Best-Selling Albums in the U.S. by Year

Name the best-selling albums in the United States for each year up from 1956.
According to Wikipedia
There are conflicting reports as to which album sold best in 1991. Name either album for credit.
Quiz by
TheAlbumGuy
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Last updated: June 11, 2025
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First submittedJune 10, 2025
Times taken35
Average score38.6%
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Year
Artist
Answer
1956
Harry Belafonte
Calypso
1957
Original Broadway Cast
My Fair Lady
1958
1959
Henry Mancini
Music from Peter Gunn
1960
Original Broadway Cast
The Sound of Music
1961
Camelot
1962
Soundtrack
West Side Story
1963
1964
Original Broadway Cast
Hello, Dolly!
1965
Soundtrack
Mary Poppins
1966
Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
Whipped Cream & Other Delights
1967
The Monkees
More of the Monkees
1968
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Are You Experienced?
1969
Iron Butterfly
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
1970
Simon and Garfunkel
Bridge over Troubled Water
1971
Various Artists
Jesus Christ Superstar
1972
Neil Young
Harvest
1973
War
The World Is a Ghetto
1974
Elton John
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
1975
Elton John's Greatest Hits
1976
Peter Frampton
Frampton Comes Alive
1977
Fleetwood Mac
Rumours
1978
Soundtrack / Bee Gees
Saturday Night Fever
1979
Billy Joel
52nd Street
1980
Pink Floyd
The Wall
1981
REO Speedwagon
Hi Infedelity
1982
Asia
Asia
1983
Michael Jackson
Thriller
1984
1985
Bruce Springsteen
Born in the U.S.A.
1986
Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
1987
Bon Jovi
Slippery When Wet
1988
George Michael
Faith
1989
Bobby Brown
Don't Be Cruel
1990
Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814
1991
Garth Brooks
Ropin' the Wind / Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
1992
Billy Ray Cyrus
Some Gave All
1993
Whitney Houston (Soundtrack)
The Bodyguard
1994
Elton John (Soundtrack)
The Lion King
1995
Hootie & the Blowfish
Cracked Rear View
1996
Alanis Morissette
Jagged Little Pill
1997
Spice Girls
Spice
1998
James Horner / Soundtrack
Titanic
1999
Backstreet Boys
Millennium
2000
NSYNC
No Strings Attached
2001
Linkin Park
Hybrid Theory
2002
Eminem
The Eminem Show
2003
50 Cent
Get Rich or Die Tryin'
2004
Usher
Confessions
2005
Mariah Carey
The Emancipation of Mimi
2006
Various Artists
High School Musical
2007
Josh Groban
Noël
2008
Lil Wayne
Tha Carter III
2009
Taylor Swift
Fearless
2010
Eminem
Recovery
2011
Adele
21
2012
2013
Justin Timberlake
The 20/20 Experience
2014
Taylor Swift
1989
2015
Adele
25
2016
2017
Taylor Swift
Reputation
2018
Various Artists
The Greatest Showman
2019
Taylor Swift
Lover
2020
Folklore
2021
Adele
30
2022
Taylor Swift
Midnights
2023
1989 (Taylor's Version)
2024
The Tortured Poets Department
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2 Comments
+1
Level 80
Jun 10, 2025
Nice quiz. Most of these type of quizzes give you the album or song name and you have to guess the artists. It's more challenging to name the album. My only complaint is that more time is needed.
+1
Level 66
Jun 11, 2025
That's fair. I've doubled up the time limit. Thank you!