The official top 20 best selling albums for the year to date were revealed on Monday 27th December on the Radio 2 Chart show. It will be interesting to see if the final chart for the year is different when it is released next week. With only three remaining sales days, all after Christmas, this is unlikely.

"THE BEST SELLERS IN 2003

Number - Album - Artist
1 Life For Rent : Dido
2 Justified: Justin Timberlake
3 Stripped: Christina Aguilera
4 Gotta Get Thru This: Daniel Bedingfield
5 Come Away With Me: Norah Jones
6 Permission to Land: The Darkness
7 A Rush Of Blood To The Head: Coldplay
8 Number Ones: Michael Jackson
9 Busted: Busted
10 In Time - The Best of - 1988-2003: REM
11 Let Go: Avril Lavigne
12 Friday's Child: Will Young
13 Elephunk: Black Eyed Peas
14 Dangerously in Love: Beyonce
15 Fallen: Evanescence
16 Innocent Eyes: Delta Goodrem
17 The R in R & B: R Kelly
18 By The Way: Red Hot Chili Peppers
19 A Present for Everyone: Busted
20 Greatest Hits: Red Hot Chili Peppers

The Official UK Album chart is compiled by the Official UK Charts Company supported by Coca Cola. "

Link to the chart.

So how many of these have people on here actually purchased? I have only two - Michael Jackson, and Daniel Beddingfield.

I'm surprised to find that I have the following from that list:
Dido
Daniel Bedingfield
Nora Jones
The Darkness
Evanescence

Black Eyed Peas, Will Young and both Red Hot Chilli albums may get a look in soon too.

How on earth Busted are in here not just once but TWICE! I have no idea. Their brand of pop-rock is even less than background musak to me but then thats just my humble opinion

I've got:


Christina Aguilera - Stripped
The Darkness - Permission To Land
Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the head
Avril Lavigne - Let Go
Beyonce - Dangerously In Love
Evanescence - Fallen
Red Hot Chilli Peppers - By The Way

I have:

6 Permission to Land: The Darkness
7 A Rush Of Blood To The Head: Coldplay
10 In Time - The Best of - 1988-2003: REM
15 Fallen: Evanescence
18 By The Way: Red Hot Chili Peppers
20 Greatest Hits: Red Hot Chili Peppers

REM & Dido did well to say there albums haven't been out that long compared to the others.

Classic FM has just revealed the top thirty classical best selling albums of 2003. What's interesting is that:

- The top album (Pure by Hayley Westenra) is a double platinum with 700,000 confirmed sales upto Christmas.
- Pure is now the fastest selling (1st week) *and* biggest selling debut classical album (beating Voice of an Angel by Charlotte Church).
- The no. 2 classical album (Bryn, by Bryn Terfel) is a platinum with *probably* well in excess of 300,000 retail sales.
- neither of these albums made the top 20 pop sales charts for 2003 (although Pure must have come close).
- although the Classic FM album chart is by the Official Charts Company, it is a combined version, including compilations. Unlike the pop chart.
- 5 of the top 10 are compilations These should be published separately like the pop chart, IMHO.

Here's the top 20 best selling classicals for the year, 2003:

Position - Title - Artist

1 Pure: Hayley Westenra
2 Bryn: Bryn Terfel
3 The Number One Classical Album 2004: Various Artists
4 Viaggio Italiano: Andrea Bocelli
5 Smooth Classics - Do Not Disturb: Various Artists
6 The Very Best Of Relaxing Classics: Various Artists
7 Classical Chillout Gold: Various Artists
8 Higher: Aled Jones
9 The Opera Band: Amici Forever
10 The Very Best Of Classical Chillout Gold: Various Artists
11 Lord Of The Rings - The Two Towers - Ost: Howard Shore
12 Ti Adoro: Luciano Pavarotti
13 Sentimento: Andrea Bocelli
14 The Classical Love Album: Various Artists
15 Classic Fm - Hall Of Fame - Gold: Various Artists
16 100 - Your Hundred Best Tunes: Various Artists
17 Echoes - The Collection: Ludovico Einaudi
18 Reprise: Russell Watson
19 Operatunity Winners: Denise Leigh & Jane Gilchrist
20 The Lord Of The Rings - OST: Howard Shore

I'd normally give the proper link but the webpage is currently messed up. But here's a sneaky link to the top 10.
Last edited by d'@ve : 03-01-2004 at 14:09

Well these are the ones that i have got, but only purchased one
(actually my boyfriend bought the Daniel Beddingfield one for christmas)

From that list I have:

Justin Timberlake
Daniel Bedingfield
Norah Jones
REM
Avril Lavigne
Delta Goodrem
R Kelly
Red Hot Chilli Peppers (x2)

Excluding compilations as usual, here is the official top 100 albums.

It's the same as the radio 2 preliminary list down to no. 16, then there is some shuffling about.

There are three classical albums in the top 100, Hayley Westenra at 24, Bryn Terfel at 37, Andrea Bocelli at 80.

Only got 2 from that lot. JT (which I bought in 2002) and Beyonce.

Am I the only one who doesnt get the popularity of Dido?

Well, what else are 20-somethings gonna use for background music at their dinner parties????