To celebrate they reveal their top selling albums of each decade.

In 1962, aware of the growing demand for recordings from US artists which weren’t available in Ireland at the time, Golden Discs was set up on Dublin’s Tara Street by Jack Fitzgerald and Tom Rogers. Sixty years later, Golden Discs celebrates its diamond anniversary; a testament to the founders forward-thinking, and tenacious business strategy.

It hasn’t always been easy for the company; as streaming became more popular, there was less demand for physical copies of albums and DVDs. However, 60 years later, and Golden Discs is still a household name for music lovers. In 2022, Golden Discs operates twenty-one stores and is Ireland’s largest and most popular music chain.

Founder Jack Fitzgerald, now in his 90s, says this of its success:

“I would never have thought that from our humble beginnings in Tara Street we would turn into a business that would still be going strong sixty years later, having employed tens of thousands of staff and served millions of customers. I am exceedingly proud to have served the Irish public and been a part of the Irish music landscape for so long.”

To celebrate their diamond anniversary, Golden Discs have released their Top 10 selling albums of each decade they’ve been open. Check them out below.

1960s

The Beatles – Abbey Road
Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
Rolling Stones – Let It Bleed
The Doors – The Doors
The Beatles – Sgt Peppers Lonely
Hearts Club Band
Jimi Hendrix – Electric Ladyland
Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin
Pink Floyd – Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
The Beatles – Revolver
Aretha Franklin – I Never Loved A Man
The Way I Loved You

1970s

Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
Pink Floyd – Dark Side Of The Moon
David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy
Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
Michael Jackson – O the Wall
Abba – Voulez Vous
Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On
Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures
Joni Mitchell – Blue
Sex Pistols – Nevermind The Bollocks,
Here’s The Sex Pistols

1980s

Michael Jackson – Thriller
U2 – The Joshua Tree
Queen – Greatest Hits
The Smiths – The Queen Is Dead
Fleetwood Mac – Tango In the Night
Stone Roses – Stone Roses
AC/DC – Back In Black
Guns N Roses – Appetite for Destruction
Paul Simon – Graceland
Dire Straits – Brothers In Arms

1990s

Nirvana – Nevermind
U2 – The Joshua Tree
Oasis – (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?
Radiohead – OK Computer
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication
Metallica – Metallica
Pearl Jam – Ten
Green Day – Dookie
The Verve – Urban Hymns
Various Artist – A Woman’s Heart

2000s

Amy Winehouse – Back to Black
Coldplay – Parachutes
Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP
Gorillaz – Demon Days
Taylor Swift – Fearless
Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare
The Killers – Hot Fuss
Green Day – American Idiot
My Chemical Romance – The Black Parade
Damien Rice – O

2010s

Adele – 21
Taylor Swift – 1989
Arctic Monkeys – AM
Harry Styles – Fine Line
Lana Del Rey – Norman Fucking Rockwell
Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Buttery
Tyler, The Creator – IGOR
Taylor Swift – reputation
Lady Gaga – Born This Way
Gorillaz – Plastic Beach

Header images via Orchestrate 

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