Music is a big part of any person`s life. This art form has been around for ages literally speaking. It is a way of expressing the most beautiful and intense feelings people experience. The music business has been witness to some of the greatest artists the world has ever known. Since communication has become a world-wide affair some artists have managed to come up with creations of epic proportions that ensured those individuals a place in history. It is hard to separate them and their albums because many factors are to be taken into consideration. For some it’s just a matter of taste, for others its technique and so on. It is basically impossible to make a top five unanimous choice when it comes to songs or albums no matter how many people you question. The best way of making a short list that could reflect part of the truth is to categorize albums by the number of buyers they managed to gather over the years. According to the most recent studies there are only five albums that have sold more than 20 million copies.
These are our top 5 grossing albums ever:
5. Billy Joel’s “Greatest Hits Vol. I & II”
Starting off at number 5 we begin with “Billy Joel’s “Greatest Hits Vol. I & II”. Born in 1949 in the Bronx, William Martin Joel was inspired by the Beatles. He decided to go solo in 1971 after seven years spent as part of a group called “Attila”. He became famous because of the highly praised song called “Piano Man”. He became part of the Songwriters Wall of Fame in 1992. Currently counting 21 million albums sold, this double disc combo entitled “Greatest Hits” was released in 1985. It is part of a three title structure that saw its finalization in 1997. The RIAA certified it as a double diamond album being closely behind Pink Floyd`s “The Wall” and Led Zeppelin`s “Led Zeppelin 4”. It contains two never before heard tracks called “You`re Only Human” and “The Night Is Still Young”. The type of music provided through this album set is categorized as Electronic-Pop-Rock and takes on different song styles that include ballads, classic rock music or synth-pop.
4. Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”
The fourth group of artists to see this special list is Pink Floyd. Their album entitled “The Wall” just overtook Billy Joel. With 23 million copies sold, this set of songs is considered by many the best ever to reach the public`s ears. It was so good Hollywood even decided to make a movie that went by the same name. This incredible group was composed out of David Gilmour, Rick Wright, Nick Mason, Roger Waters, Syd Barret, Rado Klose and Jon Carin. They all got the incredible honor of making it to the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. The Wall was released on the 30th of November 1979. All the songs were written by Waters and embraced one genre only and that was rock. The style that was specific to their songs is entitled Progressive Rock.
3. Led Zeppelin`s “Led Zeppelin IV (Swan Song)
Ranking number three on the bestselling albums of all time is Led Zeppelin`s – “Led Zeppelin IV (Swan Song)” with 23 million sold. It is this English band`s fourth album and it saw daylight on the 8th of November 1971. It has been given many titles as the one mentioned before is not the actual name for this set of songs. It came with great success and delivered hard rock, heavy metal and folk rock recordings. It was released under the Atlantic Label and it was produced by Jimmy Page. It featured songs like “Black Dog” and “Going to California”.
2. Michael Jackson`s “Thriller”
The silver medal goes to Michael Jackson`s “Thriller”. Selling a whopping 27 million copies, this incredible album made music history. It was Michael`s sixth album and was released on the 30th of November 1982. It had a length of 42:19 minutes and incorporated genres such as pop, R&B, post-disco, rock and funk. It was produced by Quincy Jones and released under the Epic Label. It featured songs like “Billie Jean”, “Beat It” and “Thriller”.
1. The Eagle’s “Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975″
The best selling album of all time belongs to The Eagles and is entitled – “Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975″. It currently ranks number one on the RIAA list with 29 million sold. Released on the 17th of February 1976, under the Asylum Label, this album was composed out of ten songs. It contained a never before heard song entitled “Desperado”. Among others you should remember are chart leaders such as “Tequila Sunrise”, “One of these nights” and “Best of My Love”
