Take it to the limit: The Eagles' “Greatest Hits” overtakes “Thriller” as “best-selling album of all time”

m_eaglesgreatesthits_082018
m_eaglesgreatesthits_082018

Asylum/Warner Music Group

Asylum/Warner Music GroupNo doubt The Eagles have a “Peaceful Easy Feeling” today: They can now boast that they’re again responsible for the best-selling album of all time.

The Recording Industry Association of America has just certified the band’s 1976 album Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 for sales and streams of more than 38 million copies.  The album now overtakes Michael Jackson‘s Thriller for the title of all-time best-seller. 

The two albums have traded off that title for years, but as recently as 2017, Thriller was the top seller, with some 33 million copies sold.  Now, The Eagles have reclaimed the title, with Thriller slipping to #2.

Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 features all of the band’s biggest early hits, from “Take It Easy,” “One of these Nights” and “Witchy Woman” to “Lyin’ Eyes,” “Desperado,” “Already Gone” and “Take It to the Limit.”

But wait — there’s more. The Eagles’ equally legendary album Hotel California, also released in 1976, has been certified for sales and streams of more than 26 million copies, making it the third best-selling album of all time.

In a statement, Cary Sherman, Chairman and CEO of the RIAA, said, “Congratulations to the Eagles, who now claim the jaw-dropping feat of writing and recording two of the top three albums in music history. Both of these transcendent albums have impressively stood the test of time, only gaining more currency and popularity as the years have passed, much like the Eagles themselves.”

The Eagles’ current lineup of Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit, Deacon Frey — son of the late founding member Glenn Frey — and Vince Gill, are on tour through October, wrapping up their current tour on October 20 in Cleveland.

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