There are only nine classic rock artists who have released more than one diamond album. It’s a testament to their stratospheric stardom and a reminder that they don’t make ’em like this anymore.
The classic rock era — which can be broadly classified as the mid ’60s through the early ’90s — also represented the music industry’s golden commercial age. Not to minimize other artists’ myriad achievements, but gold and platinum records were fairly common during classic rock’s halcyon days.
But a diamond album? Now we’re talking big-time. And multiple diamond albums? That’s the uppermost echelon of rock superstardom.
READ MORE: The Top 15 Diamond-Selling Hard Rock and Metal Albums Ranked Worst to Best
What Does It Take to Receive an RIAA Diamond Certification?
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awards a diamond certification to any album that’s sold 10 million copies in the United States. Double albums are tallied for each individual disc or unit, meaning that a double album (such as Pink Floyd‘s The Wall, featured here) that sells 10 million copies will be certified for 20 million units.
It’s also worth noting that most of the classic rock acts with multiple diamond albums on this list got here with the help of greatest-hits compilations or live albums. While we usually wouldn’t include greatest-hits collections on an albums list, these collections played a much bigger role in the classic rock era than they do today.
Albums such as Eagles‘ Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) or the Beatles‘ 1962-1966 and
1967-1970 (also known as the Red Album and Blue Album, respectively) sold tens of millions of copies and took on a legend of their own. They were instrumental in attracting new fans and have become crucial parts of these artists’ legacies, as evidenced by their staggering sales.
As such, we’ve decided to include greatest-hits comps and live albums in our list. Keep reading to see which classic rock artists have earned more than one diamond album.
Classic Rock Artists With Multiple Diamond Albums
Few have reached the uppermost echelon of commercial success.
Gallery Credit: Bryan Rolli
