Top selling rock albums in the world with 22-30 million copies sold!

The world's best-selling rock albums - the masterpieces below have had a huge impact on today's rock scene! From hard rock to metal, we have decided to take into account all styles to make this sumptuous selection... It is worth noting that the circulation is worldwide, for the entire time since the release of a particular album! This is the top of the best-selling rock albums in the world with a circulation of 22 to 30 million copies... So: here we go!

Oasis - "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?" (22 million)

"(What's the Story) Morning Glory?" is the second studio work of the rock band Oasis. It is worth emphasising that this album is noticeably different from the British debut: this time Noel Gallagher decided to focus on rock ballads, long choruses and string arrangements...

At first, "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?" received cold reviews from critics, but as time went on, the record's popularity began to grow! Today it is one of the most important records of the Britpop era and the 90's in general!

Queen - "Greatest Hits" (25 million)

This compilation includes Queen's greatest hits, starting with "Seven Seas of Rhye". It is noteworthy that a different track list was compiled for each country (depending on which singles were released there and which were successful...) However - this did not prevent "Greatest Hits" from becoming a worldwide success!

As of 2020, "Greatest Hits" has spent 900 weeks in the UK national chart! Today, it is the fourth highest charting and most important album of the 80s.....

Simon & Garfunkel - "Bridge over Troubled Water" (25 million)

"Bridge over Troubled Water" was the fifth and unfortunately the last album by folk-rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. It was released in the very early 70's, and quickly brought the duo worldwide success! Unfortunately, in the same year Simon & Garfunkel ceased to exist....

For those interested (especially fans of the duo) - the story behind the creation of this masterpiece is told in detail in the 72-minute documentary The Harmony Game (2011)...

U2 - "The Joshua Tree" (25 million)

"The Joshua Tree" by Irish rock band U2 saw the light of day in March 1987: this time the band emphasised a harder sound, and it's hard to argue with that... As U2 themselves admitted, "The Joshua Tree" was influenced by their American and Irish roots... The lyrics of the tracks touch on socio-political and spiritual themes and images.....

https://youtu.be/0DYiLcdze3Y

"The Joshua Tree" also shows U2's interest in "mythical America,"...

Eric Clapton - "Unplugged" (26 million).

"Unplugged" is a great live album by the equally great rock musician Eric Clapton.....

It was released in 1992 and contains 14 of Clapton's favourite songs, including 'Tears in Heaven' (as a tribute to his late son) and 'Layla', the story of which is well known to every fan (of rock at least).

Hootie & the Blowfish - "Cracked Rear View" (26 million).

"Cracked Rear View" is rightly called the most successful album of Hootie & the Blowfish! The record became the best-selling album of 1995 (it sold more than 10 million copies in that year alone!).

https://youtu.be/XEuo0bD5c98

It is also the 19th best-selling collaborative album in America... "Cracked Rear View" has topped the Billboard 200 in a number of countries around the world, most notably - 5 times.

Linkin Park - "Hybrid Theory" (27 million)

The feeling when your debut is a momentous one... "Hybrid Theory" is the album that literally burst onto the world rock scene with Linkin Park! It was released in October 2000: the lyrics are about the teenage problems of Chester Bennington, the band's lead singer: his parents' quarrels and divorce, addictions... The main hit track was "In the End":

In addition to "In the End," the songs that made the band widely famous were "One Step Closer," "Crawling," and "Papercu."

Bon Jovi - "Slippery When Wet" (28 million)

"Slippery When Wet" by Bon Jovi includes all of the band's most popular tracks, "You Give Love a Bad Name," "Livin' on a Prayer," "Wanted Dead Or Alive" and more....

Today, "Slippery When Wet" is the band's biggest achievement (12 million copies sold in the United States alone)! It was also named the most commercially successful release of 1987. There is a reason why it is included in the book "One Thousand and One Music Albums Worth Listening to Before You Die"....

Guns N' Roses - "Appetite for Destruction" (27-32 million)

And another dazzling debut in our top: "Appetite for Destruction" by the legendary Guns N' Roses was a resounding success: it became the most successful debut in America according to the Billboard 200.

Unfortunately, the exact number of copies sold worldwide is hard to say, with some reports putting the album's circulation at 27 million copies and others at 32 million....

Santana - "Supernatural" (30 million)

One of the most legendary albums both in rock history and in Santana's discography... "Supernatural" went platinum 15 times in America, and also brought the band 9 Grammy Awards! Its biggest hits were "Smooth" (with vocals by Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty) and "Maria Maria"....

By the way: not only Santana band members worked on this album, but also many famous musicians such as Eric Clapton, Eagle-Eye Cherry, Lauryn Hill, Dave Matthews,...