Words: Eric Mackinnon Queen have reached a remarkable milestone by becoming the first act in chart history to reach six millions UK sales of an album. A staggering one in three UK families now houses a copy of their 1981 Greatest Hits album in their music collection – including 124,000 digital versions. The album, which contains Bohemian Rapsody, We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions, has been a huge seller over the past three decades, and guitarist Brian May admitted the figures were ‘incredible’. ”I just want to say thanks to everyone who has supported us through the years, we hope to continue to serve you,” May says in a video message via Official Charts Bandmate Roger Taylor adds: “Wonderful. Who would have thought it? And all due to the great British public. Thank you. A great honour!” The Official Charts Company confirm that the album regularly sells several thousand copies per week, especially around Christmas. Martin Talbot, Chief Executive, explains: “Becoming the first album to pass six million sales is a quite incredible achievement by Queen. “Ever since it was first released in 1981, this package of classic pop and rock tracks has been an indispensable item in every music fan’s record collection – perhaps the definitive greatest hits album.” Queen lead the way at the top of the all-time pile by some 900,000 copies from Abba’s greatest hits collection Gold. Taking third spot is The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, with Adel’s 21 slightly further back in fourth and Oasis’s (What’s the Story) Morning Glory the fifth biggest selling album in UK chart history. The official chart of the biggest UK sales for an album now stands at this: 1 GREATEST HITS QUEEN 1981 2 GOLD – GREATEST HITS ABBA 1992 3 SGT PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND BEATLES 1967 4 21 ADELE 2011 5 WHAT’S THE STORY MORNING GLORY OASIS 1995 6 THRILLER MICHAEL JACKSON 1982 7 THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON PINK FLOYD 1973 8 BROTHERS IN ARMS DIRE STRAITS 1985 9 BAD MICHAEL JACKSON 1987 10 GREATEST HITS II QUEEN 1991 11 THE IMMACULATE COLLECTION MADONNA 1990 12 RUMOURS FLEETWOOD MAC 1977 13 BACK TO BLACK AMY WINEHOUSE 2006 14 STARS SIMPLY RED 1991 15 COME ON OVER SHANIA TWAIN 1997 16 BACK TO BEDLAM JAMES BLUNT 2004 17 URBAN HYMNS VERVE 1997 18 LEGEND BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS 1984 19 BAT OUT OF HELL MEAT LOAF 1977 20 BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER SIMON & GARFUNKEL 1970 21 SPIRIT LEONA LEWIS 2007 22 DIRTY DANCING ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK 1987 23 NO ANGEL DIDO 2000 24 1 BEATLES 2000 25 CRAZY LOVE MICHAEL BUBLE 2009 26 WHITE LADDER DAVID GRAY 1998 27 TALK ON CORNERS CORRS 1997 28 SPICE SPICE GIRLS 1996 29 THE FAME LADY GAGA 2008 30 LIFE FOR RENT DIDO 2003 31 A RUSH OF BLOOD TO THE HEAD COLDPLAY 2002 32 BEAUTIFUL WORLD TAKE THAT 2006 33 ONLY BY THE NIGHT KINGS OF LEON 2008 34 HOPES AND FEARS KEANE 2004 35 THE JOSHUA TREE U2 1987 36 SCISSOR SISTERS SCISSOR SISTERS 2004 37 BUT SERIOUSLY PHIL COLLINS 1989 38 X&Y COLDPLAY 2005 39 THE WAR OF THE WORLDS JEFF WAYNE 1978 40 JAGGED LITTLE PILL ALANIS MORISSETTE 1995
Posted on: Wed, 12 Feb 2014 02:49:37 +0000
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