From first chart-topper to biggest sellers & most successful artists, 70 facts to celebrate 7 decades of UK album chart

THE Official Albums Chart turns 70 this week. Spanning 16 prime ministers as well as thousands of bands and artists, it marks the records that we bought, streamed, cherished and simply refused to stop playing since 1956. Madonna’s Confessions II was No1 this month — making her the first US female artist to score UK chart-toppers across five decades Credit: Getty The Beatles were the first ever artists to replace their own album at number one when With The Beatles knocked Please Please Me off the top spot in 1963 Credit: Reuters To celebrate the landmark anniversary, Olivia Monk presents 70 facts about the industry-recognised rundown that has helped shape pop history. 1) KICKING it all off on July 22, 1956, Frank Sinatra’s Songs For Swingin’ Lovers topped the first albums chart. Sign up for the Showbiz newsletter Thank you! 2) Across seven decades from July 1956 to 2026, the Official Albums Chart has crowned more than 1,400 unique No1 albums. 3) The first chart only featured five albums. Kicking it all off on July 22 1956, topping the first-ever Albums Chart was Frank Sinatra’s Songs For Swingin’ Lovers The soundtrack to the movie South Pacific spent a mind-boggling 70 consecutive weeks at number one from November 1958 to March 1960 4) The UK Official Singles Chart began nearly four years earlier in 1952, with Al Martino’s Here In My Heart as the UK’s first No1. 5) The albums chart was originally called the Record Mirror Chart. It was renamed the Melody Maker Chart in 1958, then the Record Retailer Chart in 1960. 6) In 1969, after numerous name changes, the BBC and Record Retailer commissioned BMRB to create the Official Albums Chart. 7) The Official Charts Company compiles its data from 12:01am on Friday to 11:59pm Thursday evening. Most read in Showbiz Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon reached number two on release in 1973 and became the 7th biggest album of all time despite never hitting number one Credit: Handout The Beatles have 15 chart-topping albums — more than any other band or artist Credit: Reuters 8) For eight weeks in February and March 1971 no album chart was compiled due to a postal strike. 9) Realising that relying on Post Office logistics posed problems, the chart hired motorcycle couriers who raced handwritten sales logs from record shops across the UK to London each weekend so the chart could be compiled on time. 10) Throughout the 1970s, chart compilers struggled with cheap reissues. Budget albums were periodically banned, allowed back in and banned again because their ultra-low price undercut full-priced new studio albums. 11) Before barcode scanners, record labels allegedly manipulated the album chart by buying albums and bribing record shops to inflate sales — but an ITV investigation exposed the practice. Fleetwood Mac’s beloved rock soap opera Rumours is the most-streamed album of the 1970s Dire Straits’ 1985 classic Brothers in Arms was the first album in world history to sell more copies on CD than on vinyl LP, becoming the UK’s first CD million-seller Credit: Alamy 12) In the late 1960s and 1970s, many underground rock, folk and punk artists sold thousands of albums via coupons in music magazines or direct through fan clubs. But chart bosses had a strict rule: If an album wasn’t sold over a physical retail counter, it was strictly banned from the chart. 13) Multi-artist compilations such as the Now That’s What I Call Music! series frequently kept major studio albums out of the No1 spot until they were banned in 1989 and given their own chart. 14) Strict rules dictate that a release with four tracks or fewer cannot appear in the albums chart and must go in the singles or EPs chart instead. 15) In 2006, the Official Charts were updated to include digital downloads. Before then, chart placings were decided purely on physical sales. Jeff Wayne’s 1978 concept album ‘Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds’ spent over 330 weeks on the chart Credit: Alamy Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell spent 522 weeks on the chart and became the 19th best selling album in UK history – despite only peaking at number nine Credit: Alamy 16) Sam Smith’s In The Lonely Hour became the first album to hit No1 after streaming was integrated into chart calculations in 2014. 17) An album’s streaming count is calculated using its top 12 tracks, with the top two most-streamed tracks down-weighted. This prevents any title with one massive viral song from unfairly dominating the albums chart if very few people are listening to the rest of the record. 18) The singles and albums charts use physical sales, digital downloads and audio and video streaming to calculate positions. But unlike many other charts around the world, they don’t include radio play. 19) The average top album will have shifted at least 4,000 units, with the No1 scoring around 60,000. Britain’s all-time biggest studio album is 1995’s (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? by Oasis, with over 6.2million chart units Credit: check copyright The UK’s biggest album of all time is Queen’s Greatest Hits, which has shifted 7.8million units since it was released in 1981 Credit: Handout 20) The Official Albums Chart didn’t reach its full 100-position length until 1983. 21) In July 2015, the Official Chart announcement moved from Sunday afternoons to Friday evenings. 22) The UK’s biggest album of all time is Queen’s Greatest Hits, which has shifted 7.8million units since it was released in 1981. 23) Britain’s all-time biggest studio album is 1995’s (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? by Oasis, which has sold over 6.2million chart units. Released in 2011, Adele’s 21 is the UK’s best-selling album by a female artist and the fourth best-seller overall Credit: Handout Ed Sheeran’s ÷ (Divide) is the most-streamed album of the 2010s 24) Released in 2011, Adele’s 21 is the UK’s best-selling album by a female artist and the fourth best-seller overall. 25) The Beatles and The Rolling Stones each have 15 chart- topping albums — more than any other band. 26) Taylor Swift has had 14 UK No1 albums, making her the chart’s top international solo artist. Madonna and Elvis Presley both have 13. 27) The solo act with the most chart-topping albums is Robbie Williams with 16. MOST UK SALES Greatest Hits – Queen (1981) Gold – Abba (1992) Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles (1967) 21 – Adele (2011) (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? – Oasis (1995) The Dark Side Of The Moon – Pink Floyd (1973) Thriller – Michael Jackson (1982) Brothers In Arms – Dire Straits (1985) Rumours – Fleetwood Mac (1977) Greatest Hits II – Queen (1991) Bad – Michael Jackson (1987) Back To Black – Amy Winehouse (2006) Legend – Bob Marley And The Wailers (1984) The Immaculate Collection – Madonna (1990) Stars – Simply Red (1991) Bat Out Of Hell – Meat Loaf (1977) Come On Over – Shania Twain (1997) 25 – Adele (2015) 1 – Beatles (2000) Urban Hymns – The Verve (1997) Sam Smith’s In The Lonely Hour became the first-ever album to hit No1 after streaming was integrated into chart calculations in 2014 Credit: Getty 28) The Beatles have spent the most time at No1, with a total of 176 weeks. 29) Elvis Presley was at the top of the chart for a total of 66 weeks — the most for a solo artist. 30) The King of Rock ’n’ Roll also holds the record for the most top ten albums, with 53 to his name. 31) Eminem had ten consecutive No1 albums between 2000 and 2020 — beating the record previously held by ABBA and Led Zeppelin. Elvis Presley also holds the record for the most top 10 albums – with 53 separate releases entering the Top 10 Credit: Getty Images – Getty In July 2021, ABBA’s Gold – Greatest Hits made history by becoming the first album ever to spend 1,000 weeks on the UK Official Albums Chart Credit: AFP 32) Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney has achieved No1 albums across seven decades. 33) The South Pacific movie soundtrack spent 70 consecutive weeks at the top from November 1958 to March 1960. It clocked up a total of 115 weeks at the summit. 34) In 1963, The Beatles became the first artists to replace their own album at No1 when With The Beatles knocked Please Please Me off the top spot. 35) Please Please Me spent 30 consecutive weeks at No1 — the longest-ever run for a debut album. Oasis have the two most-streamed albums of the 1990s Credit: Getty Coldplay’s first ten albums all debuted at the top spot Credit: Getty – Contributor 36) Strictly Come Dancing star Anton Du Beke surprised fans by reaching the Top 10 with his 2017 swing album From The Top. 37) In July 2021, ABBA’s Gold: Greatest Hits became the first album to spend 1,000 weeks on the chart. 38) Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon is the seventh- biggest album of all time despite only peaking at No2 on its release in 1973. 39) Meat Loaf’s Bat Out Of Hell spent 522 weeks in the chart and became the 19th best-selling album in UK history — even though its highest chart position was No9. Billie Eilish is the youngest female solo artist to top the album charts. She was just 17 years old when When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? debuted in 2019 Credit: Getty Images – Getty Harry Styles’ Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. (2026) broke the record for the biggest vinyl opening week for a UK artist this century Credit: Anthony Pham 40) Jeff Wayne’s The War Of The Worlds peaked at No5 in 1978 but went on to become the 46th best-selling album in UK history. 41) While hit albums often debut at No1, David Gray’s White Ladder took one year, ten months and two weeks before it finally became a chart-topper in August 2001. 42) Adele’s 25 holds the UK record for the biggest launch week for a female artist, shifting more than 800,000 chart units in seven days in 2015. 43) Soldier Soldier TV actors Robson Green and Jerome Flynn’s 1995 debut became the fastest-selling UK album to sell two million copies. They topped that year’s charts, even keeping The Beatles off the Christmas No1 spot. In 2007, Prince gave away three million copies of his album Planet Earth with a national newspaper in a bid to win the top spot Credit: AFP Taylor Swift has had 14 UK No1 albums, making her the chart’s top international solo artist. Madonna has 12 and Elvis Presley 13 Credit: Getty 44) Susan Boyle’s 2009 debut I Dreamed A Dream became the fastest-selling debut by a female artist in British chart history at the time, selling more than 411,000 copies in its first week. 45) Harry Styles’ Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally sold more than 66,000 copies on vinyl during its first week on sale this year — a record for a UK artist this century. 46) In 1972, Scottish singer Neil Reid hit No1 on the albums chart with his self-titled record. He was just 12 years old, making him the youngest solo artist to debut with a No1 album. 47) Billie Eilish is the youngest female solo artist to top the album charts. She was 17 when When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? debuted in 2019. MOST STREAMS ÷ – Ed Sheeran (2017) 50 Years: Don’t Stop – Fleetwood Mac (2018) Time Flies: 1994-2009 – Oasis (2010) The Highlights – The Weeknd (2021) Curtain Call: The Hits – Eminem (2005) Diamonds – Elton John (2017) The Greatest Showman – Motion Picture Cast Recording (2017) Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent – Lewis Capaldi (2019) Gold – Abba (1992) AM – Arctic Monkeys (2013) Greatest Hits – Queen (1981) Sour – Olivia Rodrigo (2021) (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? – Oasis (1995) The Essential Michael Jackson – Michael Jackson (2005) Rumours – Fleetwood Mac (1977) × – Ed Sheeran (2014) Dua Lipa – Dua Lipa (2017) Singles – Maroon 5 (2015) In The Lonely Hour – Sam Smith (2014) Legend – Bob Marley And The Wailers (1984) Susan Boyle’s 2009 debut album I Dreamed a Dream became the fastest-selling debut by a female artist in UK chart history at the time Credit: Getty 48) Sir Paul McCartney this year became the oldest-living male to top the chart. The Boys of Dungeon Lane was his 24th career No1 album at the age of 83. 49) K-pop boyband BTS became the first Korean and non-English foreign-language act to have a UK No1 album when Soul: Persona shot straight to the top in 2019. 50) In April 2020, Calm by Aussie pop group 5 Seconds Of Summer beat Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia to the No1 spot by just 70 units. 51) After his death in January 2016, David Bowie achieved an unprecedented chart feat: 12 albums in the Top 40 simultaneously, including five in the Top Ten. His final album Blackstar was No1. Robson Green and Jerome Flynn’s Soldier Soldier soundtrack album became a record-breaking smash, keeping The Beatles off Christmas Number One in 1995 Credit: Getty Multi-artist compilations such as the Now That’s What I Call Music! series frequently kept major studio albums out of the No1 spot until they were banned in 1989 Credit: Amazon 52) Coldplay’s first ten albums all debuted at the top spot. 53) Madonna’s Confessions II was No1 this month — making her the first US female artist to score UK chart-toppers across five decades. 54) Kylie Minogue was the first female solo artist to score UK number one albums across five consecutive decades. 55) With their 1971 release Ram, Sir Paul McCartney and his late wife Linda became the only married couple credited as a duo to score a No1. 56) Ed Sheeran’s Divide (÷) is the most-streamed album of the 2010s. Since its release in March 2017, it has spent 488 weeks in the chart. 57) Arctic Monkeys’ 2006 debut Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not is the most-streamed album of the 2000s. It includes No1 single I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor and has been in the chart for a total of 599 weeks. 58) Oasis’s second album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? is the most-streamed album of the Nineties, followed by their 1994 debut Definitely Maybe. 59) A blend of indie guitars, psychedelic elements and dance-influenced rhythms, The Stone Roses’ self-titled 1989 debut is the most-streamed album of the 1980s. 60) Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, which spawned classic tracks Dreams, Go Your Own Way and Don’t Stop, is the most-streamed album of the 1970s. Even though it only spent a single week at No1, it has gone on to spend 1,157 weeks in the chart. 61) The Beatles made eight of the Sixties’ ten most-streamed albums, including Abbey Road. 62) Dire Straits’ 1985 classic Brothers In Arms — the tenth biggest UK album ever — was the first album to sell more copies on CD than vinyl. 63) In 2022, vinyl album sales in the UK surpassed CD albums in monetary value for the first time since 1987. 64) In recent years, artists such as Arctic Monkeys, Florence + The Machine and The 1975 have sold tens of thousands of cassette tapes in launch weeks to secure the No1 spot. 65) In 2007, Prince gave away three million copies of his album Planet Earth with a national newspaper in a bid to win the top spot. Record stores protested, making it ineligible for the charts. 66) For the 60th anniversary of the albums chart, bosses launched the Gold Official Number One Album Award and the Silver Official Number One Single Award. 67) Ed Sheeran was presented with the first gold award at London’s Wembley Stadium for Multiply (x). 68) The movie soundtrack to The Greatest Showman spent 28 non-consecutive weeks at No1. 69) In 2016, TV presenter and comedian Bradley Walsh released his debut album Chasing Dreams, which became the highest-selling debut album by a UK artist in 2016. 70) Christina Aguilera’s 2010 album Bionic holds the record for the most dramatic drop. It went into the chart at No1 and plummeted to 29 in its second week. Comment now