It’s no secret that Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ is the highest-selling album of all time, with an estimated 105 million records sold worldwide since its release in November, 1982.
The album has also maintained its record as the most-awarded album in U.S. recorded music history, with the album recently ticking over to 33X Platinum sales. This means the album has sold over 33 million copies in America – unheard of numbers in today’s industry.
The album spent 37 non-consecutive weeks in #1 in America, with seven of the album’s nine songs reaching the Top 10 singles chart.
The closest record to Thriller is Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975, which is 29X Platinum in the U.S. Keep in mind this is a greatest hits collection, which tend to sell more than studio albums, too, plus a double-disc collection, which means each disc counts as a sale. Therefore they have shipped just over 15 million copies. Still amazing numbers, but far from MJ.
Other massive sellers over the years include Led Zeppelin IV (23X Platinum), AC/DC’s Back In Black (22X Platinum) and Shania Twain’s Come on Over and Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours (both 20X Platinum).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYXqwbtkkeM
