Queen reigns as best seller on U.K. top 100 chart
Last Updated: Thursday, November 16, 2006 | 4:59 PM ET
CBC Arts
Queen's Greatest Hits, a 1981 release from the British band fronted by Freddie Mercury, has been named Britain's best-selling album of all time.
A list of the top 100 best-sold albums in Britain released Thursday has two albums by Queen in the top 10. It was compiled by the Official U.K. Charts Co. and music channel VH1.
Brian May of Queen performs during the VH1 Rock Honors concert in Las Vegas on Thursday.
(Jae C. Hong/Associated Press)
Queen's Greatest Hits, with tracks of the ubiquitous Bohemian Rhapsody and We Will Rock You, sold 5.4 million albums.
Greatest Hits II is in seventh place with 3.6 million in sales.
The Queen musical We Will Rock You, scheduled to open in Toronto soon, is a long-running hit in London.
The Beatles 1967 release Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band came second, selling 4.8 million albums.
The list, compiled for the first time by totting up sales figures from the last 50 years, is surprisingly pop-oriented.
Albums by Dire Straits, ABBA, Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson and Madonna are also in the top 10, but critically acclaimed and long-lasting musicians, including Bob Dylan, Sting and The Rolling Stones, have nothing in the top 100.
Canadian diva Celine Dion has three albums in the top 100, as do Oasis and Michael Jackson.
Jackson's Thriller ranks as the biggest-selling album of all time, according to the Guinness Book of Records, but is eighth on the U.K. chart.
Pink Floyd, left off Time's list of 100 greatest albums released this week, makes a respectable showing among the top sellers with 3.8 million copies of Dark Side of the Moon selling in the U.K.
Relative newcomers such as James Blunt, Eminem and Justin Timberlake make up a substantial chunk of the list. Boy band singer turned soloist Robbie Williams has six albums.
The top 10 best-selling albums in Britain:
- Queen, Greatest Hits.
- Beatles, Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
- Oasis, (What's the Story) Morning Glory.
- Dire Straits, Brothers in Arms.
- Abba Gold, Greatest Hits.
- Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon.
- Queen, Greatest Hits II.
- Michael Jackson, Thriller.
- Michael Jackson, Bad.
- Madonna, The Immaculate Collection.
Share Tools
FILM REVIEW: Men in Black 3 by Eli Glasner May. 25, 2012 11:40 AM Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are back in the action sequel Men in Black 3, a third instalment of a series now 15 years old. Though new addition Josh Brolin manages some amazing mimicry as a younger version of Jones, the story doesn't measure up to the weird and wonderful charms of the original, says film reviewer Eli Glasner.
Top News Headlines
- Everest team unable to bring down Toronto woman's body
- Bad weather has hampered the recovery team that is attempting to bring down the body of a Toronto woman who died trying to climb Mt. Everest. more »
- Attack on Syrian villages deadliest yet, activists say
- More than 90 people have been killed by regime forces in a district of central Syria, with the head of the UN team in the country confirming more than 32 children and 60 adults were killed the attack. more »
- Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges
- The estranged partner of a young mother who was stabbed to death along with her parents at their home in Aylmer, Que., has been charged with first-degree murder Friday. more »
- The risks and responsibilities of taking on Mt. Everest
- The deaths of six climbers last weekend on Mt. Everest, with more summits underway this weekend, fuels the debate about the risks and responsibilities of high altitude climbing. more »
Latest Arts & Entertainment News Headlines
- Modern and traditional art scores at Joyner auction
- Both traditional and modern works fared well at Joyner Waddington's spring art auction in Toronto, with buyers snapping up lots by Group of Seven members as well as more contemporary artists. more »
- Prophetic Cosmopolis premieres at Cannes
- David Cronenberg says he didn't anticipate the Occupy Wall Street movement as he prepared to shoot Cosmopolis, his new film which made its world premiere Friday at the Cannes Film Festival in southern France. more »
- Jennifer Egan's newest story debuts on Twitter
- The latest short story from Pulitzer-winning writer Jennifer Egan is emerging 140 characters at a time via Twitter. more »
- Miller Brittain sketches restored by museum
- Canadian artist and social satirist Miller Brittain's larger than life chalk drawings may once again hang in Saint John. more »
Q Blog
Toni Morrison on her two selves May. 25, 2012 5:57 PM Jian speaks with the celebrated African American author and academic about her two conflicting selves, and her new novel, Home.
CBC Books
Talking about war May. 25, 2012 4:57 PM The public conversation around war has always been complex and thorny. How does Canada's military approach differ from that of other countries? Are we a society of peacekeepers or warriors? These are some of the questions that Noah Richler explores in his new book What We Talk About When We Talk About War.
- Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges
- Pope's butler arrested in Vatican leaks scandal
- B.C. premier unhappy with disgraced Mountie's transfer
- Everest team unable to bring down Toronto woman's body
- Everest victim's husband says family not seeking government help
- Tornado touchdown confirmed near Montreal
- The risks and responsibilities of taking on Mt. Everest
- Ottawa man in hospital after lightning strike
- Canada ending 'Buffalo shuffle' for visas, closing consulate
