Beatles' 'Abbey Road' is Best-Selling Vinyl Album for Third Consecutive Year

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According to information recently released by Nielsen SoundScan, Abbey Road, The Beatles' classic 1969 album, was the best-selling vinyl album for the third year in a row.

Abbey Road, which features "Here Comes the Sun," "Come Together" and "Something," sold 41,000 copies in 2011, which is up from 35,000 in 2010 and 34,800 in 2009. It was the second-highest selling vinyl album in 2008, with its 16,500 copies eclipsed by Radiohead's In Rainbows, which sold 25,800 copies.

According to Rolling Stone, the gradual increase in vinyl sales for Abbey Road over the past few years mirrors an overall upward trend in vinyl sales, though the format only accounts for 3.9 percent of total music sales for the year.

Here are the top 10 vinyl albums of 2011, according to Nielsen SoundScan:

1. The Beatles - Abbey Road (41,000)
2. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues (29,700)
3. Bon Iver - Bon Iver (27,200)
4. Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More (26,800)
5. Radiohead - The King of Limbs (20,800)
6. Adele - 21 (16,500)
7. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (16,200)
8. Wilco - The Whole Love (14,900)
9. The Black Keys - Brothers (14,200)
10. The Black Keys - El Camino (13,800)

Damian Fanelli
Damian Fanelli
Editor-in-Chief, Guitar World

Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.