The UK Albums Chart is one of many music charts compiled by the Official Charts Company that calculates the best-selling albums of the week in the United Kingdom. Before 2004, the chart was only based on the sales of physical albums. This list shows albums that peaked in the Top 10 of the UK Albums Chart during 1972, as well as albums which peaked in 1971 and 1973 but were in the top 10 in 1972. The entry date is when the album appeared in the top ten for the first time (week ending, as published by the Official Charts Company, which is six days after the chart is announced).
The first new number-one album of the year was by The Concert for Bangladesh by George Harrison & Friends. Overall, fourteen different albums peaked at number one in 1972, with Various artists (4) having the most albums hit that position.
Top-ten albums Key SymbolMeaning‡Album peaked in 1970 or 1971 but still in chart in 1972.♦Album released in 1972 but peaked in 1973.EnteredThe date that the album first appeared in the chart.PeakHighest position that the album reached in the UK Albums Chart.
Entered (week ending)Weeksintop10 Single ArtistPeak Peakreached (week ending)WeeksatpeakAlbums in 1970 135Bridge Over Troubled Water ‡Simon & Garfunkel 1 33Albums in 1971 26Every Picture Tells a Story ‡Rod Stewart 1 6 18Tapestry ‡Carole King 4 1 7Fireball ‡Deep Purple 1 1 19Teaser and the FirecatCat Stevens 2 1 29Electric Warrior ‡T. Rex 1 8 12Motown Chartbusters Volume 6 ‡Various artists 2 1 19Imagine ‡John Lennon 1 2 13Led Zeppelin IV ‡Led Zeppelin 1 2 4Twelve Songs of Christmas (RCA Camden Reissue) ‡Jim Reeves 3 2 3Hot Hits 8 ‡Various artists 2 3 2Elvis' Christmas Album (RCA Camden Reissue) ‡Elvis Presley 7 2 12A Nod Is As Good As a Wink... to a Blind HorseFaces 2 1Albums in 1972 1Words and Music Benny Hill 9 1 1Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy The Who 9 1 21Fog on the Tyne Lindisfarne 1 4 3Jesus Christ Superstar Various artists 6 1 8Himself Gilbert O'Sullivan 5 1 5The Concert for Bangladesh George Harrison & Friends 1 1 10Neil Reid Neil Reid 1 3 4Hendrix in the West Jimi Hendrix 7 2 14Paul Simon Paul Simon 1 1 12Nilsson Schmilsson Nilsson 4 3 12Harvest Neil Young 1 1 4Thick as a Brick Jethro Tull 5 1 2Who Will Save the World? The Mighty Groundhogs The Groundhogs 8 1 1Baby I'm-a Want You Bread 9 1 7We'd Like to Teach the World to Sing The New Seekers 2 2 16American Pie Don McLean 2 3 8Machine Head Deep Purple 1 3 22Slade Alive! Slade 2 1 5Prophets, Seers & Sages/My People Were FairTyrannosaurus Rex 1 1 1A Song for YouJack Jones 9 1 9Bolan BoogieT. Rex 1 3 4ArgusWishbone Ash 3 1 10CherishDavid Cassidy 2 1 1Live in EuropeRory Gallagher 9 1 1The Music PeopleVarious artists 10 1 7Honky ChâteauElton John 2 2 1A Thing Called LoveJohnny Cash 8 1 2Nicely Out of TuneLindisfarne 8 1 5Exile on Main St.The Rolling Stones 1 1 1520 Dynamic HitsVarious artists 1 8 4Bread WinnersJack Jones 7 1 4Obscured by CloudsPink Floyd 6 1 1Free at LastFree 9 1 20The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars ♦David Bowie 5 1 5TrilogyEmerson, Lake & Palmer 2 1 2Living in the PastJethro Tull 8 1 3Elvis: As Recorded at Madison Square GardenElvis Presley 3 1 59Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest HitsSimon & Garfunkel 2 3 11School's OutAlice Cooper 4 1 1520 Fantastic HitsVarious artists 1 6 7The SliderT. Rex 4 1 20Never a Dull MomentRod Stewart 1 2 5MoodsNeil Diamond 7 2 4Close to the EdgeYes 4 1 5Dingly DellLindisfarne 5 1 7Sing Along with MaxMax Bygraves 4 2 1Roxy MusicRoxy Music 10 1 1520 All Time Greats of the 50sVarious artists 1 11 10Catch Bull at FourCat Stevens 2 2 5Black Sabbath Vol. 4Black Sabbath 8 1 920 Star TracksVarious artists 2 2 2GlitterGary Glitter 8 2 3The Best of BreadBread 7 1 22Back to Front ♦Gilbert O'Sullivan 1 1 1The Last Goon Show EverThe Goons 8 1 922 Dynamic Hits Vol. 2Various artists 2 2 1020 Fantastic Hits Vol. 2 2 3 1CaravanseraiSantana 6 1 1525 Rockin' and Rollin' GreatsVarious artists 1 11 3Seventh SojournThe Moody Blues 5 1 11Portrait of Donny ♦Donny Osmond 5 1 16Slayed? ♦Slade 1 3 1Motown Chartbusters Volume 7Various artists 9 1 8Too YoungDonny Osmond 7 5
See also 1972 in British music List of number-one albums from the 1970s (UK)
References General
Specific
External links 1972 album chart archive at the Official Charts Company (click on relevant week)