List of number-one albums (UK)
Encyclopedia
This is a list of the number one hits in the UK Albums Chart
, from its inception in 1956 to the present. The sources are the Record Mirror
chart from 1956 to the end of 1958, the Melody Maker
chart from November 1958 to March 1960, the Record Retailer
chart from March 1960 to March 1972 and the Music Week
chart from then onwards.
In January 1989 the compilation album chart started, and compilation albums were excluded from the main chart.
The first number one album was Frank Sinatra
's Songs for Swingin' Lovers
. For its first few years the chart was usually topped by a musical
soundtrack or original cast recording, but rock albums steadily gained ground. Rock was dominant after the release of The Beatles
first LP in 1963, except for the two and a half year spell later in the Sixties when the soundtrack of The Sound of Music
went to the top of the charts repeatedly. As of 14 June 2010, 900 albums have topped the UK albums chart.
soundtrack with a cumulative total of 70 weeks. Third is the King and I soundtrack with a cumulative total of 48 weeks. Fourth is the highest non soundtrack Bridge over Troubled Water
by Simon and Garfunkel
with a cumulative total of 33 weeks.
The second longest consecutive streak is held by The Beatles
first album Please Please Me
which spent 30 weeks at the top before being knocked off by the band's second album, With the Beatles
, which was itself at the summit for 21 weeks. This means The Beatles were at number one for 51 consecutive weeks in all - a total not bettered by any other artist.
The biggest fall from number one was Christina Aguilera
's 2010
album Bionic, which fell from number one to number 29.
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, from its inception in 1956 to the present. The sources are the Record Mirror
Record Mirror
Record Mirror was a British weekly pop music newspaper, founded by Isadore Green and featured, news articles, interviews, record charts, record reviews, concert reviews, letters from readers and photographs. The paper became respected by both mainstream pop music fans and serious record collectors...
chart from 1956 to the end of 1958, the Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
chart from November 1958 to March 1960, the Record Retailer
Record Retailer
Record Retailer was a trade newspaper for the UK record industry. It was founded in August 1959 as a monthly newspaper covering both labels and dealers. Its founding editor was Roy Parker...
chart from March 1960 to March 1972 and the Music Week
Music Week
Music Week is a trade paper for the UK record industry.Founded in 1959 as Record Retailer, it was relaunched on 18 March 1972 as Music Week . On 17 January 1981 the title was again changed, owing to the increasing importance of sell-through videos, to Music & Video Week...
chart from then onwards.
In January 1989 the compilation album chart started, and compilation albums were excluded from the main chart.
- List of number-one albums from the 1950s (UK)
- List of number-one albums from the 1960s (UK)
- List of number-one albums from the 1970s (UK)
- List of number-one albums from the 1980s (UK)
- List of number-one albums from the 1990s (UK)
- List of number-one albums from the 2000s (UK)
- List of number-one albums from the 2010s (UK)
The first number one album was Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
's Songs for Swingin' Lovers
Songs for Swingin' Lovers
Songs for Swingin' Lovers! is the eighth studio album recorded by the American singer Frank Sinatra for Capitol Records, it was arranged by Nelson Riddle and released in March 1956....
. For its first few years the chart was usually topped by a musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
soundtrack or original cast recording, but rock albums steadily gained ground. Rock was dominant after the release of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
first LP in 1963, except for the two and a half year spell later in the Sixties when the soundtrack of The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
went to the top of the charts repeatedly. As of 14 June 2010, 900 albums have topped the UK albums chart.
Records
The original soundtrack of South Pacific holds the record for the most weeks at Number 1, with a cumulative total of 115 weeks, including one stretch of 70 consecutive weeks. A fairly distant second place is held by the The Sound of MusicThe Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
soundtrack with a cumulative total of 70 weeks. Third is the King and I soundtrack with a cumulative total of 48 weeks. Fourth is the highest non soundtrack Bridge over Troubled Water
Bridge over Troubled Water
Bridge Over Troubled Water is the fifth and final studio album by Simon & Garfunkel. Released on January 26, 1970 on both Quadraphonic and Stereo formats, it reached No. 1 on Billboard Music Charts pop albums list...
by Simon and Garfunkel
Simon and Garfunkel
Simon & Garfunkel are an American duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. They formed the group Tom & Jerry in 1957 and had their first success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl". As Simon & Garfunkel, the duo rose to fame in 1965, largely on the strength of the...
with a cumulative total of 33 weeks.
The second longest consecutive streak is held by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
first album Please Please Me
Please Please Me
Please Please Me is the debut album by the English rock band The Beatles. Parlophone rush-released the album on 22 March 1963 in the United Kingdom to capitalise on the success of singles "Please Please Me" and "Love Me Do" .Of the album's fourteen songs, eight were written by Lennon–McCartney...
which spent 30 weeks at the top before being knocked off by the band's second album, With the Beatles
With the Beatles
With The Beatles is the second studio album by the English rock group The Beatles. It was released on 22 November 1963 on Parlophone, and was recorded four months after the band's debut Please Please Me...
, which was itself at the summit for 21 weeks. This means The Beatles were at number one for 51 consecutive weeks in all - a total not bettered by any other artist.
The biggest fall from number one was Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
's 2010
2010 in music
2010 in music may refer to:*2010 in American music*2010 in Australian music*2010 in British music*2010 in Canadian music*2010 in European music *2010 in Irish music*2010 in Japanese music*2010 in New Zealand music...
album Bionic, which fell from number one to number 29.
See also
- List of artists by total number of UK number-one albums
- List of Christmas number one albums (UK)
- List of number-one singles (UK)
- List of one-hit wonders on the UK Albums Chart
- List of UK Compilation Chart number ones
- List of UK Dance Chart number-one albums
- List of UK Indie Chart number-one albums
- List of UK Official Download Chart number-one albums
- List of UK Rock Chart number-one albums
- List of UK R&B Chart number-one albums