According to The Independent, The Beatles’ game-changing album, Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, has been hailed as the most popular British album of all time.
Dropped in 1967, the classic album has been picked as the favourite record in UK chart history with a whopping 5.34 million combined sales. The influential LP has songs such as A Day In The Life and Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, on an indisputably excellent experimental release.
Compiled by the Official Charts Company, the album tops the chart that ranks releases by physical sales, downloads and streams in the UK. At the heart of this concept release is a record that centres around a fictional Edwardian military band. This now confirms Sir Paul McCartney’s place as the most successful album artist in UK chart history.
Sgt Peppers has beaten Adele’s 21, which got second place on the chart, to be counted down on BBC Radio 2’s Pick Of The Pops. Adele’s record achieved 5.11 million sales. Oasis’ album (What’s The Story) Morning Glory got to third with 4.94 million sales. Fourth place was granted to Pink Floyd’s 1973 epic record Dark Side Of The Moon with 4.47 million sales. This beat out Michael Jackson’s 1982 record Thriller which had nearly equal sales.
Completing the top 10 is Dire Straits’ Brothers In Arms, Michael Jackson’s Bad, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black, and Adele scoring high again with 25. The Official Charts Company says that Coldplay have the most releases in the top 40 of the brand new chart. They had three records in total with A Rush Of Blood To The Head, X&Y and Parachutes all in the chart.
Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel spent the most time at the top of the chart, with an impressive 33-week run. Although in the top five, Dark Side Of The Moon, never bagged the top spot.
The chart has been compiled and released to honour National Album Day, and the complete ranking will be announced by Paul Gambaccini at 1pm on Saturday.
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