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Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” is set to regain its throne as America’s top-selling album of all time.
Even before the King of Pop’s untimely death last month, “Thriller” was closing the gap on The Eagles’ “Their Greatest Hits,” thanks to the 25th anniversary reissue last year and the reworked version of “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” with Akon. As of June, The Eagles, who took over the all-time top spot in 1999, had shipped 29 million units of their compilation, while Jackson had shipped 28 million copies of “Thriller.”
After Jackson’s death, sales of “Thriller” have been brisk, even moving 264,000 copies last week, which was more than all new releases. To meet the demand, stores have been clamoring for more copies of “Thriller,” which will likely push its shipment totals to 30 million soon. That would mean Jackson would make history once again, becoming the first artist to get a triple-diamond certification.
“Thriller” — which featured seven Top 10 singles, including the No. 1 smashes “Billie Jean” and “Beat It” — is already the top-selling album in the world, with estimated global sales of more than 100 million since its first release in 1982.
