Maybe Queen fans have to pray that Adele stops smoking? Yes, I'm joking. IMO '21' will be at #2 on that list by then of the year. What happens next who knows?

I know it's hard to tell from news tabloids and posts made on forums, but it seems to me that 21 has made a bigger impact on America than the UK. And I can be way off on this since I'm in the states and have no idea what real effect she has had over there. These forums could just be full of bitter posters who hate Adele. Idk.
In the states, Adele and this album are a fabric of our current culture right now. Everybody loves her over here. This album will be thought of as another Tapestry or Rumors in years to come. On a side note, I think it's hilarious how most Brits cringe when they hear her talk, whereas us Americans think it's freaking adorable. It's actually added to her appeal. Lol.

I have to agree.

I do like her albums but I don't understand the hysteria surrounding her. She hasn't even been around that long in the grand scheme of things and I'd already like to see someone knock her off the top spot when it comes to all her record breaking, which has already become tiresomely predictable.

The Queen album at number one is a bit miss leading because that's sales of two different greatest hits being joined together as one album.
I also think compilation albums should be put into a seperate catagory from original albums,

She's not my kind of thing at all! but i have to admit that she is a great singer, if a bit one dimensional and boring.
Decades on from here, i think only one or two of her songs will stand the test of time.

I would like to see the list pro-rated to take into account total album sales. Sales are a fraction of what they used to be so Adele's achievements are even more amazing.

But albums are dirt cheap today, and many more people can afford to but many more albums per year than they did decades ago. So really, it's all swings and roundabouts.

No it's not. Total album sales are much lower than they used to be. Full stop.

That must be down to the fact that there simply aren't as many great albums being made these days, and also illegal downloading.

My point still stands though.
Taking into account things like inflation and earnings, people are able to afford to but many more albums today than they did than in era's like the 1970's. It's probably fair to say that if people had more expendable money back then, then even more albums would have been sold.

Illegal downloading and the fact that people can just cherry pick their tracks from an album instead of buying the whole album like they had to in the old days are probably the main reasons why album sales are down so much. .

Also population increase, the worlds population was 3-5 billion in the 70s and 80s, now it's over 7 billion+. Ok most of this done in developing countries but still with increase in population even in the UK should help album sales now as there is a bigger worldwide market than there was. But as you say illegal downloading plays a part.

No, your point makes no sense. Album sales are down, regardless of buying power, that is completely irrelevant.

Adele's '21' has now outsold Dire straits 'Brothers In Arms' Album, in the UK.
So it is now the 6th Best Selling Album in the UK, & the 4th Best Selling Studio
Album. To Midnight last Night, its UK Sales were over 4,158,000. It is now just
114,000 Sales behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller', which is the 5th Best Seller.

From The OCC Site - Friday 23rd April 2012:,

21 has now sold over 4.15 million copies since its release in January of last year; to put this in perspective, one in six British households now owns the album.

The Top 10 biggest selling albums of all-time in the
UK are now as follows. Please note, updated sales
figures won't be published until next Monday when
this chart week's sales have been finalised.

01 GREATEST HITS - QUEEN
02 SGT PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND - THE BEATLES
03 GOLD: GREATEST HITS - ABBA
04 (WHAT'S THE STORY) MORNING GLORY? - OASIS
05 THRILLER - MICHAEL JACKSON
06 21 - ADELE
07 BROTHERS IN ARMS - DIRE STRAITS
08 THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON - PINK FLOYD
09 BAD - MICHAEL JACKSON
10 GREATEST HITS II - QUEEN

I reckon another 5 weeks and it will have overtaken Thriller. Incredible, really.

Absolutely incredible!

So do we think this has a good chance of becoming the biggest selling UK album ever?