Island EMI president Louis Bloom salutes ‘iconic artist’ Elton John as Diamonds hits No.1 | Labels

Diamonds has been a streaming perennial for Elton John since 2017, but it’s never occupied the No.1 slot – until now. 

The Diamonds collection, released by catalogue division Universal Music Recordings and Island EMI, has climbed to No.1 to become the music legend’s ninth chart-topping album. 

Music Week covered the release of the landmark greatest hits set just over seven years ago, when it debuted at No.5. Elton John and his management team at Rocket, David Furnish and Rachael Paley, also spoke about his five-year plan in a Music Week cover feature in 2022.

Since its release, Diamonds has powered ahead with consistent Top 10 chart placings for the classic catalogue collection, peaking at No.2 until finally reaching the summit in the latest chart. 

Its performance was bolstered by new editions on multiple formats, including vinyl, Blu-ray (with Dolby Atmos) and cassette. The LP’s new variants helped secure it No.1 on this week’s Official Vinyl Albums Chart and Official Record Store Chart. 

Diamonds now claims a chart record for the most consecutive weeks inside the Top 40 ever (84 weeks) and the most weeks inside the Top 40 before reaching No.1. In total, it has spent 374 weeks on the albums chart Top 100.

Diamonds is on 1,676,002 total UK sales (including 362,205 physical copies, 57,374 downloads and 1,292,423 sales-equivalent streams), according to the Official Charts Company. Of that total, 14,759 units were from the latest chart frame as the compilation climbed from No.6 to No.1 with a 100% increase in week-on-week consumption. 

As reported in Alan Jones’ charts analysis, it takes Elton John’s No.1 career on the UK albums chart to 52 years. He occupied the top spot twice in 1973 with Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

Elton John’s most recent albums chart No.1 was The Lockdown Sessions in 2021. 

Elton is one of the most iconic artists in the history of popular music

Louis Bloom

“Elton is one of the most iconic artists in the history of popular music and it’s really no surprise that decades into his incredible career, Diamonds has given him his ninth No.1 album,” said Island EMI president Louis Bloom. “Elton’s music, philanthropy, activism and his incredible support for new artists, is unparalleled and he continues to be an inspiration to us all. 

“As a lifelong fan it is a privilege and an enormous pleasure to have the opportunity to work with such a giant of the entertainment world. Special thanks to Sam Lunn, Alastair Smith, Alex Sayers, Hannah Neaves and the UMR team for a remarkable campaign, and of course to Elton, David and Rachael, for being so fantastic to work with. We look forward to more No.1s and more magnificent music.”

David Furnish, CEO of Rocket, said: “We are so proud to see Diamonds finally get to No.1 eight years after its release. Diamonds has been an omnipresent beacon in the charts over that time and all of Elton’s other activities feed into its success. After Elton’s record breaking Glastonbury performance, it went up the charts to a new peak. After the release of Rocket Man, or [autobiography] Me, The Lockdown Sessions, it went up the charts. And again now, after the release of the Disney+ documentary Never Too Late, it has finally and deservedly hit the top spot. It’s testament to the ongoing relevance of the hardest working artist there is.”

Rocket Entertainment’s Rachael Paley added: “Elton has an unmatched ability to connect with fans old and new, and he’s always thrilled to know that people are continuing to discover his catalogue through Diamonds.”

Click here to read our 2022 cover feature with Elton John, David Furnish and Rachael Paley.

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