Foxxern

I'm assuming it was even more than POP, which had previously yielded their most #1's. Of course ATYCLB never made it there in the US, but it seems like it did everywhere in Europe, as well as Canada, Australia, and probably a few Asian and South American nations. Just something I had been wodering about. U2 is really that global type of band, not one that just appeals to a few countries.

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Change is the only constant

STING2

ATYCLB was #1 in 32 countries while POP hit the top in 34 countries. The most ever is the Beatles 1 album that hit #1 in 35 countries. ATYCLB has stayed on charts for much longer than POP and has sold twice as many copies as POP.

Popmartijn

Did Pop really hit #1 in 34 countries? I've seen the number of 32 countries for ATYCLB, but IIRC that was also the highest number of countries an album has ever charted at #1... Until the Beatles charted in #33 countries two weeks later or so (and it seems plausible the Beatles album reached #1 in two more countries after their debut week).
Confused...

Marty

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People criticize me but I know it's not the end
I try to kick the truth, not just to make friends

Spearhead - People In Tha Middle

Dima

i remember that back in '97 Pop set a record...but i'm quite sure that hit #1 spot in less than 30 country (28 i think).
I also think that ATYCLB has still the record for simoultaneous #1's in the 1st week of release (with 32 ) as beatles' "1" charted in 2 or 3 countries (total: 33) some weeks after its release ( for example i remember Italy where hit #1 spot in its 2nd week climbing from #9 and Poland where reached #1 in christmas' week...so 3 or 4 weeks after its debut)

gherman

I think it is also interesting that ATYCLB didn't go to no 1 in the US.

doctorwho

"1" definitely broke the record held by "Pop" - NOT by ATYCLB. Sting is right there.

The last time I read anything about this, ATYCLB hit #1 in one less country than "Pop" - that being the U.S.

I believe the statistics are all very close - something like 32 countries for ATYCLB, 33 for "Pop" and 34 for "1."

STING2

Mike63,
First off, any worldwide figure seen for an album is a shipment figure and not a sales figure since not all countries have the soundscan system. The initial shipment for POP was 4.5 million copies. The album sold well in the first two months but after that fell off the chart. I saw several figures that said 6 million at the end of 1997, but the one I saw in Billboard was 5.5 million and I would go with that. POP only sold 1.5 million in the USA and is certified in Europe for 2 million copies sold. Canada 380,000. Australia only 70,000. Right there you have 70% of the world market and 4 million sales unless of course POP is close to 3 million in Europe which I doubt. The only single country that I know of POP going multi-platinum is Canada.
So everything I have seen points to 5.5 million. You name the territory or country and if stats are available they will show that ATYCLB has sold more than double that of POP, except Canada of Course. In the UK 1 million to 300,000. The USA almost 4 million to 1.5 million. In Europe nearly 4 million to 2 million. Australia almost 350,000 to 70,000.
In a month or two, ATYCLB will hit the 11 million mark worldwide and at that time, its sales will be double that of POP 5.5 million.

mike63

Sorry to disagree with our `experts', but I am sure that POP held the record in 97(indeed I remember a record company advert in the British publication Music Week - stating POP had gone straight to number 1 in 25 countries - so 28 in total is probably pretty close to the mark), but ATYCLB DID then surpass this - only to be overtaken by the Beatles (not getting to number 1 in USA & Japan was the difference). I am VERY confident about this, so much so that I would be willing to put a small wager on this.

Mike

mike63

STING 2

I thought POP ended up selling around 6.5 million copies (probably shipped 7/7.5 million - and actually sold 5 million copies in the first 2 months), therefore
ATYCLB hasn't yet sold twice as much as POP - but it is only a matter of time of course.

Mike

doctorwho

The "experts" I read this from are various music magazines (Billboard, the former WallofSound, Rolling Stone, etc.). "Pop" did hold the record in '97 for reaching #1 in the most countries. ATYCLB came up just short as it "only" reached #3 in the U.S. and Japan. "1" however, ultimately surpassed "Pop's" record by reaching #1 in either one or two more countries. *I* am so confident in this that I accept your wager, Mike.

Now to do some research...

Dima

actually i was right ATYCLB topped in more charts than any other previous release by u2 (31)

check it at u2.com in the timeline (october 2000)

doctorwho

I wouldn't trust U2.com that much on their statistics. They also wrote:

"With or Without you propelled The Joshua Tree to the top of the US Charts, where it stayed for 9 weeks eventually selling over 7 million copies in the USA."

We all know that JT actually went to sell over 10 million copies in the U.S.

STING2

Well, I think U2.com made a mistake because POP hit #1 in all the countries they list ATYCLB hitting #1 in and POP also hit #1 in the USA when ATYCLB did not. It would not be the first time U2.com made a mistake about something. They also make mistakes in listing ATYCLB as U2s 9th studio release and say that Hong Kong is a country.
Anyways, ATYCLB is closing in a doubling the sales of POP. So ATYCLB is a far more successful album than POP even though it did not go to #1 in as many countries.

doctorwho

Don't you mean tripling the sales (in the U.S.)? ATYCLB has more than doubled the sales of "Pop" in the U.S. Or are you referring to worldwide sales? If so, ATYCLB already may have doubled the sales. Some reports have "Pop" selling as little as 5 to 5.5 million copies worldwide.

STING2

I meant worldwide.