A question I am finding rather difficult to answer

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

What was the best-selling album of all time at the time Thriller was released? (November 1982).

So not neccessarily the best selling pre-82 album now, as the CD era has given a lot of things a steadier shelf-life.

Credible candidates mentioned repeatedly by TWITTER include:

- Saturday Night Fever OST
- Back In Black (tho may have been a slow burner)
- Rumours
- Dark Side Of The Moon (picked up a LOT of CD-era sales tho)

And of course you have to throw the Eagles Greatest Hits in there too.

Sound Of Music OST and Bat Out Of Hell also possibles.

I'm interested in "worldwide", though I'm also interested in the possibility that Thriller was the record that made "worldwide sales" the big metric to chase (rather than a "non-US sales are a nice bonus" mentality)

Comments

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

What you need is a copy of the Guinness Book Of Records 1981.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

YES! Well, or 1982.

[caramel-betty.livejournal.com]

There are copies of both available on t'Ebay for not that much.

What you could do is mail the vendors and cheekily ask them to look up a fact for you. Tell them that it's for the advancement science and they'll have to agree.

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

I have a guinness for 1984 (i think): not at home though, so remind me this evening

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Excellent! Will do.

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

bah it's 1988 -- and this does not seem to be info it carries!

Awesome Sound Of Music wikipedia factlet:

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

"The soundtrack album on the RCA Victor label has sold over 11 million copies worldwide, and has never been out of print. The soundtrack album was included in the stockpile of records held in 20 underground radio stations of Great Britain's Wartime Broadcasting Service, designed to provide public information and morale-boosting broadcasts for 100 days after a nuclear attack."

AWESOME (though from that figure, probably not the answer you're looking for)

Re: Awesome Sound Of Music wikipedia factlet:

[ruudboy.livejournal.com]

Excellent - I wonder what the others were.