It’s been more than half a century since Elton John first appeared on the Official Albums chart. The list ranks the most-consumed albums and EPs throughout the United Kingdom, and these days, both sales and streams help a title rise or fall. When the piano player debuted on the tally back in May 1970, sales were all that mattered, but John has been around so long that he has seen the industry change dramatically.
The superstar is still present on the Official Albums chart, even though he’s not currently promoting anything. The EGOT recipient reaches a longevity milestone he’s never seen before in the 55 years he’s been living on the Official Albums tally with his most successful compilation.
Elton John’s Diamonds Reaches 450 Weeks
John only fills one space on the 100-rung Official Albums chart this time around. Diamonds, his singles collection and greatest hits project, improves one space to No. 16. As of this period, Diamonds has spent 450 weeks on the Official Albums rundown. The full-length easily stands out as the singer’s longest-running successful effort.
Diamonds Hit No. 1 on the Albums Chart Half a Decade Late
Diamonds debuted on the Official Albums chart in November 2017, and while it was an immediate top 10 smash, it would be years before the collection worked its way to the summit. So far, Diamonds has spent just one week at No. 1 on the albums roster, reaching that coveted position in January of last year – more than half a decade after the compilation arrived.
Diamonds is one of John’s 34 top 10s and 10 champions on the Official Albums ranking. Here are all of Elton John’s No. 1s on the Official Albums chart.
- Caribou
- Diamonds
- Don’t Shoot Me, I’m Only the Piano Player
- Elton John’s Greatest Hits
- Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
- Good Morning to the Night with PNAU
- The Lockdown Sessions
- Sleeping with the Past
- The Very Best of Elton John
- Who Believes in Angels with Brandi Carlile
Elton John Has Seen Three Albums Chart for 100 Weeks
Of the dozens of releases by John that have landed on the Official Albums chart, only three have spent 100 weeks or more on the competitive tally. Another compilation, The Very Best of Elton John, disappeared after exactly two years, or 104 frames. The classic Goodbye Yellow Brick Road held on for 102 periods, just under two years. Combined, those efforts have spent less than half as long on the Official Albums chart as Diamonds.
Diamonds Reaches the Same Milestone on the Streaming List
At the moment, Diamonds can be found on two rankings across the Atlantic. The compilation also gains ground by just one space on the Official Albums Streaming chart, which looks only at how projects are performing on platforms like Spotify. Compilations typically do very well on that tally, since they have become the go-to vehicle for millions of fans around the world to consume the most popular smashes from some of the biggest music stars of all time. At the moment, Diamonds steps up to No. 14 and celebrates the same milestone as on the Official Albums rundown.
Elton John Has Charted One Streaming Top 10
The Official Albums Streaming chart is far newer than the main albums roster, and thus John has only sent seven projects to the tally. Diamonds is not only his sole No. 1, but also his only top 10 entry. The Lockdown Sessions, which stands as his most recent win after debuting in November 2021, came closest to joining Diamonds inside the top 10, but topped out at No. 28. No other release by the Grammy winner has managed triple-digit frames anywhere on the chart.