Never ending talks about divas or Michael Jackson vs Elvis Presley stories often overshadow the success of some other artists. Phil Collins is one of them. We tend to forget that during the 80s his albums easily outsold those of Madonna, Prince or U2. In continental Europe his sales were mind-blowing and France was no exception.
Many artists released compilations more comprehensive and richer than The Immaculate Collection hits package by Madonna, issued in 1990. Not many of those compilations have been as iconic as this one, however. The naming, the cover and obviously, the songs, are the perfect reflection of one of the biggest phenomenons of the 80s.
For a citizen of the US or the UK, it may seem hard to believe that Elton John first album to reach Platinum status in France was his studio album number 22, e.g. 1989 set Sleeping With The Past.
Praises, critics, highlights, remarks, notices, myths, arguments, debates. Much has been said about the album L’Autre by Mylène Farmer, often claimed to be one of the very best selling albums of all-time. Is it true?
The busy year 1992 was a year dominated by a few of the biggest artists ever in France including Michael Jackson, Patrick Bruel, Michel Sardou and… Jean-Philippe Audin & Diego Modena. In fact, their Ocarina LP was a monster.
There is very little doubt about how appealing Simon & Garfunkel catalog is in France. Their 1972 Greatest Hits album sold over a million copies and so did the 1982 Concert In Central Park. It wasn’t safe yet that 1991 The Definitive Simon & Garfunkel would follow the track of one million seller every decade, as The Collection sold large amounts in 1990-1991.
One of France favorite bands of all-time, Dire Straits were at their absolute peak when they released On Every Street in 1991. This album followed two million selling albums, both of which had reached the milestone even before this new set was issued.
Michael Jackson was all over the place during the 80s, releasing two monster sellers Thriller (1982) and Bad (1987). Follow up album, 1991 release Dangerous, was apivotal album for the star as the cult producer of previous albums Quincy Jones, was no longer on board. Teddy Riley had taken his place as primary collaborator.
