France Best Selling Albums Ever:
Update Part 1

L5 – L5 (2001) : 1 260 000

Have I told you reality TV shows were huge back then? The M6 Channel replica of Star Academy, TV show Popstar was quickly launched. The winning group, some kind of national Spice Girls clone L5, dropped their eponymous record immediatly after the show run. As it had to be expected, the group failed to retain their popularity over the next years, being currently fully forgotten.

Star Academy 2 – Chante Les Années 80 (2002) : 1 080 000

Yes, those albums were huge. Similarly to the previous two, this album sold record breaking numbers on its first weeks before disappearing completely. Although those early albums of covers saw their interest go down quickly, it needs to to be noted Jenifer and Olivia Ruiz from Season 1 and Nolwenn Leroy from Season 2 all got one solo album that came close from making this ranking of million sellers.

Johnny Hallyday – À La Vie, À La Mort (2002) : 1 750 000

An album having the same place among Johnny Hallyday discography as Sang Pour Sang, A La Vie, A La Mort hasn’t survived the numerous compilations of the artist that are selling well. Doubting his catalog is still so valuable? Since all albums are eligible to the Comprehensive Top 200 album chart in 2011, including compilations, he charted with the absurd number of 56 different albums, plus countless more in the Catalog Chart. If A La Vie, A La Mort isn’t one of them and selling close to nothing right now, no doubt the never ending selling power of Johnny Hallyday coupled with the appeal of this album would rocket a LP reissue right into the overall Top 10.

Michel Sardou – Du Plaisir (2004) : 1 050 000

Back to Michel Sardou, second to Johnny Hallyday among all-time best selling artists in France. Just like him, Sardou has countless of compilations out. His catalog is selling nowhere near the mass figures of Hallyday though, his studio albums even less and among them, Du Plaisir is one of the least favorites records, way down from his 70s outputs.