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Music Trivia World

Best Selling Albums of All-time

Music Trivia World presents the following list of best selling albums of all time. Figures are somewhat subjective, given the different accounting methods over different eras, the onset of digital music sales, and the fact that there is no universal governing body for tracking music sales world-wide. These lists are based on the most authoritative groups in the field (RIAA, Guinness World Records, etc.).


THE BEST SELLING ALBUMS OF ALL TIME

Album(s) claimed to have sold at least 100 million copies:

1. Michael Jackson-Thriller (1982)


Albums claimed to have sold at least 40 million copies:

1. AC/DC - Back in Black (1980)

2. The Eagles - Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 (1976)

3. Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

4. Various Artists / Bee Gees -Saturday Night Fever (1977)


Albums claimed to have sold at least 30 million copies:

1. Alanis Morissette- Jagged Little Pill (1995)

2. Michael Jackson - Dangerous (1991)

3. Backstreet Boys - Millennium (1999)

4. The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

5. Michael Jackson - Bad (1987)

6. Boyz II Men - II (1995)

7. Céline Dion - Falling Into You (1996)

8. Céline Dion - Let's Talk About Love (1997)

9. Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms (1985)

10. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours (1977)

11. James Horner/Various - Titanic (soundtrack) (1997)

12. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV (1971)

13. Meat Loaf - Bat out of Hell (1977)

14. Pink Floyd - The Wall (1979)

15. Shania Twain - Come on Over (1997)

16. Various Artists / Whitney Houston - The Bodyguard (1992)



Albums claimed to have sold at least 25 million copies:

1. ABBA - Gold - Greatest Hits 1992

2. The Beatles - Abbey Road 1969

3. The Beatles - 1 2000

4. Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet 1986

5. Britney Spears - ...Baby One More Time 1999

6. Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction 1987

7. Tupac Shakur - The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory 1996

8. Madonna - The Immaculate Collection 1990

9. Mariah Carey - Daydream 1995

10. Mariah Carey - Music Box 1993

11. Metallica - Metallica a.k.a. The Black Album 1991

12. Queen - Greatest Hits 1981

13.Santana - Supernatural 1999

14. Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge over Troubled Water 1970

15. Various Artists - Grease (soundtrack) 1978



Albums claimed to have sold at least 20 million copies:

1. Ace of Base - Happy Nation/The Sign 1993

2. Barbra Streisand - Guilty 1980

3. The Beatles - 1962-1966 1973

4. The Beatles - 1967-1970 1973

5. The Bee Gees - Spirits Having Flown 1979

6. Billy Joel - Greatest Hits, Vols. 1 & 2 1985

7. Blondie - Parallel Lines 1977

8. Britney Spears - Oops!... I Did It Again 2000

9. Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A. 1984

10. Céline Dion - All the Way... A Decade of Song 1999

11. Michael Jackson - Off the Wall 1979

12. Céline Dion - The Colour of My Love 1993

13. Cher - Believe 1999

14. Carole King - Tapestry 1971

15. The Eagles - Hotel California 1976

16. Elton John - Greatest Hits 1974

17. Michael Jackson- "HIStory-Past, Present & Future, Book I" 1995

18. Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP 2000

19. Eminem - The Eminem Show 2002

20. Garth Brooks - Double Live 1990

21. Garth Brooks - No Fences 1990

22. Green Day - Dookie 1994

23. Julie Andrews/Various - The Sound of Music (O.S.T.) 1965

24. Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory 2000

25. Lionel Richie - Can't Slow Down 1983

26. Madonna - Like a Virgin 1984

27. Madonna - True Blue 1986

28. MC Hammer - Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em 1990

29. Norah Jones - Come Away with Me 2002

30. Ricky Martin - Ricky Martin 1999

31. Simon & Garfunkel - Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits 1972

32. Spice Girls - Spice 1997

33. Tina Turner - Private Dancer 1984

34. U2 - The Joshua Tree 1987

35. Whitney Houston - Whitney Houston 1985


Albums claimed to have sold at least 15 million copies:

1. Abrar-ul-Haq - Billo De Ghar 1995

2. AC/DC - Highway to Hell 1979

3. Andrea Bocelli - Romanza 1997

4. Avril Lavigne - Let Go 2002

5. Backstreet Boys - Black & Blue 2000

6. The Beatles - The White Album 1968

7. Bing Crosby - Merry Christmas 1957

8. Bob Marley - Legend 1984

9. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - E. 1999 Eternal 1995

10. Bon Jovi - Cross Road-The Best of Bon Jovi 1994

11. Bon Jovi - New Jersey 1988

12. Boston - Boston 1976

13. Céline Dion - These Are Special Times 1998

14. The Cranberries - No Need to Argue 1994

15. Def Leppard - Hysteria 1987

16. The Eagles - The Eagles Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 1982

17. Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 1973

18. Elton John - The Very Best of Elton John 1990

19. Elton John & Hans Zimmer - The Lion King (soundtrack) 1994

20. Enigma - MCMXC a.D. 1990

21. Enya - A Day Without Rain 2000

22. Eric Clapton - Unplugged 1992

23. Evanescence - Fallen 2003

24. The Fugees - The Score 1996

25. George Michael - Faith 1987

26. Genesis - We Can't Dance 1991

27. Guns N' Roses - Use Your Illusion I 1991

28. Guns N' Roses - Use Your Illusion II 1991

29. Hootie & The Blowfish - Cracked Rear View 1994

30. Janet Jackson - janet. 1993

31. Journey - Greatest Hits 1988

32. Kenny G. - Breathless 1992

33. Kenny Rogers - Greatest Hits 1980

34. Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 1998

35. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II 1969

36. Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy 1973

37. Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti 1975

38. Madonna - Like a Prayer 1989

39. Madonna - Ray of Light 1998

40. Madonna - Music 2000

41. Mariah Carey - Mariah Carey 1990

42. Mariah Carey - Merry Christmas

43. Mariah Carey - Butterfly 1997

44. Mariah Carey - Number 1's 1998

45. Matchbox Twenty - Yourself or Someone Like You 1996

46. Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell 1993

47. Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells 1973

48. 'N Sync - No Strings Attached 2000

49. Nirvana - Nevermind 1991

50. No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom 1995

51. Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory? 1995

52. Pearl Jam - Ten 1991

53. Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive 1976

54. Phil Collins - No Jacket Required 1985

55. Phil Collins - ...But Seriously 1989

56. Prince - Purple Rain 1984

57. Queen - Greatest Hits II 1991

58. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication 1999

59. R.E.M. - Automatic for the People 1992

60. Shania Twain - The Woman in Me 1995

61. Spice Girls - Spiceworld 1997

62. Supertramp - Breakfast in America 1979

63. U2 - Achtung Baby 1991

64. Usher - Confessions 2004

65. Vanilla Ice - To the Extreme 1990

66. Whitney Houston - Whitney 1987


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