10 iconic albums turning 50 this year, ranked by how many copies they've sold

Rock band the Eagles (Bernie Leadon, Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and Randy Meisner) pose in a desert valley. Henry Diltz/Corbis via Getty Images Many commercially successful and culturally impactful albums turn 50 in 2026. We ranked 10 of 1976's most iconic albums by sales. "Hotel California" by the Eagles has been certified 28 times platinum by the RIAA. Fifty years ago, vinyl records were nearing the peak of their popularity — and 1976 produced some of music's most enduring albums. Whether they were immediate hits or had a slower crawl to fame, many of those albums are among the best-selling of all time, with artists continuing to benefit from their lasting success. To measure that impact, Business Insider used certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), whose Gold & Platinum database is one of the industry's best-known measures of commercial success.