The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” has been named Britain’s most popular studio album of all time in a new survey by The Official Charts Company.
The groundbreaking 1967 album topped a list of the UK’s 40 most popular records – ranked by combining physical sales, downloads and streams – in honor of the country’s first-ever National Album Day on October 13, which celebrates the 70th anniversary of the format.
“Sgt. Pepper’s” tallied a combined 5.34 million sales, placing them ahead of a Top 5 that includes Adele’s 2011 album, “21”, in second place with 5.11 million, followed by 1995’s “(What’s The Story) Morning Glory” by Oasis at 4.94 million, Pink Floyd’s 1973 classic, “The Dark Side Of The Moon”, at 4.47 million, and Michael Jackson’s 1982 album, “Thriller”, with 4.47 million.
The Top 40 chart – which reflects UK album sales of 135 million copies across more than 60 years – features a total of 25 records by British acts, 8 by US artists, 4 by Canadian acts and 2 by Irish acts; the remaining album is by the US/UK band Fleetwood Mac.
View the Top 10 below and see the full list at officialcharts.com.
Last year, The Beatles released a series of 50th anniversary reissues of “Sgt. Pepper’s” featuring a new stereo mix of the project by Giles Martin – son of original producer George Martin – and Sam Okell that also presented previously-unheard alternate takes from the 1967 studio sessions.
The group will release multiple 50th anniversary expanded versions of their self-titled 1968 double album – commonly known as “The White Album” – on November 9.
UK Official Studio Albums Chart – All-time
The Official Charts Company
October 2018
01 – “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” - The Beatles
02 – “21” – Adele
03 – “(What’s The Story) Morning Glory” – Oasis
04 – “The Dark Side Of The Moon” – Pink Floyd
05 – “Thriller” – Michael Jackson
06 – “Brothers In Arms” – Dire Straits
07 – “Bad” – Michael Jackson
08 – “Rumours” – Fleetwood Mac
09 – “Back To Black” – Amy Winehouse
10 – “25” – Adele
See also:
The Beatles preview White Album reissue with Back In The U.S.S.R. streams
The Beatles announce 50th anniversary editions of The White Album
John Lennon: Imagine box set announced
John Lennon: Imagine film to screen in cinemas this fall
Search The Beatles at hennemusic
