One Direction (1D) are a pop boy-band based out of London, England. The group is made up of members Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson who come from both England and Ireland. The group got its start back in 2010 when each member individually auditioned for the popular British singing competition show The X Factor. The guys failed to make it very far into the show individually but creator and judge Simon Cowell thought it would be a good idea if they formed a pop boy band. According to Simon Cowell it only took “10 minutes for them to agree to group up”. Since then the band has been very popular among younger teenagers and pop fans alike, and they have released 3 studio albums to date. We are going to take a moment and look at One Directions highest selling records.
3. Midnight Memories – 4 million albums sold
First up on our list is the most recent album from One Direction which came out on November 25, 2013. This is the third album One Direction put out and upon its release it broke the record for the fastest selling album on Amazon in the UK (the record was held by One Directions old album). The album took the number 1 spot on the Billboard 200 list, and made the group the only band in history who’s first 3 albums all debuted at number 1. The album featured more rock inspired sounds, which was somewhat different from their traditional pop records. While the album sold well, it received less than favorable reviews. The aggregate review site Metacritic found the album to receive an average score of 59/100.
2. Take Me Home – 4.4 millon albums sold
Taking the number 2 spot on our list, and also the second album released by One Direction is Take Me Home. The album was released under Sony Music Entertainment and debuted at the number 1 spot on the Billboard 200 list. The album itself was largely composed by various ghost writers and side producers in Sweden. In fact the large majority of One Direction songs are not written by the members at all. The album broke into the top ten lists in nearly all countries it was released, however it received less than average reviews, with Metacritic giving it a 69/100.
1. Up All Night – 4.5 million albums sold
Taking the number one spot on our list is One Directions’ debut album Up All Night. Shortly after grouping up after The X-Factor the group got to know each other and began practicing together. A variety of producers and song writers began writing One Directions album for them and this album was released on November 18, 2011. The album sold 4.5 million units and like all of the albums mentioned, peaked at the number 1 Billboard 200 spot. Also in similar fashion to their other albums, the album received mediocre reviews and Metacritic found an aggregate score of just 64/100.
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