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The 50 best-selling albums of all time

The 50 best-selling albums of all time

Travis Clark

The EaglesREUTERS/Jim Urquhart

Linkin Park's debut studio album "Hybrid Theory" landed in the Record Industry Association of America's top 50 best-selling albums of all time ahead of its 20th anniversary in October.
In 2018, The Eagles surpassed Michael Jackson for the top spot on the list.
Business Insider broke down the top 50 best-selling albums in US history based on the RIAA's data (measured in "certified units" sold).

Ahead of the 20th anniversary of Linkin Park's debut studio album, "Hybrid Theory," in October, the album has moved into the Record Industry Association of America's top 50 best-selling albums of all time. It bumped Phil Collins' "No Jacket Required" out of the top 50 in the US.

In 2018, The Eagles' greatest hits album, released in 1976, surpassed Michael Jackson's 1982 album "Thriller" to take the top spot on the RIAA's list.

The Eagles have the first and third best-selling albums of all time, with the band's "Hotel California" following "Thriller."

Other notable artists on the list include The Beatles and Led Zeppelin, which are both featured three times in the top 50, and Garth Brooks, who also has three albums on the list.

Below is the list based on RIAA's data for the best-selling albums in US history (measured in "certified units" sold).

John Lynch contributed to a previous version of this post.

Check out the 50 best-selling albums of all time:

50. Matchbox Twenty — "Yourself or Someone Like You"

Atlantic

Certified units: 12 million

The 50 best-selling albums of all time

Travis Clark

50. Matchbox Twenty — "Yourself or Someone Like You"

49. Linkin Park — "Hybrid Theory"

48. Led Zeppelin — "Led Zeppelin II"

47. Kenny Rogers — "Kenny Rogers' Greatest Hits"

46. Kenny G — "Breathless"

45. Jewel — "Pieces of You"

44. Def Leppard — "Hysteria"

43. Boyz II Men — "II"

42. Bon Jovi — "Slippery When Wet"

41. Whitney Houston — "Whitney Houston"

40. The Chicks — "Wide Open Spaces"

39. Prince & The Revolution — "Purple Rain"

38. Pearl Jam — "Ten"

37. Bruce Springsteen — "Bruce Springsteen & E Street Band Live 1975-'85"

36. Backstreet Boys — "Millennium"

35. Steve Miller Band — "Greatest Hits 1974-1978"

34. Simon & Garfunkel — "Simon & Garfunkel's Greatest Hits"

33. Meat Loaf — "Bat Out of Hell"

32. Garth Brooks — "Ropin' The Wind"

31. Britney Spears — "...Baby One More Time"

30. Backstreet Boys — "Backstreet Boys"

29. Adele — "21"

28. The Beatles — "The Beatles 1962-1966"

27. Santana — "Supernatural"

26. Pink Floyd — "Dark Side of the Moon"

25. Journey — "Greatest Hits"

24. Bruce Springsteen — "Born In The U.S.A."

23. Bob Marley & The Wailers — "Legend"

22. Metallica — "Metallica"

21. Led Zeppelin — "Physical Graffiti"

20. Bee Gees — "Saturday Night Fever" (Soundtrack)

19. Alanis Morisette — "Jagged Little Pill"

18. The Beatles — "The Beatles 1967-1970"

17. Elton John — "Greatest Hits"

16. Boston — "Boston"

15. Whitney Houston – "The Bodyguard" (Soundtrack)

14. Guns N' Roses — "Appetite for Destruction"

13. Garth Brooks — "No Fences"

12. Shania Twain — "Come On Over"

11. Fleetwood Mac — "Rumours"

10. Hootie & The Blowfish — "Cracked Rear View"

9. Garth Brooks — "Double Live"

8. Pink Floyd — "The Wall"

7. Led Zeppelin — "Led Zeppelin IV"

6. Billy Joel — "Greatest Hits Volume 1 & Volume 2"

5. The Beatles — "The Beatles" ("The White Album")

4. AC/DC — "Back In Black"

3. Eagles — "Hotel California"

2. Michael Jackson — "Thriller"

1. Eagles — "Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975)"

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