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Can You Put the Ten Top Selling Albums of All Time in Order?

There are two parts to this post. The first ten albums are the largest selling of all time, measured by number sold. The tenth clocked in at 19 million units, the top album ever sold 32 million. They are in alphabetical order (using the first letters of first names for simplicity) Can you put them in the right order?

The second part of the post is numbers 11 to 50 in reverse order. Here is the link to the story at the Independent if you don’t care to guess or are stumped. If you’d like to guess, email me and I’ll post your response or answer in the comments below.

Below is a live version of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band’s “Working on the Highway,” one of the cuts from “Born in the U.S.A.” (24) Above is “Redemption Song” from “Legend” by Bob Marley and the Wailers (23).

So, what is he order of the top ten:

A: AC/DC: “Back In Black”

B: The Beatles: “The Beatles” (“The White Album”)

C: Billy Joel: “Greatest Hits Volume 1 & Volume 2”

D: Eagles: “Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975)”

E: Fleetwood Mac: “Rumours”

F: Garth Brooks: “Double Live”

G: Led Zeppelin: “Led Zeppelin IV”

H: Michael Jackson: “Thriller”

I: Pink Floyd: “The Wall”

J: Shania Twain: “Come On Over”

Here are the rest of the top 50:

50. Phil Collins: “No Jacket Required”
Certified units: 12 million

49. Matchbox Twenty: “Yourself or Someone Like You”
Certified units: 12 million

48. Led Zeppelin: “Led Zeppelin II”
Certified units: 12 million

47. Kenny Rogers: “Kenny Rogers’ Greatest Hits”
Certified units: 12 million

46. Kenny G: “Breathless”
Certified units: 12 million

45. Jewel: “Pieces of You”
Certified units: 12 million

44. Dixie Chicks: “Wide Open Spaces”
Certified units: 12 million

43. Def Leppard: “Hysteria”
Certified units: 12 million

42. Boyz II Men: “II”
album

Certified units: 12 million

41. Bon Jovi: “Slippery When Wet”
Certified units: 12 million

40. Whitney Houston: “Whitney Houston”
Certified units: 13 million

39. Prince & The Revolution: “Purple Rain”
Certified units: 13 million

38. Pearl Jam: “Ten”
Certified units: 13 million

37. Bruce Springsteen: “Bruce Springsteen & E Street Band Live 1975-’85”
Certified units: 13 million

36. Backstreet Boys: “Millennium”
Certified units: 13 million

35. Steve Miller Band: “Greatest Hits 1974-1978”
Certified units: 13 million

34. Simon & Garfunkel: “Simon & Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits”
Certified units: 14 million

33. Meat Loaf: “Bat Out of Hell”
Certified units: 14 million

32. Garth Brooks: “Ropin’ The Wind”
Certified units: 14 million

31. Britney Spears: “…Baby One More Time”
Certified units: 14 million

30. Adele: “21”
Certified units: 14 million

29. Backstreet Boys: “Backstreet Boys”
Certified units: 14 million

28. The Beatles: “The Beatles 1962-1966”
Certified units: 15 million

27. Santana: “Supernatural”
Certified units: 15 million

26. Pink Floyd: “Dark Side of the Moon”
Certified units: 15 million

25. Journey: “Greatest Hits”
Certified units: 15 million

24. Bruce Springsteen: “Born In The U.S.A.”
Certified units: 15 million

23. Bob Marley & The Wailers: “Legend”
Certified units: 15 million

22. Bee Gees: “Saturday Night Fever” (Soundtrack)
Certified units: 15 million

21. Metallica: “Metallica”
Certified units: 16 million

20. Led Zeppelin: “Physical Graffiti”
Certified units: 16 million

19. Hootie & The Blowfish: “Cracked Rear View”
Certified units: 16 million

18. Eagles: “Hotel California”
Certified units: 16 million

17. Alanis Morisette: “Jagged Little Pill”
Certified units: 16 million

16. Whitney Houston: “The Bodyguard” (Soundtrack)
Certified units: 17 million

15. The Beatles: “The Beatles 1967-1970”
Certified units: 17 million

14. Garth Brooks: “No Fences”
Certified units: 17 million

13. Elton John: “Greatest Hits”
Certified units: 17 million

12. Boston: “Boston”
Certified units: 17 million

11. Guns N’ Roses: “Appetite for Destruction”
Certified units: 18 million

Our New Things: Links to Music Sites and Info on Analog Tech and Vinyl

TDMB has focused on music and musicians. We will continue to do that, of course. We're also expanding our coverage to include vinyl and analog equipment.

More specifically, we'll look at this huge and interesting world from the perspective of music lovers who want a better experience, not committed non-audiophiles.

Check out is some of what we've written so far:

-- Assessing the Value of Vinyl Records: An Overview

-- 7 Quick Tips on Optimizing Your Turntable Cartridge

-- Why Vinyl Records Continue to Thrive

-- Finding the Best Amplifier

-- Finding the Best Phono Preamp

-- What Speakers Do I Need for My Turntable?

Check out more articles on analog equipment and vinyl.

The site also is home to The Internet Music Mapping Project, an effort to list and describe as many music-related sites as possible.

Our Music

--A Tribe Called Quest to The Dick Hyman Trio (In other words, A to H)

--Indigo Girls to Queen Ida (I to Q)

--Radiohead to ZZ Top (R to Z)

Reading Music

The stories of the great bands and musicians are fascinating. Musicians as a group are brilliant, but often troubled. The combination of creativity and drama makes for great reading.

Here are some books to check out.

Duke Ellington brought class, sophistication and style to jazz which, until that point, was proudly unpolished and raucous. His story is profound. The author, Terry Teachout, also wrote "Pops," the acclaimed bio of Louis Armstrong. Click here or on the image.

🎼🎺🎻🎹🎷🎶🎵


What else is there to say? Here is the story behind every song written by The Beatles. Click here or on the image.

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The Grateful Dead don't get enough credit for the profound nature of its lyrics. Many of the band's songs are driven by a deep and literate Americana ("I'm Uncle Sam/That's who I am/Been hidin' out/In a rock and roll band" and "Majordomo Billy Bojangles/Sit down and have a drink with me/What's this about Alabama/Keeps comin' back to me?").

David Dodd's exhaustive study tells the story, song by song. Click here or on the image.

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