Queen made British history by being the first to sell seven million copies of an individual album. It reports BBC.
Their first ‘Greatest Hits’ compilation from 1981 contained classic singles such as ‘We Will Rock You’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and has been a bestseller for years.
It recently passed its 1,000th week on the UK Albums Chart.
One million copies ahead of ABBA
The band’s guitarist, Brian May, 75, called his latest achievement “good news”.
– No album has done this before in history. “Thank you, we appreciate that,” he said in a statement.
– The British public and their excellent taste have made this album the best-selling album in history, adds drummer Roger Taylor (72).
Best selling British album of all time
- Queen – “Biggest Hit”
- ABBA – “Gold”
- The Beatles – “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”
- Adele – “21”
- Oasis – “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?”
- Michael Jackson – “Thriller”
- Pink Floyd – “The Dark Side of the Moon”
- Strait of Dire – “Brothers In Arms”
- Michael Jackson – “Bad”
- Queen – “Biggest Hit II”
Queen’s “Greatest Hits” leads the album charts of all time with nearly a million copies ahead of ABBA’s 1992 compilation album “Gold”.
– When first released in 1981, compilation albums like “Biggest Hits” were relatively rare, reserved only for the greatest artists, says Martin Talbot, managing director of the official charts.
– There’s no doubt that as much success has been done as other releases to create the hit package the concept album is now as it is today, he told the BBC.
31 most streamed in the world
The band’s second “Greatest Hits” album, released a month before singer Freddie Mercury died in 1991, is also the tenth largest on record in the UK, with sales of around four million.
PUBLISHED ONE MONTH PRIOR: Queen’s “Greatest Hits II” was released just one month before vocalist Freddie Mercury died. Photo: MARCO ARNDT/AP
In 2014, Queen’s “Greatest Hits” became the first album to surpass six million sales in the UK. At the time, the chart only counted “pure” sales – that is, vinyl, cassettes, CDs, and downloads. The following year, streaming was included in the tally, with 1,000 listeners counted as one “sale”.
On Spotify, Queen is currently 31st with the most streams in the world, ahead of other major bands and artists such as The Beatles at 44th, and Michael Jackson at 68th.
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