Products in this story are independently selected and featured editorially. If you make a purchase using these links we may earn commission. The Eagles have soared past Michael Jackson to earn the best-selling album in history The Eagles have soared past Michael Jackson to earn the best-selling album in history. On Monday, the Recording Industry Association of America told the Associated Press that the Eagles’ 1976 compilation Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) has been certified 38x platinum, surpassing the King of Pop’s monumental 1983 blockbuster Thriller, which has been certified 33x platinum. (An album is certified platinum each time its sales and streams reach one million.) Get push notifications with news, features and more. “We are grateful for our families, our management, our crew, the people at radio and, most of all, the loyal fans who have stuck with us through the ups and downs of 46 years,” Don Henley, the Eagles’ vocalist and drummer, said in a statement. “It’s been quite a ride.” RELATED VIDEO: Twitter Remembers Michael Jackson on the 9th Anniversary of the Singer’s Death Sitting at third on the list is another Eagles’ album, 1977’s Hotel California, which has reached 26x platinum. The L.A. based band was formed in the early ’70s, and they quickly became figureheads for the new brigade of country-tinged singer-songwriters. They had an unparalleled string of hits in the first half of the decade, including “Take It to the Limit,” “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” “Take It Easy,” and “Best of My Love” — all of which were featured on the record-breaking greatest hits collection. The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 and received the Kennedy Center Honor in 2016, the same year that founding member Glenn Frey died at age 67 of complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia.<doc-sep>NEW YORK -- The Eagles' greatest hits album has moonwalked past Michael Jackson's "Thriller" to become history's best-selling album of all-time. The Recording Industry Association of America told The Associated Press on Monday that the Eagles' album -- "Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975" -- is now certified 38x platinum, which means sales and streams of the album have reached 38 million copies. The album was released in 1976 and pushes Jackson's "Thriller," which is 33x platinum, to second place. RIAA also said that the Eagles' "Hotel California," released in 1977, is now 26x platinum and makes it the third best-selling album of all-time. The Eagles in 1977: Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Randy Meisner, Glenn Frey, and Don Felder, from left AP The last time RIAA tallied sales for the Eagles' greatest hits album was in 2006, when it said it was 29x platinum. Sales and streams for "Thriller" were last updated last year. "We are grateful for our families, our management, our crew, the people at radio and, most of all, the loyal fans who have stuck with us through the ups and downs of 46 years. It's been quite a ride," Don Henley said in a statement. RIAA's platinum status was once equivalent to selling one million albums or songs, but in 2013 the company began incorporating streaming from YouTube, Spotify and other digital music services to determine certification for albums and songs. Now 1,500 streams of an album is equivalent to an album sale. Also, 10 song downloads equal one album sale. The Eagles, who formed in Los Angeles in the early 1970s, mastered the mix of rock 'n' roll and country music, and the band's hits -- including "Hotel California" and "Take It Easy -- became part of the soundtrack of that decade. They broke up in 1980, coming back together 14 years later with Henley and Glenn Frey being the only remaining original members. Frey died in 2016, but the Grammy-winning band remains on tour. The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 and received the Kennedy Center Honor in 2016. In a 2016 interview with "CBS This Morning" co-host Gayle King, Henley revealed what the band's classic "Hotel California" is about. "Well, I always say, it's a journey from innocence to experience. It's not really about California; it's about America," Henley said. "It's about the dark underbelly of the American dream. It's about excess, it's about narcissism. It's about the music business. It's about a lot of different ... It can have a million interpretations."<doc-sep>The Eagles have set a record by selling more copies of a single record album than any other artist — ever. The California-based rock band recently surpassed Michael Jackson as the king of all-time record sales when the album Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) was certified 38 times platinum (with sales of over 38 million units) by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), according to the Associated Press. The sales figures for the compilation album, which includes massive hits such as Take It Easy, Desperado, Tequila Sunrise, and One of These Nights, reportedly hadn’t been retallied by the RIAA since 2006. Until they were, Jackson’s smash-hit Thriller album — which was certified 33 times platinum just last year — was deemed by the RIAA as the best-selling album of all time. For those interested, sales figures are tallied by looking at both physical and digital music sales, as well as music streams (as of 2013). Speaking of interesting facts: You may not realize it, but Hotel California, the most popular song ever released by The Eagles, does not actually appear on Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975), because it was released in 1977. But that’s not to say the song doesn’t get it’s fair share of limelight (and produce a ridiculous amount of residuals for the band). Hotel California, the 1977 album of the same name, currently ranks as the third best-selling album of all time, with 29 million units moved to date. Die-hard Michael Jackson fans still have a solid argument that Jackson’s record should be considered the best-selling album ever because Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) is a compilation album, as opposed to Thriller, which is a single studio album of original material. The RIAA, it appears, doesn’t agree. And with two albums in the top three best-selling records of all time, Eagles fans have their fair share of ammunition in that debate. The Eagles have won countless accolades since they first wrote and recorded material in the golden age of rock. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, and received the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor in 2016. “We are grateful for our families, our management, our crew, the people at radio, and, most of all, the loyal fans who have stuck with us through the ups and downs of 46 years,” said drummer and vocalist Don Henley in a statement. “It’s been quite a ride.” Editors' Recommendations<doc-sep>
Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” has officially been replaced as the best-selling album of all time by the Eagles’ greatest hits album - 42 years after it was released. The record-breaking news was announced by The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which told the Associated Press that the Eagles’ album has reached 38x platinum - meaning the album has been sold or streamed 38 million times. The album, “Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975,” released in 1976, is a compilation of songs and includes hits such as “Witchy Woman” and “Best of My Love.” Jackson’s “Thriller” was at 33x platinum as of last year, pushing it into second place. The Eagles also hold third place on the list of best-selling albums of all time, according to the RIAA, with their album “Hotel California,” which was released in 1977 and is currently 26x platinum. In a statement following the announcement, Eagles’ singer Don Henley said: “We are grateful for our families, our management, our crew, the people at radio, and most of all, the loyal fans who have stuck with us through the ups and downs of 46 years. It’s been quite a ride.” To measure album sales in a world of streaming and downloads, the RIAA adopted a new method of tallying streams in 2013 - which considers 1,500 streams of an album or 10 song downloads the equivalent to an album sale. The Eagles: A pretty fly guy Show all 2 1 /2 The Eagles: A pretty fly guy The Eagles: A pretty fly guy 8289.bin The Eagles: A pretty fly guy 7666.bin Platinum refers to selling one million albums. Decades after the Eagles first formed, the Grammy-winning band still regularly tours, despite only one original band member remaining. In 1998, the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.