Well, it is jubilee year... Queen's 'Greatest Hits' is Britain's best-selling album of past half-century From soft rock to Noughties pop, a look back at the biggest albums of the past 50 years reveals that the tastes of the British public are nothing if not eclectic. Glam rock stalwarts Queen have topped a list of the best-selling albums in British history, fending off stiff competition from Abba and The Beatles. Queen's 1981 Greatest Hits collection has sold 5.8 million copies since its release and will be revealed as the chart-topper in a Radio 2 special presented today by Tony Blackburn. The group sealed their domination of the chart with another entry in the Top 10 - a second hits compilation that came out 10 years later and which has sold 3.8 million. Queen's nearest rival was The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which has sold 5 million. That came just ahead of Gold, Abba's greatest hits album, which has sold 4.9 million, according to figures from the Official Charts Company. Queen's lasting appeal has been measured in numerous polls and charts over the years. Their six-minute epic "Bohemian Rhapsody" is the third-highest-selling single in UK history. The band is also unrivalled in its number of tribute outfits. They have got a such a wide range of music. If you look through the catalogue, there are about 140 to 150 songs, and it ranges from hard rock to dance, funk and almost classical," said Kevin Goodwin, the bass player in a Queen tribute band, The Bohemians. Conspicuously absent from the Top 40 are the Rolling Stones, but a host of more recent acts have stormed their way on to the list. Adele's 2011 debut 21 stands at No 6, and Leona Lewis's 2007 hit Spirit comes in at No 20. They will rock you: the top 40 releases Greatest Hits (1981) Queen Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) The Beatles Gold (1992) Abba What's The Story (1995) Oasis Thriller (1982) Michael Jackson 21 (2011) Adele Brothers In Arms (1985) Dire Straits Dark Side Of The Moon (1973) Pink Floyd Bad (1987) Michael Jackson Greatest Hits II (1991) Queen The Immaculate Collection (1990) Madonna Back To Black (2006) Amy Winehouse Stars (1991) Simply Red Rumours (1977) Fleetwood Mac Come On Over (1997) Shania Twain Back To Bedlam (2005) James Blunt Urban Hymns (1997) The Verve Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970) Simon and Garfunkel No Angel (2001) Dido Spirit (2007) Leona Lewis Legend (1984) Bob Marley and the Wailers Bat Out Of Hell (1977) Meat Loaf Dirty Dancing (1987) Original soundtrack 1 (2000) The Beatles Talk On Corners (1997) The Corrs White Ladder (1998) David Gray Spice (1996) The Spice Girls Crazy Love (2009) Michael Bublé Life For Rent (2003) Dido Beautiful World (2006) Take That The Fame (2008) Lady Gaga A Rush Of Blood To The Head (2002) Coldplay Hopes And Fears (2004) Keane The Joshua Tree (1987) U2 But Seriously (1989) Phil Collins Scissor Sisters (2004) The Scissor Sisters Only By The Night (2008) The Kings of Leon The War Of The Worlds (1978) Jeff Wayne The Man Who (1999) Travis 40. x&y (2005) Coldplay