Alternate Abbey Road image sold for over $24,500 at auction

In honor of the 60th anniversary of the official tracking of the music charts in the UK, the Official Charts Company has released a list of the top 60 biggest selling singles acts in its history and in what should come as no surprise, a four-piece from Liverpool have found themselves at the top.

Announced through BBC Radio 2, The Beatles bested Elvis Presley for the top spot through their 17 number one singles while Cliff Richards held his own at No. 3 with over 124 top 40 hits and 14 number one tracks. Madonna came in at No. 4 with over 60 top 40 UK hits and the late Michael Jackson rounded out the top 5.

Among the list filled with classic acts from years long gone by, several contemporary artists were able to muscle their way into respectable positions. Rihanna faired the best of the modern artists with her solid spot at No. 10 while Eminem, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga ranked 18, 26 and 28, respectively.

"This list is intriguing,” said BBC Radio 2’s Head of Music Jeff Smith. “Adele is missing and we've all forgotten just how huge artists such as Shakin' Stevens, Boney M and UB40 were in the UK in the '70s and '80s."

In other Beatle news, last month a rare photograph of the iconic Abbey Road image showing the Fab Four walking ‘backwards’ sold for £16,000 at auction – or roughly $24, 730. The picture was taken by the late photographer Iain Macmillan and depicts the group walking right to left across the zebra crossing outside Abbey Road Studios – the opposite direction seen on the Beatles 1969 album cover.

Interestingly enough, It also shows Paul wearing sandals which should finally quell rumors of the Abbey Road album’s ‘clues’ pointing to McCartney’s ‘death,’ namely that a barefoot Paul somehow represented a corpse while the other three represented a priest, undertaker and mourner. Maybe they should have just taken Macca’s word when he said he took his sandals off mid way through the shoot because it was a hot day.

 

The Top 60 Best Selling UK Singles Artists:

1. The Beatles
2. Elvis Presley
3. Cliff Richard
4. Madonna
5. Michael Jackson
6. Elton John
7. Queen
8. Abba
9. David Bowie
10. Rihanna
11. Paul McCartney
12. Kylie Minogue
13. The Rolling Stones
14. Rod Stewart
15. Take That
16. Stevie Wonder
17. Oasis
18. Eminem
19. Whitney Houston
20. The Spice Girls
21. George Michael
22. Robbie Williams
23. The Bee Gees
24. U2
25. Shakin' Stevens
26. Britney Spears
27. Status Quo
28. Lady Gaga
29. Boyzone
30. Blondie
31. Slade
32. Black Eyed Peas
33. Boney M
34. Westlife
35. Celine Dion
36. Beyonce
37. UB40
38. Olivia Newton John
39. Mariah Carey
40. Tom Jones
41. Madness
42. The Police
43. Wham!
44. Phil Collins
45. Diana Ross
46. The Jam
47. Bryan Adams
48. Pet Shop Boys
49. David Guetta
50. Adam Ant
51. Duran Duran
52. Frank Sinatra
53. Frankie Goes To Hollywood
54. Prince
55. Katy Perry
56. Wet Wet Wet
57. Everly Brothers
58. The Shadows
59. Pink
60. Coldplay

 

 

Original Source