Bob Marley & The Wailers have the most albums of any artist in the UK’s list of the most-streamed albums of the 1970s, with four projects in the Top 40.
The list released on July 16 by the UK’s Official Charts Company to mark the 70th anniversary of the Official Albums Chart, the ranking places Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 classic Rumours at No. 1, with Exodus at No. 2. ABBA’s Voulez-Vousrounds out the top three.
No other artist matches Bob Marley & The Wailers’ presence on the chart. In addition to Exodus, the band’s 1979 album Kaya ranks No. 9, while Rastaman Vibration (1976) and Burnin’ (1973) appear at Nos. 32 and 37 respectively, giving the reggae pioneers more entries than any other act.
Widely regarded as one of the defining albums in reggae history, Exodus was released in 1977 following Bob Marley’s recovery from an assassination attempt and during his self-imposed exile in London. The album produced enduring classics including Jamming, Three Little Birds, Waiting in Vain, One Love/People Get Ready and the title track.
Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, however, claims the top spot as the most-streamed album of the decade. Despite spending just one week at No. 1 on the Official Albums Chart upon its release, the landmark record has accumulated more than 1,150 weeks on the chart and remains one of the most enduring albums of the streaming era.
ABBA also secured multiple appearances, with Arrival finishing at No. 11 alongside Voulez-Vous in the top three. Pink Floyd placed two albums inside the Top 20 with The Dark Side of the Moon (No. 4) and The Wall (No. 13), while Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road ranked No. 5 to become the highest-charting album by a male solo artist.
Carole King’s landmark 1971 release Tapestry was the highest-ranked album by a female solo artist, finishing at No. 31.
The rankings are based on cumulative UK streams and form part of the Official Charts Company’s celebration of the Official Albums Chart’s 70th anniversary. BBC Radio 2 is also marking the milestone with a special countdown of the 20 most-streamed albums of the 1970s, presented by Shaun Keaveny.
