Best selling albums of all time

Just opinions.  Some I just don't care for the genre, but are well recorded.

1) Michael Jackson – Thriller well recorded, don't own.
2) Eagles – Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975)  - don't own, I've heard Eagles recordings and typically well done, but don't own.  
3) AC/DC – Back in Black  - yes
4) Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon  - absolute must have
5) Whitney Houston / Various Artists – The Bodyguard (Soundtrack) don't know, never listened.
6) Bee Gees – Saturday Night Fever - well recorded but don't own
7) Fleetwood Mac – Rumours - I would rather listed to a jack hammer, deflinitely don't own.  If someone would give me a recording I would burn it.  
8) Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin IV own multiple formats, yes, yes.
9) Michael Jackson – Bad   well recorded, don't own
10) The Beatles – Abbey Road - own multiple formats

For me, Fleetwood Mac, Beatles, Zep, and maybe the Eagles. 

I only own the Eagles, AC/DC, Fleetwood Mac, and Pink Floyd.  

I could listen to any of them except maybe Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston.  Not that they are bad, just not my cup of tea. Not a huge Beatles fan, either. 

There was a book written by one of the recording engineers who did the work on Mac's Rumors album.  Even if you're not a fan there is a lot of insight into how they actually recorded the tunes back in the day.  The book is, "Making Rumors"  by Ken Caillat (artist Colbie Caillat's dad) 

If anyone else has a good book like "Rumors"  I'd be interested!

Rumors is very well recorded and should be owned if you dig Macs groove. 

My favorite of the list is probably Rumours. My wife and I saw them live at Alpine Valley WI right after it came out. It was a great show. I think I have played it once in the last year. Nice recording.

I have nearly every Beatle record ever recorded. Last one I listened to was probably Rubber Soul, maybe my favorite of theirs. Well recorded. 

Have quite a few Eagles records, probably last played was Desperado. Also have Don Henley, also well recorded. Lots of Joe Walsh stuff, James Gang and later. Mostly very well recorded. 

DSOTM is well recorded and I have many copies but probably my favorite Pink Floyd is Wish You Were Here. Island recordings were the best. I believe Alan Parsons was the recording engineer on DSOTM. I have listened to them some in the last year but not much. 

Led Zep, I'm sure I have everything they ever did. Mostly well recorded. Last time I played one, can't remember. 

I think I have a couple Michael Jackson records in my collection but they have not made it down to my listening area in years. They were well recorded. 

Can't remember the last time I listened to AC/DC. They are fine, just haven't heard them in awhile. 

Don't think I ever had Whitney Houston. Nothing wrong with her, just never bought any of her records. 

I own all the albums on the list except Whiney Houston/The Body guard , do own albums by Whitney Houston though. WTS, haven't played any off the list in a while except Rumours because of Lindsey Buckingham and his great work on it it will stay in my rotation. Enjoy the music

Have all of them except the Whitney one.

Are those worldwide sales? 

My first search was "The top selling albums of all time". There were lots of results but not in 100% agreement. So to keep it simple, I asked Aria (an AI that comes with the Opera browser) the same question. I asked Aria again but included the words "worldwide sales" and the answer changed a bit -  Zep lV, Bad and Abby Road no longer in top 10.

Thriller - Michael Jackson: 70 million copies
Back in Black - AC/DC: 50 million copies
The Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd: 45 million copies
The Bodyguard (Soundtrack): 45 million copies
Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) - Eagles: 42 million copies
Rumours - Fleetwood Mac: 40 million copies
Saturday Night Fever (Soundtrack): 40 million copies
The Wall - Pink Floyd: 30 million copies
Hotel California - Eagles: 26 million copies
Come On Over - Shania Twain: 20 million copies

I am almost exclusively into classical!  Nevertheless I do have Thriller on CD, and Dark Side of the Moon on CD and Pure Audio Bluray, which include stunning Atmos sound.  I will get Rumours when the Atmos version is released - this month?  Mainly because my current partner stole a kiss from Mick Fleetwood in Hawaii before his pub got destroyed in the wild fires.  I have Bee Gee records because a previous girlfriend sang with them!

I have first pressings of the below and they are all sonically great:

Thriller, DSOTM, Rumours, Saturday Night Fever, Zeppelin IV, The Wall, Hotel California and Abbey Road - 

Consequently, the remastered reissues I have of DSOTM, The Wall, Abbey Road and Rumours are all lacking in either upper mids or bass punch.  One may not notice it if they don’t A/B them, but once heard, can’t be unheard.

I have definitely played every one of these albums on my system and only two are because my wife made me.😁😁

I've the Beatles' Abbey Road, Fleetwood Mac's Rumors, and both Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall. Used to have Michael Jackson's Thriller, but threw it out. 

I had no interest in any of these albums...

Perhaps i could tolerate some Beatles album for nostagia  reason driving my car...But i am retired and drive no more then listen no radio ...

Because i drive no more  my go to albums for nostalgia are a French poet and American poet and a Canadian poet which played rarely on any radio   thats all...

 Some are less mass conditioned it seems ... 

I would think Beethoven, Vivaldi and Bach are the most selling albums of all time ..

Sometimes i am provocative ...

Am i snob?  It must be....

@mahgister 

Bach might be number one in my collection or very close to it, Mozart and Beethoven would also be near the top............if we can look at things in this way. Bach organ pieces are a great way to check on bass response if testing new gear cables or tubes. 

I may have more Beatle albums than any other artist but they almost never get played. 

Most played probably Mannheim Steamroller. I use them all the time to evaluate gear/tubes etc. 

@mahgister 

Bach might be number one in my collection or very close to it, Mozart and Beethoven would also be near the top............if we can look at things in this way. Bach organ pieces are a great way to check on bass response if testing new gear cables or tubes. 

I may have more Beatle albums than any other artist but they almost never get played. 

Most played probably Mannheim Steamroller. I use them all the time to evaluate gear/tubes etc. 

You resemble me then...

I dont know if it is a compliment though...

Understand me i am able to appreciate the musical talent of all this list: 

Here’s an AI list of the top selling albums of all time:

1) Michael Jackson – Thriller
2) Eagles – Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975)
3) AC/DC – Back in Black
4) Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon
5) Whitney Houston / Various Artists – The Bodyguard (Soundtrack)
6) Bee Gees – Saturday Night Fever
7) Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
8) Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin IV
9) Michael Jackson – Bad
10) The Beatles – Abbey Road

 But with so deep beautiful music in the East and West cultures South and North,  why sticking to these artists till death ?

Better to appear snob  to the crowd than  one among them ...

But i am conscious to be provocative than i apologize  by politeness and assure everyone that i can appreciate their  pop band as talented musicians  for sure ... I am snob perhaps not deaf and blind  to talent ...

To stay polite toward the OP i will say my favorite  are the Beatles and Bob Dylan...

I own and play all on the list except Whitney Houston. She was a fine singer but not my cup of tea. My top three would be DSOTM, LZ IV, and Abbey Road.

@mahgister thanks for reminding me to play some classical. I just purchased a Debussy 4 SACD set of his orchestral music. You mentioned Mannheim Steamroller. Aren't they new age? Anyway, is their a particular album by them that you feel has great music and sonics?

All of those have flowed through my system at some point. All great music. Some of it in my current listening patterns and others not.

Thriller and Back in Black have great SQ. Floyd is a favorite from my youth and I have a (I admit) soft spot for Saturday Night Fever. You Should be Dancing….

I’d pass on Whitney Houston, Bee Gees and Bad.  The rest I’ll listen to.  

At one time on vinyl, I owned Abbey Road, The Eagles Greatest, Saturday Night Fever, and Body Guard. Now, only have Eagles and Abbey Road on CD. I do stream a lot of Beatles, Bee Gees, and Eagles as well as other groups from the 1960’s and 1970’s when I grew up. A lot of talent in those two decades.

I still regularly listen to Abbey Road.

I have a copy of Dark side of the moon somewhere but I never listen to it, or to any Pink Floyd for that matter. I feel like their music hasn't aged well. I do re-watch The Wall (the movie) every one in a while though. It is absolutely, completely insane.

Led Zeppelin and Michael Jackson CDs belong under the leg of a workbench in the garage. 

@billpete ​Hello You mentioned Mannheim Steamroller. Are they new age? Anyway, I seem to remember that the production of there music is very good. Is there any particular album that stands out in trems of music and sonics?

@mahgister Hi Sorry for the mix up.

I have all on the list save Whitney Houston and Led Zeppelin.     The Rumors album on SACD holds a special place in my heart.

I thought that Boston's debut was on the best selling list but maybe that was a list of debut only releases. 

Own most. Would listen to any EXCEPT AC/DC. Screaming is not my thing. 

Still listen to Abbey Road and Dark Side Of The Moon. LZ IV

many moons ago. Don’t really care for the rest.  

@signaforce +1

How anyone can enjoy that screeching banshee is a mystery to me.

@bzawa 

I would urge anyone to seek out Mannheim Steamroller recordings. It is considered to be new age, I would call it more neo classical with a jazz influence. Chip Davis is the star of the show, a recording engineer of great talent who is also the main musician. He founded American Gramaphone recording studio in Omaha Nebraska in 1975. His Fresh Aire series of records were played in virtually every high end hi fi salon in the country back in the mid to late 70's. 

He uses many vintage instruments in his recordings. Many are hundreds of years old. He has a very interesting style and pays tremendous attention to details, including in sound reproduction. One of the instruments that he plays is a harpsichord that his father built. I can identify with that. My grandfather had one that he was building. Sadly, it was never finished.  He built several pianos that I used to play. 

I enjoy the whole Fresh Aire series, with the last one being maybe my least favorite so I'd say 1 through 7 are all very good, 5 is probably my favorite. They have all been re mastered to HDCD and they are very good. They vinyl is still better, some of the best vinyl recordings that I own. 

Classical Gas is very good, a collaboration with Mason Williams. The 25 year celebration is really good, so is 30/40, both are compilations of his favorite pieces over the years. He does an awesome rendition of Auld Lang Syne. He makes me listen to Christmas music which I'm not a huge fan of but he makes it good. He writes most of his own music. Find Chocolate Fudge, Kanbai, Dancin in the Stars,, The Rain Will Bless the Love, just to name a few. 

There is very little that Chip Davis has ever done that I don't care for. I have a full CD case of Mannheim Steamroller/Chip Davis as well as probably 30 LP's. Much of it is music that will let you know where you are with your gear. The attention to detail is absolutely stunning. 

@mahgister 

Try some Chip Davis if you never have. My dad never got to hear it, I think he would have loved it and he was classical and hymns all the way. I grew up on both but I did branch out. Been doing a fair amount of Celtic listening lately, lost of good stuff there. I do always throw in some Chip Davis for testing though. It never gets old for me. You and I may have similar taste but I think you might lean more classical than I. As to compliments or not, I am well beyond concern of such things. Enjoy the journey. For many of us, it is nearing the end. I try to live each day as if it could be my last and music is a very important part of that. 

@billpete 

FYI

Fresh Aire 8 is available on SACD and DVD-A

@srinisr 

It has a couple of pieces that are decent with maybe the first one being my favorite, can't remember the title. It is my least favorite of the Fresh Aire series, just seems odd to me. A friend of mine thinks it's great. 

I do not have an SACD player. I have played a couple DVD-A's on my current CD player. Just don't have many but I do have a couple Chip Davis ones. HDCD is fairly new to me and it can be really good. Many of the American Gramaphone redbook Cd's were done very well also. For the most part, I find his vinyl to be the best but with my current set up, I am getting lazier and am enjoying Cd's a lot more than I used to. Just lucking into some combinations that make them far more tolerable than they used to be. 

Thanks for the recommendation...

I did not knew him ...

Coming from a wise music lover i appreciate...

My very best ...

@mahgister 

Try some Chip Davis if you never have. My dad never got to hear it, I think he would have loved it and he was classical and hymns all the way. I grew up on both but I did branch out. Been doing a fair amount of Celtic listening lately, lost of good stuff there. I do always throw in some Chip Davis for testing though. It never gets old for me. You and I may have similar taste but I think you might lean more classical than I. As to compliments or not, I am well beyond concern of such things. Enjoy the journey. For many of us, it is nearing the end. I try to live each day as if it could be my last and music is a very important part of that. 

@mahgister My pleasure. I have not grown tired of him in nearly 50 years since the first time I heard a Fresh Aire V piece on a Linn LP12, both firsts. I still enjoy both today. 

My very best to you as well. 

@billpete 

Have you heard Constance Demby? Probably an equally compelling life (and music) story as Chip Davis.

I would recommend the album Set Free to get started

Yes I have them all on cds and everything but the Whitney Houston Body Guard lp..

@srinisr Thanks for the suggestion. I have not heard Constance Demby but I will check her out. I have found a few "new to me" artists via these conversations. It's fun to stumble onto this stuff that you've never heard and find that you enjoy it. I suppose this happens to the streamer guys all the time. 

What in the hell is wrong with this site today? Good grief it's slow. Can this not be fixed  somehow?

@billpete 

I'd hate to hijack this threat in a different direction so this will be my last comment on demby. In addition to making great music she invented her own musical instruments - that alone puts her a few notches above the regular musicians!

i own an album of organ of Constance Demby i like a lot...

@rick_n Rumors is a very well recorded and mastered album. 

@srinisr Thread hijacking is normal on all sites like this. It just happens. At least it's about music. I did check C Demby out, very nice. Will pick up a couple of Cd's. I see that she passed away 4 years ago and was 81 years old. A shame I never heard of her before. Interesting that she built her own instrument and also that mahgister has and likes her. Like minds maybe. Good stuff.