I recently watched a YouTube video by a channel called “The Man in Me” which listed out the fifty best-selling albums of all time.
It was a far more random list than I was expecting – some of the classics were there as expected, but other albums seemed really inconsequential and out of place. What I’m trying to say, I suppose, is that I was inspired to get ranking!
Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:
Compilations
I’ve vaguely ranked the “Greatest Hits” album entries by my personal tastes, but feel free to skip over this section if you want.
50 – The Immaculate Collection (Madonna)
I’m not a Madonna fan. The rest of the bands in this Compilation tier are artists I actually like. An easy last place.
49 – Gold: Greatest Hits (ABBA)
I have nothing against ABBA, but my family played their Greatest Hits album so often when I was growing up that I’m now a bit tired of it.
48 – Greatest Hits (Elton John)
A collection of songs from a top songwriter.
47 – Legend: The Best of Bob Marley & The Wailers
It was close between Elton John and Bob Marley, but as of right now I’m jammin’ more with The Wailers.
46 – Their Greatest Hits (Eagles)
The Eagles are one of the best-selling artists of all time, especially their Greatest Hits. All in all, good stuff.
45 – Greatest Hits (Queen)
The top two compilations were hard to separate – Queen have so many hits that everyone loves.
Fun fact – this was the first album I ever bought for myself.
44 – 1 (The Beatles)
It’s an album with every Beatles number one hit. Of course it bangs from start to finish.
Never Listening Again
I listened to these albums for the sake of this ranking, and I hope that’s the last time I’ll ever have to sit through them.
43 – Backstreets Back (Backstreet Boys)
I’m not a Backstreet Boys fan.
42 – Millenium (Backstreet Boys)
I’m still not a Backstreet Boys fans.
41 – … Baby One More Time (Britney Spears)
If I listen to this album one more time, I’ll cry.
40 – Music Box (Mariah Carey)
Never been a fan of Mariah Carey.
39 – True Blue (Madonna)
Never really liked Madonna either. “La Isla Bonita” is a jam, though.
38 – Titanic: Music From The Motion Picture (James Horner)
Only remembered for one song.
37 – Let’s Talk About Love (Celine Dion)
Only remembered for one song … is anyone getting a case of deja vu?
36 – The Bodyguard (Whitney Houston / Various Artists)
Again, “The Bodyguard” soundtrack is really only known for one song, but it’s a pretty damn powerful song.
35 – Dirty Dancing (Various Artists)
A few more songs to enjoy this time around. “She’s Like The Wind” is a personal favourite, and “(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life” is a show-stopper.
34 – No Jacket Required (Phil Collins)
Phil Collins went full Phil Collins for “No Jacket Required”. “Sussudio” is quite catchy.
Enjoyable
I liked these albums. That’s the simple truth.
33 – Come On Over (Shania Twain)
There was a time and a place for Shania Twain – she definitely peaked with “Come On Over”.
32 – Dangerous (Michael Jackson)
Not the most iconic MJ album, but it does have songs like “Black Or White” so it can’t be that bad.
31 – The Eminem Show (Eminem)
I’ve never been as much of an Eminem fan as most other people. “Without Me” is a banger, though.
30 – Come Away With Me (Norah Jones)
A really pleasant album.
29 – Slippery When Wet (Bon Jovi)
80’s cheese – the good kind, for the most part.
28 – Faith (George Michael)
George Michael at his most sensual.
27 – Supernatural (Santana)
Santana’s comeback album. Tracks like “Maria Maria” and “Smooth” still slap.
26 – Unplugged (Eric Clapton)
The best “Unplugged” rendition alongside Nirvana. Not as memorable as Nirvana’s take, though.
25 – Back in Black (AC/DC)
Believe it or not, “Back in Black” was the second best-selling album ever in this list. I never realised AC/DC were so popular.
The title track, “Hells Bells”, “Shoot to Thrill” and “You Shook Me All Night Long” are great. The main problem with AC/DC, though, is that it all sounds the same.
Great Album
There were enough banger tracks on these albums to keep me engaged.
24 – Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture (Various Artists)
“Grease” has always been one of my favourite musicals – it’s one fantastic song after another. It’s all so catchy.
23 – Hybrid Theory (Linkin Park)
“Hybrid Theory” is the ultimate Nu Metal album. Every emo has fallen in love with it at one point or another.
22 – Jagged Little Pill (Alanis Morrisette)
The girlboss album of a generation.
21 – Appetite For Destruction (Guns N’ Roses)
All of my favourite Guns N’ Roses songs are on this album.
20 – Born In The U.S.A. (Bruce Springsteen)
Springsteen at his most anthemic.
19 – The Joshua Tree (U2)
Those opening three songs are killer. The rest I can take or leave.
18 – Bat Out of Hell (Meat Loaf)
I’m going down a bit of a “Bat Out of Hell” rabbit hole at the moment. I constantly think about the title track and “Paradise By the Dashboard Lights” while I’m out an about. You could say it’s my “Roman Empire”.
It clearly resonated with the public, too – it’s the third best-selling album on this list!
17 – Saturday Night Fever (Bee Gees / Various Artists)
The ultimate Disco soundtrack.
16 – Metallica (Metallica)
A sort of comeback album for Metallica, and it gave them recognition on a scale they’d never seen before.
15 – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Elton John)
A classic album from a fantastic songwriter.
14 – Bad (Michael Jackson)
This is a friend of mine’s favourite album, with “Smooth Criminal” being his favourite song ever.
I don’t like it as much as he does, but there’s no denying that MJ was on fire when writing “Bad”.
13 – 21 (Adele)
Probably the best Adele album. My mum used to play “21” all the time, and I was always amazed by the vocal performances.
12 – Tapestry (Carole King)
The more of Carole King and “Tapestry” I hear, the more I’m impressed by her mature songwriting.
All-Time Greats
There’s no doubt that these albums rank among the best of all time.
11 – Thriller (Michael Jackson)
According to my sources, “Thriller” is the best-selling album of all time. Truth be told, I’m not surprised.
It’s an album filled to the brim with fantastic tracks like “Billie Jean” and “Beat It”, and it was when MJ peaked as a songwriter.
10 – Brothers In Arms (Dire Straits)
I don’t know if “Brothers In Arms” is held in as high a regard as some of these other all-time greats, but for me it’s a classic.
“Money For Nothing”, “Walk Of Life”, “Your Latest Trick” and the title track are all incredible.
9 – Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel)
I’ve always liked “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and a few other songs on the album, but it’s only recently that I’ve fallen in love with Simon and Garfunkel’s genius.
I adore tracks like “The Only Living Boy In New York” and “The Boxer” – I can’t believe so many great tracks are in one place.
8 – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (The Beatles)
Probably the most iconic Beatles album. Not my favourite overall, though.
That’s not to say it isn’t awesome – it’s a fantastic concept album through and through, and “A Day In The Life” remains the benchmark for epic album closers.
7 – Purple Rain (Prince)
Prince’s magnum opus.
The songwriting and production are incredible across “Purple Rain”. The title track and “When Doves Cry” especially are all-time greats.
6 – Nevermind (Nirvana)
I think it’s easy these days to dismiss Nirvana as “that Grunge band that did Smells Like Teen Spirit”, but people forget their album “Nevermind” is one of the greatest ever released.
There are so many classics like “Lithium” and “Come As You Are”, and I don’t think any other Grunge album from the era comes close.
5 – The Wall (Pink Floyd)
Slight spoilers, but Pink Floyd have two of the top five albums in my ranking. Not only did they make incredible music consistently, they also sold a butt-load of albums as a result.
“The Wall” has a good shout at being the best concept album in music history. It’s an exceptional double album, and songs like “Comfortably Numb” and “Another Brick In The Wall” still get radio time.
4 – Rumours (Fleetwood Mac)
The story behind “Rumours” is legendary – its production saw multiple break-ups within the band, and every member was at each other’s throats. What should’ve been a disaster turned out to be an unequivocal masterpiece.
Every track here is at least good. The best ones are “Dreams”, “Go Your Own Way” and “The Chain”, but I’m always astounded by the consistency of the whole thing.
3 – Led Zeppelin IV (Led Zeppelin)
Any album with “Stairway To Heaven” is always going to be one of the best albums of all time.
“Black Dog”, “Rock and Roll”, “When The Levee Breaks” … what an album.
2 – The Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd)
Funnily enough, my second favourite album of all time has ended up at second place on this list. No prizes for guessing my personal feelings about the number one album.
“The Dark Side of the Moon” can only be described as an experience. Just sit back, relax, and let the Psychedelic Rock blow your mind.
1 – Abbey Road (The Beatles)
I don’t think any album will ever top “Abbey Road”. Ever.
It’s the best band of all time at the peak of their powers, with a first half made up of classics like “Come Together”, “Something” and “Here Comes the Sun”, and a second half medley so good it feels just as invigorating on the hundredth listen.
Aaaand that’s my list! You can check out some of my latest blog posts below:
Matt Has An Opinion 