The Beatles’ ‘Abbey Road’ Dethroned After Two-Year Reign On Top of Vinyl Charts
It's had a pretty good run at the top, but after two years of dominating the vinyl market, the Beatles' 'Abbey Road' ended 2012 looking up at another LP on the charts.
The album in question -- Jack White's 'Blunderbuss' -- was one of the year's higher-profile (and better-reviewed) rock releases, but it ended up nudging out the Fab Four's late-period classic by an impressively slender margin: A mere 4,000 copies stood between 'Road' and another 12 months of vinyl supremacy.
As VVN Music notes, vinyl remains an impressively healthy format -- years after being left for dead in the digital '90s, it moved nearly five million units in 2012. Even more impressive: That number represents a nearly 18 percent jump over 2011. What music industry slump?
All in all, 2012's list of year-end vinyl bestsellers reflects the eclectic tastes of the format's enthusiasts, encompassing a variety of new and old acts from a variety of genres. Check it out below and let us know which vinyl titles spent the most time on your turntable last year.
2012's Top-Selling Vinyl Records:
1. Jack White, 'Blunderbuss' (34,000 copies sold)
2. The Beatles, 'Abbey Road' (30,000)
3. Mumford & Sons, 'Babel' (29,000)
4. Black Keys, 'El Camino' (25,000)
5. Mumford & Sons, 'Sigh No More' (23,000)
6. Beach House, 'Bloom' (21,000)
7. Bon Iver, 'For Emma Forever Ago' (19,000)
8. Alabama Shakes, 'Boys & Girls' (17,000)
9. Adele, '21' (16,000)
10. Bon Iver, 'Bon Iver' (15,000)