The Eagles have reclaimed the crown for the best-selling album of all time.
The band’s compilation, Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975, filled with infectious sing-along songs like “Take It Easy” and “Desperado,” has dethroned Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Until a few years ago, the Eagles’ album had held the top spot, but it was bypassed following the King of Pop’s death in 2009.
According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), The Eagles best-of collection has been certified as 38x platinum, meaning sales and streams of the album have reached 38 million copies.
While the Eagles’ LP takes the gold, 33x platinum Thriller snags silver while yet another Eagles album—Hotel California—follows with bronze at 26x platinum.
RIAA’s platinum status once equaled the sale of one million albums or songs, but in 2013, the company began incorporating digital streaming from YouTube, Spotify, and other music services to calculate certification for albums and songs. Now, 1,500 streams of an album are equivalent to an album sale, while 10 song downloads equals one album sale.
“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,” Eagles’ Don Henley said in a statement.
