While the popularity of listening to entire albums straight through has waned in recent years, musicians continue to release music in this format. Certain artists’ albums are exceptionally popular among listeners, selling millions of copies in an age when many fans prefer to stream their music one single at a time.
Listeners’ favorite albums have changed dramatically since the LP (long-playing) format gained popularity in the 1950s. Soundtracks for movies and plays were initially hugely fashionable. The 1960s ushered in the era of what we now consider classic rock, which eventually gave way to pop music by artists such as Michael Jackson. Today’s top albums come from musicians such as Taylor Swift, Adele, and Kendrick Lamar.
24/7 Tempo reviewed Billboard’s Year-End Top Album charts to find the most popular album for each year starting in 1956, when Billboard began tracking the top 200 albums. These rankings are primarily based on physical album sales but include streaming and downloads starting in 2014.
As music tastes have changed, so have the ways that people consume it. Music industry revenue is in the doldrums due to widespread abandonment of physical media — even as music consumption, because of digital platforms, has never been higher.
But there is a bright spot for physical media. Sales of vinyl records are poised to top revenue from CDs for the first time since 1986. Data from the Recording Industry Association of America’s mid-year report shows that sales of vinyl totaled $224.1 million in the first half of 2019, up 12.9% from the same period of a year ago. Sales of CDs totaled $247.9 million, up less than 1%.
A big part of the vinyl comeback is the resurgence in interest in groups such as Queen, which was boosted by the Oscar-winning film “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Other groups enjoying a rebound are Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, and the Beatles, all of whom recorded some of the most popular albums ever. Here are the 100 best albums of all time.
In 1999 – the top-grossing year for the music industry – Backstreet Boys’ album “Millennium” was the most popular record of the year, going 11x Multi-Platinum, meaning 11 million copies of the record were distributed by its label. It has since been certified 13x Platinum.
Artists have reached similar heights since, such as the most popular album of 2016 – Adele’s “25” – which shipped 10 million copies that year and an additional 1 million units since. Speaking of Adele, the British singer has won the Grammy for Song of the Year twice. Here is every Song of the Year since the Grammys started.
Click here to see the most popular album the year you were born.
To find the most popular album for each year starting in 1956, 24/7 Tempo reviewed Billboard’s Year-End Top Billboard 200 Albums charts. Billboard’s album rankings are based on Nielsen SoundScan sales data and identify each “year’s most popular albums across all genres, ranked by album sales as well as audio on-demand streaming activity and digital sales of tracks from albums.”
Certified U.S. sales refers to certified units as reported by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). These figures reflect albums distributed to retail stores and consumers in the United States, minus returns, as well as digital downloads and streaming.
1956
> Most popular album: Calypso
> Artist: Harry Belafonte
> Biggest single: “Day-O (Banana Boat Song)”
> Certified U.S. sales: 0.5 million
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1957
> Most popular album: My Fair Lady
> Artist: Original Cast
> Biggest single: “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly”
> Certified U.S. sales: 3 million
1958
> Most popular album: My Fair Lady
> Artist: Original Cast
> Biggest single: “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly”
> Certified U.S. sales: 3 million
1959
> Most popular album: Music From “Peter Gunn”
> Artist: Henry Mancini
> Biggest single: “Peter Gunn”
> Certified U.S. sales: 0.5 million
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1960
> Most popular album: The Sound Of Music
> Artist: Original Cast
> Biggest single: “My Favorite Things”
> Certified U.S. sales: 0.5 million
1961
> Most popular album: Camelot
> Artist: Original Cast
> Biggest single: “If Ever I Would Leave You”
> Certified U.S. sales: 0.5 million
1962
> Most popular album: West Side Story
> Artist: Various Artists
> Biggest single: “America”
> Certified U.S. sales: 3 million
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1963
> Most popular album: West Side Story
> Artist: Various Artists
> Biggest single: “America”
> Certified U.S. sales: 3 million
1964
> Most popular album: Hello, Dolly!
> Artist: Original Cast
> Biggest single: “Hello, Dolly!”
> Certified U.S. sales: 0.5 million
1965
> Most popular album: Mary Poppins
> Artist: Various Artists
> Biggest single: “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”
> Certified U.S. sales: 0.5 million
1966
> Most popular album: Whipped Cream And Other Delights
> Artist: Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
> Biggest single: “A Taste of Honey”
> Certified U.S. sales: 0.5 million
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1967
> Most popular album: More Of The Monkees
> Artist: Monkees
> Biggest single: “I’m a Believer”
> Certified U.S. sales: 5 million
1968
> Most popular album: Are You Experienced?
> Artist: Jimi Hendrix Experience
> Biggest single: “Purple Haze”
> Certified U.S. sales: 5 million
1969
> Most popular album: In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
> Artist: Iron Butterfly
> Biggest single: “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”
> Certified U.S. sales: 4 million
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1970
> Most popular album: Bridge Over Troubled Water
> Artist: Simon & Garfunkel
> Biggest single: “Bridge over Troubled Water”
> Certified U.S. sales: 8 million
1971
> Most popular album: Jesus Christ Superstar
> Artist: Various Artists
> Biggest single: “Superstar”
> Certified U.S. sales: 0.5 million
1972
> Most popular album: Harvest
> Artist: Neil Young
> Biggest single: “Heart of Gold”
> Certified U.S. sales: 4 million
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1973
> Most popular album: The World Is A Ghetto
> Artist: War
> Biggest single: “The Cisco Kid”
> Certified U.S. sales: 0.5 million
1974
> Most popular album: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
> Artist: Elton John
> Biggest single: “Bennie and the Jets”
> Certified U.S. sales: 8 million
1975
> Most popular album: Greatest Hits
> Artist: Elton John
> Biggest single: “Your Song”
> Certified U.S. sales: 17 million
1976
> Most popular album: Frampton Comes Alive
> Artist: Peter Frampton
> Biggest single: “Show Me the Way”
> Certified U.S. sales: 8 million
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1977
> Most popular album: Rumours
> Artist: Fleetwood Mac
> Biggest single: “Don’t Stop”
> Certified U.S. sales: 20 million
1978
> Most popular album: Saturday Night Fever
> Artist: Bee Gees/Various Artists
> Biggest single: “Stayin’ Alive”
> Certified U.S. sales: 15 million
1979
> Most popular album: 52nd Street
> Artist: Billy Joel
> Biggest single: “My Life”
> Certified U.S. sales: 7 million
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1980
> Most popular album: The Wall
> Artist: Pink Floyd
> Biggest single: “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2”
> Certified U.S. sales: 23 million
1981
> Most popular album: Hi Infidelity
> Artist: REO Speedwagon
> Biggest single: “Keep on Loving You”
> Certified U.S. sales: 10 million
1982
> Most popular album: Asia
> Artist: Asia
> Biggest single: “Heat of the Moment”
> Certified U.S. sales: 4 million
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1983
> Most popular album: Thriller
> Artist: Michael Jackson
> Biggest single: “Billie Jean”
> Certified U.S. sales: 33 million
1984
> Most popular album: Thriller
> Artist: Michael Jackson
> Biggest single: “Billie Jean”
> Certified U.S. sales: 33 million
1985
> Most popular album: Born In The U.S.A.
> Artist: Bruce Springsteen
> Biggest single: “Dancing in the Dark”
> Certified U.S. sales: 15 million
1986
> Most popular album: Whitney Houston
> Artist: Whitney Houston
> Biggest single: “Greatest Love of All”
> Certified U.S. sales: 13 million
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1987
> Most popular album: Slippery When Wet
> Artist: Bon Jovi
> Biggest single: “Livin’ on a Prayer”
> Certified U.S. sales: 12 million
1988
> Most popular album: Faith
> Artist: George Michael
> Biggest single: “Faith”
> Certified U.S. sales: 10 million
1989
> Most popular album: Don’t Be Cruel
> Artist: Bobby Brown
> Biggest single: “My Prerogative”
> Certified U.S. sales: 7 million
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1990
> Most popular album: Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814
> Artist: Janet Jackson
> Biggest single: “Miss You Much”
> Certified U.S. sales: 6 million
1991
> Most popular album: Mariah Carey
> Artist: Mariah Carey
> Biggest single: “Vision of Love”
> Certified U.S. sales: 9 million
1992
> Most popular album: Ropin’ The Wind
> Artist: Garth Brooks
> Biggest single: “Shameless”
> Certified U.S. sales: 14 million
1993
> Most popular album: The Bodyguard
> Artist: Various Artists
> Biggest single: “I Will Always Love You”
> Certified U.S. sales: 17 million
1994
> Most popular album: The Sign
> Artist: Ace Of Base
> Biggest single: “All That She Wants”
> Certified U.S. sales: 9 million
1995
> Most popular album: Cracked Rear View
> Artist: Hootie & the Blowfish
> Biggest single: “Only Wanna Be With You”
> Certified U.S. sales: 16 million
1996
> Most popular album: Jagged Little Pill
> Artist: Alanis Morissette
> Biggest single: “Ironic”
> Certified U.S. sales: 16 million
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1997
> Most popular album: Spice
> Artist: Spice Girls
> Biggest single: “Wannabe”
> Certified U.S. sales: 7 million
1998
> Most popular album: Titanic
> Artist: Various Artists
> Biggest single: “My Heart Will Go On”
> Certified U.S. sales: 11 million
1999
> Most popular album: Millennium
> Artist: Backstreet Boys
> Biggest single: “I Want It That Way”
> Certified U.S. sales: 13 million
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2000
> Most popular album: No Strings Attached
> Artist: NSYNC
> Biggest single: “Bye Bye Bye”
> Certified U.S. sales: 11 million
2001
> Most popular album: 1
> Artist: The Beatles
> Biggest single: “Come Together”
> Certified U.S. sales: 11 million
2002
> Most popular album: The Eminem Show
> Artist: Eminem
> Biggest single: “‘Till I Collapse”
> Certified U.S. sales: 10 million
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2003
> Most popular album: Get Rich Or Die Tryin’
> Artist: 50 Cent
> Biggest single: “In Da Club”
> Certified U.S. sales: 6 million
2004
> Most popular album: Confessions
> Artist: Usher
> Biggest single: “Yeah!”
> Certified U.S. sales: 10 million
2005
> Most popular album: The Massacre
> Artist: 50 Cent
> Biggest single: “Candy Shop”
> Certified U.S. sales: 5 million
2006
> Most popular album: Some Hearts
> Artist: Carrie Underwood
> Biggest single: “Before He Cheats”
> Certified U.S. sales: 8 million
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2007
> Most popular album: Daughtry
> Artist: Daughtry
> Biggest single: “Over You”
> Certified U.S. sales: 6 million
2008
> Most popular album: AS I AM
> Artist: Alicia Keys
> Biggest single: “No One”
> Certified U.S. sales: 3 million
2009
> Most popular album: Fearless
> Artist: Taylor Swift
> Biggest single: “Love Story”
> Certified U.S. sales: 10 million
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2010
> Most popular album: I Dreamed A Dream
> Artist: Susan Boyle
> Biggest single: “I Dreamed a Dream”
> Certified U.S. sales: 4 million
2011
> Most popular album: 21
> Artist: Adele
> Biggest single: “Rolling in the Deep”
> Certified U.S. sales: 14 million
2012
> Most popular album: 21
> Artist: Adele
> Biggest single: “Rolling in the Deep”
> Certified U.S. sales: 14 million
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2013
> Most popular album: The 20/20 Experience
> Artist: Justin Timberlake
> Biggest single: “Mirrors”
> Certified U.S. sales: 2 million
2014
> Most popular album: Frozen
> Artist: Various Artists
> Biggest single: “Let It Go”
> Certified U.S. sales: 4 million
2015
> Most popular album: 1989
> Artist: Taylor Swift
> Biggest single: “Shake It Off”
> Certified U.S. sales: 9 million
2016
> Most popular album: 25
> Artist: Adele
> Biggest single: “Hello”
> Certified U.S. sales: 11 million
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2017
> Most popular album: DAMN.
> Artist: Kendrick Lamar
> Biggest single: “Humble.”
> Certified U.S. sales: 3 million
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2018
> Most popular album: reputation
> Artist: Taylor Swift
> Biggest single: “Look What You Made Me Do”
> Certified U.S. sales: 3 million
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