McCartney Times

In the first half of 2017, vinyl continued to be the only format of music where sales rose, though a quick look at the titles that are performing the best shows that the wax record buyer isn’t necessarily the same person who is watching the chart and keeping up on the biggest hit singles.

The bestselling vinyl album in the first six months of 2017 is, almost unbelievably, The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The legendary title, widely regarded as one of the best albums ever recorded, is 50 years old this year, and yet the public simply can’t get enough of it. To celebrate half a century, the British band released a remastered, remixed version of one of its most successful full-lengths, and that new item helped Sgt. Pepper’s rise on charts all around the world, including here in the United States. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band hit No. 1 on the U.K. albums tally and it broke into the top five yet again here in America. Many true Beatles lovers opted to pick up a copy of the newly-updated collection on vinyl, as the record has sold 39,000 copies in the U.S.

The jazzy La La Land soundtrack comes in a close second place, just a few thousand units behind The Beatles. The title was a relatively successful soundtrack from the moment it was released, but as La La Land did well in theaters, the accompanying album continued to rise on the Billboard 200, eventually peaking at No. 2. Earlier this year, the film won several Academy Awards, including sweeping the musical categories, which also helped it sell even more copies.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 is in third place, which is actually rather shocking, given how long the soundtrack album has been available. Since being released and hitting No. 1 in the summer of 2014, the record that accompanies the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie has been a staple when it comes to all things vinyl, and while a more recent compilation has been released from the Guardians franchise, the first edition continues to be a fan-favorite.

Catalog records make up the rest of the top five, as Bob Marley’s best of collection Legend and Amy Winehouse’s breakout blockbuster Back To Black sit comfortably at Nos. 4 and 5, respectively.

The Beatles are the only act that appears twice on this listing, as Abbey Road comes in seventh place, right behind Ed Sheeran’s Divide, which is the bestselling album of 2017 so far (when all formats are taken into consideration), though not the bestselling vinyl album.

Source: The Beatles Are On Top Of The Bestselling Vinyl List Of 2017 With A 50-Year-Old Album