The Beatles return to the top 10 in America as Anthology 4 debuts and Abbey Road mounts a surprise comeback at the same time. (Original Caption) The Beatles are shown at a press conference at the Warwick Hotel. Standing left to right are: Ringo Starr, (wearing polka dot shirt), Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and George Harrison.
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Almost 30 years after The Beatles dropped Anthology 3, the band is back with a fourth installment in its retrospective series. Anthology 4 becomes, like everything attached to the group, a bestseller all around the world, though it does not perform nearly as well as past products with similar names.
Anthology 4, which was released at the same time as the Anthology Collection box set, manages to start inside the top 10 on a handful of Billboard charts, but even two anthology-related collections were not enough for Americans, as a beloved Beatles classic also surges back onto multiple tallies, as there is an unmatchable demand for anything and everything related to the group.
The Beatles Chart a New Top 10 Album
Anthology 4 debuts on four Billboard charts, and it kicks off inside the top 10 on all but one of them. Anthology 4 earns its loftiest starting point on the Top Rock Albums list, where it enters at No. 6. The compilation almost matches that position on the slightly more all-encompassing Top Rock & Alternative Albums tally, beginning at No. 7.
Photo of the Beatles, April 1963; L-R: Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, John Lennon – posed, group shot – jumping on wall, Used on the Twist & Shout EP cover (Photo by Fiona Adams/Redferns)
Redferns
Anthology 4 stands out as one of the top 10 bestselling releases in the U.S. this week as it opens at No. 9 on the Top Album Sales chart. Luminate reports that the Beatles effort manages its notable starting point thanks to a little more than 13,000 pure purchases between digital downloads, CDs, and vinyl.
How Many Top 10 Albums Have The Beatles Charted?
The Beatles collect a milestone fifteenth top 10 on both the Top Rock & Alternative Albums and Top Rock Albums tallies as Anthology 4 debuts. The group has claimed two more wins inside the uppermost tier on the Top Album Sales list.
Anthology 4 Underperforms On Billboard 200
While Anthology 4 is an immediate top 10 success on the three previously mentioned rankings, it arrives in a somewhat disappointing position on the Billboard 200, which ranks the most consumed albums of any genre throughout the country. Anthology 4 debuts at No. 48 this week.
It is now the first of the four anthology projects to miss out on running the Billboard 200, as the previous three are counted among the group’s record-setting 19 chart toppers.
The Beatles Barely Miss Out on Doubling Up Inside the Top 10
LIVERPOOL – CIRCA 1962: Rock and roll band “The Beatles” pose for a portrait in circa 1962. (L-R) Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
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The Beatles almost claim two new top 10s on the Top Album Sales list, but barely miss out on accomplishing that feat. Anthology Collection, a box set of everything from the anthology series, blasts in at No. 11. Anthology Collection sold 10,600 copies, less than 3,000 fewer than Anthology 4.
The Beatles Debut the Anthology Collection on Multiple Charts
Anthology Collection earns a top 20 start on not only the Top Album Sales list, but also the Vinyl Albums and Top Rock Albums tallies, opening at Nos. 16 and 19, respectively. The project also comes in just beneath that region on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart, as it opens at No. 22.
Like Anthology 4, Anthology Collection underperforms on the Billboard 200, where it fails to reach the upper half of the 200-spot list. Anthology Collection is new at No. 113 with 11,300 equivalent units shifted.
Abbey Road Returns as The Beatles Score New Wins
Two new compilations featuring outtakes, previously unheard material, and plenty of Beatles favorites might seem like enough for even the most diehard fans, but as both Anthology 4 and Anthology Collection debut, one of the most famous albums by the band returns. Abbey Road surges back onto four tallies in the U.S. this week after moving 8,800 equivalent units, almost 3,700 of which were pure sales. Abbey Road returns to all of the following Billboard charts:
- Vinyl Albums — No. 21
- Top Album Sales — No. 38
- Top Rock & Alternative Albums — No. 41
- Billboard 200 — No. 188
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2025/12/07/the-beatles-chart-a-new-top-10-album-in-america-as-a-revered-classic-returns/
