The top 10 selling artists of the 70s

Fleetwood Mac had been around for some time already, but hit their commercial stride in the 70s with the addition of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham to the lineup. Their 1977 album Rumours is one of the best-selling records of all time with over 400 million copies sold worldwide.

When they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, the Hall noted that only Elvis, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Garth Brooks, and Paul McCartney have outsold the Bee Gees. Alongside the eight albums they released in the decade, the Bee Gees also wrote music for one of the best-selling soundtracks of all time in Saturday Night Fever.

With over 75 million records sold worldwide in his career, Bob Marley is one of the best selling artists of all time. With a whopping nine studio albums and two live albums released in the 70s, the period saw Marley release some of his most famous work including the records Catch a Fire, Natty Dread, and Exodus.

Faces may have disbanded halfway through the decade, but their first half was rather impressive with all four of their studio albums being released in a three year period. Rod Stewart went on to have a massively successful solo career immediately following Faces split in 1975.

ABBA broke through by winning Eurovision in 1974 and it was a path to superstardom from there. The group’s 1975 compilation album Greatest Hits was one of the best-selling records of the decade.

Few artists had as busy of a decade as Elton John did, as he took full advantage of it and became an international star. John released an astonishing 12 studio albums during the decade including iconic records like Honky Château and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. 

Any band would love to have the success of a song like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Will Rock You,” or “We Are The Champions” in their repertoire. When you have all three? Well, then you understand how a band like Queen ends up on this list. Debuting in 1973, Queen’s run in the 70s is one unlike any other.

Led Zeppelin entered the 70s as superstars, but were launched into another stratosphere with the release of their 1971 album Led Zeppelin IV. The record features the band’s signature song “Stairway to Heaven” and has sold more than 37 million copies worldwide.

While some may scoff at the idea of a band releasing a greatest hits album only five years after their debut, it proved to be worthwhile for the Eagles. Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) is the best-selling album in the United States with more than 38 million albums sold. Later in 1976, the band released Hotel California, which has sold more than 26 million copies.

If you were to look up any list that starts with “most time spent on ____” or “longest time spent on ____,” you’re likely to find Pink Floyd’s 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon on there. Widely considered one of the greatest albums of all time, the record has spent an incredible 962 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart.