QUEEN MAKE OFFICIAL CHART HISTORY – GREATEST HITS BECOMES
FIRST ALBUM EVER TO HIT 6 MILLION SALES
Hashtag: #Queen6M
London, 11 February 2014
Legendary British band Queen have made chart history by becoming the first act ever to reach 6 million UK sales of an album, the Official Charts Company can confirm.
Queen have broken chart records after surpassing the 6 million sales milestone with their 1981 Greatest Hits album. Britain’s best-selling album of all time, a staggering one in three British families (or one in four British households) now owns a copy of the iconic act’s original best-of collection featuring such classic tracks as We Will Rock You, Another One Bites The Dust and their top-selling hit, Bohemian Rhapsody.
In a video message via OfficialCharts.com, Queen’s Brian May says:
“Great news, AMAZING news from the Official Charts Company! Apparently, Queen’s Greatest Hits which was released in 1981 has passed the 6 million mark in sales, which is incredible. So I just want to say thanks to everyone who has supported us through the years, and we hope to continue to serve you.”
Brian May on Queen’s Greatest Hits passing 6 million UK Sales | OfficialCharts 11022014
Queen’s Roger Taylor adds:
“Wonderful. Who would have thought it! And all due to the Great British public. Thank you. A great honour!”
Martin Talbot, Chief Executive of the Official Charts Company comments:
“Becoming the first album to pass 6 million sales is a quite incredible achievement by Queen and their iconic Greatest Hits album. Ever since it was first released in 1981, this package of classic pop and rock tracks has been an indispensable item in every music fan’s record collection – perhaps THE definitive greatest hits album!
A true, enduring classic, the British public continue to buy Queen’s Greatest Hits in their droves; some 33 years after its original release, the album regularly sells several thousand copies per week, particularly around the Christmas gifting period, a trusted stocking filler for British music fans.
Sales of the album digitally are also now racking up, having been downloaded 124,000 times in the UK to date, though Queen’s Greatest Hits is evidently still very much an essential collectors’ favourite that music lovers demand to own a coveted physical copy of.
Gennaro Castaldo of British recorded music industry body, the BPI comments:
“Queen are a part of our music heritage now, with a timeless appeal that will ensure demand for their songs will continue as new generations of fans keep coming through.”
Queen’s Greatest Hits leads the way, some 900,000 copies ahead of ABBA Gold as the UK’s best-selling album of all time. ABBA last year overtook The Beatles Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band to take up second place in the list. And if 6 million sales isn’t enough for Freddie, Brian and co, Queen’s follow-up, Greatest Hits II, which was release in October 1991 – a month before lead singer Freddie Mercury’s untimely death – also rides high at Number 10 in the all-time Official Albums Chart, having notched up a further 3.9 million UK sales to date.
Official Albums Chart Top 5 – all-time
Title | Artist | Year of Release | UK sales
1 GREATEST HITS QUEEN 1981 6.0m
2 GOLD – GREATEST HITS ABBA 1992 5.1m
3 SGT PEPPER’SLONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND BEATLES 1967 5.1m
4 21 ADELE 2011 4.7m
5 WHAT’S THE STORY MORNING GLORY OASIS 1995 4.6m
© Official Charts Company 2014. All rights reserved. (Sales rounded to 100k).
For the full all-time Top 40 visit www.officialcharts.com.
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Queen’s Greatest Hits is available now on
CD / DOWNLOAD
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Chart information quoted from this release must be credited to the Official Charts Company, online outlets please link to www.officialcharts.com
About Official Charts Company
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The Official Charts Company is a joint venture between record labels’ body the BPI and ERA, the Entertainment Retailers Association. The Official Charts Company are responsible for the commissioning, marketing, distribution and management of the UK’s industry standard music charts and industry sales data.
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Hear the Official Charts The Official Chart Update with Scott Mills and Jameela Jamil, 3:30-4pm, BBC Radio 1;
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Chart information credited to OfficialCharts.com
Hashtag: #Queen6M
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