Anarchy99
Footballguy
A little while ago, @timschochet posted his Top 100 Greatest Classic Rock Albums Of All Time, which spanned from 1967-1981. That list was well-thought out, entertaining, and sparked a lot of debate and conversation. There was some discussion as to what was considered classic rock, that additional artists should have been considered / included, and that some albums ranked too high / too low (or did not merit inclusion at all).
To expand the discussion on performers across that same timeframe, I decided to compile a list of the Top 250 Best Selling Rock Albums from those same years. If my math is right, there will be more albums and more artists on this list. I extended the boundaries of what is a "rock" artist to include some albums that got left off of the last list. Sorry to disappoint, but Barbra Streisand and ABBA still have been ruled out.
What makes it and what doesn't?
- Any rock album that was released in 1967-1981 . . . whether it got airplay or not, whether it charted or not, whether it had any singles or not (or whether it's any good or not).
- Any album that has at least 50% new material . . . so most of the greatest hits compilations won't be considered.
- IMO, I considered live albums as new recordings and count as new material, so live albums are fair game.
- Soundtracks are included if they sold enough copies.
To further clarify, all I considered was total album sales . . . albums, cassettes, 8-tracks, CDs, paid full album downloads, or whatever else is considered an album sale. How many singles it had, how many YouTube or Spotify song plays it got, how many promos were given away for free . . . none of those count. Not total album sales through 1981 . . . total reported album sales through 2023.
The sales totals I researched are "official." But official doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot. All that means is someone, somewhere, at some point filed paperwork alleging that ALBUM X sold a certain number of units worldwide. I have no idea if those records were audited and verified, if they were ever updated, how long ago those documents were filed, if someone got bribed to up the total, etc. Similarly, I cannot attest that every record label followed the same reporting criteria, that the sales office in Uganda submitted their sales numbers or not, or ultimately how accurate the total figures are.
What does this all mean? All of these albums sold 3+ million copies. There are 17 albums that sold that many that AREN'T included, but I didn't feel like calling the thread the Top 267 albums. It also means that 20 albums from Tim's list didn't make the cut for this list.
It also means that there isn't any bias or opinion involved in the rankings. I didn't determine the rankings . . . it's just a ranking of reported sales figures. Don't like where your favorite album is ranked? Talk to the people that didn't buy a copy. You think people have no taste? Feel free to point out the error of their ears. Wouldn't wipe your bottom with this list, so be it.
I suspect this will be an interesting list. I admit to not knowing some of the artists and some of the albums. That alone was very surprising. It was also eye opening to see just how well some performers sold. There are some albums listed here that I shelled out money for at least 5 times . . . for instance, the original vinyl album, a replacement vinyl album when the first one got played too much, an 8-track or a cassette, the CD, a deluxe edition CD, and a super deluxe anniversary edition).
To save time (and sanity), I will be posting the list of albums in groups of 5 to start. I haven't figured out how many to release at a time the closer we get to the end. I am sure there will be bedlam and outrage in the streets over some of the listings / results for albums. I have no idea how much availability I will have, so not sure how long it will be between updates. Anyway, that's the outline.
To expand the discussion on performers across that same timeframe, I decided to compile a list of the Top 250 Best Selling Rock Albums from those same years. If my math is right, there will be more albums and more artists on this list. I extended the boundaries of what is a "rock" artist to include some albums that got left off of the last list. Sorry to disappoint, but Barbra Streisand and ABBA still have been ruled out.
What makes it and what doesn't?
- Any rock album that was released in 1967-1981 . . . whether it got airplay or not, whether it charted or not, whether it had any singles or not (or whether it's any good or not).
- Any album that has at least 50% new material . . . so most of the greatest hits compilations won't be considered.
- IMO, I considered live albums as new recordings and count as new material, so live albums are fair game.
- Soundtracks are included if they sold enough copies.
To further clarify, all I considered was total album sales . . . albums, cassettes, 8-tracks, CDs, paid full album downloads, or whatever else is considered an album sale. How many singles it had, how many YouTube or Spotify song plays it got, how many promos were given away for free . . . none of those count. Not total album sales through 1981 . . . total reported album sales through 2023.
The sales totals I researched are "official." But official doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot. All that means is someone, somewhere, at some point filed paperwork alleging that ALBUM X sold a certain number of units worldwide. I have no idea if those records were audited and verified, if they were ever updated, how long ago those documents were filed, if someone got bribed to up the total, etc. Similarly, I cannot attest that every record label followed the same reporting criteria, that the sales office in Uganda submitted their sales numbers or not, or ultimately how accurate the total figures are.
What does this all mean? All of these albums sold 3+ million copies. There are 17 albums that sold that many that AREN'T included, but I didn't feel like calling the thread the Top 267 albums. It also means that 20 albums from Tim's list didn't make the cut for this list.
It also means that there isn't any bias or opinion involved in the rankings. I didn't determine the rankings . . . it's just a ranking of reported sales figures. Don't like where your favorite album is ranked? Talk to the people that didn't buy a copy. You think people have no taste? Feel free to point out the error of their ears. Wouldn't wipe your bottom with this list, so be it.
I suspect this will be an interesting list. I admit to not knowing some of the artists and some of the albums. That alone was very surprising. It was also eye opening to see just how well some performers sold. There are some albums listed here that I shelled out money for at least 5 times . . . for instance, the original vinyl album, a replacement vinyl album when the first one got played too much, an 8-track or a cassette, the CD, a deluxe edition CD, and a super deluxe anniversary edition).
To save time (and sanity), I will be posting the list of albums in groups of 5 to start. I haven't figured out how many to release at a time the closer we get to the end. I am sure there will be bedlam and outrage in the streets over some of the listings / results for albums. I have no idea how much availability I will have, so not sure how long it will be between updates. Anyway, that's the outline.
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