Nirvana’s “Nevermind” overtakes AC/DC’s “Back In Black” in all-time album ranking

Nirvana‘s landmark 1991 album “Nevermind” has edged past AC/DC‘s “Back In Black” to become the sixth biggest album of all time in a ranking compiled by music data company Chartmasters. The margin is remarkably small: “Nevermind” stands at 66,832,000 Equivalent Album Sales (EAS), just 1,000 ahead of the Australian rock band’s 1980 classic, which has 66,831,000.

The result also puts “Nevermind” ahead of Pink Floyd‘s “The Dark Side Of The Moon”, which sits in eighth place with 63,623,000 EAS. Among rock albums, only Eagles‘ “Hotel California” and Fleetwood Mac‘s “Rumours” rank higher than Nirvana’s breakthrough release.

Crucially, these figures are not a straightforward count of albums sold. Chartmasters’ EAS model combines physical album sales with digital downloads, streaming, sales of individual tracks and the consumption of songs that also appear on compilations and greatest-hits releases. The methodology explains how an album with fewer physical sales can rank higher overall.

According to the figures cited by Classic Rock via Louder, “Back In Black” remains comfortably ahead in physical sales, with around 37 million copies compared with approximately 30 million for “Nevermind”. Nirvana’s stronger results across the other categories, however, are enough to reverse their positions in the combined ranking.

There is also a historical connection between the two bands. Kurt Cobain once claimed he had taken guitar lessons for two days while in eighth grade so he could learn the title track from “Back In Black”. Nirvana manager Danny Goldberg later said that Cobain appreciated AC/DC‘s music but was uncomfortable with the band’s lyrics.

AC/DC‘s late rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young was less enthusiastic when asked about Nirvana by Classic Rock journalist Mark Blake in 1992. His succinct assessment of Cobain was: “Singer’s a blond feller. Bit of a poser.”

Chartmasters’ 10 biggest albums of all time

The following ranking uses Chartmasters’ Equivalent Album Sales totals, as reported by Louder:

1. Michael Jackson – “Thriller”: 131,253,000
2. Eagles – “Hotel California”: 74,695,000
3. Bee Gees & Various Artists – “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack: 73,267,000
4. Fleetwood Mac – “Rumours”: 73,108,000
5. Michael Jackson – “Bad”: 70,196,000
6. Nirvana – “Nevermind”: 66,832,000
7. AC/DC – “Back In Black”: 66,831,000
8. Pink Floyd – “The Dark Side Of The Moon”: 63,623,000
9. The Beatles – “Abbey Road”: 61,075,000
10. Led Zeppelin – “Led Zeppelin IV”: 60,696,000

The close contest between “Nevermind” and “Back In Black” illustrates the importance of the methodology behind an all-time sales chart. The figures represent equivalent consumption across several formats rather than certified physical sales alone, and their relative positions can change as streaming and other activity continue to accumulate.

Chaoszine has previously covered archival footage of Nirvana receiving MTV’s Video Vanguard Award.