer, and I don't listen to contemporary music. Most of it is trash. The best stuff was from the sixties to the early to mid eighties. They had originality and creativity. The songs had melody and meaningful lyrics.

Like most of society these days, modern "music" has become decadent, self indulgent and debased. Don't agree ? Then have you watched the music videos these days ?

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giesi

0

I‘d have thought that Thriller would come ahead of Dark Side of the Moon like it did last year in pure sales, especially after factoring in single sales and streams, that‘s hard to believe.

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Bengy

6

Perhaps sales of Thriller25 were excluded this time.

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fasterhorses

1

Gee whiz, wonder how Led Zeppelin, with hundreds of millions (literally) of album sales, somehow couldn't make the top 40.

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Tatty2804

0

They are just not as popular in the UK, as they are in the US. Their highest selling album in the UK is IV, which is probably about the 70th to 80th best selling studio album with around 2m sales and around the 95th to 105th best selling album overall. In total, they have probably shifted around 11m albums in the UK, that's less than what Houses of the Holy (12m), Led Zeppelin II (13m) Led Zeppelin IV (23m) have sold alone in the US.

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Mike Ebilane

1

Im surprised no ABBA studio album in the list.. Maybe Arrival or Super Trouper could snuck in there