John Lennon :: Charts & Sales History

[alex76]

Hi! I'm very interested in studying and discussing the ex-Beatles' solo careers. I think it would be a good idea to start a new topic about John Lennon's worldwide record sales as a solo artist. Is there anyone who can post some information?

Thank you!

[Basil]

US Shipments

Key
year of release
year of latest riaa certification
title
riaa shipment
soundscan total since 1991 - courtesy of Hanboo

Studio Albums
1968 none Unfinished 1 - Two Virgins
1969 none Unfinished 2 - Life With the Lions
1969 none The Wedding Album
1970 1971 John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band - 500,000 - 165,000 jan 2007
1971 1991 Imagine - 2,000,000 - 425,000 jan 2006
1972 none Sometime In New York City
1973 1973 Mind Games - 500,000
1974 1974 Walls and Bridges - 500,000
1975 1991 Rock and Roll - 500,000
1986 none Menlove Avenue
1980 1984 Double Fantasy - 3,000,000 - 181,000 jan 2006
1984 1984 Milk and Honey - 500,000

Live Albums
1969 1970 Live Peace in Toronto 1969 - 500,000
1986 2001 Live in New York 1972 - 500,000

Hits Collections
1975 1991 Shaved Fish - 1,000,000
1982 2001 Collection - 3,000,000
1997 2001 Lennon Legend - 500,000 - 1,567,730
2005 none Definitive Lennon

Other Compilations
1981 none Boxed
1988 1989 Imagine Soundtrack - 500,000
1998 1998 Anthology - 125,000 - 118,000 2003
1998 none Wonsaponatime
2004 none Acoustic

Total Shipment - 13,625,000

Many old certifications

Soundscan Total - 3,600,000 jan 2006

[alex76]

Thank you!

As for worldwide sales, in my opinion Lennon's biggest selling album could be "Double Fantasy", with sales now between 7 and 8 million copies worldwide.

Biographer Ray Coleman in 1984 wrote that DF sold 7 million copies worldwide in seven months.

Double Fantasy could also be the biggest selling album by any of the ex-Beatles. in 2nd place I should put Band On The Run by P. McCartney & Wings, with approx. 6,8 million copies sold worldwide and then All Things Must Pass by George Harrison, with approximately 6 million copies sold worldwide.

Sales of the "Imagine" album, which was very successful, in my opinion could be estimated at around 5 million copies.

As for singles, I estimate this:

1° Mull Of Kintyre (P. McCartney & Wings) - Best-selling single by an ex-Beatle, with around 6 million copies sold worldwide;
2° Imagine (J. Lennon) w. around 5,5 million copies sold worldwide;
3° My Sweet Lord (G. Harrison) - 5 million copies sold worldwide.

What do you think?

[dwv]

I've got these Soundscan figures
LENNON LEGEND 1567730

[Basil]

I've got these Soundscan figures
LENNON LEGEND 1567730

Thank you, I've added that one on. It is 3 times the shipment figure!

[facedown36]

Thank you!

As for worldwide sales, in my opinion Lennon's biggest selling album could be "Double Fantasy", with sales now between 7 and 8 million copies worldwide.

Biographer Ray Coleman in 1984 wrote that DF sold 7 million copies worldwide in seven months.

Double Fantasy could also be the biggest selling album by any of the ex-Beatles. in 2nd place I should put Band On The Run by P. McCartney & Wings, with approx. 6,8 million copies sold worldwide and then All Things Must Pass by George Harrison, with approximately 6 million copies sold worldwide.

Sales of the "Imagine" album, which was very successful, in my opinion could be estimated at around 5 million copies.

As for singles, I estimate this:

1° Mull Of Kintyre (P. McCartney & Wings) - Best-selling single by an ex-Beatle, with around 6 million copies sold worldwide;
2° Imagine (J. Lennon) w. around 5,5 million copies sold worldwide;
3° My Sweet Lord (G. Harrison) - 5 million copies sold worldwide.

What do you think?

How could Mull Of Kintyre sold 6 millions out of the usa? I would rather say 4 millions.And I'm pretty sure that Say Say Say sold more !

[bobcatbob]

Might need another thread for Solo Beatles comparisons, but for now I guess the Chief Beatle's thread is an OK place.

"Mull" was a very big hit in some markets and completely missed others. #1 for 9 weeks in the UK, (with sales of 2,150,000), #1 for 10 weeks in Australia and #1 for 11 weeks in Germany.

Flopped in the US and Canada. In these 2 markets the flip-side "Girlschool" became a minor Top 40 hit, but very little sales you could add there.

Hard to see how you could get more than 4 million without North America.

I tend to think "My Sweet Lord" was the biggest solo single, the 5 million estimate in my opinion is very old and conservative. It was a huge #1 everywhere, I'll have to find some stats.

"Imagine" is probably second. "Ebony And Ivory" and "Say Say Say" have impressive chart runs in some markets, especially the States.

[alex76]

Hi everyone!

I substantially agree with bobcatbob. What he has written above is right.

Anyway, about Mull Of kintyre's sales, it is possible to find some information on the site www.jpgr.co.uk (see Paul McCartney section).

It would be great to find some sales statistics about Lennon's and also the other solo Beatles' releases.

I think it's important to underline that their success (apart from the records by the group) in many occasions has been really great, and they continued to sell in vast quantities worldwide for almost all the 70s and the first part of the 80s.

In fact, John Lennon has had an "hit-and-miss" solo career, with commercial peaks in 1971-72 ("Imagine"), 1974-75 ("Walls And Bridges") and 1980-81 ("Double Fantasy" and its related singles).

Nonetheless, being an international artist, his records which have not been such great commercial successes could anyway have consistent worldwide sales.

After his death, I estimate that his biggest-selling record is "The John Lennon Collection", with sales around 4 million units.

[Basil]

After his death, I estimate that his biggest-selling record is "The John Lennon Collection", with sales around 4 million units.

Could be almost double that alex. 4m in the UK/USA alone.

[Herkenrath]

Here are some John Lennon sales figures which I took from a mid-1980s Beatles book.

Plastic Ono Band
Advance orders U.S.: 2.5 million

Power To The People:
Global sales: 1.75 million

Imagine:
Sold 1.2m in less than 3 weeks in the U.S.

[Basil]

For John Lennon there are now soundscan figures for Imagine, Plastic Ono Band and Double Fantasy.

His soundscan total is only 3.6m. Doesn't seem to match his iconic status.

There is currently no John Lennon compilation on the Top 200 catalogue chart.

[thebigham]

7/21 Catalog chart

5 CAP 88 84 83 LENNON*JOHN LENNON LEGEND 2,482 -1% 2,501 1,633,865 (Gold)

[thebigham]

12/8/07 catalog chart

175 LENNON*JOHN LENNON LEGEND 3,628 +85% 1,957 1,675,542

[thebigham]

1/26/08 Catalog chart:

4 CAP 130 126 151 LENNON*JOHN LENNON LEGEND 1,704 -31% 2,466 1,698,370 (Gold)

[blackcat]

Anybody with any data on Ringo's best sellers? I would hazard a guess that "Back off Boogaloo" (excuse the spelling!) could be his biggest selling Worldwide single.

[Basil]

Anybody with any data on Ringo's best sellers? I would hazard a guess that "Back off Boogaloo" (excuse the spelling!) could be his biggest selling Worldwide single.

He has his own thread at

http://www.ukmix.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=41834

[borderwolf]

Anybody with any data on Ringo's best sellers? I would hazard a guess that "Back off Boogaloo" (excuse the spelling!) could be his biggest selling Worldwide single.

He has his own thread at

http://www.ukmix.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=41834

And another one is at
http://www.ukmix.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=47614

[blackcat]

Thanks basil, borderwolf, will check it out!

[borderwolf]

Uruguay
monthly chart of june 2008

08 LENNON LEGEND - THE VERY BEST
JOHN LENNON

[borderwolf]

Estonia
CD top100, wek 41 - 2008

#18 JOHN LENNON, WORKING CLASS HERO - DEFINITIVE LENNON (2CD)

[MIGUEL]

Lennon Legend at last platinum in USA

[Dane]

Strange timing. Seems it wont be long before it approaches 2xp :-?

[borderwolf]

Top Catalog Albums
Week Ending 3/29/09 - 4/11 Billboard Catalog chart

1 CAP 159 LENNON*JOHN LENNON LEGEND 1,459 1,148 27 1,800,215

[MIGUEL]

back in chart
159 LENNON*JOHN HAPPY X-MAS (WAR IS OVER) 10,093 -3 10,406 190,594

[borderwolf]

U.K.
To Date Albums

166,663 John Lennon - Working Class Hero (Def. Col)

(source haven forum)