Thanks to the huge success of the like of Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and George Ezra, the top ten best-selling albums of the year all belonged to homegrown talent - for the first time ever.
In the strongest chart showing since the Official Charts record began, Ed Sheeran's X has sold 1.7 million copies and Sam Smith's In The Lonely Hour 1.25 million. Sheeran’s sales in particular are so impressive that they are now the highest since Adele’s chart conquering 21 in 2011.
Nearly half a million of these sales (425,619) came in the last two weeks of the chart year, driven mainly by Christmas presents. X was additionally the most popular digital album of 2014, with 471,194 copies downloaded. All this will explain precisely how Sheeran as a solo artist has alreadt managed to sell out three nights at Wembley Stadium in July 2015.
Joining Sheeran and Smith in the top ten are fellow British acts who have achieved huge success both at home and abroad, including George Ezra, Paolo Nuttini and Coldplay.
The top 10 best-selling album in the UK during 2014 were:
1. Ed Sheeran – X
2. Sam Smith – In The Lonely Hour
3. George Ezra – Wanted On Voyage
4. Paolo Nutini – Caustic Love
5. Coldplay – Ghost Stories
6. Paloma Faith – A Perfect Contradiction
7. One Direction – Four
8. Olly Murs – Never Been Better
9. Pink Floyd – The Endless River
10. Take That – III
In terms of vinyl releases, Pink Floyd's first studio album in over 20 years led the pack. Although the chart was still heavily dominated by reissues, recent releases from Arctic Monkeys, Jack White and Foo Fighters also made the top ten best sellers.
1. Pink Floyd - The Endless River
2. Arctic Monkeys - AM
3. Royal Blood - Royal Blood
4. Oasis - Definitely Maybe
5. Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon
6. Jack White - Lazaretto
7. The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
8. Foo Fighters - Sonic Highways
9. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin
10. Oasis - (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?
