Oasis' "(What's The Story) Morning Glory?" Certified Britain's Best-Selling Studio Album Ever
The Official Charts Company revealed Britain's all-time best-selling albums list on Tuesday, July 22, 2026 — the 70th anniversary of the official albums chart. Oasis' 1995 sophomore record (What's The Story) Morning Glory? came in at No. 3 overall with 6.2 million UK chart units (combining physical sales and streaming data), making it the highest-ranked studio album on the list. Only two greatest-hits compilations rank above it: Queen's Greatest Hits (1981) at No. 1 and ABBA's Gold: Greatest Hits (1992) at No. 2.
UK's All-Time Best-Selling Albums, Top 10
- Greatest Hits — Queen (1981)
- Gold: Greatest Hits — ABBA (1992)
- (What's The Story) Morning Glory? — Oasis (1995)
- 21 — Adele (2011)
- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band — The Beatles (1967)
- Rumours — Fleetwood Mac (1977)
- The Dark Side Of The Moon — Pink Floyd (1973)
- Thriller — Michael Jackson (1982)
- Legend — Bob Marley & The Wailers (1984)
- Brothers In Arms — Dire Straits (1985)
The numbers behind Morning Glory
(What's The Story) Morning Glory? sold 345,000 copies in its first week and went on to spend 10 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the UK albums chart, later winning Best British Album at the 1996 BRIT Awards. The album has now sold roughly 22 million copies worldwide, including more than 5.5 million in the United States.
Official Charts co-CEOs Becca Monahan and Chris Austin said in a statement that the album's scale and impact remain extraordinary three decades on, calling it a defining British record that continues to fill arenas across generations.
The timing of this certification is closely tied to Oasis' Live '25 reunion tour last summer, which drove a significant streaming resurgence for Morning Glory. The album's single "Wonderwall" was recently embraced by fans during England's multiple wins at the 2026 World Cup, sending UK Spotify streams up 50% in a single week and further boosting the album's overall numbers. Oasis also released a 30th-anniversary edition of Morning Glory last year, featuring five newly recorded acoustic versions and a limited-edition 7-inch single vinyl box set. Oasis' 1994 debut album, Definitely Maybe, also made the list, coming in at No. 39.