Elton John Scores One Bestselling New Album Right After Another

Forbes

28-04-2025

Elton John is having quite a year, and his recent activity on the charts underscores that statement. The musical legend, who returned earlier in 2025 with his brand new collaborative album Who Believes in Angels? alongside Brandi Carlile, is enjoying quite the renaissance on the Billboard rankings in America. As fans rush to consume everything he's releasing, John scores yet another bestselling project, doubling up on one important roster with back-to-back hits.
John is back on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart with yet another impressive effort. His latest offering, Live From the Rainbow Theatre, debuts at No. 35, giving the EGOT winner his second collaborative debut in just as many weeks. The set, created alongside legendary musician Ry Cooder, managed to sell 4,600 copies in the U.S. alone (according to Luminate).
Live From the Rainbow Theatre was not a normal release. Instead, it arrived as part of Record Store Day, the annual music industry event that encourages top-tier artists to issue exclusive editions of new, live, or archival sets – typically available only on physical formats – through independent record stores. The goal is to entice music lovers to return to brick-and-mortar locations, giving them a much-needed sales boost.
Only 5,000 vinyl copies of John's live album were produced. The set captures a slice of history, as it was recorded back in 1977 during a six-show residency at London's Rainbow Theatre that John and Cooder shared. Nearly all of the available LPs were snapped up within just a few days.
Thanks to Live From the Rainbow Theatre, John has now collected 30 wins on the Top Album Sales chart throughout his remarkable career. That number also includes his most recent full-length, Who Believes in Angels?, which debuted on the list just last frame. This week, Who Believes in Angels? with Carlile dips from the runner-up spot to No. 10, but even with that fall, it still manages to outpace John's newer live offering by quite a sizable margin.
While Who Believes in Angels? continues to impress on the Top Album Sales chart, its fortunes across other Billboard lists have shifted dramatically — though not necessarily through any fault of its own. On the Top Rock & Alternative Albums tally, the set falls from No. 1 to No. 33, a steep decline that might have been softened if that roster wasn't flooded with special Record Store Day releases.
The project also tumbles down the Billboard 200, plummeting from No. 9 to No. 140. Somewhat surprisingly, it slips behind Diamonds, John's greatest hits collection, which remains inside the top quarter of that all-encompassing consumption ranking.