Amber Books: Best-Selling Albums

Amber Books: Best-Selling Albums: From Vinyl Records to Digital Downloads

This book ranks the top albums of each decade from the 1950s through the 2010s, based on certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The lists for the 1960s through the 2000s are top 20 lists, the 1950s is a top-10 ranking, and the half-decade of 2010-2015 is just a top-5 ranking. While the RIAA offers official certifications for the United States, they don’t accurately capture real sales worldwide. Unfortunately, there isn’t any official source that certifies worldwide albums sales. As such, Dave’s Music Database offers its list of “The World’s All-Time Best-Selling Albums.” This list compiles sales estimates from multiple sources. While that makes these figures less accurate than certified sales records, it offers a closer picture of the actual best-selling albums. Check out other album lists based on charts and sales. Check out other publications and organizations’ best-of album lists here. 1950-1959: Top 10 1. 16 million: Elvis Presley Elvis’ Christmas Album (1957) 2. 5 million: Miles Davis Kind of Blue (1959) 3. 3 million: Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Loewe (composers) My Fair Lady (cast album, 1956) 4. 2 million: Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II (composers) Oklahoma! (soundtrack, 1955) 5. 2 million: Johnny Mathis Merry Christmas (1958) 6. 2 million: Marty Robbins Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs (1959) 7. 2 million: Johnny Mathis Heavenly (1959) 8. 1 million: Nat “King” Cole Love Is the Thing (1959) 9. 1 million: Tennessee Ernie Ford Hymns (1957) 10. 1 million: Meredith Willson (composer) The Music Man (cast album, 1957) 1960-1969: Top 20 1. 20.2 million: The Beatles The Beatles (aka “The White Album”) (1968) 2. 13.7 million: The Beatles Abbey Road (1969) 3. 13.2 million: Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin II (1969) 4. 12.7 million: The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) 5. 10.5 million: Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin I (1969) 6. 7 million: The Beatles Rubber Soul (1965) 7. 6 million: The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour (1967) 8. 5.3 million: The Beatles Revolver (1966) 9. 5 million: The Monkees The Monkees (1966) 10. 5 million: The Monkees More of the Monkees (1967) 11. 5 million: The Beatles Meet the Beatles! (1964) 12. 4.5 million: The Beatles A Hard Day’s Night (1964) 13. 4.5 million: The Jimi Hendrix Experience Are You Experienced? (1967) 14. 4.3 million: Crosby, Stills & Nash Crosby, Stills & Nash (1969) 15. 4.2 million: Iron Butterfly In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida (1968) 16. 4 million: Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison (live, 1968) 17. 3.6 million: Van Morrison Moondance (1970) * 18. 3.6 million: The Beatles Help! (1965) 19. 3.1 million: Simon & Garfunkel Sounds of Silence (1966) 20. 3 million: Blood, Sweat & Tears Blood, Sweat & Tears (1968) * Book identifies this as released in December 1969, but sources typically identify it as a January 1970 release. 1970-1979: Top 20 1. 24.4 million: Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV (1971) 2. 24.3 million: Pink Floyd The Wall (1979) 3. 19.7 million: Fleetwood Mac Rumours (1977) 4. 18.5 million: Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon (1973) 5. 17.9 million: Eagles Hotel California (1976) 6. 17.6 million: Boston Boston (1976) 7. 15.6 million: Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti (1975) 8. 15.4 million: Various artists (Bee Gees et al) Saturday Night Fever (soundtrack, 1977) 9. 15 million: Meat Loaf Bat Out of Hell (1977) 10. 11.5 million: Led Zeppelin Houses of the Holy (1973) 11. 11 million: Carole King Tapestry (1971) 12. 10.5 million: Van Halen Van Halen (1978) 13. 10.3 million: Billy Joel The Stranger (1977) 14. 9.4 million: Various Artists (including Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta) Grease (soundtrack, 1978) 15. 9.3 million: Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life (1976) 16. 8.3 million: Simon & Garfunkel Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970) 17. 8.2 million: Aerosmith Toys in the Attic (1975) 18. 8 million: Michael Jackson Off the Wall (1979) 19. 7.2 million: Jackson Browne Running on Empty (1977) 20. 7.1 million: Eagles The Long Run (1979) 1980-1989: Top 20 1. 31.1 million: Michael Jackson Thriller (1982) 2. 22.1 million: AC/DC Back in Black (1980) 3. 17.1 million: Guns N’ Roses Appetite for Destruction (1987) 4. 16.5 million: Bruce Springsteen Born in the U.S.A. (1984) 5. 14.4 million: Prince & the Revolution Purple Rain (soundtrack, 1984) 6. 14.3 million: Whitney Houston Whitney Houston (1985) 7. 14.1 million: Bon Jovi Slippery When Wet (1986) 8. 13.9 million: Phil Collins No Jacket Required (1985) 9. 13.5 million: Various Artists Dirty Dancing (soundtrack, 1987) 10. 13.5 million: Dire Straits Brothers in Arms (1985) 11. 13.2 million: Bruce Springsteen Live 1975/1985 (live box set, 1986) 12. 13 million: Michael Jackson Bad (1987) 13. 13 million: Def Leppard Hysteria (1987) 14. 12.7 million: U2 The Joshua Tree (1987) 15. 11.4 million: George Michael Faith (1987) 16. 11 million: Madonna Like a Virgin (1984) 17. 11 million: Lionel Richie Can’t Slow Down (1983) 18. 10.8 million: Whitney Houston Whitney (1987) 19. 10.5 million: Van Halen 1984 (1984) 20. 10.3 million: Various Artists Top Gun (soundtrack, 1986) 1990-1999: Top 20 1. 23 million: Shania Twain Come on Over (1997) 2. 19.7 million: Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill (1995) 3. 19.4 million: Various artists (Whitney Houston et al) The Bodyguard (soundtrack, 1992) 4. 16.3 million: Hootie & the Blowfish Cracked Rear View (1994) 5. 16.2 million: Garth Brooks No Fences (1990) 6. 15.7 million: Metallica Metallica (aka “The Black Album”) (1991) 7. 15.1 million: Santana Supernatural (1999) 8. 15 million: Garth Brooks Double Live (live, 1998) 9. 14.2 million: Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (U.S. Version, 1997) 10. 14.1 million: Garth Brooks Ropin’ the Wind (1991) 11. 14.1 million: Britney Spears …Baby One More Time (1999) 12. 13.4 million: Backstreet Boys Millennium (1999) 13. 13.2 million: Pearl Jam Ten (1991) 14. 13.1 million: Celine Dion Falling into You (1996) 15. 12.7 million: Dixie Chicks Wide Open Spaces (1998) 16. 12.4 million: Matchbox 20 Yourself or Someone Like You (1996) 17. 12.3 million: Shania Twain The Woman in Me (1995) 18. 12.2 million: Kenny G Breathless (1992) 19. 12.2 million: Various Artists Forrest Gump (soundtrack, 1994) 20. 12 million: Boyz II Men II (1994) 2000-2009: Top 20 1. 13.4 million: Norah Jones Come Away with Me (2002) 2. 13.3 million: Eminem The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) 3. 13 million: Shania Twain Up! (2002) 4. 13 million: N Sync No Strings Attached (2000) 5. 11.8 million: Eminem The Eminem Show (2002) 6. 11.7 million: Linkin Park Hybrid Theory (2000) 7. 11.5 million: Usher Confessions (2004) 8. 11.3 million: Britney Spears Oops!...I Did It Again (2000) 9. 11 million: OutKast Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003) 10. 9 million: 50 Cent Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2003) 11. 8.8 million: Nelly Country Grammar (2000) 12. 8.8 million: Evanescence Fallen (2003) 13. 8.6 million: Nickelback All the Right Reasons (2005) 14. 8.5 million: Avril Lavigne Let Go (2002) 15. 8.1 million: Green Day American Idiot (2004) 16. 7.9 million: Various Artists O Brother Where Art Thou? (soundtrack, 2000) 17. 7.7 million: Shaggy Hot Shot (2000) 18. 7.6 million: Kelly Clarkson Breakaway (2004) 19. 7.5 million: Limp Bizkit Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water (2000) 20. 7.5 million: Enya A Day without Rain (2000) 2010-2015: Top 5 1. 14.8 million: Adele 21 (2011) 2. 6.2 million: Michael Bublé Christmas (2011) 3. 5.4 million: Eminem Recovery (2010) 4. 4.9 million: Various Artists Frozen (soundtrack, 2013) 5. 4.5 million: Taylor Swift Speak Now (2010) Resources and Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: Best-of Album Lists: Charts/Sales Dave’s Music Database: Best-of Album Lists by Publications/Organizations Michael Spilling (editor) (2015). Best-Selling Albums: From Vinyl Records to Digital Downloads. Amber Books Ltd.: London, United Kingdom. Dave’s Music Database “The World’s All-Time Best-Selling Albums” First posted 11/26/2024.