This is taken from KGON 92.3 FM Classic Rock in Portland, Oregons web site.

"Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon spent 736 straight weeks, from March1973 to July 1988, on Billboard's Top 200 album chart. It then spent another nine weeks on the chart, plus 759 weeks on the Top Pop Catalog Albums chart -- which means, with the current issue of Billboard, it will have spent 15-hundred weeks on the charts. That figure tops the second longest-charting album, Bob Marley's Legends, by a two-to-one margin. Dark Side has sold upwards of 40-million copies worldwide and continues to sell between eight- and nine-thousand copies a week.

A few years back Roger Waters said, "It's not allowed to be on the charts. Billboard introduced a rule which said no album that's been out for more than 10 years is allowed to appear in the 200 because the business decided that the chart is a selling tool and they don't need that tool to sell Dark Side of the Moon or [the Eagles'] Hotel California or the other classic albums."

Now you may not think it's the best album of all time You might not even like it. Heck you might hate, Or you might be the one guy who has never even heard it.

BUT 40 million copies sold and twice as many copies as it's c;osest competion is one hell of a statement about what the people who listen to rock and roll think of it.

Think of it this way DSOTM just finished the INDY 500 while the car in number two just cross the 250 mile mark! Meaning DSOTM moon lapped the field 250 times.

My feeling is (and I am not being too facetious), as long as there's a supply of marijuana available to the US, that album will continue to sell well.

Always loved that album and its still gets played about once a month. My favorite song from it is Us & Them.

Uh, Mark. The Indy track is 2.5 miles long. That means DSOTM has only lapped the field 100 times. :smoke:

I bet about 40 million people watch American Idol every week.

I bet about 40 million people watch American Idol every week.:lmao:

Funny thing is that when I first heard DSOTM I didn't really get it. I thought there were too many non musical sound effects. Of course I first heard the album on Bose speakers...perhaps that has something to do with my initial lukewarm reception.

MHardy nailed it. A mediocre album at best. Analogy? Blose sells more speakers than anybody else don't they? Want a pair?

Tentoze in a way that is really sad!

Toasted Almond I have two pair of Bose speakers both 301 II's and I like them very much.

Photobitstream My bust

mhardy6647 It goes well with beer too!


Now what do you guys think about Thriller being the top selling album of all time? Now there some music art!

That album must really sound special on those 301's.

Tentoze in a way that is really sad!

Exactly.

The Recording Industry Association of America's Top-Selling Albums of All Time - as of 03/08/2006 - US sales only

29,000,000 - Greatest Hits 1971–1975, Eagles
27,000,000 - Thriller, Michael Jackson
23,000,000 - Led Zeppelin IV (Zoso), Led Zeppelin
23,000,000 - The Wall, Pink Floyd
21,000,000 - Greatest Hits, Volumes I & II, Billy Joel
21,000,000 - Back in Black, AC/DC
20,000,000 - Double Live, Garth Brooks
20,000,000 - Come On Over, Shania Twain
19,000,000 - The Beatles (The White Album), The Beatles
19,000,000 - Rumours, Fleetwood Mac
17,000,000 - The Bodyguard soundtrack, Whitney Houston
17,000,000 - debut album, Boston
16,000,000 - Physical Graffiti, Led Zeppelin
16,000,000 - 1967–1970 (The Red Album), The Beatles
16,000,000 - Greatest Hits, Elton John
16,000,000 - Hotel California, Eagles
16,000,000 - Cracked Rear View, Hootie & the Blowfish
16,000,000 - No Fences, Garth Brooks
16,000,000 - Jagged Little Pill, Alanis Morissette

According to RIAA, DSOTM has sold 15,000,000 copies.

source: http://www.riaa.com/gp/bestsellers/topalbums.asp

Wow, there is some serious crapola on that list, and far too much of it is ending up on my radio.

Johnny Mathis Greatest Hits was on the Billboard Top 200 chart for 10 years,and you couldnt pay me to listen to that shit again,either.
Jimmy

This is from the Billboard web site FAQ section:

"Can you tell me how many copies an album has sold worldwide?
No, there is no single independent body that tracks sales worldwide. Since 1991, Billboard has relied on the data compiled by Nielsen SoundScan, which tracks U.S. point-of-purchase sales, to inform its sales charts."


The Pink floyd web site states that DSOTM has sold 34 million copies.

interesting how this froths up people isn't it?

I offered that list up without editorial comment. I should have specified it referred to US album sales only. I could have also marked crappy titles in red, but that would only leave three or four in black.

is the thing that sells the most also the best?

I know why the Eagles' Greatest hits is #1 - because I alone have probably bought it 30 times.

On the other hand, TA is the big reason Thriller is such a hit.

:D

I like DSOTM. Floyd is one of the greats.

Pete

I prefer Animals.

EDIT: The album, fellas. Just thought I'd make that clear....;)

What does TA stand for. Tits and ass? Michael Jackson may look like a woman but I don't think many people would want to take her out on a date.

What does TA stand for. Tits and ass? Michael Jackson may look like a woman but I don't think many people would want to take her out on a date.

:lmfreakin'ao:

TA = Toasted Almond.

Pete

What does TA stand for. Tits and ass?

It could but I always called T & A. In this case it refers to forum member Toasted Almond.

Cheers

Ah okay, these internet abbreviations often get me a case of the Thrillers.

http://mjnolimit.free.fr/img/album/chanson/Thr/Thr05.jpg

How's the following for a band title:

http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the_dark_side_of_syd/humble_and_sick/

Let's see... if DSOTM has sold 40,000,000 worldwide, but only 15,000,000 in the US, that would mean it's sold 25,000,000 outside the US.

Hmmm... 15M domestic and 25M international... now, does that make sense? I'm having trouble imagining an English-speaking album selling that way. It was a huge, huge hit here, but I can't see it being a mass-market hit in most of Europe or Asia, and I don't think China or Africa are big markets for old rock albums at all.

But then, I don't understand the French loving Jerry Lewis or the Germans love of David Hasselhoff either...

You just can't figure 'folks'.

I prefer Animals.

EDIT: The album, fellas. Just thought I'd make that clear....;)


I prefer Wish You Were Here. I like Animals, but I've never found a copy of it that was sonically very good. Any suggestions? :D

I like Animals, but I've never found a copy of it that was sonically very good. Any suggestions?

:)







Carl

mini-lp with Obi strip? How much does that go for? I had a very early pressing on vinyl and it sounded muddy to me. The CD I have is muddy too. Have you heard this japanese release?

Regular Japanese vinyl. I paid 12.99 used/mint years ago. One of my better purchases.



Carl

Carl...good call on that japanese LP..I may have to look for that one.

Only Japanese Pink Floyd that I have seen. I haven't thought to look for them on the net though. I have an older Dutch or German Meddle that is very good also, the US issues were terrible as well. The 30th DSOTM is Dutch and excellent IMHO. Made the same place as the excellent Echoes LP set.


Carl

I like Animals, but I've never found a copy of it that was sonically very good. Any suggestions? :D

I have the original Columbia CD (CK 34474) that was issued in 1990. Some folks prefer these older masterings as they weren't futzed with like later remasterings. I think this sounds okay but everything is so subjective.

I also have the Toshiba/EMI Japanese mini lp CD that was issued in 2001. More of a collectors item for me (I have them all) and not exactly cheap. Some folks find these a tad bright. Again, ymmv.

Animals was reissued quite a few times between those years (in 1994, 1997 and 2000). Those I haven't heard and can't comment on.

So, I guess I don't have a definitve answer to your question. I don't consider myself an expert on sound quality issues and very rarely give out any advice regarding such. I don't have tin ears but I certainly don't have golden ears either.

If you like vinyl it sounds like Carl gave you your best option.

Cheers

After spending way too many paychecks on dozens of Floyd reissues, I think I've finally had enough. Why have I suddenly come to my senses and stopped biting?

Simple. The master tapes of the last Waters era Floyd album are over 20 years old. Gilmour has spoken about how the masters of "The Wall" were in horrible shape (but they had backups iirc). You can remaster with theoretically perfect gear and you'll never get day-one sound.

Unless you find a way to recreate what was lost to tape aging, you eventually hit a brick wall (had to get in that pun...)

Then again, "The Wall" or WYWH in surround might make me reconsider...

Funny, only yesterday I bought the SACD version on the recommendation of a friend and before SACD disappears. I think Billboard's #s are wrong as DSOTM isn't even on their list.

Japan, and lots of the Euro countries, as well as oceania-Asia (Australia, NZ, etc) are huge fans of American/English music. I wrote concert reviews and took photograhs for a Japanese magazine back in the 70s and they were wild about PF.