ItsNotYouItsMe Media "Back To The Future" Edition Looks Back At Thee 40-Year-Old-Plus Records That Reached Top Positions On The Billboard 200 Today!

ItsNotYouItsMe Media "Back To The Future" Edition Looks Back At Thee 40-Year-Old-Plus Records That Reached Top Positions On The Billboard 200 Today!

"As you have probably heard by now, Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 blockbuster Rumours returns to the top 10 on the Billboard 200 this week, spurred on by a viral video featuring the album’s biggest hit, Stevie Nicks’ mellow, midtempo “Dreams.”

This is the ninth time that an album that was at least 40 years old has made the top 10. All are classic rock albums. Four are by Led Zeppelin, three by The Beatles, and one each by The Rolling Stones and now Fleetwood Mac.

Rumours is the only album to achieve this feat that wasn’t revived by a deluxe or anniversary reissue -- just by a viral video that has had an impact beyond anyone’s, well, dreams. All the others were linked to expensive campaigns. This cost the label, Warner/Rhino, practically nothing!

Two of these albums, Rumours and The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, won Grammys for album of the year.

All four of these bands have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. All of them except Fleetwood Mac have received lifetime achievement awards from the Recording Academy -- and the mighty Mac received MusiCares' person of the year accolade in 2018.

Chart flashback: The Beatles’ Abbey Road and Led Zeppelin II, two of the albums on this list, held the top two spots on the Billboard 200 for 15 consecutive weeks from Nov. 22, 1969, to Feb. 28, 1970. The lead in this epic chart battle went back and forth five times. More than 50 years later, these two legendary bands are still dominating Billboard charts and recaps.

Here are all the 40-plus-year-old albums to make the top 10 on the Billboard 200, ranked by the length of their span of top 10 success.

1. The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

49 years, 11 months and three weeks

First hit top 10: June 24, 1967

Returned to top 10: June 10 and 17, 2017

2. The Beatles, Abbey Road

49 years, 11 months and two weeks

First hit top 10: Oct. 25, 1969

Returned to top 10: Oct. 12, 2019

3. The Beatles, The Beatles

49 years, 11 months

First hit top 10: Dec. 21, 1968

Returned to top 10: Nov. 24, 2018

4. Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin

45 years, one month

First hit top 10: May 17, 1969

Returned to top 10: June 21, 2014

5. Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II

44 years, seven months

First hit top 10: Nov. 22, 1969

Returned to top 10: June 21, 2014

6. The Rolling Stones, Sticky Fingers

44 years, one month and two weeks

First hit top 10: May 15, 1971

Returned to top 10: June 27, 2015

7. Fleetwood Mac, Rumours

43 years, eight months

First hit top 10: Feb. 26, 1977

Returned to top 10: Oct. 24, 2010

8. Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin III

43 years, eight months

First hit top 10: Oct. 24, 1970

Returned to top 10: June 21, 2014

9. Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin IV

42 years, 11 months and two weeks

First hit top 10: Dec. 4, 1971

Returned to top 10: Nov. 15, 2014." - Billboard.com