Meat Loaf tops chart of biggest-selling debut albums in UK history

Meat Loaf's Bat Out Of Hell is the biggest-selling debut medium successful UK illustration history, it has been revealed.

The record, a campy blend of hard stone and Broadway pizzazz, has sold much than 3.5 cardinal copies successful the UK, spending 530 weeks successful the apical 100.

It bushed James Blunt's Back To Bedlam, which is the biggest debut by a British creator and 2nd connected the wide list, compiled to people National Album Day.

Blunt is followed by Leona Lewis's Spirit and Lady Gaga's The Fame.

The apical 10 besides features deed debut albums by Dido, the Spice Girls, Alanis Morissette and Coldplay, portion Ed Sheeran, Adele and Oasis are besides connected the afloat list.

The apical 20 volition beryllium broadcast connected BBC Radio 2 connected Saturday, with an extended programme featuring the apical 40 disposable connected BBC Sounds.

"Bat Out Of Hell reaching fig 1 mightiness beryllium a astonishment to some," said presenter Steve Wright. "But it is simply a genuinely superb debut medium and 1 which reached a full caller assemblage pursuing the bittersweet passing of Meat Loaf earlier this year."

Styled arsenic an OTT stone opera, the medium contains hits similar You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth and Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad, arsenic good arsenic the nine-minute rubric track.

Deeply unfashionable successful the epoch of disco and punk, it was rejected by 4 grounds labels. But erstwhile it was yet released successful 1977, it became an contiguous occurrence successful the UK, acknowledgment to an unforgettable show connected BBC TV amusement The Old Grey Whistle Test.

The peculiar chart's apical 20 mostly focuses connected debut albums released successful the precocious 1990s and aboriginal 2000s - coinciding with the highest successful CD sales.

Albums from that epoch see Dido's No Angel, Keane's Hopes and Fears and The Killers' Hot Fuss.

The astir caller medium connected the database is Sam Smith's 2014 debut In The Lonely Hour, portion Mike Oldfield's timeless Tubular Bells (1973) is the oldest.

Nothing from the 1960s has made it into the apical 20, meaning albums similar The Beatles' Please Please Me and The Rolling Stones' self-titled debut person missed out.

That's a reflection of respective factors - a little UK population, with little entree to location stereo equipment, astatine a clip erstwhile singles were the ascendant income format.

It was lone aboriginal successful the decennary that albums became seen arsenic a valid creator pursuit, acknowledgment to innovative releases similar the Beatles' Revolver, the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds and Bob Dylan's Blonde On Blonde.

National Album Day is present successful its 5th year. It volition beryllium marked by the merchandise of 30 debut albums successful a collectible format, including Lady Gaga's The Fame connected airy bluish vinyl, and The Spice Girls' Spice connected achromatic vinyl.

It is organised by British grounds manufacture relation the BPI, which has besides revealed the biggest-selling debut albums from each federation and portion of the UK.

Oasis's Definitely Maybe emerged victorious successful the north-west, with Sheffield's Arctic Monkeys scoring a location triumph successful Yorkshire.

Duffy's Rockferry is the apical medium by an creator from Wales, with Emeli Sande's Our Version of Events representing Scotland, and Katie Melua's Call Off The Search topping the charts for Northern Ireland.