Naturally everyone has their own tastes so some of the entries on this list may cause a few ruffled brows and mildly heightened blood pressures but even taking this into account, one cannot deny the popularity of an album or similar medium on the basis of how much it sells. Therefore I'm discounting popularity as something to measure these albums by and am instead basing their height on the list solely on the number of copies sold. Now without further ado, lets get down on the dance floor!
#10: Bat out of Hell by Meat Loaf (released 1977, tracks-7, genre-progressive & hard rock, produced by-Todd Rundgren)
In all honesty I thought that the likes of a progressive & hard rock album might not have a chance of appearing on this top ten (no offence intended to Meat Loaf fans or fans of the genres in general) because I've always thought of the two genres of progressive and hard rock as not being mainstream enough to grant wholesale success in sales. But considering the cult following that artists like Meat Loaf have with their music and persona's to this day so many years after the golden years for hard rock in the later 20th century, perhaps this shouldn't appear as too much of a surprise to anyone with even limited knowledge of the genre.
In turn it seems that this most certainly translates into sales for Meat Loaf's best selling album of the 1970s which features the songs "Bat out of Hell", "You took the words right out of my mouth", "Heaven can wait", "All revved up with no place to go", "Two out of three ain't bad", the three part "Paradise by the dashboard light" and "For crying out loud". Oddly enough though, sales for the album were slow despite it reaching 34 million sales, 20.5 million of which were certified and yet since the lukewarm reaction to the album it has since become hugely popular in the UK, US and Australia and elsewhere while reaching such high positions on other lists such as 9th on Australia's top ten most popular albums and 38th on the top 100 heavy metal albums list in a 1989 edition of Kerrang! magazine.
Unfortunately, despite the popularity that the album has garnered for itself, those involved in its production and the good Mr Meat Loaf himself one of its most lasting aspects have been the legal conflicts between Cleveland International and Sony Records over branding featured on copies of the album between 1995 and 2007.
#9: Led Zeppelin IV by Led Zeppelin (released 1971, tracks-8, genre-hard rock & heavy metal, produced by-Jimmy Page)
Hmm, you know I just thought of something about music and film in the 70s. Perhaps the reason why there was such a big swing from softer forms of rock, swing and other slightly older fashioned genres of music in the 1970s is because of the broadening of social horizons and consciousness at this time due to events such as the cold war and Vietnam war which challenged thoughts in the minds of common citizens that supported pro-conventional/establishment sentiments. Perhaps that's the reason why bands like Led Zeppelin and artists like Meat Loaf were so huge not so long after the, in hindsight, lyrically tame phenomenons like Elvis and the Beatles in the 60s and 50s. Therefore it should be no surprise that this cultural swing in the early and mid-70s resulted in Led Zeppelin's best selling album of the 1970s reaching approximately 37 million sales in 1971, 29 million of which were certified.
Yet whereas like Bat out of Hell had a lukewarm initial appearance onto the scene of musical success, Led Zeppelin IV was a smash hit from the 'go' resulting in a smashing 23 million copies sold in the USA alone, generally good reception by critics upon release and high placement on popularity lists such as being placed 4th on the US Rock and Roll's hall of fame's '200 albums of all time'. Not only this, the album stayed longer on US charts than any other by the band since and was praised for being one of the best albums of the year of its release what with being titled as a 'masterpiece' of ground-breaking song writing thus making the album not only popular but also culturally ingrained in the minds of Led Zeppelin fans for decades to come.
#8: Come on over by Shania Twain (released 1997, tracks-12, genre-country/pop/rock, produced by-Robert Lange)
Sigh. I'm not going to lie, and I don't mean any offence to Ms Twain, her many fans and the other up and coming musicians who think that country is more credible against the other main current genres (i.e. pop, rap, rock and modern R&B/soul) but I don't think that country music is collectively all that good (I'm looking at you Taylor Swift, you bloody psycho-ex-girlfriend nut-case). Now there are some individual songs within the genre that I think are are as delicious as mature Brie with premium onion marmalade on a freshly baked baguette (i.e. "I feel like a woman" which is the best song on this album by far). But for the most part I'd have to say that most country songs just don't appeal to me on the basis of how I think that most country tracks sound mono-note and are devoid of much variety in theme and tune.
Still, none can deny the popularity of Ms Twain's smash hit album of the late 1990s which sold a smashing 39 million copies, nearly 30 million of which were certified and resulted in Twain becoming vastly more famous than she was before by the popularity of her songs placing the album in the US top ten for 151 weeks. Contrary to my earlier point about personal tastes though, the album was praised regardless for melding themes and parts of other genres such as rock into the usual fortes of country without diluting the traditional sense and themes of country music already present in the album's tracks.
#7: The Bodyguard: original soundtrack album by Whitney Houston and various others (released 1992, tracks-13, genre-pop & R&B, produced by-multiple persons including Houston herself)
You know its weird. I swear sometimes that the soundtrack of the legendarily mediocre film The Bodyguard (1992) is more famous. Then again, the dearly departed Ms Houston was more well known throughout her life for her musical talents and any film starring Kevin Costner as one of the main leads is bound to be pretty lukewarm (see Waterworld (1995)). And therein lies the appeal of the album for if any of its songs are featured in a film or show then said film or show will probably be well recognised at least for a short time afterwards.
Case in point, this seems not only to be the case due to the fact that Houston had a shining career studded with stellar popularity but also that the soundtrack for the film of the same name as the album was indeed the best thing about The Bodyguard as its tunes are still recognised today as some of the most recognisable in modern music. In turn it should appear as no surprise to anyone that the album sold around 40 million copies of which 27.4 million sales were certified making the album the best selling of the entire decade which in no doubt contributed to it reaching number one in the album charts in 17 countries. Oddly enough, despite the album's since popular following, The Bodyguard: original soundtrack album received lukewarm reviews upon release usually rating somewhere around the halfway mark thus leaving some to think that the album's success could be pinned on the fame attributed to the dearly departed Ms Houston herself.
Case in point, this seems not only to be the case due to the fact that Houston had a shining career studded with stellar popularity but also that the soundtrack for the film of the same name as the album was indeed the best thing about The Bodyguard as its tunes are still recognised today as some of the most recognisable in modern music. In turn it should appear as no surprise to anyone that the album sold around 40 million copies of which 27.4 million sales were certified making the album the best selling of the entire decade which in no doubt contributed to it reaching number one in the album charts in 17 countries. Oddly enough, despite the album's since popular following, The Bodyguard: original soundtrack album received lukewarm reviews upon release usually rating somewhere around the halfway mark thus leaving some to think that the album's success could be pinned on the fame attributed to the dearly departed Ms Houston herself.
#6: Rumors by Fleetwood Mac (released 1977, tracks-11, genre-soft rock, produced by-Fleetwood Mac, Kan Caillat and Richard Dashut)
Ok, now perhaps unlike the other bands/artists in the other entries in this list, I'm kind of mixed in my opinion towards how good Fleetwood Mac are. Don't get me wrong, I acknowledge that the band has amassed considerable popularity and a cult following to rival that of the Clerks film franchise (1994-) but while I do like some of their songs like 'Dreams' I just don't find myself all that interested in their music perhaps simply because it just doesn't fit in with my tastes or that the lyrics of the band's songs don't connect with me much. Just be glad that they aren't as bad in that regard as say someone like Kesha (no I'm not using her stupid fucking stage spelling). Regardless of my film references and mixed feelings towards this band however, no one can deny that the 1977 album 'Rumors' was undeniably popular with a total of notably more than 40 million sales of the album upon its release of which 26.8 million sales were certified.
Fortunately for this popular soft-rock-with-occasional-hints-of-very-mild-techno band, the popularity of the album 'Rumors' is well warranted as unlike the soundtrack album for The Bodyguard this album received largely popular reviews from musical critics and magazines and has continued its popularity into the modern era along with the other works by Fleetwood Mac. In fact, the album was so popular and well received at the time that it received a 35th anniversary re-release and was praised by band member Mick Fleetwood as "The most important album we ever made..." on account of the popularity that the album raised for the band thus enabling it to continue for years to come.
Fortunately for this popular soft-rock-with-occasional-hints-of-very-mild-techno band, the popularity of the album 'Rumors' is well warranted as unlike the soundtrack album for The Bodyguard this album received largely popular reviews from musical critics and magazines and has continued its popularity into the modern era along with the other works by Fleetwood Mac. In fact, the album was so popular and well received at the time that it received a 35th anniversary re-release and was praised by band member Mick Fleetwood as "The most important album we ever made..." on account of the popularity that the album raised for the band thus enabling it to continue for years to come.
#5: Saturday Night Fever by the Bee Gees (released 1977, tracks-17, genre-disco, produced by-Bill Oakes)
THESE GUYS. Man, if the Bee Gees had broken out in an explosion of fame nowadays they'd probably be laughed at for being so high-pitched and being so out of place in how flamboyantly dressed they were in their glory days. Mind you, considering the freaking ridiculous costume wardrobes of artists these days like Nicki Minaj, Rhianna or Lady Gaga maybe they would probably fit right in. However, regardless of how easy it is to poke fun at these legends of disco music, I can't deny that I wholeheartedly enjoy the cheesiness of the band's collective persona and the rhythm of the Bee Gee's music.
Despite the fact that the late-1970s was fast becoming the era of genres like heavier forms of rock and punk rock in the western world, the Bee Gee's top-selling album of all time cannot be denied in its obvious popularity as it sold between 40-41 million copies upon its release, nearly 19 million of which were certified. What is peculiar about this album though, is that like The bodyguard: The original movie soundtrack album, Saturday Night Fever was also a soundtrack album to a film of the same (released in 1977 as well) name which in hindsight is most likely more popular for its soundtrack than its impact on cult popularity or the inclusion of a young John Travolta as the film's main star.
#4: Back in Black by AC/DC (released 1980, tracks-10, genre-hard rock/rock, produced by-Robert Lange)
Again with Mr Lange producing an album on this list? I mean come on people, Shiana Twain and AC/DC play mostly different music apart from a limited connection via both Ms Twain and the immensely popular rock band sometimes sharing the same genre of music in their works. Ah well its not like it matters anyway, after all I definitely prefer the iconically rocking tones of the works of AC/DC over country music in all its twangy and ear-grating anti-glory. Therefore its gratifying (for me personally at least) to know that AC/DC's top-selling album ranks among the top three best-selling rock albums so far in the history of music over a country rock album of sorts (again, I mean absoleutley no intended offence towards Ms Twain and her fans).
On top of this, I was even more gratified to learn that my favourite rock band had nearly 41 million copies of their best-selling album sold upon its release with a whopping 25.9 million of those sales being certified. To add to this, the album's popularity has proven so paramount over the decades that since 1980 it is believed that about 50 million copies of the album have been sold worldwide. Needless to say, the criticism that some might level at AC/DC for not being the most 'metal' heavy rock band may be a valid point in some cases of a few of their songs but the popularity of the band and the sheer popularity of Back in Black is a solid fact that cannot be ignored.
#3: Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) by The Eagles (released 1976, tracks-15, genre-country rock/folk rock/soft rock/rock, produced by-Glyn Johns & Bill Szymczyk)
Ok now this'll probably piss a few people off but to be honest...don't really care much for The Eagles and their music. Again, I have to say that one's taste in music is wholly subjective from song to song and artist/band to artist/band. So I acknowledge that while I might not pay much attention to the pretentiously-titled top-seller of an album by the famed soft rock band, its position at number 3 on this list is perhaps well deserved because of its sheer popularity and the extended period of best hits of The Eagles that the album covers. Also, not to rag on The Eagles or anything, but the album cover for their greatest-selling album confuses me a little, seriously, what in the blazes is that thing on the cover and what is it sitting in, snow or sand?
But really, this is all fluff when considering the fact that the album sold a massive 42 million copies of which 32.2 million sales were certified upon its release 5 years after the album had begun production. This just goes to prove that even despite one's musical tastes, the popularity of a band is more so measured by the sales that said band makes rather than wider opinions towards said band and its albums. Unfortunately for the music industry this seems increasingly the case with artists who either have little talent (i.e. Souldja Boy or Lil' Wayne) or artists who set a poor example and role model to younger and more impressionable fans (i.e. Justin Beiber). Still, at least The Eagles based their success on a mixture of talent and respectable image (excluding the heated arguments during their 1980 break up). So at least I can praise them for something.
#2: The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd (released 1973, tracks-10, genre-progressive rock, produced by-Pink Floyd)
Ah, now this is an interesting entry indeed. Not only is it the only entry by a British band/artist on the list, but it is also different to the previous 7 albums that had been released by Pink Floyd beforehand in the sense that it did not include extended instrumental excursions in its tracks. On top of this, the album is also iconic in technical and visual terms. Iconic in visual terms for having one of the most recognisable album covers of all time and also in technical terms for having the majority of the songs on the album based on technical and practical experiments to do with musical alteration and method. This in turns means that the band was more able to express the themes of conflict, greed, the passage of time, death and insanity in a varying and vibrant number of technical manners.
This in turn resulted in The Dark Side of the Moon being the top-selling album by any British band/artist to date in the music industry which is no doubt obvious from the album's staggering 45 million sales, 22.7 of which were certified upon its release. This in turn has translated into the album receiving such praise as being one of the most popular and important albums to musical culture in history so much so that it is a number of albums that has been selected for preservation in the US National Recording Registry of the Library of the US Congress.
#1: Thriller by Michael Jackson (released 1982, tracks-9, genre-post disco/pop/R&B/rock/funk, produced by-Michael Jackson & Quincy Jones)
Okay, lets be honest. everyone but the most ignorant reading this top ten will have seen this coming. Not only is the mighty and dearly deceased MJ regarded as the most popular music artist/personality of all time but his most famous song is the title of his best-selling album. Naturally this would be placed at number one right? I mean think about it, what if this list suddenly took a twist turn and we all of a sudden found out that the top spot was taken by a Bulgarian rural Christmas anthem from the 1970s. Hang on, forgot where I was going with that point.
In all honesty though, what do I really need to say about this entry that already has been said? Its songs are strikingly catchy, three of the most recognisable songs in western music are recorded on the album's roster of tunes, its the most popular album of the most popular artist and its cultural impact particularly on modern genres based on post-disco, pop and R&B are immense (perhaps more so for pop). In turn this means that the album's impact is just as huge as its popularity which translated into 51-65 million sales of the album upon its release, 42.4 million of which were certified.
Subsequently, this huge number of sales of the album have increased in multiple forms of music format even after Michael Jackson's untimely death in 2009 means that Thriller more than earns its place as the most popular and well-sold album of all time in musical history.
Now I hope you all enjoyed this top ten and just wanted to tell you all that I'll be going for a month to work on a panda conservation for a month in China on Friday which means that it may be a little more tricky for me to update with more frequent reviews, top tens and opinion blogs. Still, I have always appreciated the patience of you guys and will try to get one more post up before I go away and attempt to do some while I'm working in China.
In the meantime, take care, care for others around you and if you are angry at my sudden announcement don't blame it on me...blame it on the boogy.
