Greatest of all time - Billboard 200 Albums
 

These all-time rankings are based on actual performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100 (from its launch on Aug. 4, 1958 through Oct. 10, 2015) and Billboard 200 (from Aug. 17, 1963 — when we combined our two leading pop album album charts for stereo and mono releases into one all-encompassing weekly chart — through Oct. 10, 2015). Titles are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at lower rungs earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted differently to account for chart turnover rates over various periods. Artists are ranked based on the combined point totals, as outlined above, of all their Hot 100 or Billboard 200 chart entries.

15
Rumours
Fleetwood Mac
http://ultimateclassicrock.com/files.../fleetwood.jpg



74
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
http://pxhst.co/avaxhome/eb/a1/0022a1eb_medium.jpeg


184
Bella Donna
Stevie Nicks
http://cdn.discogs.com/hp66iF8zGh7Vv...48376.jpeg.jpg



http://www.billboard.com/charts/grea...ard-200-albums

I don't understand the formula. Rumours was number 1 for 31 weeks I think. Not sure why it's not higher! I am a bit confused.

If you look at the other higher numbers it doesn't make a bad impression:

1
21
Adele

2
The Sound Of Music
Soundtrack

3
Thriller
Michael Jackson

4
Fearless
Taylor Swift

5
Born In The U.S.A.
Bruce Springsteen

6
Ropin' The Wind
Garth Brooks

7
Jagged Little Pill
Alanis Morissette

8
Doctor Zhivago
Soundtrack

9
All The Right Reasons
Nickelback

10
Tapestry
Carole King

11
Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston

12
The Fame
Lady Gaga

13
Whipped Cream & Other Delights
Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass

14
Come On Over
Shania Twain


It's normal that Thriller and The Sound Of Music are higher than Rumours. I'm surprised by other younger artists but I know they held some records.

As an example, for a long time Carole King's Tapestry held the record for most weeks on the chart, so it accrued a lot of points, even if it had fewer weeks at No. 1.

Bella Donna was such a beautiful album.

few of those records belong there. I can see 21, Thriller and Tapestry. But the others? Not sure.

If you mean that the quality of their work doesn't deserve the quantity of sales then I agree.
But we have to accept that commercially, because this list is about sales, some of this artists have indeed sold an astounding number of records in their career.
For example I gave a quick look at Wikipedia and Taylor Swift is one of the best-selling music artists in history (16th if I read well).

Yes, I was happy to discover that it entered the top 200, usually critics leave it out.

But this isn't a critic's list. It's strictly a tabulation based on the chart performance of the albums. It's quantitative, not subjective. Number One is number one, whether we think the music is any good or not.

Yes, I know it, as I've already stated before.
That is the reason why Bella Donna entered the list. Otherwise, if it ws a critic's list, it would have been left out again.
In fact I'm also pleasantly surprised that Bella Donna sold enough to enter this list.

Well, I'm sure there's some methodology here. But I still just don't get it.
Shania Twain's and Lady Gaga's albums never even reached #1 in the US and Nicklebck's album is 8x Platinum in the US against Rumours' 20x Platinum. Rumours was at #1 forever and still pops up on the charts from time to time. It's still selling (probably) a million copies per year. I don't get it.

It doesn't matter if they reached number 1 or not, if they managed to be in the top 200 for more time than Rumours then it is enough for them to have gained more points.

I think the current Adele release will break records.Pun intended.LOL....

but surely they haven't.
I need James89 to explain this to me.

Ah ah! Yeah, I hope she does I liked her single Hello. I like when young artists have a vintage touch on their music.