Elton John :: Charts & Sales History

[lucad]

MJ Dangerous, you always tend to undervalue elton, probably for your "internal" struggle with MJ sales.
I follow RIAA certifications from nearly 20 years. Last seventies album certifications about elton has been in 1998.

Also, the DVD "ELTON 60" has not been certified (n.1 for 2 weeks).

All is probably due to an "internal struggle" that elton has with Universal from many years.
Bye

[MJDangerous]

MJ Dangerous, you always tend to undervalue elton, probably for your "internal" struggle with MJ sales.
I follow RIAA certifications from nearly 20 years. Last seventies album certifications about elton has been in 1998.

Also, the DVD "ELTON 60" has not been certified (n.1 for 2 weeks).

All is probably due to an "internal struggle" that elton has with Universal from many years.
Bye

Yes, everyone has "internal struggle" against Elton, indeed he sold 400 million albums.

Happy ?

[lucad]

Don't forget the singles.
With one he outsold everyone.
But there's also one thing that means: QUALITY.
CIAO

[MJDangerous]

OK = Definitely NOT undercertified.

Empty Sky (1969) - Maybe Gold
Elton John (1970) - Plat for sure
Tumbleweed Connection (1971) - OK
"Friends" (1971) - OK
11-17-70 (1971) - Gold for sure
Madman Across The Water (1972) - OK
Honky Chateau (1972) - Multi-Plat for sure
Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player (1973) - OK
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) - OK
Caribou (1974) - OK
Elton John's Greatest Hits (1974) - OK
Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975) - Maybe 4xP
Rock Of The Westies (1975) - OK
Here And There (1976) - OK
Blue Moves (1976) - OK
Elton John's Greatest Hits, Volume II (1977) - OK
A Single Man (1978) - OK
The Thom Bell (1979) - OK
21 At 33 (1980) - OK
The Fox (1981) - Maybe Gold
Your Songs (1982) - OK
Jump Up! (1982) - OK
Too Low For Zero (1983) - OK
Breaking Hearts (1984) - OK
Ice On Fire (1985) - OK
Leather Jackets (1986) - OK
Live In Australia (1987) - OK
Greatest Hits, Volume III (1987) - OK
Reg Strikes Back (1988) - OK
Sleeping With The Past (1989) - OK
To Be Continued… (1990) - OK
Greatest Hits 1976-1986 (1992) - OK
The One (1992) - OK
Duets (1993) - OK
Made In England (1995) - OK
Love Songs (1995) - OK
The Big Picture (1997) - OK
Aida (1999) - OK
The Road to Eldorado (2000) - OK
One Night Only (2000) - Maybe Plat
Songs From The West Coast (2001) - OK
Greatest Hits 1970-2002 (2002) - Should be 5xP (=2.5)
Peachtree Road (2004) - OK
The Captain and The Kid (2006) - OK
Rocket Man-Number Ones (2007) - OK

37 albums properly certified
4 albums that could maybe be recertified
4 albums for sure undercertified

You call that a very undercertified artist? Stop kidding, if you really follow RIAA certs you should know the most properly certified artist after Elvis Presley is Elton John.

[MJDangerous]

Don't forget the singles.
With one he outsold everyone.
But there's also one thing that means: QUALITY.
CIAO

Yes, he also outsold the Beatles.

Have you end spreading bullshit now?

[lucad]

I think you can count also TUMBLEWEED (double), REG STRIKES (PLAT), BLUE MOVES (double), GREATEST HITS II (six plat) and LIVE in AUSTRALIA (double).

Then, i don't want to go off-topic with you.
I come back to work.No time now, sorry.
Thank you for help. And take some breath about Elton, sometimes....
For sure he OUTSOLD you!

[dwv]

Update from the Catalog album thanks to thebigham

Week Ending: 11/16/2008 - Billboard Chart 11/29/08

1 ISL 79 JOHN*ELTON ROCKET MAN-NUMBER 1'S 2,088 -1 2,109 451,155

43 ISL 175 162 171 JOHN*ELTON GREATEST HITS 1970-2002 1,406 -5 1,481 2,353,088

[borderwolf]

2m at pulse:

U.S.A.
Top DVD Music Videos
Week Ending 1/11/09

Wks Rank Scans
On Label 2W LW TW * Artist Title TW LW % RTD

65 ISL 48 30 43 JOHN*ELTON ELTON 60: LIVE AT MADISON SQUA 512 827 -38 103,205

[lucad]

"Also, the DVD "ELTON 60" has not been certified (n.1 for 2 weeks)"

So, it has to be at least DOUBLE_PLATINUM.

ROCKET MAN last update in US is 498.000.

[ShayLaB]

I was looking through his albums at Amazon.co.uk and came across the following statement in their CD Description:

CD Description
By the time Elton John went to France to cut HONKY CHATEAU in 1972, he had already become the first act since the Beatles to land four albums in the American Top 10 simultaneously.

He only had four studio albums at that point so I guess it must be them. I knew he had huge success in the US but to discover he was that popular early in his career was a suprise...assuming it is actually true.

Does anyone know if that statement is correct or have any more details?

[MJDangerous]

I was looking through his albums at Amazon.co.uk and came across the following statement in their CD Description:

CD Description
By the time Elton John went to France to cut HONKY CHATEAU in 1972, he had already become the first act since the Beatles to land four albums in the American Top 10 simultaneously.

He only had four studio albums at that point so I guess it must be them. I knew he had huge success in the US but to discover he was that popular early in his career was a suprise...assuming it is actually true.

Does anyone know if that statement is correct or have any more details?

It isn't true, his first 2 were top 10 together, Madman... reached top 10 one year later. Friends and 11-17-70 haven't reach the top 10.

[ShayLaB]

I was looking through his albums at Amazon.co.uk and came across the following statement in their CD Description:

CD Description
By the time Elton John went to France to cut HONKY CHATEAU in 1972, he had already become the first act since the Beatles to land four albums in the American Top 10 simultaneously.

He only had four studio albums at that point so I guess it must be them. I knew he had huge success in the US but to discover he was that popular early in his career was a suprise...assuming it is actually true.

Does anyone know if that statement is correct or have any more details?

It isn't true, his first 2 were top 10 together, Madman... reached top 10 one year later. Friends and 11-17-70 haven't reach the top 10.

Super...thanks for that. It didn't sound correct when I read it.

To have four albums in the Top 10 of any chart seems so unlikely...it would have required Elton to be an undiscovered secret for years and then have a monster album that dragged his catalogue into the chart.

I seem to recall that something similar happened to Bowie in the UK after the release of Ziggy Stardust. Although not unknown he was very much a niche artist but the success of his fifth album dragged the four previous albums into the charts to chart highly and for prlonged periods. Something similar in the UK for Bruce Springsteen after Born in the USA.

[lucad]

RED PIANO DVD awarded for 2 x PLATINUM
Artist
JOHN, ELTON Title
THE RED PIANO Certification Date
02/02/2009 Label
REDLINE ENTERTAINMENT
Award Description
2.00x MULTI PLATINUM Format
VIDEO BOXSET Category
SOLO Type
ST


ELTON at 60 DVD has to be certified 2xPLATINUM too, but is not at the moment

[marcsgirl85]

thanks for that update

[borderwolf]

Billboard Top Catalog 21 february


96 JOHN*ELTON ROCKET MAN-NUMBER 1'S 2353 -20 2956 507460

[Dane]

Re: Elton John Sales

2007 none Rocket Man-Number Ones - 291,000 nov 2007

Other Compilations
1990 1992 To Be Continued - 250,000 - 142,000

Rocket Man-Number Ones is Gold (oct 2008) and cert date for TBC should be 2006.

I was comparing Elton's US sales with Billy Joel's and was surprised to see Billy's is a bit more impressive! Yes, Elton's total is slightly higher, but he has a ton of releases, Billy hasn't released a pop album since 1993!
Elton has just one studio album surpass 3xp (the 7xp GYBR). 7 out of Billy's 12 studio albums have shipped 4xp or greater! 4 of them have shipped 7xp or greater!

What happened? I thought Elton was the biggest pop artist of the 70s. Well, I think his GH sets killed his abum sales. The first one was released way back in 1974 and the 2nd one in 1977! Billy's first GH didn't come until 1985 and the 2nd in 1997!

Elton's GH sets have outsold those of Billy Joel, but in the end they might have harmed his total.

[dwv]

From the catalog album 3/29/2009

26 ISL 71 76 71 JOHN*ELTON ROCKET MAN-NUMBER 1'S 2,138 2,104 2 525,513 GOLD

5 ISL 79 70 74 JOHN*ELTON GREATEST HITS 1970-2002 2,098 2,140 -2 2,396,944 3p
Should be 4p or maybe 5p

[borderwolf]

Top DVD Music Videos
Week Ending 3/29/09

3 ISL 47 49 49 JOHN*ELTON ELTON 60: LIVE AT MADISON SQUA 416 388 7 108,419

[dwv]

Catalog Chart 4/18/09

6 70 74 67 JOHN*ELTON GREATEST HITS 1970-2002 2,394 2,098 14 2,399,338


27 76 71 72 JOHN*ELTON ROCKET MAN-NUMBER 1'S 2,327 2,138 9 527,840

[dwv]

Update

28 ISL 71 72 74 JOHN*ELTON ROCKET MAN-NUMBER 1'S 2,475 2,327 6 530,315

7 ISL 74 67 88 JOHN*ELTON GREATEST HITS 1970-2002 2,253 2,394 -6 2,401,591

[dwv]

Top Catalog Albums
Week Ending 5/31/09


14 ISL 86 84 79 JOHN*ELTON GREATEST HITS 1970-2002 1,912 1,951 -2 2,416,196
35 ISL 77 117 111 JOHN*ELTON ROCKET MAN-NUMBER 1'S 1,670 1,648 1 545,094

[dwv]

Top Catalog Albums
Week Ending 9/19/09

8 ISL 59 63 69 JOHN*ELTON ROCKET MAN-NUMBER 1'S 2,100 -6 2,227 571,423 (gold)
28 ISL 158 155 148 JOHN*ELTON GREATEST HITS 1970-2002 1,500 10 1,368 2,439,509 (3p should be 5p)

[jacques_lapin]

I would love to see Elton singles chart histories in Canada, Brazil and Japan. Anyone could help me, please?

[borderwolf]

New Zealand
October 25 2009:

Elton John - Rocket Man: The Definitive Hits -
certified platinum x1

[dwv]

CHART: Top Catalog Albums
Week Ending: 11/29/2009- 12/12/09 Billboard Catalog Chart


20 ISL 136 142 61 JOHN*ELTON ROCKET MAN-NUMBER 1'S 6,503 221 2,025 596,962