Michael Jackson's Thriller has been overtaken by The Eagles' Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 as the best-selling album of all time in the U.S., The Associated Press reports. As of this week, The Eagles' greatest hits compilation has been certified 38x platinum by the RIAA, putting it ahead of Thriller's 33x platinum certification. The album's sales totals had not been recorded by the RIAA since 2006, which means that there was a hefty amount of streams and downloads to account for, bringing the album from 29x platinum to 38. Jackson's Thriller was reportedly last certified in 2017.
This marks a return to the title of best-selling album of all time for The Eagles. The greatest hits comp held the top spot for nearly a decade before it was surpassed by Jackson following his death in 2009.
The Eagles' album Hotel California has also jumped from 16x platinum to 26x platinum, with streams and downloads of the title track making up a large amount of the figure. It is now No. 3 on the all-time list.
Eagles' songwriter Don Henley has made a statement on the achievement. “We are grateful for our families, our management, our crew, the people at radio and, most of all, the loyal fans who have stuck with us through the ups and downs of 46 years. It’s been quite a ride,” he said.
With the addition of streams and downloads to RIAA certification, this surely won't be the last major shift in the record books.
