[Mrluvaluva]

Adele has overtaken Michael Jackson to claim the fifth best-selling album in UK history.





The singer's second album 21 has sold over 4,274,300 copies in the UK as of this morning (May 3), which is 500 sales ahead of Michael Jackson's Thriller.

"To add to her many landmark records, Adele's achievement in overtaking Thriller in the all-time sales list is truly remarkable," comments the Official Charts Company's managing director Martin Talbot.

"Thriller has long been recognised as one of the most iconic albums of all time - there is now no doubt that 21 can be spoken of in the same breath."

Since its release in the UK in January 2011, Adele's 21 has spent 65 weeks in the Top 10, with 23 of those weeks at number one.

It has outsold Amy Winehouse's Back To Black to become the highest-selling UK album of the 21st century and won Adele six Grammys and two Brit Awards.

The UK's ten highest-selling albums of all-time are as follows:

1. Queen: Greatest Hits (5,800,000+ sales)
2. The Beatles: Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (5,000,000+ sales)
3. ABBA: Gold: The Greatest Hits (4,900,000+ sales)
4. Oasis: (What's The Story) Morning Glory?
5. Adele: 21
6 - Thriller - Michael Jackson
7 - Brothers In Arms - Dire Straits
8 - The Dark Side Of The Moon - Pink Floyd
9 - Bad - Michael Jackson
10 - Greatest Hits II - Queen


Digital Spy/BBC

Top 3 figures were as April 10th as that's all I could find. I should add Thriller has sold over 65 million copies worldwide.

[Z]

I've still yet to buy my copy, and I will when I'm back home!

[Black Dagger]

Erm, why?

It's not even that amazing of an album.

[Benjamin]

Really, she's ok, but my word this album is overrated.

[Saph]

I still think she's buying them herself

[Smithy]

Originally Posted by Zee

I've still yet to buy my copy, and I will when I'm back home!

Please don't


This album is beyond overrated, the singles are the only good songs on the album

[LemonJam]

It's a great album, but Thriller's better.

[joeysteele]

I wouldn't bet against it becoming the all time top seller eventually.

[Kazanne]

It's a great album as is Thriller,both different types of music,both worthy of top album,imo,of course.

[Mrluvaluva]

Figures show 21 has been selling an average of 20,000 copies per week over the last four weeks.

In the 15 months since Adele's second album was released, it has spent 65 non-consecutive weeks on the Official Albums Chart.

It has outsold Amy Winehouse's Back To Black to become the biggest selling album of the 21st Century and has overtaken the sales of albums like Michael Jackson's Bad, Pink Floyd's The Dark Side Of The Moon and Dire Straits' Brothers In Arms in the UK.

[Shaun]

So ridiculous. it wouldn't factor anywhere near the 100 best British albums of all time.

[InOne]

I will be truly annoyed if it dares take over WTSMG

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by InOne

I will be truly annoyed if it dares take over WTSMG

This. I like Adele and all but Oasis were so much better.

[Brother Leon]

Hopefully she goes above those Oasis twats.

[Locke.]

Good old Oasis keeping her at bay... reminds me a bit of monday night

[Marc]

Wow, I'm a big fan but really?

Doesn't really mean she's better I guess. People sell more records nowadays, just goes with the development of the music industry and more deposable income I guess

[Doogle]

She's made a great album, but why do people seem to think it's so fantastic? People are just still buying it I don't get it.

[Marc]

Wow, I'm a big fan but really?

Doesn't really mean she's better I guess. People sell more records nowadays, just goes with the development of the music industry and more deposable income I guess

[Jordan.]

This Adele bandwagon really needs to end.

[King Gizzard]

Quite an achievement when you factor in illegal downloading as well. There seems to be more of a bandwagon of hate them a bandwagon for love for her now. I don't listen to her but I can tell she's a great artist

[Niall]

Its a great album, but its been out for two years so can everyone just stop now omfg

[Stu]

She has the perfect market of never ending housewives who don't actually care about music enough to even want to steal it from the internet. I shudder to think of how many relationships it's replaced some shitty box of chocolates in.

Hey babe, I think you'll love this record I bought for us. God I'm soulful.

[Mrluvaluva]

Originally Posted by Marc

Wow, I'm a big fan but really?

Doesn't really mean she's better I guess. People sell more records nowadays, just goes with the development of the music industry and more deposable income I guess

To be honest, I would have said the opposite. Musicians actually sell less copies nowadays. An artist needs to sell 60,000 for an album to go silver, 100,000 gold and 300,000 platinum in the UK. Originally in this country, when unit sales were established (1979), the threshold was double that of today.

I still find it amazing that she commands sales of 20,000 units a week though. Imagine what they would be if she popped her clogs tomorrow?

The second hand market can never be taken into account also. Imagine how many copies of Michael Jacksons thriller have actually been bought from used record stores and jumble sales over the years.

[Patrick]

What an over-rated bint.

[mrlecturer]

No, never can be in the same sentence as Michael Jackson. Sorry.