Billboard magazine has long been the leading authority in the music industry when it comes to charting music. They provide a means of gauging quantifiable success of music. The DMDB has aggregated seven different Billboard lists (details at the bottom of the page) which measure the best albums of all time based on various factors such as weeks on the chart, weeks at #1, and sales.
Also, check out annual picks for album of the year.
1. Michael Jackson Thriller (1982)
2. Fleetwood Mac Rumours (1977)
3. Carole King Tapestry (1971)
4. The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
5. Whitney Houston Whitney Houston (1985)
6. The Beatles Abbey Road (1969)
7. Adele 21 (2011)
8. Various artists (Whitney Houston et al) The Bodyguard (soundtrack, 1992)
9. Various artists (Bee Gees et al) Saturday Night Fever (soundtrack, 1977)
10. Dirty Dancing (soundtrack, 1987)
11. Prince & the Revolution Purple Rain (soundtrack, 1984)
12. Pink Floyd The Wall (1979)
13. Guns N’ Roses Appetite for Destruction (1987)
14. George Michael Faith (1987)
15. Grease (soundtrack, 1978)
16. Dire Straits Brothers in Arms (1985)
17. U2 The Joshua Tree (1987)
18. Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
19. Bruce Springsteen Born in the U.S.A. (1984)
20. Metallica Metallica (1991)
21. Garth Brooks Ropin’ the Wind (1991)
22. Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill (1995)
23. M.C. Hammer Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em (1990)
24. Santana Supernatural (1999)
25. Bon Jovi Slippery When Wet (1986)
26. Def Leppard Hysteria (1987)
27. Nirvana Nevermind (1991)
28. Michael Jackson Bad (1987)
29. Backstreet Boys Millenium (1999)
30. James Horner (composer) Titanic (soundtrack, 1997)
31. Lionel Richie Can’t Slow Down (1983)
32. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
33. Mariah Carey Music Box (1993)
34. Paula Abdul Forever Your Girl (1988)
35. Eric Clapton Unplugged (1992)
36. Phil Collins No Jacket Required (1985)
37. Whitney Houston Whitney (1987)
38. Simon & Garfunkel Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970)
39. The Beatles 1 (compilation: 1962-70, released 2001)
40. AC/DC Back in Black (1980)
41. Shania Twain Come on Over (1997)
42. Celine Dion Falling into You (1996)
43. Billy Ray Cyrus Some Gave All (1992)
44. Eagles Hotel California (1976)
45. The Sound of Music (soundtrack, 1965)
46. West Side Story (soundtrack, 1961)
47. Mary Poppins (soundtrack, 1964)
48. Bob Marley & the Wailers Legend (compilation: 1973-83, released 1984)
49. Eminem The Eminem Show (2002)
50. Britney Spears …Baby One More Time (1999)
51. Taylor Swift Fearless (2008)
52. Norah Jones Come Away with Me (2002)
53. Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (U.S. Version, 1997)
54. Linkin Park Hybrid Theory (2000)
55. Garth Brooks No Fences (1990)
56. REO Speedwagon Hi Infidelity (1980)
57. Pearl Jam Ten (1991)
58. Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (1990)
59. Peter Frampton Frampton Comes Alive! (live, 1975)
60. Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass Whipped Cream & Other Delights (1965)
61. Elton John Greatest Hits (compilation: 1970-74)
62. The Police Synchronicity (1983)
63. Taylor Swift 1989 (2014)
64. Men at Work Business As Usual (1981)
65. Foreigner 4 (1981)
66. Usher Confessions (2004)
67. The Beatles A Hard Day’s Night (soundtrack, 1964)
68. Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life (1976)
69. Celine Dion Let’s Talk about Love (1997)
70. The Monkees More of the Monkees (1967)
71. Hair (cast album, 1967)
72. The Monkees The Monkees (1966)
73. Supertramp Breakfast in America (1979)
74. The Lion King (soundtrack, 1994)
75. No Doubt Tragic Kingdom (1995)
76. Asia Asia (1982)
77. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin II (1969)
78. Simon & Garfunkel/Dave Grusin The Graduate (soundtrack, 1968)
79. Green Day Dookie (1994)
80. Michael Jackson Off the Wall (1979)
81. The Beatles Meet the Beatles! (1964)
82. The Eagles The Long Run (1979)
83. Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass What Now My Love (1966)
84. John Cougar Mellencamp American Fool (1982)
85. Creedence Clearwater Revival Cosmo’s Factory (1970)
86. South Pacific (cast album, 1949)
87. Eagles Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 (compilation: 1971-75, released 1976)
88. My Fair Lady (cast album, 1956)
89. The Sound of Music (cast album, 1959)
90. The Music Man (cast album, 1957)
91. Kenny G Breathless (1992)
92. Meat Loaf Bat Out of Hell (1977)
93. Michael Jackson Dangerous (1991)
94. Maurice Jarre Doctor Zhivago (soundtrack, 1966)
95. Vanilla Ice To the Extreme (1990)
96. Taylor Swift Taylor Swift (2006)
97. Hootie & the Blowfish Cracked Rear View (1994)
98. Frozen (soundtrack, 2013)
99. Andy Williams Days of Wine and Roses (1963)
100. Ray Charles Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (1962)
Resources and Related Links:
- 8/4/2020: Wikipedia: “List of Best-Selling Albums”
List used to update “Best-Selling Albums” list from Joel Whitburn’s Top Pop Albums 1955-2009. Includes official certified sales and claimed sales.
- 8/3/2020: “The Biggest #1 Albums in U.S. Chart History”
List especially created by Dave’s Music Database. Update of list from Joel Whitburn’s Top Pop Albums 1955-2009. Ranks albums in the rock and pre-rock era based on weeks at #1.
- 8/2/2020: “The Longest-Charting Albums in U.S. Chart History”
List especially created by Dave’s Music Database. Ranks albums based on total weeks on the Billboard album charts. Update of list from Joel Whitburn’s Top Pop Albums 1955-2009.
- 6/22/2017: “What Is the Greatest Album of All Time According to the Music Industry?”
- 2015: “Greatest of All Time: Billboard 200 Albums”
- 2010: “Top 100 Albums.” Pages 964-5 from Joel Whitburn’s Top Pop Albums 1955-2009 (7th edition)
Top 100 list based on weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
- 2010: “Albums of Longevity.” Page 969 from Joel Whitburn’s Top Pop Albums 1955-2009 (7th edition)
Top 50 list of albums which have charted more than 175 weeks on the Billboard 200 album chart.
- 2010: “Best Selling Albums.” Page 970 from Joel Whitburn’s Top Pop Albums 1955-2009 (7th edition)
A list of all albums certified by the RIAA to have sold 10 million or more copies.
- 11/1/1994: “Top 100 Albums of All Time”
This special list was compiled for the magazine’s 100th anniversary issue.
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Nice list
ReplyDeleteI know there’s always going to be a difference of opinions when it comes to top albums. But not one album by the Rolling Stones? Are you kidding me?
DeleteLook, I'm a big Stones fan and certainly rank them amongst my personal favorite albums. However, this isn't about a matter of opinion. This is (as explained at the top of the page) what Billboard says are the biggest albums, based on data such as most weeks at #1, most weeks on the chart, and biggest sellers.
DeleteWhere is Elvis not even one album in the 100 really
ReplyDeleteBased on the lists I aggregated, he just didn't have an album that made the cut.
Delete