Elton John is enjoying a return to the top of the UK album chart, with a record first released in 2017.
The BBC reports that Sir Elton’s greatest hits collection Diamonds has gone to number one in the UK after 374 weeks on the charts, marking the musician’s ninth number one album, at the age of 77.
The album, featuring classic songs including Tiny Dancer, I’m Still Standing and Rocket Man, has remained in the charts since its release seven years ago, but received a sales boost last week with re-release on Blu-ray, cassette and diamond-vinyl. The BBC states it has sold more 1.5million copies in total.
Sir Elton has also seen a spike in streaming numbers since the release last month of the Disney+ documentary Never Too Late, which saw the artist discuss his career to date, and the conclusion of his farewell tour in 2023. Through never-before-seen footage, diaries and audio interviews for his memoir Me and animated sequences that depict Sir Elton’s memories, the film follows his tumultuous formative years, his meteoric rise to fame while struggling with and overcoming drug addiction, to performing his last shows in North America leading to his farewell concert at Dodgers stadium in Los Angeles.
Sir Elton’s previous number one albums span six decades, his first being Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player, released in 1973. His first greatest hits album topped the charts a year later.
He recently told Deadline in interview: “I still love playing the piano. I’m waiting to get back in the studio. I can’t wait to release new stuff. I’m raring to go.”
