The Beatles’ Abbey Road makes a major comeback in the U.K., returning to multiple charts — including inside the top 10 on one list — proving its appeal 50 years after its debut. The Beatles at their manager Brian Epstein’s home, 24 Chapel Street, London, for a press meeting and pre-listen to their upcoming album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
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For more than half a century, Abbey Road by The Beatles has stood out as one of the bestselling albums of all time. The blockbuster, which is regarded as a classic even among the Fab Four’s discography — which is saying quite a bit — can regularly be found on charts globally. The title often appears on one or two tallies in the United Kingdom, where the pop-rock band is considered perhaps the most successful musical act ever.
Just a short time after Abbey Road fell away from the charts again, the album bursts back onto multiple rankings, becoming a top seller once more. This week, The Beatles even manage to claim a top 10 album again on the four musicians’ home turf.
Abbey Road Returns to Three U.K. Rankings
Abbey Road is back on a trio of music charts in the U.K. This frame, the set reappears out of nowhere inside the highest tier on the Official Vinyl Albums chart, where it rebounds to No. 6. The title is a top 20 winner once more on the other two tallies it inhabits, as it breaks back onto the Official Physical Albums ranking at No. 19 and the Official Album Sales list at No. 20.
When Did The Beatles’ Abbey Road Debut?
10th January 1964: Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon (1940 – 1980) and George Harrison (1943 – 2001) of British pop group The Beatles. (Photo by Terry Disney/Express/Getty Images)
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Abbey Road debuted on the three charts where it can currently be found in completely different years. It first reached the Official Physical Albums chart in January 1996. Nine years later, in July 2015, it became a top performer on the Official Vinyl Albums roster for the first time. The following spring, the classic made a grand entrance on the Official Album Sales tally, the list of the bestselling full-lengths and EPs in the U.K., regardless of genre or format.
When Did Abbey Road Hit No. 1?
While Abbey Road needed a decade to make its way to all three charts in the U.K., it has peaked in the same position. Unsurprisingly, The Beatles’ smash has already climbed to No. 1. Though it may have debuted on the trio of tallies at very different times, October 2019 was a special period for the bestseller, as it hit the top spot on all three rosters in the same month.
How Many Weeks Did Abbey Road Spend at No. 1?
While Abbey Road didn’t make it to No. 1 on any of the sales rosters it returns to this frame until relatively recently, the set was an immediate winner when The Beatles released it in 1969. Abbey Road debuted at No. 1 on the Official Albums chart, the oldest and most important ranking that looks at the biggest projects in the country.
Of the 142 weeks Abbey Road has spent on the competitive tally, 35 have been inside the top 10 and 18 were at No. 1. Almost all of those frames running the show were in a row, as Abbey Road was a gargantuan commercial win from the moment it arrived.
BEATLES 1966 Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon and George Harrison at Top Of The Pops
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The Beatles Benefit From Amazon’s Prime Day Deals
Abbey Road is one of many classic rock titles that return to and fall from charts in Western nations with some regularity. On occasion, the comebacks can be tied to an anniversary or special re-release, while at other times, CDs or vinyls simply become available again after going out of print for short spans.
Amazon’s recent Prime Day may have helped Abbey Road, as the retailer offered a “3-for-2” promotion that many customers took advantage of in categories like books, music, toys, and others. Abbey Road was included among the list of titles that were eligible for the offering, and the discount may have played a role in convincing a large number of people in the U.K. to grab a copy.
The Beatles’ 1962–1966 and 1967–1970
As Abbey Road returns to the charts, two other classics by The Beatles also manage to appear, though not on the same tallies. The group’s connected compilations 1962–1966 and 1967–1970 both live on the Official Album Streaming chart, while the one that focuses on the latter half of the group’s catalog can also be found once more on the Official Albums list.
“Now and Then” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand”
Two songs by The Beatles also find their way back to the same ranking. “Now and Then,” which was marketed as the last Beatles song and which arrived in 2023, as well as “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” one of the group’s earliest singles, both find their way to the Official Physical Singles chart. The newer of the bunch is back at No. 53, while the career-making hit reappears at No. 75.